Episode 23 Cowboy Trap


Episode 23

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Transcript


LineFromTo

I'm on a journey across the UK

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exposing the sharp practices of cowboy builders and rogue traders.

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It was terrifying. I mean, I had my little daughter with me

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who at the time was only one, and the weight of those pillars is shocking.

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You can't even lift them. And it was terrifying.

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Hopefully, by exposing these cowboys' tricks,

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we can prevent others from making the same mistakes.

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I feel absolutely useless

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that I allowed this to happen to myself.

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I haven't got money to throw away.

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But don't worry, we've got a top team of experts on hand

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to put right some of these botched building works.

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Ah! Now that's a wall!

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If you take on board all my hints and tips,

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together we can help prevent you from falling into the cowboy trap.

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'Today, we're travelling from Bournemouth to Bristol,

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'meeting two sets of homeowners who wanted to provide a safe home for their families.

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'But they ended up in danger when they fell into the cowboy trap.

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'Liz Cutler wanted to make sure her new home was suitable to look after foster children.

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'She didn't expect she'd end up with lethal electrics.'

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It's had a huge effect on myself and my family.

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If the children are here, I'm very concerned about what they're touching, what lights they're using.

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'And the grass certainly isn't greener for Lindsey and Chris, whose builder left them with

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'an unsafe garden wall. It fell down at the first strong gust of wind and could've killed their kids.'

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It's been a very, very upsetting time.

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You pay all your savings

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and every penny you've got to make a house very special

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and to be the lovely home you want it to be.

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We're in Bournemouth to meet Liz Cutler,

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who just wanted to know whether her electrics were safe and sound.

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'Single mum Liz Cutler lives with 13-year-old son Jay.

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'They have two dogs, Lily and Ling-Ling.

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'Liz is a foster carer.

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'When she moved from Wales to her hometown of Bournemouth,

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'she wanted to continue fostering.

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'The three-bedroom house she found needed some building work to make it suitable.'

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The property was appropriate for what I needed.

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It was at the right price and it could basically do what I wanted to do

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to make it appropriate for fostering, mainly.

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Liz has been a foster carer for three years now,

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'providing a safe home for vulnerable children.

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'So health and safety was her top priority for her new home.'

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You need fire alarms put in, fire blankets,

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windows have got to be secure and be able to be locked,

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and you want your electrics to be safe,

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gas appliances to be safe.

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And there's a lot of safety and security that we run through to become a foster carer.

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'Liz's new house needed central heating throughout,

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'but more importantly, her homebuyer's survey flagged up that her wiring upstairs wasn't safe.

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'She desperately needed an electrician to rewire the property,

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'put in a new circuit board and sockets and issue an electrical safety certificate.

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'She could then hand over the certificate to the council

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'to prove her new home was completely safe.'

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The certificate's very important to me as a foster carer.

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Basically, it's the health and safety of everything when you're fostering.

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And when you've got young children around, they're forever plugging in things

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and unplugging stuff, they've got mobile phones, games are charging.

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And not only as a foster carer. I have children and grandchildren

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and obviously myself, I want the house to be safe.

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'Liz hired a local plumber to do the central heating

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'and he recommended an electrician.'

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A very nice man, very polite, very reasonable.

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Went round, looked at the property, listed down what needed doing

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and gave me a quote, which seemed reasonable enough, and then we went ahead with the job.

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'Liz hoped the electrician's work would make her home safe and get the certification she needed.

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'She went back to her old house to finish the move.'

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Whilst I was away, the electrician went to my son's property

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to give him the certificate.

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My son was able, then, to give him his final payment of £500 on my behalf.

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'Liz made a common mistake.

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'She handed over cash without even seeing the finished work. So take a tip from me...

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'Then you can point out any snagging issues.

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'While Liz was away, her son gave the electrician his final payment

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'in return for the electrical certificate.

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'But when Liz came back to Bournemouth, she had a nasty shock.'

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Straight away, I noticed things weren't right with the electrics.

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The noticeable part of it all

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was the sockets along the top of the worktop were all uneven.

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Also, the socket as you're coming through the main door, the light switch,

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that hadn't been plastered round.

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I did contact the builder as to why they hadn't plastered round the socket

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and they told me that the socket itself

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wasn't securely fixed to the wall and they couldn't touch that.

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'The electrician had issued a test certificate, but Liz was worried.

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'She paid £1,600 to have her home rewired

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'with new sockets, circuit board and a full electrical safety certificate.

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'She was left with loose sockets and potentially lethal wiring.

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'It put her and her son in danger and meant she couldn't have foster children in.

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'Liz's brother-in-law is a retired electrician.

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'He no longer does bigger jobs like hers

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'so couldn't help Liz with her rewiring.

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'But when he saw the certificate, he knew straight away there was a problem.'

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It was not complete.

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A completion certificate is probably four or five pages

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and there's test results on there, insulation resistance, earthing resistance, things like that.

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None of that was there. And there's lots of boxes that you have to tick

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to say that you've checked this, checked that, barriers were in place,

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continuity of ring circuits are correct. None of that was there.

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So it was really ten percent of a proper certificate.

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'Worried about the work, Liz called the electrician back.

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'He made some changes, but when he left, she noticed something important was missing.'

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The test certificate was on the side and the list of jobs that needed doing.

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When I returned from work, the test certificate had gone.

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Some of the jobs were completed

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but I don't feel that he did everything that he should've done.

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The sockets are still hanging off the wall, they're still not in line.

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'Liz's certificate wasn't worth the paper it was written on.

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'If you're getting electrical work done, or need a certificate, take a tip from me...

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'When he took away his certificate, this cowboy covered his tracks.

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'Liz had no proof the installation was safe.'

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OK, as you can see, the sockets, instead of being even, they're at different heights

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and over time, they became loose.

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The socket should've been about this level.

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Instead it's quite higher up and tucked underneath the dresser unit.

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I was advised to move the dresser higher up,

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which you can't do cos there's no more room for it to go up any higher.

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This is the main socket as you walk in through the front door.

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This is the first light you put on at night when it's dark.

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It's quite loose and falling off the wall.

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'With her home left in this dangerous state, Liz had to put her fostering on hold.

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'She is very worried about safety.'

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It has a huge effect on me. It means that I can no longer pursue my career as a foster carer.

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And when my grandchildren are here,

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I have great concerns when they're plugging things in

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and putting on lights and things.

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The supposed electrician,

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if he was sat opposite me now,

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I'd suggest that he really takes up another trade

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because electrical is not his game.

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At the present time, he's not a competent man and he should not be doing electrical work.

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Liz's dream of fostering kids in a new home is on hold until she can get her electrics sorted out.

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Time for me to find out what's been going on.

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DOORBELL RINGS

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-Hiya!

-Hi. Are you Liz?

-Yes!

-I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap. How are you?

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-Come on in.

-Thank you.

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'Liz has been left at the end of her fuse with her frightful electrics.

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'I can certainly see why. I can't believe someone could leave this lovely woman in such danger.

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'So what can we do to help?'

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It's important that we know exactly what you would like us to do for you

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in that short space of time that would help you.

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The main thing for me is to get my certificate. That is a huge thing.

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-We'll make sure you get that certificate. How's that?

-Sounds great.

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-OK, good. That's a deal.

-Yeah. Thank you.

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'Liz's electrician had left her in a shocking state,

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'with extremely dangerous electrics.

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'When he disappeared, he took his dodgy test certificate with him.

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'We've got a big job on our hands,

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'rewiring and testing the whole property.

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'We must ensure everything is safe for Liz,

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'13-year-old Jay and any foster children.'

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Liz really needs to get these electrics sorted, if only for peace of mind.

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So it's time to bring on the good guys.

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'Coming up, our independent electrical expert has some shocking news.'

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The earth wasn't connected properly,

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and would've made this whole house unsafe.

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'Now we're heading to Bristol. The Prices' growing family meant they needed a bigger home.

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'Lindsey's a full-time mum to their four children

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'while Chris is a company director.

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'They wanted a total refurbishment,

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'turning their three-bed into a five-bedroom house.

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'These extra bedrooms upstairs would give them more living space downstairs.

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'So they decided an extension at the back and side would complete their dream family home.'

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We had a very long, thin kitchen at the time

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and we wanted to extend that to make it a lovely family kitchen

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and really just upgrade the house.

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New central heating system,

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larger family bathroom,

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and just make it a home that we wanted to spend a long time in.

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'Outside, they wanted to make the garden safe and secure for their four children,

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'Emily Rose, Louis, Jacob and Daisy May,

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'so they asked the builder to put up a new wall.'

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We spend a lot of time in the garden learning about nature

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and we have pets, we have rabbits and guinea pigs,

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so we like it to be nice, safe, enclosed and a nice place to be.

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'The Price family's garden is an extension of their home,

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'so they hoped the builder would do a first-class job inside the house and out.'

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We had conifer trees all the way along and a privet hedge

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and at the front, we had a front wall.

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We wanted the overgrown trees removed

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and we wanted a lovely wall put up all around.

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'Chris remembered a builder he knew through a mutual friend.

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'So they got him in for a quote. And then they began to do some research on his previous experience.'

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We asked about the builder.

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What kind of work does he do? Is it of a good quality?

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Everything seemed to come back pretty OK.

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And my husband then went to look at a project he'd been doing

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and, to us, we're not builders, but it looked fine.

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He seemed a nice, friendly chap

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and I fully trusted him to come in and do a great job.

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'Lindsey and Chris were won over by the friendly builder.

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'Like them, he was family orientated. In fact, his 16-year-old son would work with him on the job.

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'They spent a year working on the house, and almost became part of the family.'

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We'd start off every day with a cup of tea and a chat.

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And even on his son's 16th birthday, I baked a big cake

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and decorated the room and bought him a small gift.

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And, you know, I felt that they were almost part of our family.

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They'd spent a lot of time with us

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and our children had got to know them

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and I was sure we'd get a great job because of this.

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'Lindsey and Chris made the mistake of becoming too close to their builder. So take a tip from me...

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'Time is money, and if you spend time chatting,

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'it's your money, not theirs.

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'..regardless of whether you're friends or bake them cakes.

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'Lindsey and Chris were happy with the work both inside and out. Until the builder finished.

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'Suddenly, their new garden wall frightened the life out of Lindsey.'

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One day, it was a little bit windy and we were out feeding the guinea pig and the rabbit

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and the next thing, we heard a slight cracking of wood

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and the pillars just came and it was one pillar and then another pillar

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and it was terrifying. I mean, I had my little daughter with me,

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who at the time was only one,

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and the weight of those pillars is shocking, you can't even lift them.

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And it was terrifying.

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'Lindsey and her daughter had a lucky escape.

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'The post and fence panels completely collapsed.

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'They were left with a big pile of debris.

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'Lindsey's friend, Tuarita, is godmother to one of her children

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'and couldn't believe how close they came to tragedy.'

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You know, you just think, are the children going to be...

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Is it going to collapse on them when they're playing outside?

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Cos they're always out in the garden, especially if it's nice.

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You could go out one day and find a heap of rubble with one of the children underneath it.

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'The cracks began to show in this builder's shoddy workmanship

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'inside the house, as well.'

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It was pretty bad. We had leaks coming through the kitchen ceiling,

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our bathroom was leaking, by then, the bathroom tiles had been laid but they'd started cracking.

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And generally, I was starting to feel quite sad about the whole thing.

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'Lindsey and Chris paid their bill, £67,000 for their new extension and garden wall.

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'They withheld the last payment of £6,000 to fix the snags.

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'Inside, their new extension is blighted with leaks and cracks.

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'Outside, the garden wall is dangerous.

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'Lindsey got straight onto the builder.

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'He said there was nothing wrong. But then he agreed to come back.'

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He did fix the wall. Exactly the same, he did it within about two and a half hours,

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rebuilt the pillars, put the fencing back

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and the wall was back up.

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'Lindsey and Chris live in fear every time the wind blows.

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'If they allow the children outside to play, the wall may blow down on top of them.'

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I did raise concern with him, then, that I was worried

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that the same thing may happen to the rest of the wall.

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He assured me it was completely safe

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and that I had no reason to worry.

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So I had to take his word for the fact that it's safe.

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'Their worries don't stop outside. Inside, the snagging list is long.'

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We were left with no upstairs banister or stairs with four young children over the weekend.

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One of our young children sleepwalks, so it was terrifying.

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The bath leaks. We have... a saucepan full of murky water

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coming from the waste pipe, which we have to empty every few days.

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'But it's their garden wall that worries them most

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'because they fear for their children's safety.'

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We heard a slight cracking noise, which was obviously the wooden panelling cracking,

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and the wall actually came down.

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The hutch, at the time, was situated here,

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so it missed us by only a couple of feet.

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It was very close indeed.

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Since, the builder has come back and rebuilt it,

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but it's still very worrying, whether it will happen again or not.

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Is it safe for the children to be out here?

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'The constant worry led Lindsey and Chris to call in a building inspector.

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'He confirmed their worst fears

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'and told them the wall must come down because it was too dangerous.'

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It was the same as this.

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And you could actually push it and wobble it. It was horrific.

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The building inspector sent out a letter

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saying that it was a dangerous structure.

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'The couple are living with the disappointment of the snags inside.

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'But they can't live with the danger outside.

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'This nightmare has been going on for over a year now.

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'It's really been taking its toll on Lindsey.'

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I think it's been a big strain on her

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and Lindsey has changed quite a bit.

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Constant strain of worrying when it's going to be built,

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the worry of all the children, their safety and everything,

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and she has changed. She's quieter than she used to be.

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All that Lindsey and Chris wanted was an extension to their home

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to accommodate their ever-growing family.

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But all they were left with was one big mess.

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KNOCK AT DOOR

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-Hello!

-Hello! Is that Lindsey?

-It is.

-Hi, I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap.

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-Come on in.

-Thank you.

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'I can't believe this cowboy has left Lindsey and her family in such a dangerous situation.

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'I want to find out how we can help them make their homes safe again.'

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What could we do for you that would make you smile?

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-Replace our dangerous garden wall would be the most...

-Priority number one.

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-What we will do is, we'll get the good guys in and sort that wall out.

-That's very kind.

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This builder left the garden unsafe,

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particularly when you consider there are young children around.

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It's time to put things right and get the good guys in.

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'Coming up, our independent surveyor delivers his expert verdict on their bodged boundary.'

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It isn't even poor workmanship, it's dangerous.

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'We're travelling south now to Bournemouth.

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'Foster carer Liz Cutler wanted to make her new home safe

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'so she could continue her fostering.

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'After paying £1,600 to have her electrics sorted out,

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'she was left with sockets hanging off the wall and lethal wiring.

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'The good guys are raring to get started, but before they do,

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'I want to get a score for the standard of work from independent electrical expert Tony Cable.'

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I was very concerned when I looked at the main earth there

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and it didn't look like it was connected

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and when I attached it, it actually came off. If you lose the main earth,

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that could've been very dangerous, with someone getting a shock or burnt.

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At the consumer unit, the fuse board, there's holes in the top.

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The regulations state they shouldn't be any more than one millimetre. I could get my finger in there.

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That isn't the way a professional electrician would do it.

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If you look at the sockets in the kitchen, there's no two the same height

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and they're not very straight, either.

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I think, being generous, one or two.

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But no more than that, cos I think this house was left in a dangerous condition.

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'Two out of ten maximum?

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'Liz and all her extended family could've been electrocuted.

0:22:030:22:07

'Luckily, our good guys are ready and waiting to help Liz

0:22:070:22:10

'continue her dreams of being a foster mum.

0:22:100:22:13

'They'll be rewiring the bodge job and moving Liz's sockets so that she can actually use them.

0:22:130:22:19

'Troy is leading our team today. So what's the plan of action?'

0:22:190:22:23

What we're going to do first is a periodic test and inspect.

0:22:230:22:27

So we basically go round the house

0:22:270:22:29

and have a look at the whole electrical installation, taking off fronts.

0:22:290:22:33

Then after we've done a visual, we do a test with the meters.

0:22:330:22:36

-OK.

-And we need to put the sockets at the right heights,

0:22:360:22:39

-so we need to try and move them into those zones.

-OK.

0:22:390:22:43

And also take down every fitting, every socket,

0:22:430:22:46

and redo the connections and check behind.

0:22:460:22:49

Basically, just go over all the connections again.

0:22:490:22:53

Roughly, tell me how long you think it's going to take you to do.

0:22:530:22:57

It's going to be about a day and a half's work.

0:22:570:22:59

So at the end of two days, we should have it all finished.

0:22:590:23:03

-And you'll be able to hand over a certificate at the end of that.

-Yeah.

0:23:030:23:07

The certificate will come from... The periodic test report we'll do,

0:23:070:23:11

that brings up what work, if any, needs doing.

0:23:110:23:15

Then any work I undertake myself I will issue a test certificate for, an installation certificate.

0:23:150:23:22

-I'll let you carry on.

-OK.

0:23:220:23:24

'While Tory gets started, I want to find out what Liz knew about the electrician she originally hired.'

0:23:260:23:32

Did he say how long it was going to take?

0:23:320:23:34

-No.

-OK.

-There was no timescale of what it was going to take to get the job done.

0:23:340:23:40

Because I wasn't living here, I did leave him with a key,

0:23:400:23:44

so he could come and do whatever he liked and get on with the job and get finished

0:23:440:23:48

-so I could hurry up and move in.

-Looking back on that,

0:23:480:23:52

would you now think that was a wise move, to give him a key?

0:23:520:23:56

Did you know him personally?

0:23:560:23:58

No, I didn't know him. But there was really nothing here

0:23:580:24:03

of value as such for anything to go wrong.

0:24:030:24:07

Never leave a stranger with a key. That's like me knocking on the door

0:24:070:24:11

and saying, "When you're out at work, do you mind me having the key?"

0:24:110:24:15

-True.

-So it's important to realise,

0:24:150:24:18

unless it's the absolute last resort,

0:24:180:24:22

-don't leave them in the property on their own. They can easily have a key cut.

-Mm.

0:24:220:24:27

'Liz was lucky. But take a tip from me...

0:24:270:24:30

'If you absolutely can't stay with your builder...

0:24:340:24:37

'And if you do leave your home unattended...

0:24:400:24:42

'..as they could be damaged or even stolen.

0:24:440:24:47

'It could've been a lot worse for Liz.

0:24:470:24:50

'But by no means has she got off lightly.'

0:24:500:24:52

What kind of electrician leaves a house in a dangerous condition?

0:24:530:24:57

Time this cowboy gave us some answers.

0:24:570:25:00

'Liz hasn't managed to get hold of her electrician

0:25:000:25:04

'since he left with her electrical certificate.'

0:25:040:25:07

So, what questions would you like to ask him?

0:25:070:25:11

I would like to ask him how he could be brazen to come into the house posing as an electrician,

0:25:110:25:19

a qualified electrician.

0:25:190:25:21

How he could say that he could give me the certificate I needed

0:25:210:25:26

and then to leave us all in danger.

0:25:260:25:29

-OK. I'm going to give you, right now, an opportunity to speak to your electrician.

-Yeah.

0:25:290:25:36

-Here we go. Just hold that out in front of you.

-OK.

0:25:360:25:40

-PHONE RINGS

-Here we go. It's ringing.

0:25:400:25:43

Hi, it's Liz. I wonder if you could call me back on this number, please?

0:25:450:25:49

There are some questions I would like answering. Thank you.

0:25:490:25:52

Answerphone! The thing is,

0:25:540:25:57

they know that we're on their case and therefore they go to ground

0:25:570:26:01

and you never get them answering, which is a real pain. It might just prick his conscience

0:26:010:26:07

and he might phone you back, but we'll just sit tight, wait and see.

0:26:070:26:11

'I've got a message for cowardly cowboys everywhere.'

0:26:110:26:15

You know who you are and now we know who you are.

0:26:150:26:18

And by revealing your cowboy tricks, we'll prevent others from falling into your trap.

0:26:180:26:24

'Coming up, I hope Liz is going to be ecstatic about her new electrics.'

0:26:240:26:29

Oh, thank you so much!

0:26:290:26:31

'Back in Bristol, we're helping Lindsey and Chris Price

0:26:340:26:38

'make their home safe for their four children.

0:26:380:26:40

'They paid £67,000 for a side and rear extension to accommodate their growing family.

0:26:400:26:47

'But they were left with a long list of snags inside.

0:26:470:26:51

'Outside, they wanted to make the garden secure for the children to play in.

0:26:510:26:56

'But the wall their builder put up has already fallen down

0:26:560:26:59

'and been rebuilt once before.

0:26:590:27:02

'The good guys are standing by to make it safe,

0:27:020:27:04

'but first, I want independent chartered surveyor John Martin

0:27:040:27:08

'to check it over.'

0:27:080:27:10

The wall moves. When you push it,

0:27:100:27:13

and I'm not pushing it very hard, it rocks.

0:27:130:27:17

And you've only got to get a strong wind

0:27:170:27:20

and it will fall over, because all of these panels

0:27:200:27:24

act like sails

0:27:240:27:25

and if you get the wind in the wrong direction,

0:27:250:27:28

it will just blow it all over.

0:27:280:27:30

You just wouldn't build a wall this tall in this construction.

0:27:300:27:34

You would probably build it to a maximum of that height.

0:27:340:27:37

The pillars should be taken down, all of them,

0:27:370:27:40

even the two that are vertical, and start again.

0:27:400:27:44

I would give the builder's wall nought out of ten.

0:27:440:27:48

Because it is dangerous.

0:27:480:27:50

It isn't even poor workmanship, it's dangerous.

0:27:500:27:53

Zero out of ten. It's time this builder chose another occupation.

0:27:540:27:59

'Jason and his team are ready to get started

0:27:590:28:02

'so let's find out how they're going to make life safer again for the Prices.'

0:28:020:28:07

Jason, this wall's a bit of a mess to say the least. What are the main problems?

0:28:070:28:11

The problems lay in the block work. It's too heavy, the wall's too heavy.

0:28:110:28:15

There's nothing there to support it. Literally, it can be pushed over.

0:28:150:28:19

So, in real terms, what is your plan? What are you going to do with it?

0:28:190:28:23

We're going to take it down block by block, piece by piece,

0:28:230:28:26

all the way along, take out all the bad work

0:28:260:28:29

and basically build a new fence all the way along again.

0:28:290:28:33

How long do you think that will take you?

0:28:330:28:35

Weather permitting, it's a lovely day, at least two days.

0:28:350:28:39

-Excellent. It's great to have the good guys in. Thank you, Jason.

-You're welcome.

0:28:390:28:43

'Lindsey and Chris have been living in fear for their kids' safety

0:28:430:28:47

'for over 18 months now.

0:28:470:28:50

'I want to find out how extending their family home put them in such danger.'

0:28:500:28:56

How did we go about finding a builder?

0:28:560:28:59

Well, we knew him through mutual friends.

0:28:590:29:01

-OK.

-I'd been to have a look at some work that he did some years back

0:29:010:29:06

and he came highly recommended.

0:29:060:29:08

Just remind me of what that work was that you looked at.

0:29:080:29:12

-I think it was a patio.

-OK.

-We have a very good friend

0:29:120:29:15

who said, "Use this chap, he's very good."

0:29:150:29:18

He may be good at laying patio slabs

0:29:180:29:21

but not necessarily the best at laying bricks.

0:29:210:29:25

-Absolutely.

-Everybody has got strengths.

0:29:250:29:27

Bricklayers, plasterers, plumbers, electricians, gas fitters.

0:29:270:29:31

So did it not cross your mind at all that you hadn't seen any work

0:29:310:29:35

where he'd actually laid bricks and done and extension?

0:29:350:29:38

He assured us that he had a team of builders that were proficient.

0:29:380:29:42

-He thought the job was manageable.

-Yeah.

0:29:420:29:45

And, quite frankly, that rapport that we had with him at the time

0:29:450:29:49

was a good reason to choose him.

0:29:490:29:51

I know people who won't take somebody on who isn't a brilliant talker.

0:29:510:29:55

I'm not bothered if they're not brilliant talkers.

0:29:550:29:58

If they do the work properly and I've seen their work, I'm not bothered if they don't talk.

0:29:580:30:02

'Lindsey and Chris thought going to look at a patio their builder had done was good enough research.

0:30:040:30:09

'But take a tip from me...

0:30:090:30:11

'..to check their standard of work

0:30:170:30:21

'The Prices' builder took on this ambitious job

0:30:210:30:23

'without bringing in skilled experts.

0:30:230:30:26

'18 months after he finished the job,

0:30:260:30:28

'they've still got a long list of snags.'

0:30:280:30:30

It's high time this builder accounted for his actions.

0:30:300:30:34

So we're going to call him and find out exactly what he's got to say for himself.

0:30:340:30:38

-We've got a telephone number for him.

-Yep.

0:30:380:30:40

Let's give him a call. All you've got to do is put it on loud speaker. Let's go.

0:30:400:30:45

-PHONE RINGS

-It's ringing.

-It's ringing.

0:30:470:30:50

'Our luck's in. He answers the phone.'

0:30:540:30:57

Listen, can I ask you a few questions?

0:30:570:31:00

Because we're now at a stage where, you know, we're pretty keen to get all this sorted.

0:31:000:31:06

You know, the wall is still pretty damn wobbly.

0:31:060:31:08

'The builder tries to reassure Chris that there was nothing wrong with the wall

0:31:080:31:13

'and it wouldn't fall down again.'

0:31:130:31:15

But, as I look around it, and as independent surveyors have looked around it,

0:31:150:31:20

and looked around the work, first of all, the wall outside was a disgrace for it to fall over.

0:31:200:31:27

And you were saying it was wind damage.

0:31:270:31:30

Well, the wall next to it that had been up for some time managed to survive and yours didn't.

0:31:300:31:34

And you've got to bear in mind, there's kids around.

0:31:340:31:37

'The builder says that he's never refused to come back

0:31:370:31:40

'and that he will come back to fix their outstanding problems inside their house.'

0:31:400:31:45

So, we need to make a list of everything.

0:31:450:31:48

You've already got that list.

0:31:480:31:50

And I think he should then be offered the chance

0:31:500:31:55

-to put it right and complete it to your satisfaction.

-Sure.

0:31:550:32:01

OK? So, it's up to you now. Make that contact and let's get this all sorted.

0:32:010:32:07

-Sounds good to me.

-Good.

-It's a plan.

-That's a plan.

0:32:070:32:11

'The Prices have decided not to take the builder up on his offer

0:32:120:32:16

'and have opted to hire someone else to fix their outstanding problems.

0:32:160:32:21

'Coming up, I can't wait to see the look on Lindsey and Chris's faces

0:32:220:32:26

'when they see their safe new wall.'

0:32:260:32:29

Ah! Now that's a wall!

0:32:290:32:31

'We're travelling back to Bournemouth now.

0:32:340:32:37

'Liz Cutler has a 13-year-old son of her own and she's a foster mum.

0:32:370:32:42

'When she moved house, she needed the new property rewired

0:32:420:32:46

'to make it safe for foster kids.

0:32:460:32:48

'She paid an electrician £1,600,

0:32:480:32:52

'but he left, taking the safety certificate with him.

0:32:520:32:56

'Now she's worried.

0:32:560:32:58

'Our good guys are on the case now

0:32:580:33:00

'and I want to know if Troy has found anything wrong.'

0:33:000:33:05

Here he is. Problems, Troy?

0:33:050:33:07

Er, yeah, quite a few.

0:33:070:33:10

-Like?

-Well, the main one, really, is the earthing.

0:33:100:33:14

-It's the first one we came across. The earth cable's come off. It wasn't screwed up properly.

-OK.

0:33:140:33:20

So what have you got left to do now?

0:33:200:33:22

-We're going to test all the new works we've done.

-OK.

0:33:220:33:25

Issue test sheets and then, at some point,

0:33:250:33:29

-we'll get that registered with Building Control.

-Well played. I'll let you carry on.

0:33:290:33:33

'While Troy and the boys crack on, I want to find out from Liz

0:33:330:33:38

'when alarm bells started ringing about her electrician.'

0:33:380:33:41

Take me to the time when you now realised,

0:33:410:33:46

the day has dawned,

0:33:460:33:49

that this guy wasn't for real and you're £1,600 light.

0:33:490:33:54

I phoned Trading Standards first of all

0:33:540:33:57

and they were able to tell me a list of companies, governing bodies,

0:33:570:34:02

to contact to see if he's registered with any of them.

0:34:020:34:05

I phoned the governing bodies and they did a sweep

0:34:050:34:08

and they couldn't find him.

0:34:080:34:10

The other phone call I had to make then was to the council

0:34:100:34:14

-to check if there was a Part P, is it?

-Yes, Part P certificate. Yes.

0:34:140:34:17

The council checked and there was nothing.

0:34:170:34:21

-So he wasn't registered as Part P.

-No, there was nothing there at all.

0:34:210:34:24

-OK.

-Again, I contacted him

0:34:240:34:28

and I said about the works that needed doing,

0:34:280:34:32

finishing off, and again he said he would come back and do it

0:34:320:34:37

and he's got somebody to sign the work off for me.

0:34:370:34:40

So he said that. He's got somebody. Now, all of a sudden,

0:34:400:34:44

he's got somebody that can sign the work off for him.

0:34:440:34:47

You'd turn round and go, "How come, because you've already signed the work off for me

0:34:480:34:52

"and you were qualified." Did you say that?

0:34:520:34:55

Yeah, I did say to him, "Why is it that you could sign it off?"

0:34:550:35:00

and he still insisted that he could do.

0:35:000:35:03

He still could do this. But he said he has got a friend that's been in the trade longer

0:35:030:35:08

and he's going to be able to sign it off.

0:35:080:35:10

No qualified electrician is going to come in

0:35:100:35:14

and sign off anybody else's work at all.

0:35:140:35:17

They need to have hands on and to be able to check and test

0:35:170:35:21

the whole system. Because it then falls upon them if there's any future problems.

0:35:210:35:27

I've come across this story time and time again and, by the sound of it,

0:35:270:35:31

I wouldn't have even wanted this guy to put a battery in my torch,

0:35:310:35:34

let alone do my electrical work.

0:35:340:35:36

'Liz has really had a shock with this cowboy. I hope we can restore her trust.

0:35:380:35:42

'Troy and his team have been busy

0:35:420:35:45

'fixing the sockets and sorting out that dodgy wiring once and for all.'

0:35:450:35:49

SMOKE ALARM BEEPS

0:35:490:35:51

'By bringing in the good guys, we've made her home safe

0:35:510:35:54

'so she can become a foster mum again.

0:35:540:35:57

'I can't wait to show her exactly what they've done.'

0:35:570:36:00

The first thing you will notice is all your sockets now,

0:36:000:36:03

along with your new tiling and your new splashback,

0:36:030:36:07

-are all now in line.

-Yep.

0:36:070:36:09

Your fuse board has now been made safe.

0:36:090:36:12

Real critical for us was that your earth bonding,

0:36:120:36:17

that was loose before, and in places wasn't fastened,

0:36:170:36:20

has actually been secured and done correctly now.

0:36:200:36:23

So all that is done.

0:36:230:36:26

And, of course, your smoke alarms have all been fitted correctly, too.

0:36:260:36:30

He's also done a test of all the electrical work that he's covered

0:36:300:36:34

-and everything is hunky-dory.

-Lovely.

0:36:340:36:38

'Liz's electrician left her and her 13-year-old son Jay

0:36:390:36:43

'with potentially dangerous wiring.

0:36:430:36:45

'The switches and sockets were wonky, the main earth wire was loose

0:36:450:36:49

'and she had no certificate to show the work was safe,

0:36:490:36:53

'so the council couldn't allow foster kids in her home.

0:36:530:36:57

'We've tested the whole electrical system and rectified all the faults.

0:36:570:37:01

'Now it's safe as houses.

0:37:010:37:04

'The entire installation meets the regulations,

0:37:040:37:07

'complete with light fittings suitable for use in the bathroom.

0:37:070:37:11

'We've also tested all the smoke and fire alarms

0:37:110:37:14

'which Liz needs to keep her home safe.

0:37:140:37:18

'Liz can now have the peace of mind she so desperately needs.

0:37:180:37:22

'But I want to make sure she won't be falling for any more cowboy tricks again.'

0:37:220:37:27

Just tell me what you've learned from having a cowboy electrician in your property.

0:37:270:37:33

What would you do next time when you need to get an electrician

0:37:330:37:37

or any tradesperson?

0:37:370:37:39

One, I'd check the paperwork.

0:37:390:37:41

-Two, clarify that they are actually registered.

-That is so important.

0:37:410:37:46

'The best news of all is that Troy can now issue Liz

0:37:470:37:50

'with the certificate she needs for reassurance

0:37:500:37:53

'and to prove to the council her home is safe for her to take in foster children.'

0:37:530:37:57

-Now, I've got some great news for you.

-Yeah?

0:37:570:38:01

Yeah. Because in my big dabs,

0:38:010:38:04

I have your periodic inspection report

0:38:040:38:08

and electrical installation test certificate

0:38:080:38:12

all there for you. That is now yours.

0:38:120:38:15

Oh, thank you so much!

0:38:150:38:17

So that is now massive peace of mind.

0:38:170:38:21

It really is, yeah. At least we'll sleep at night knowing we're safe.

0:38:210:38:26

So how does it make you feel? Do you feel brilliant about that?

0:38:260:38:29

-Fantastic. Thank you. That's what's important.

-That's the critical thing on this occasion.

0:38:290:38:35

-Lovely. Thank you very much.

-Nice to meet you. See you soon. Bye!

0:38:350:38:39

Liz can now sleep well,

0:38:390:38:41

happy in the knowledge that her electrics are safe and sound.

0:38:410:38:45

'We're hoping for some more happy faces in Bristol.

0:38:500:38:53

'Lindsey and Chris Price have four children

0:38:530:38:57

'so they decided to have a new extension.

0:38:570:38:59

'While they were at it, they asked the builder to make the garden secure.

0:38:590:39:04

'Inside there are lots of problems.

0:39:040:39:07

'But outside, the posts he built blew over.

0:39:070:39:11

'The parents are very worried it might happen again

0:39:110:39:14

'and fall on the children.

0:39:140:39:16

'We're in now, making it safe.

0:39:160:39:19

'I want to find out how they're getting on.'

0:39:190:39:22

Just explain what you've done and if you've hit any snags.

0:39:220:39:25

-We've taken the wall down.

-Yep.

-It came down very easily.

0:39:250:39:29

-Surprise, surprise.

-No surprises there.

0:39:290:39:32

We've put a new fence up, bolted on these posts.

0:39:320:39:37

The fence is going to be nice and strong and it's not going to suffer in the wind or fall on the kids.

0:39:370:39:43

So how long is it going to take you before you complete?

0:39:430:39:46

-A couple of hours.

-Fantastic. I can't wait to show them.

0:39:460:39:49

'Well, our good guys certainly don't beat about the bush.

0:39:500:39:53

'We've removed the dangerous block posts

0:39:530:39:56

'and erected a safe and secure boundary for the garden.

0:39:560:40:00

'I wonder what Lindsey and Chris have learned from this experience.'

0:40:000:40:04

I want to know what you've learned from having a cowboy builder on your property.

0:40:040:40:09

Don't get too friendly with your builders.

0:40:090:40:12

-Aww!

-And try to keep it professional.

0:40:120:40:14

-Don't get too friendly. What about you, Chris?

-Three things.

0:40:140:40:18

-Check references.

-Good lad.

-Check work.

-Yep.

0:40:180:40:21

-And don't part with your money before they've finished.

-See?

0:40:210:40:24

-How's that?

-I'm liking all four of them.

0:40:240:40:27

They're great. OK, now, before we go and take a look outside,

0:40:270:40:32

just remind me what it was like before we arrived.

0:40:320:40:35

It was wobbly.

0:40:360:40:39

It was dangerous.

0:40:390:40:41

So what are you hoping for?

0:40:410:40:44

A lovely, safe structure to keep the children safe while they're playing.

0:40:440:40:50

-And sturdy.

-Yes. Sturdy, safe, bit of privacy.

-Absolutely.

0:40:500:40:56

-Let's go check it out. Are you excited?

-I am.

0:40:560:41:02

Come and have a look.

0:41:020:41:04

Ah! Now that's a wall!

0:41:050:41:09

-Now, that looks the business, doesn't it?

-That's a wall, Lindsey.

0:41:090:41:13

It's beautiful.

0:41:130:41:15

That keeps you nice and private but it keeps you nice and safe,

0:41:150:41:19

particularly where the children are concerned. So are you happy?

0:41:190:41:22

-Certainly.

-Very much. Thank you.

0:41:220:41:25

'Lindsey and Chris wanted to make their garden secure

0:41:260:41:29

'so their four children could play outside safely.

0:41:290:41:32

'But when the block supports their builder erected blew over,

0:41:320:41:35

'they were left living in fear it could happen again.

0:41:350:41:39

'We've removed all the wobbly block work and replaced the entire garden boundary

0:41:390:41:44

'with a sturdy and strong stretch of fence.

0:41:440:41:47

'Lindsey and Chris can rest assured that no ill wind will bring the thing down.

0:41:470:41:52

'Finally, there's a safe boundary to protect the children from the outside world.'

0:41:520:41:58

Is it worth a cheer? Yeah? You ready? After three. One, two, three.

0:41:590:42:05

THEY CHEER

0:42:050:42:07

-Yeah!

-Yeah!

0:42:070:42:09

It's been an absolute pleasure to meet you guys.

0:42:090:42:12

And good luck with the future

0:42:120:42:15

-and good luck with your lovely space here in the garden and your secure fence.

-Thank you.

0:42:150:42:20

-Lovely to see you.

-Thank you.

-And you.

0:42:200:42:22

-Take care. Thank you very much.

-Kids, nice to meet you.

0:42:220:42:26

Check out the garden, it goes way down there. Go and have a look.

0:42:260:42:30

Well, I think we've made the family very happy

0:42:300:42:33

and I hope they'll enjoy the garden for many years to come and in safety.

0:42:330:42:38

But remember, if you're not happy with the work your builder's doing, don't hand over your cash!

0:42:380:42:43

That way, you won't go falling in the cowboy trap.

0:42:430:42:46

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

0:42:500:42:55

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