Episode 2 Cowboy Trap

We're travelling all over Britain,

exposing some of the country's worst cowboy builders.

I've done everything possible to get hold of this person,

and he's made no contact with me whatsoever.

These jacks of no trades demolish people's dreams

and make their lives a misery.

There is every possibility

we may have do rip it up and start again here.

Oh, God, no! I don't believe this!

But I've got the good guys in my posse

to help turn these botched builds into happy homes.

I feel...devastated that he can take my money and not complete a job.

I feel...betrayed.

I've given up most of my hobbies, I haven't been going out.

Erm...

Sorry.

Make no mistake,

the next 30 minutes could well keep you out of the cowboy trap.

Today, Cowboy Trap is in Ellesmere Port on the northwest coast,

not far from Chester.

Ellesmere Port is an industrial town dominated by an oil refinery,

an old chemical plant and a long history of car-making.

But it doesn't just produce manufacturing goods.

The town also produced

one of the most popular comedians of recent times.

Russ Abbott, famous for his Madhouse,

lived here in Ellesmere Port. And talking of comics,

the cowboy I'm on the trail of today is a right comedian.

But what he's been up to is no joke at all.

In fact, he's been laughing all the way to the bank.

Make no mistake, this is a mega-Cowboy Trap.

As usual, we have one cowboy,

but this time we've got two unlucky victims,

and they could just be the tip of the cowboy iceberg

65-year-old retired insurance worker Delia Bartlett

and 57-year-old aromatherapist Claire Blake.

More from Claire later.

Delia lives in this mid-terrace with her beloved Jack Russell, Daisy.

She moved to Ellesmere Port from the Wirral

after the death of her partner of 25 years, Martin.

He suffered a heart attack at the age of just 49,

and his unexpected death devastated Delia.

I miss his...sense of humour.

I miss his generosity.

He would always let me go places where I wanted to go.

He was very easy-going, a very easy-going man.

Delia decided to sell up her home in the Wirral

and move to Ellesmere Port.

She felt it would bring her closer to Martin,

who'd lived here throughout all their time together.

She bought a two-bed bungalow in a quiet cul-de-sac

and moved in with her new dog, Daisy.

But there was one thing that both Daisy and Delia were missing.

I wanted another conservatory built,

because I had a small conservatory in the other house,

which...gave a lot of extra daylight.

Delia knew exactly what she wanted and got three builders in to quote.

She opted for the one

who's a regular advertiser in the local paper

and who had the most impressive brochure.

I chose this particular builder

because he said he could do a lovely job,

they would be very clean and efficient,

very reliable, they'd had plenty of experience,

and he just seemed to know what he was talking about.

Take my advice!

A glossy brochure or a smart ad in the local paper

proves nothing about the competence of a builder.

They might not even be photos

of work that the builder's done themselves!

The bottom line is,

good references from satisfied customers are much more important.

And getting references was exactly what Delia failed to do.

She also didn't insist on getting a written contract

or confirming the start and completion dates.

These are the basics!

So please, whatever you do, don't fall into the trap

of ignoring them, because that is the cowboy trap!

The builder Delia chose quoted £6,900 for the work

and an additional £844 for a new front door which Delia wanted,

making a grand total of £7,744.

He also demanded two and a half grand upfront as a deposit. Ouch!

Delia duly wrote out a cheque in December 2011.

I've got a bad feeling about this!

As it was December,

we didn't actually agree a date for the work to be done,

because we didn't know how the weather was going to...turn,

and I wasn't in any rush.

Then, just before Christmas, the builder contacted Delia

and said he wanted to meet her

because he'd got something to talk to her about.

He said that he'd had such a good year

he was prepared to offer a discount on the next instalment of two grand.

That was as long as she paid up there and then.

The cheek of this rogue!

I hesitated a bit, but, erm...it seemed OK,

so I paid a further £1,614.

Work hadn't even started yet,

and Delia had already paid out £4,100,

plus £724 towards the new front door.

The builder did some measuring up in the January,

and work finally started in mid-February 2012.

The brickwork and the base were done by the end of February.

And I've never heard anything from him since.

If the incomplete work wasn't bad enough,

Delia then got another shock.

The brickie who'd put the base down asked for £1,300

because he'd been subcontracted by the builder

and expected her to settle the bill.

Despite her misgivings, Delia paid up,

and then spent months trying to contact the builder

to get him to come and finish the job, to no avail!

I've wrote him e-mails, he's never replied to any e-mails.

I've done everything possible to get hold of this person.

And he's made no contact with me whatsoever.

Delia was left with a shell of a conservatory

and the demolition of her dreams.

Having spent her life savings,

Delia's quality of life has plummeted.

The whole experience has left her devastated.

I haven't been going out.

Erm...

Sorry.

I've given up most of my hobbies.

And he's given me a lot of money worries.

You know, this is a really sad story

and when I say cowboy builders ruin lives, I mean it,

and the proof is right here.

Delia is not the only one in the area

that's been caught out by this guy.

I'll tell you something else this is the local paper,

and he's advertising in here not once but twice.

It's sickening!

This unscrupulous con artist is still out to snare

unsuspecting homeowners in his cowboy trap.

But I'm hoping we can put a smile back on Delia's face.

-MUSICAL DOORBELL PLAYS

-Here she comes.

What a lovely tune that is, Delia! Fantastic, isn't it?

-Nice to meet you, I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap.

-Hello, come...

I hear you've had problems with cowboy builders.

I certainly have. Would you like to come in?

Please, I'd like to have a look around, for sure. I love that tune!

While Delia puts the kettle on, I'm going to check out the conservatory.

Er, well, I would if there was one to check out.

I'll tell you what, the sun is just breaking through,

and it'd be a great little site here to have a conservatory.

But we ain't got one.

But what I can see is actually

this dwarf wall base and the slab itself

looks OK.

Of course, our contractor subcontracted this,

and it looks like the brickie did a reasonable job,

although I am worried about the cavity in this wall.

Water has built up. What I would have liked to have seen

is that cavity was built up more to ground level.

It almost certainly looks like it's about a brick below ground.

There's water staying in there.

If he'd have just put weep holes in, that water would have wicked away.

Talking about wicks,

cowboy builders who take elderly ladies for over £4,000

for non-existent conservatories really get on my wick!

Time to get the inside story from his unlucky victim.

You're sitting here, you're at the end of your tether.

What does that feel like?

I feel very helpless, very angry, very upset,

because you've handed over this money, been taken in by this person.

You've got no way of contacting.

You can't find his address. He doesn't answer his e-mails.

We know that there are people in this area

that have been affected by him.

Some of those people have been in touch with us at Cowboy Trap.

Totally separate from you.

And there's a lady very close by

to here that's also been affected.

If I was to say to you, Delia, would you mind

tootling along with me in my car

and we have a sit down and have a chat with her and see

-just how it developed for her, too? Do you fancy that?

-Yeah.

Right, come on then, Delia.

Shut that door, yeah?

Now, your carriage awaits, madam.

I am going to be your chauffeur.

We're going to see Claire Blake,

another unfortunate victim of this despicable desperado.

If this unfinished conservatory looks familiar,

it's because Claire has also been snared in this cowboy's trap.

Like many people around here,

Claire is an avid reader of the local paper

and decided that was the place to find a reputable builder.

Over the years, because I'd been thinking of this conservatory,

I had seen his adverts.

The adverts were polished.

And I thought, "Well, if he has been in this business

"for...25 years, he must be trustworthy and safe."

When Claire inherited some money from her stepmum,

she decided to hire the builder

to create the conservatory of her dreams.

But guess what!

Yep, it turned into an all too familiar nightmare.

For starters, he didn't turn up on the agreed date.

I rang and I rang and I rang.

I must have made 15, 16 calls.

And not once did he return them.

And when the builder's brickie did finally turn up,

Claire's worries just increased!

The conservatory simply didn't get off the ground.

Now, if all this sounds familiar, that's because it is.

A huge deposit paid upfront, delay after delay,

a brickie turning up and taking even more money,

and of course the job never getting completed.

In other words, an elaborate con.

How can a man like that be trusted in the building trade?

I hope and pray other people do not fall victim to him.

Well, you and I both know someone who has, and she's not the only one.

This builder has left a trail

of angry and embittered customers behind.

I feel this builder is a complete and utter conman.

I feel...devastated

that he can take my money and not complete a job.

Claire's shambolic non-conservatory has cost over £5,000.

Ring a bell?

-Hello.

-Hello!

Now, I'm looking for a lady called Claire.

-I'm Claire.

-Hello, Claire, I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap.

Very pleased to meet you, Clive.

And this lovely lady that I've got with me is Delia.

-Hello, Delia.

-Now, Delia, meet Claire. Claire, meet Delia.

Because you've both been hit by the same cowboy builder,

and you only live a couple of miles apart.

-Will you please both come in?

-We will.

No time for a cuppa!

I want to check out Claire's conservatory or lack of it

at first hand.

Deja vu or what?!

Except in one crucial respect.

We've got the invisible conservatory but we do have the walls.

Now, this is very similar to what Delia is going through,

but I have one thing to say, and that is, Delia,

looking around now, which wall and base would you prefer?

I think I'd prefer mine.

You're not kidding!

Poor Claire's breezeblock wall is so badly built

I reckon it'll only last for a couple of weeks!

In fact, if the third little piggy had built this,

I reckon the wolf could have knocked it over in one puff!

There's every possibility we'll have to do rip it up and start again.

-Oh, God, no, I don't believe this!

-Yes.

It's, erm... I'll tell you what, the nightmare's going worse.

-I have paid out good money for this.

-Yeah.

And it's just a living nightmare for me.

When did he originally start your work, Claire?

Originally he gave me dates in November.

You must have both been in his sights at virtually the same time.

-Yeah.

-Did you have a contract?

-I did. Would you like to see it?

-Please.

-Now, you didn't have a contract, did you, Delia?

-No. Well, no.

OK, let me just take a look.

-I'm sorry, it's a bit messy at the moment...

-No, that's fine.

..but it's been in and out, at least I've got it!

OK, that's a written quote, it's not a contract.

Oh, dear! Claire didn't have a contract either. Whoops!

Take a tip from me!

For any building work, you must draw up a formal contract.

It should spell out a start date, a completion date

and the breakdown of staged payments

at each point where work is completed.

That way, if things do start to go wrong,

you have paperwork to fall back on.

And talking of paperwork,

both Delia and Claire got letters from the builder just this morning,

promising to finish the work in a few months.

Funny, that!

Why do you think, all of a sudden, he's sending these letters?

Because I believe...

My belief is he sending them because he's panicking,

that pressure is being put on him by...Cowboy Trap.

-What do you think, Delia?

-The same.

-Do you think the same?

-Yeah.

-Do you believe that he will turn up?

-No!

No. He'd never turn up and do the work.

I agree with you. Totally.

And so do I!

I reckon this cowboy is making promises he won't keep

in an attempt to get us off his back.

But that ain't going to happen! His unlucky victims deserve better.

-What was life like for you, Claire?

-I got very stressed over it.

Erm... I think my blood pressure rose a bit.

I have cried over it.

I'm not surprised a tear or two has been shed.

Between them, Delia and Claire have spent nearly £10,000

and have almost nothing to show for it.

To get a second opinion on the task in hand,

I've called in independent building surveyor Ewan Elliott.

Before you give me your verdict on...

your opinion on what you've seen,

first of all, I have to say, I was shaking this wall earlier,

and, as you can see now, it's ready to come down.

-I don't want to stand too close to it.

-For sure!

Now, in terms of what you think of the work, just give us your opinion.

It's very poor. The structure isn't safe at all.

All it needs is somebody to run into it,

it would collapse, somebody is going to get hurt.

-It's not bonded to the house, you know, it's...

-It's a disaster.

-It really is.

-It's not safe.

And in real terms, in terms of the actual work itself,

I don't understand why they've used block on the outer leaf

unless they were thinking of facing it off.

-Just to save money, I would think.

-Yeah.

Out of sight, out of mind.

So the important thing now is your score out of ten,

if you don't mind, for the work you've seen so far.

A maximum of three, Clive, only three.

A maximum of three, that is nothing to be proud of!

So three out of ten for that wall,

and a mere wall does not a conservatory make.

But I know just the people who can make it ten out of ten!

Our posse of good guys led by Paul Hilton.

Mr Hilton has certainly got his hands full this time.

Now, Paul, two conservatories, same builder...hit both of them.

-What's your plan?

-We will have to demolish all these walls here

to secure them to the building.

The only problem I have with that one

is it's been built out of gauge to the original house.

-The external leaves have actually been done in a porous block.

-Yeah.

-So you would always have damp issues there unless you rendered it.

-Yes.

Given the closeness to the fences, you're never going to get down there.

You've got no chance you'd have to remove the fences to render it,

and they had no intention of doing that.

I don't believe they had any intention of doing that.

And what's more, without a render,

these breeze blocks won't just soak up water,

they will look absolutely rubbish!

Hilton's heroes wastes no time swinging into action.

So much needs doing, Claire and Delia are chipping in.

First up, removing those block walls at Claire's.

Careful, boys, you don't want to drop one of those on your toes!

Over at Delia's, the good guys install the outer window frames,

carefully prepare the roof section,

and then it's the moment we've all been waiting for,

conservatory-fitting time!

So will Paul's posse do the biz for our unlucky ladies?

Only time will tell!

I'm back on the northwest coast, not far from Chester,

where Delia Bartlett and Claire Blake,

independently and unaware of each other,

contacted Cowboy Trap about the same cowboy builder.

This louse took thousands of pounds off them for conservatories

which, it's now become clear, he had no intention of building.

And do you know what?

Since Cowboy Trap started investigating these cases,

we've learned of dozens more victims from around the area.

Local Trading Standards are looking into those other cases

and have now launched a full-scale criminal investigation.

It's great that they're taking action,

and here's hoping the cowboy gets his just deserts.

But here on Cowboy Trap, it's all about the homeowners

who've been taken in and getting them back on track.

Our good guys have now finished their work,

and I'm here to find out if they have saved the day!

Before I show each conservatory to its proud new owner,

I can't resist taking a sneaky peak.

My first destination, Delia's house!

Well!

I'll just shut that gate.

Fill my heart with gladness, wipe away the sadness!

I remember when I was here last time.

The dwarf wall was fine, but no conservatory.

The dwarf wall has now been utilised, conservatory looks top!

It really does look so glam.

And I always feel, when I walk away from a homeowner's property

after they've been done over by a cowboy builder, I think, you know,

"I hope this job is going to be great when I come back."

I always know that it is,

but there's that element of doubt in the back of your mind.

But now I see it, it just looks marvellous.

I mean, check the roof out as well I'm loving the style, the design.

They've got the fleur-de-lis there and everything else on the top.

It's just looks so nice, it suits this property down to the ground.

Remember, before, it looked like this.

Now, it looks like this!

Now, before I talk it through with Delia,

I'd like a powwow with both ladies about their cowboy builder.

I wanted to find out his side of the story

so I could hear their responses to his version of events.

As usual, so that we... we balance things out,

we always give our builders a right of reply,

so we track them down, and we have a few words with them

and ask them questions that we think you would like answers to.

And I have to say, in this case, from what we can gather, anyway,

your so-called builder I don't really want to call him

a builder, if you don't mind has done a runner.

But before he did, we managed to track him

and ask him some questions.

So the first thing he said was

he blamed manpower and financial problems

for the work not being completed. How does that make you feel?

-Not true.

-An absolute liar.

We paid our money. We paid him upfront.

He had my money for months before he even decided to do anything.

-And is that the same in your case, Delia?

-Definitely.

-OK.

He said he got into financial trouble

because he had to knock down and rebuild for free

the work of a brickie that he'd employed on a number of the jobs.

He told me he'd got good bricklayers and, boy, was he a liar!

Because in terms of...in terms of your brickwork, I'm afraid...

The whole lot had to come back down.

That was so dodgy it was untrue when I was at your property last.

Now, I know it's been distressing for you that up until recently

he's continued to advertise in the local paper.

And that must be galling, to know full well

that he's ripped you guys off

and he still was advertising up until recently in that paper.

-Yes.

-Definitely.

-Definitely.

He says he had to do that

to get more customers in order to stay in business.

He didn't have to do it.

He could have caught up with the work with the money he'd got.

What message would you give to people who see an advert like this?

What have you learned that might help anybody watching today?

Not necessarily the best looking advert

and the biggest looking advert, week in, week out,

is what you should be looking for.

And to actually go and see the work and find out,

because if anybody had have checked that

and had knocked on either of your doors,

they'd have found the fact they'd have found the truth.

The whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Now's the bit I like best.

The ladies have lived with the work as it's been going on,

but now I'm going to reveal the finished results in all their glory.

First up, Delia's going to see her brand-new conservatory.

Right then, Delia, come through.

Let's hold back the blinds...

Thank you.

Wow! This looks better, doesn't it?

Does it! I'll tell you what,

it's definitely got the wow factor, hasn't it?

-Yes.

-I don't think there's any doubt about that.

Now, interestingly enough, as you look around,

I think this conservatory not only suits this house perfectly...

-Mm-hmm.

-..but I think it suits you.

-Yes, it does.

-I think it's definitely you, there's no two ways about it!

We've got lighting, we've got a ceiling fan,

and again, I love the ceiling fans,

because you've got winter and summer settings, which is perfect.

Wonderful tiled floor, and also you'll see there,

you've actually got a digital thermostat for underfloor heating.

It is a fantastic idea and a wonderful conservatory!

It really does look the business.

How will you enjoy this conservatory now?

What will you be doing mainly in it?

Oh, I'll be doing craft work, reading.

How does it make you feel?

It's helping me to settle in my home now.

-Yes... So the future looking bright.

-Very much so.

Yep, a bright new future

in the conservatory Delia has always dreamed of.

And isn't it a smasher?

Right, on to the other wronged cowboy trappee.

Claire's house is just around the corner.

Let's hope our good guys have stopped her going round the bend.

Oh...

Let there be light!

Oh, my...my goodness!

So tall!

It's...spacious, spacious.

It is amazing, and especially, look,

the first thing I wanted to check out was this wall.

Do you remember? We had that sort of rocky wall.

-We had two rocky walls.

-Yeah!

-We had two rocky walls.

It really was in a real state, wasn't it?

-This is solid.

-Yeah!

And, you know, looking at it now, I also notice again,

just like at Delia's, Paul's fitted underfloor heating.

You've got underfloor heating.

I can't believe it, I really can't believe it.

It's vast!

It is...just wonderful. It's a glass palace.

A glass palace with tinted solar reflective self-cleaning glass.

Nice!

-Absolutely brilliant.

-It's just so...

It is actually beyond my dreams.

The stuff of dreams indeed!

From this...

..to this.

Hallelujah!

Time to show Claire the view from outside,

and I think she likes what she sees.

Oh, wow!

Wow, you can just see the colour of the roof.

Yeah, it's got like that blue hue tint on it, hasn't it?

-And the angle of the roof is just wonderful.

-I am loving that.

That is just...to me, that is huge.

I didn't expect it to be so big.

It's just fantastic.

-So are you happy?

-I am totally, totally happy, Clive.

Because it's been a long journey for you, hasn't it?

-It's been too long, it's been too long.

-Yeah.

But at the end of it, what have I got?

A beautiful, beautiful conservatory.

Hearing sentiments like that makes my day, I can tell you.

Nice one, good guys!

Well, nice two, actually. What a result!

You know, it's been great

to help Delia and Claire out of their misery,

and as for those other people that have fallen victim to this crook,

of which I'd said there are dozens and dozens around this area,

we've been liaising closely with Trading Standards,

and I can tell you for a fact

he won't remain at large for too much longer.

But it does go to show how easy it is to fall into the cowboy trap

if you don't do your research.

And remember, there are loads of good guys out there

if you just look in the right places.

And as for those cowboys, I've got a message for you.

Just look over your shoulder, because we're right behind you.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd