0:00:08 > 0:00:11Over the years, I've seen some real cowboy bodge jobs,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15the stuff of nightmares, that would keep anybody awake at night.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17He said, "If you think I'm giving you £45,000,
0:00:17 > 0:00:19"I'd rather kill the pair of you first."
0:00:19 > 0:00:22He actually threatened us, threatened our lives.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Today, I'm revisiting homeowners that got caught in a cowboy trap
0:00:26 > 0:00:29by bungling builders who left them well and truly in the lurch.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Like I don't function properly.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35It's on my mind all the time and it's just ridiculous.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39I can't wait to see how their homes and their lives have moved on
0:00:39 > 0:00:41since we got them back on track.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Tickle me tickly bits with a feather!
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Wow! And I love the flooring.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50- It's a kitchen to be proud of. - Oh, yes, definitely.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53And along the way, I'll be giving you some top hints and tips
0:00:53 > 0:00:57in the hope it will prevent you from falling into the cowboy trap.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11Today's Cowboy Trap is proof of one of the most important lessons
0:01:11 > 0:01:14to be learned when getting work done on your home.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18Be very wary of salesmen and builders who approach you to do the job.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23Our two stories show how easily people can be lured in
0:01:23 > 0:01:28by smooth-talking cowboys, empty promises to deliver their dream.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31And as soon as these double-crossers are given some cash,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34things rapidly become a nightmare.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38He said, "The builders are behind because of the weather."
0:01:38 > 0:01:41And I thought, "Weather? It's red hot."
0:01:41 > 0:01:44It's something that's been worrying us for months, really,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47that the whole thing was going to fall down.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Later, we're heading to Stafford
0:01:51 > 0:01:54to visit sisters Julie Elsmore and Jackie Reece,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57who were both taken in by a moonlighting salesman
0:01:57 > 0:02:00who put the con into conservatory.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03He was just a liar. He just...
0:02:03 > 0:02:06See how I get. He just had our money and gone.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10But first, a couple who handed over their life savings
0:02:10 > 0:02:13to a silver-tongued builder who ran off with every last penny,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16leaving them living in a death trap.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20I'm back in the South London suburb of Blackheath,
0:02:20 > 0:02:22home to the great and the good -
0:02:22 > 0:02:23Sir Richard Branson,
0:02:23 > 0:02:25the philosopher John Stuart Mill
0:02:25 > 0:02:29and of course, Lee Ryan from the boy band Blue.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Now, despite its village-like friendly feel,
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Blackheath has also been the haunt of a genuine bad guy,
0:02:36 > 0:02:40as Cosetta and Kevin Lawlor know only too well.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Paramedic Kevin and his wife Cosetta
0:02:43 > 0:02:48had been desperate to increase the size of their 1930s semi for so long
0:02:48 > 0:02:50and it was eventually becoming a reality.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53We were so excited,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56we were going to get the little extension we'd always wanted,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59have our own little kingdom downstairs.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Kevin and Cosetta's dream was to build an extension
0:03:05 > 0:03:09that would give them open plan living and a luxury kitchen.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14It took them ten years to save up the money, some £30,000,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18and then they had to borrow 25,000 from the bank,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20so where did it all go wrong?
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Well, it started with an unsolicited e-mail.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28We'd almost picked a builder,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31but a circular arrived, saying if we were ready to go,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34all the papers, all the documents were in place,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37they were going to give us a bit of a discount
0:03:37 > 0:03:41and they were going to take six weeks to do it
0:03:41 > 0:03:46and that was so attractive, because everybody else had said 12 weeks.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48On top of the promise of a fast turnaround,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52the Lawlors fell for an all-too-common cowboy ploy.
0:03:52 > 0:03:57They couldn't resist the discounted price of £36,910
0:03:57 > 0:04:01and in the beginning, everything started off swimmingly.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05We trusted them implicitly.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08It was a good feeling between all of us,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11and we couldn't wait to get it started.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13They might have trusted their builder
0:04:13 > 0:04:17but Kevin and Cosetta should have smelt a rat when they signed his contract,
0:04:17 > 0:04:23which stipulated a massive £16,900 deposit up front,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27followed by a whopping four grand payment every week
0:04:27 > 0:04:30and wouldn't you know it? Just two weeks in,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33there was an unwelcome surprise for the Lawlors.
0:04:33 > 0:04:36The project manager, who's got all the plans and everything,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39decides to go on holiday. No idea that he was going on holiday.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- Didn't tell us.- So of course, everybody else who was left
0:04:42 > 0:04:45had no idea of the plans. I kept giving them plans
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and I found them on the floor or in the rubbish bin.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52And the bogus builder saw the opportunity
0:04:52 > 0:04:54to take even more of the Lawlors' money
0:04:54 > 0:04:58when he heard about the £18,000 designer kitchen they were ordering.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04He came back with a price of £13,000 for the kitchen,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07which we thought was great, we could save a little bit more money,
0:05:07 > 0:05:09and we gave him the money for the kitchen,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13and he never ordered it, no order for a kitchen was placed.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18The builder's enthusiasm for the job seemed to be flatlining
0:05:18 > 0:05:22and when the Lawlors questioned him about the amount of money they were haemorrhaging,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25their builder went from Dr Jekyll to Mr Hyde.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30God, just thinking about it, we kept, he kept phoning us up
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- and he actually threatened you, didn't he?- He did.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- He said, "I'm getting very, very angry, Kevin."- Getting angry.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39But the Lawlors weren't intimidated.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41They demanded to see receipts
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and the next thing they knew, their cold-blooded builder was gone.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Left with the bare bones of a downstairs,
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Kevin and Cosetta were forced to live in their bedroom.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56So in 2010, we turned up to give these two a lifeline.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59I hear you've had some cowboy builders in the property.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00- Yes, we have. - Do you mind showing us around?
0:06:00 > 0:06:03I can see it's still in a good state of disrepair.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06It certainly is, certainly is, Clive.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09OK, now, this is a wall that wasn't supposed to come down,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13so I said to them, "Why have you destroyed a wall?"
0:06:13 > 0:06:16And they said to me, "Because it was easier."
0:06:16 > 0:06:20- It was easier?- Yeah.- OK. It was easier to take the wall down?
0:06:20 > 0:06:23- I don't think it was. - That's what they said.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26No. OK, and this is what they've left behind, obviously,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28with the acros supporting the wall,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31because obviously, it is a supporting wall there
0:06:31 > 0:06:34and just fingers crossed that the whole house doesn't collapse on it.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36- It seems that way. - So, that looks a mess.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38What about the rest of the property?
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Well, if we show you the extension that they've built us,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44it's just block work, from what we can see.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47If I'd put kids on this from kindergarten,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51I think they'd have done a better job. I've got to be honest, it is that bad.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Kevin and Cosetta's builder had not only ruined their extension
0:06:54 > 0:06:57but by taking out a supporting internal wall,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00he'd caused real structural damage,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02potentially putting their lives at risk.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07After a bit of digging on this sorry excuse for a builder,
0:07:07 > 0:07:10the Lawlors found out where their cash may have gone.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12It was enough to take your breath away.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Did a trace on his car, and the day that he bought or acquired his car
0:07:18 > 0:07:20- was the day Cosetta gave him the £13,000.- Wow!
0:07:20 > 0:07:25- Looking back in hindsight, which is a great thing...- Mmm.
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- You're giving that to a total stranger.- Yes.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30And since then, he's either sold the car
0:07:30 > 0:07:32or transferred it into somebody else's name.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37I've come across some real rats in my time on Cowboy Trap
0:07:37 > 0:07:40and this builder ranks as one of the worst.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44But luckily, Kevin and Cosetta had insisted on having a contract
0:07:44 > 0:07:47with him, and they kept a record of all their bank transfers,
0:07:47 > 0:07:51so decided to take this guy to court - and won.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53But then, things took a turn for the worse.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00It was given in our favour that he owes us £45,000.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03The day he found out, he phoned me up, totally out of the blue.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05He said, "If you think I'm giving you £45,000,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07"I'd rather kill the pair of you first."
0:08:07 > 0:08:10He actually threatened us, threatened our lives.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14Terrifying. But even with the full weight of the law behind them,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18the Lawlors couldn't get their 45 grand back
0:08:18 > 0:08:20as the cowboy was untraceable.
0:08:20 > 0:08:25So take a tip from us - watch out for contractors who approach you.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30Good builders are usually busy and don't need to tout for work.
0:08:30 > 0:08:31Keep your wits about you
0:08:31 > 0:08:36and don't be taken in by cut-price deals or persuasive sales patter.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39And make sure you see examples of the builder's work
0:08:39 > 0:08:40before you hire them for the job.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Kevin and Cosetta hadn't just been ripped off.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Their house had been left a complete wreck by this shyster.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56So cue our good guys, who erected a strong new load-bearing wall
0:08:56 > 0:08:58in the downstairs kitchen.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00It might not look glamorous,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03but it was crucial to make their home safe again
0:09:03 > 0:09:05and after we'd made a start,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08we gave Cosetta a sneak preview of the progress.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12- Wow!- It's amazing, isn't it,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16- what a good set of builders can do in a short space of time?- Yes.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19And although it's block work that we're looking at,
0:09:19 > 0:09:22- how does it make you feel? - It makes me feel great.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25And those acro props will go, finally, thank God.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28It's something that has been worrying us for months, really,
0:09:28 > 0:09:32that the whole thing was going to fall down, so thank you.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37We'd given Cosetta the peace of mind that the upstairs of her home
0:09:37 > 0:09:39would stay just that - upstairs.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Not long after, Cosetta and Kevin
0:09:42 > 0:09:46saw those acro props coming down again at last.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47Yes! Come on!
0:09:47 > 0:09:49- Great, look at that.- Result!
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- Wonderful. - So what are your feelings now?
0:09:52 > 0:09:55To have the house back, structurally strong again,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59it's just amazing, amazing, because we can get on with things now,
0:09:59 > 0:10:02we can start afresh again. It's brilliant.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Kevin and Cosetta's builder had taken their life savings
0:10:05 > 0:10:08and driven off into the sunset.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12And his parting gift was a home that was a danger zone.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16But our good guys came to the rescue
0:10:16 > 0:10:19and now the Lawlors could sleep soundly at night,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22knowing their house was structurally safe,
0:10:22 > 0:10:25but they still had a mountain of work to do here
0:10:25 > 0:10:28to get the swanky open-plan living they always wanted.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35It's been two-and-a-half years since I last saw Cosetta and Kevin,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39when we made their home safe, but above all, structurally sound.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43But when I left, they still had an enormous amount of work to do,
0:10:43 > 0:10:46so I'm curious to see how the couple have got on in that time
0:10:46 > 0:10:51and whether their dream of a kitchen extension has been realised.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52Let's find out. Come on.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02- Wahey, the door still opens outwards! How are you?- Hello!
0:11:02 > 0:11:06- Good to see you, Cosetta and Kevin.- Nice to see you again, Clive.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09It's been a long time since I was last here. Has a lot happened since?
0:11:09 > 0:11:10- A lot has happened.- Most of it.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14We have the new extension finished, which we're really pleased about.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17- We'd love you have a look, if you can.- I want to have a look.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19- That's what I've come back for. - Good man.- Come in.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21- And a nice cup of tea, of course. - Of course.- OK, let's go.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27We were about to see if the Lawlors now had the open-plan downstairs
0:11:27 > 0:11:31they should have got from their cowboy builder in the first place.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33But no-one was expecting this.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39Well, tickle me tickly bits with a feather!
0:11:39 > 0:11:40I'll tell you what!
0:11:43 > 0:11:45- You like it?- It's just...
0:11:47 > 0:11:48We're so pleased.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- We're really pleased.- I'm trying to get my head around this.
0:11:51 > 0:11:55Now, this is the wall. Remember? The wall that you built.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59- And I left you with just a block wall.- Yes.- Right?- Yes.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03But, brother, what a job!
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Here, this building...
0:12:06 > 0:12:07It was a shell, wasn't it?
0:12:07 > 0:12:10It was, but it was an unsafe shell, if I remember rightly.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12We've got tarpaulins up...
0:12:12 > 0:12:15- Kevin had to pull it down, bit by bit, didn't you?- Yes.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17So you pulled it down.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20By myself, and I put it all in a skip, and we had it taken away.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23There was no way that even paramedic Kevin
0:12:23 > 0:12:27could have saved the old ramshackle excuse for an extension.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Once torn down, a brand-new high-calibre build could be born.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35You know, I'm loving the skylight and everything else as well,
0:12:35 > 0:12:39that's giving you all this flood of daylight into your dining area
0:12:39 > 0:12:43and it's just staggering, I mean, you've got to be pleased with it.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45- Yes.- You've got to be so proud of it.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51The Lawlors' cowboy left them with virtually no kitchen to speak of
0:12:51 > 0:12:54but what they've done is certainly food for thought.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59We may have made this grim, grey structure safe,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02but now, it's a stylish, stunning
0:13:02 > 0:13:06and spacious open-plan kitchen living space.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08But how did this couple turn it around?
0:13:08 > 0:13:11Well, we knew we needed a lot more money, obviously,
0:13:11 > 0:13:12to get it done again,
0:13:12 > 0:13:18and we'd already remortgaged little bits to finance this,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20- but Cosetta's brother...- Bless him.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25- Bless him. Bless him!- He lent me a lot of money, with no interest.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28He just said, "Give it back to me when you can,"
0:13:28 > 0:13:31and that was it, that's how we did it,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34- because we couldn't borrow any more money from the bank.- Yeah.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36Because they wouldn't let us!
0:13:36 > 0:13:39You can see how well you've learned,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43over that period since I was last here, and you've done an amazing job.
0:13:43 > 0:13:49Now, have either of you got favourite areas of this new work?
0:13:49 > 0:13:51I do! I do!
0:13:51 > 0:13:54OK. And you're glancing towards it.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56We have a little galley kitchen
0:13:56 > 0:13:59and I used to hate the fact that I had to cook in there
0:13:59 > 0:14:01and I couldn't talk to anybody.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Now I can cook and talk to people
0:14:03 > 0:14:06and have a glass of wine and have a chat and it's lovely.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09- It's a kitchen to be proud of. - Oh, yes, definitely.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14Sadly for the Lawlors, they were pawns in a nasty builder's game
0:14:14 > 0:14:17to get as much money as he could for very little effort
0:14:17 > 0:14:21but they drove that cowboy out of town. Checkmate!
0:14:21 > 0:14:24Well, that is incredible.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26From the two-and-a-half years ago when I was here,
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Cosetta and Kevin were at their lowest ever ebb,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32in fact, they couldn't have gone any lower. Look at them now -
0:14:32 > 0:14:36it's like phoenix from the flames, they've risen. What a cracking job!
0:14:37 > 0:14:41The Lawlors learnt that being drawn in by a builder
0:14:41 > 0:14:45who approached them with the offer of a cheap, fast job backfired
0:14:45 > 0:14:47and left the couple with burnt fingers
0:14:47 > 0:14:50but Kevin and Cosetta aren't the only ones
0:14:50 > 0:14:53to have fallen for smooth-talking sales patter.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Now we're heading to see not one but two ladies
0:14:58 > 0:15:02who handed over a wad of cash to a slippery salesman,
0:15:02 > 0:15:04only to be left with holes in their gardens
0:15:04 > 0:15:07and even bigger holes in their bank accounts.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11I'm back in Stafford for a double dose of cowboy carnage.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Two sisters, same road,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16same cowboy, same old story.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Mum-of-three Julie Elsmore
0:15:20 > 0:15:22and Jackie Reece, who's a single mum of two,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26aren't only sisters, but neighbours as well.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Back in 2007, these birds of a feather decided to move
0:15:30 > 0:15:33to the same street at the same time to be close together.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Julie was moving here with her husband
0:15:37 > 0:15:39and I was going through a divorce,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42and just decided I was going to live nearby her,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44and so me and my children moved here.
0:15:46 > 0:15:47And these two peas in a pod
0:15:47 > 0:15:50both decided they fancied having conservatories built.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54They wanted a bit more downstairs space, and a nice place
0:15:54 > 0:15:57to relax in their homes, which were only two doors apart.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02So Julie hunted for the right company and the right price.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04I got lots and lots of quotes,
0:16:04 > 0:16:07and I went to a firm, and he sent this gentleman out,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09and he went through all the stuff with us,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12you know, measurements, everything.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17The salesman told Julie he could do her a special deal
0:16:17 > 0:16:22but only if she didn't place the order through the company he was working for.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Instead, he would do it himself.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Now, that is a classic cowboy ploy
0:16:27 > 0:16:30but Julie liked the salesman,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32but she liked the price even more.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38Undercutting other companies and the company he worked for,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42the salesman offered the sisters a special price of five grand each
0:16:42 > 0:16:46if they both got their conservatories at the same time.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50He said he'd do us a deal because we were next door but one to each other.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53We got all the builders, all the work done,
0:16:53 > 0:16:54pretty much at the same time.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56I trusted him. I mean,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59he told us where he lived, his home phone number,
0:16:59 > 0:17:00and he was a good salesman.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05The sisters soaked up his sales patter
0:17:05 > 0:17:08but as he was setting up a business for the first time,
0:17:08 > 0:17:09Julie took the sensible step
0:17:09 > 0:17:12of doing a few checks on him for peace of mind.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17I phoned Trading Standards, to make sure they'd got no record of him,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and I phoned his home number and asked for him by name,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23so I knew everything he said was true.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28He may have checked out, but Julie had no way of knowing
0:17:28 > 0:17:32if he'd honour his business promises. So here's a tip.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Be very suspicious of anyone
0:17:34 > 0:17:39employed by a company who offers their services on the side.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42By considering a tradesman who's not established,
0:17:42 > 0:17:46you may not get a quality job or guarantee, should anything go wrong.
0:17:47 > 0:17:48And don't forget,
0:17:48 > 0:17:52jobs like building conservatories require specialised skills
0:17:52 > 0:17:56which may be beyond the capabilities of your go-it-alone builder.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Which is exactly where Jackie and Julie went wrong.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06Worse still, for one of them, the work was meant to be a lifeline.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09When Jackie signed up for her conservatory,
0:18:09 > 0:18:11she was recovering from cancer
0:18:11 > 0:18:14and wanted a sun room to help her recuperate.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18The salesman's deal won her over, just like Julie.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21'We saved up for a long, long, long time.'
0:18:21 > 0:18:24It was either doing the conservatory or doing the kitchen.
0:18:24 > 0:18:28The conservatory was a better option, that's what we chose to do.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32Six weeks after the initial quote,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35the salesman called round to collect the 50% deposit.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38He wanted £2,500 from each sister
0:18:38 > 0:18:41to pay for materials that he said he'd already ordered.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44That was a hefty lump sum, but the girls just wanted to get going.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48And problems began instantly.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Work didn't start on the day it was scheduled.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Instead, the salesman sent out a so-called surveyor
0:18:55 > 0:18:58who had some tall tales as to why the job was delayed.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01This man turned up and he basically got a big pole
0:19:01 > 0:19:03and he laid it on the ground
0:19:03 > 0:19:07and just showed me how big the conservatory was going to be.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12He also told me that the builders were running behind
0:19:12 > 0:19:14because they'd been on a big job.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17The surveyor told my sister a different story completely.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21He said, "The builders are behind because of the weather."
0:19:21 > 0:19:24And I thought, "Weather? It's red hot."
0:19:24 > 0:19:27This is when alarm bells rang.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31That's not exactly a surprise, and when work did eventually begin,
0:19:31 > 0:19:35those alarm bells started to get even louder.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38A builder came out and said he was doing the footings,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41and he came out and he dug it all around, put everything on top,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43and that's it. He went and left.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47The salesman was not keeping his end of the deal.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50The sisters had paid five grand between them
0:19:50 > 0:19:53and all they had were holes in their lawns.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55They decided they'd better take action.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57I started to panic.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00I was ready to start putting...not the scare on him,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04but sort of say, "I'm going to a solicitor," and things like that.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08And at first, it seemed the threat of legal action had worked.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10The moonlighting salesman rocked up
0:20:10 > 0:20:14with a new team of builders and the conservatories.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Jackie and Julie were over the moon
0:20:16 > 0:20:19but were brought back down to earth with a bump.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23The salesman came to speak to me and said,
0:20:23 > 0:20:26"There's a problem with the price. They've doubled the price."
0:20:26 > 0:20:31Turned out this complete charlatan of a salesman's price was so unrealistic
0:20:31 > 0:20:34that no self-respecting builders would touch the job
0:20:34 > 0:20:37and so, they weren't seen for dust.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40The sisters had paid two-and-a-half grand each
0:20:40 > 0:20:44and dust was pretty much all they had to show for it.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47Julie was left with gaping holes in her garden.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51She had no walls, no windows, and no roof.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54This certainly wasn't the conservatory she'd been promised.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57It was just an eyesore in her back yard
0:20:57 > 0:20:59and it was the same story round at Jackie's.
0:20:59 > 0:21:02This was my patio, which should be a conservatory.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08He's left all the slabs for me
0:21:08 > 0:21:09and that's it, really.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11I can't use my patio doors,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13I've not able to use those throughout the summer
0:21:13 > 0:21:16for the mess they lead out onto.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19It's just awful. I don't come out here.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23What a disgrace. All Jackie wanted was somewhere to recuperate
0:21:23 > 0:21:25after her illness with cancer
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and both sisters were left living a nightmare.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31Just a liar. He just...
0:21:31 > 0:21:34See how I get. He just had our money and gone.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36We can't do nothing with it. I've got no money left.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41I don't like looking at it, to be truthful.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45It was high time someone sorted out Julie and Jackie's backyard blues
0:21:45 > 0:21:48so in 2010, we stepped in.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52- Hi, I'm Clive from Cowboy Trap. - Hi. Come on in.- Thank you.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58We wanted to know how both these sisters fell for this bad bargain.
0:21:58 > 0:22:01I'm sure at the back of your mind, both of your minds,
0:22:01 > 0:22:03you must have been thinking,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06"Well, what are we going to get for five grand?"
0:22:06 > 0:22:09- Because that is mega cheap. - Well, what he actually told us,
0:22:09 > 0:22:13he said he wanted us to refer him to friends and family,
0:22:13 > 0:22:15so he told us he was doing it at cost.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19He wasn't going to make any money on it himself, which...
0:22:19 > 0:22:23That sort of took away the too-good-to-be-true bit, really.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27In fact, everything about this guy was too good to be true.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30When Julie contacted the company he said he worked for,
0:22:30 > 0:22:32a bombshell was dropped.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35I said, "We've got a complaint about him," or something like that.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39And they said, "What did he look like?" And I described him.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41They said, "He only worked here for two days."
0:22:41 > 0:22:43So he used their company as a front for two days?
0:22:43 > 0:22:46And I just dropped on the floor, completely.
0:22:46 > 0:22:51What a rat! Julie and Jackie had been well and truly conned.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Time to call in the good guys,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57who served them up not one but two new conservatories
0:22:57 > 0:22:59from the a la carte conservatory menu.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03And as quality doesn't come cheap, the sisters put the money
0:23:03 > 0:23:07they had left towards paying for the materials needed.
0:23:07 > 0:23:12Sweeping away the reminder of the botch jobs their cowboy conman had left them,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14Julie was up first to see what we'd done.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Link arms.
0:23:18 > 0:23:19Let's go.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23All right? And stop.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Have a look.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34It looks absolutely fantastic from the outside.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36It does, yes.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38- Is this what you were hoping for? - Mmm.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42The good guys had excelled themselves here.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44Oh, God!
0:23:44 > 0:23:46- Looks beautiful, doesn't it?- Yeah.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49- I'm really loving that. - Oh, it's fantastic.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52While Julie enjoyed her swanky new space,
0:23:52 > 0:23:56we nipped over to Jackie's for her big surprise.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58OK, you can remove your hands now.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Wow! It's fabulous.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05Absolutely fabulous.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Julie and Jackie's slippery salesman ran off with their money
0:24:08 > 0:24:12and left them with trenches in the garden, piles of rubble
0:24:12 > 0:24:15and no sign of the conservatories they'd paid five grand for.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20But our good guys changed all that,
0:24:20 > 0:24:23giving them both stylish conservatories
0:24:23 > 0:24:25with exposed brick walls, vents,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27insulated floors
0:24:27 > 0:24:29and chic Edwardian-style roofs.
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Tip-top job.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34So it was time to get the sisters together and celebrate.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36- What do you think? - I think we want a drink.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39- They're gorgeous, aren't they? - Getting a drink.- Get the drink out!
0:24:39 > 0:24:42Listen, girls, enjoy your conservatories, yeah?
0:24:42 > 0:24:45It's been a long, hard road for you, and a painful one as well,
0:24:45 > 0:24:46but enjoy it.
0:24:46 > 0:24:48So thanks to Cowboy Trap,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Jackie and Julie had the conservatories of their dreams
0:24:51 > 0:24:54but would they see any of their money again?
0:24:54 > 0:24:58We sure hope so, because if anyone deserved a really happy ending,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00it was these two.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06It's been over two years since I last met two lovely sisters,
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Jackie and Julie.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10And I'm really keen to catch up with them,
0:25:10 > 0:25:14because when last we met, they had every intention
0:25:14 > 0:25:17of pursuing their so-called builder through the courts
0:25:17 > 0:25:19and I'm intrigued to find out how they got on
0:25:19 > 0:25:22and also, how those conservatories are looking today.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Come on.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26First up, we're dropping in at Jackie's.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33- Well, well.- Hello.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- Good to see you again.- Come on in. - Do you mind if I come in?
0:25:35 > 0:25:38- There's a lot gone on. - Great! That's what we want!
0:25:38 > 0:25:40We were champing at the bit
0:25:40 > 0:25:44to see what Jackie had done to the conservatory we built her.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46- A-ha!- Come on in.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Now then, now then, now then, now then. Now.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52Wow.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Lots of things have changed.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58- You put a few knick-knacks in. - Bits and pieces, yeah.- Sofa.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00And I love the flooring.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03- That's all your idea?- Yeah.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05What a great job.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Having re-plastered a wall and added personal touches,
0:26:09 > 0:26:13Jackie's turned the bare conservatory into a cosy habitat
0:26:13 > 0:26:16she and her little troupe of Nellies are happy to call home.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Good to see you again. Let's go.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21But has sister Julie done the same with her space?
0:26:21 > 0:26:23A-ha, so again, changes.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27You've got the blinds in, carpet down,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30and as I say, they just look fantastic, don't they?
0:26:30 > 0:26:33So now you've got a feature wall, with wallpaper, very nice too.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35You've got radiators in as well!
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Generally, girls, are you happy with what you got?
0:26:38 > 0:26:40- Yes.- Very happy.- That's the main thing.- Yeah, love it.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44Just like her sister, Julie's made her conservatory
0:26:44 > 0:26:48a truly comfy and personal space to enjoy.
0:26:48 > 0:26:49What an achievement -
0:26:49 > 0:26:52not just one success but two.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57And since we were last here, this plucky pair have had a long battle
0:26:57 > 0:27:00taking their slippery salesman to court.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03But it paid off. They won,
0:27:03 > 0:27:08and he's been made to pay them back every last penny.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10So how did they do it?
0:27:11 > 0:27:15It was never in my mind, ever, not to pursue him.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17He never denied anything.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19So he was almost putting his hands up
0:27:19 > 0:27:21- and going, "You know what, I'm culpable for this"?- Yeah.
0:27:21 > 0:27:23How much have you had back?
0:27:23 > 0:27:27- 1,100, haven't we, altogether? - Yeah.- About 1,100.- 1,100 each?- Yeah.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31I have to ring him every single month to remind him, every month.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34I don't care if it takes me the next ten years.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37How on earth did you have the strength?
0:27:37 > 0:27:38Where did you muster it from?
0:27:38 > 0:27:41I don't know, just fighting for it.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46- It's principle.- You have been like a dog with a bone. Well done.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48Yes, it's definitely down to Julie,
0:27:48 > 0:27:52because I think, if it had been me on my own, I probably would have...
0:27:52 > 0:27:55- Yeah.- ..given up by now.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58I doff my cap.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02I think you ladies have been outstanding.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05These girls are a total inspiration,
0:28:05 > 0:28:07truly sisters doing it for themselves.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11It's took over two years to get where they are today,
0:28:11 > 0:28:14and possibly another two years
0:28:14 > 0:28:17before they're going to be able to put this cowboy builder behind them.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20But I've got a message for all you cowboy builders out there -
0:28:20 > 0:28:23you won't want to come across homeowners like these too often
0:28:23 > 0:28:27and we're keeping an eye on you too. We're coming to get you.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd