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We're under pressure to make our money go further so what could be worse | 0:00:02 | 0:00:05 | |
than when something goes wrong with our homes? Last year, we spent £15 billion on house repairs. | 0:00:05 | 0:00:11 | |
But who can tell for sure that we've not been taken for a ride? | 0:00:11 | 0:00:15 | |
-It's £475 in all. -350 quid? -Yeah. -You're joking, aren't you? | 0:00:15 | 0:00:21 | |
Probably about seven and a half grand. | 0:00:21 | 0:00:23 | |
Thanks to audacious secret filming, | 0:00:24 | 0:00:27 | |
we'll demonstrate how easy it is to be ripped off in your own home. | 0:00:27 | 0:00:31 | |
-I'm afraid you've been ripped off. He's not a bona fide tradesman. -Really? | 0:00:31 | 0:00:36 | |
It's a lot of money for ten minutes work. | 0:00:36 | 0:00:39 | |
-Were they a set-up, as well? -No! -THEY LAUGH | 0:00:39 | 0:00:42 | |
Plus, we show the consequences of some truly shocking tradesman rip-offs. | 0:00:42 | 0:00:48 | |
There are always going to be cowboys in every business. I was unlucky. | 0:00:48 | 0:00:51 | |
Having no roof is horrific, really. | 0:00:51 | 0:00:54 | |
I just couldn't believe it. I was totally devastated. | 0:00:54 | 0:00:58 | |
Coming up on today's show... | 0:00:58 | 0:01:00 | |
'Our tradesman Roger tries playing tricks with a lump of old cheese. Yes, cheese. | 0:01:00 | 0:01:05 | |
'But will he convince a teacher that his kitchen is alive with mould?' | 0:01:05 | 0:01:09 | |
-It smells like a forest. Have a whiff of that. -Ooh! It's like mushrooms. | 0:01:09 | 0:01:14 | |
'The extraordinary Trading Standards investigation that lasted five years | 0:01:14 | 0:01:18 | |
'and collared the damp-proofing con men who tricked vulnerable consumers.' | 0:01:18 | 0:01:22 | |
This is something that really needs doing, I've got to find the money. | 0:01:22 | 0:01:26 | |
'And Roger turns a simple washing machine leak into an expensive repair. | 0:01:26 | 0:01:30 | |
'Will this Surrey man fall into his trap?' | 0:01:30 | 0:01:33 | |
-All these are plugged into the same thing? -No, that's one's plugged in underneath. -Oh, that's fine. | 0:01:33 | 0:01:39 | |
These are the dirty tricks of the tradesmen. | 0:01:39 | 0:01:42 | |
I don't know about you, but I don't know a huge amount about trades like roofing or plumbing. | 0:01:48 | 0:01:53 | |
That's why we rely on tradesmen and we expect them to be professional and to do a good job. | 0:01:53 | 0:01:58 | |
And the vast majority of them do exactly that. | 0:01:58 | 0:02:01 | |
It's only a small minority who give tradesmen a bad name with their dirty tricks. | 0:02:01 | 0:02:06 | |
People from all over the country are telling us their shocking stories of being ripped off by the cowboys | 0:02:06 | 0:02:12 | |
and many more are helping us to blow the secrets of the rogues' most commonly used tricks | 0:02:12 | 0:02:17 | |
by setting up their friends and family for a visit from our very own tradesman. | 0:02:17 | 0:02:21 | |
It's all to show you how to avoid being taken for a ride. | 0:02:21 | 0:02:25 | |
So who is our tradesman? | 0:02:25 | 0:02:27 | |
'Allow me to present Roger Bisby. | 0:02:28 | 0:02:31 | |
'A builder with more than 40 years experience, | 0:02:31 | 0:02:35 | |
'he's forgotten more about the building game than you or I could ever learn.' | 0:02:35 | 0:02:39 | |
But we're asking Roger to go against everything he believes in | 0:02:40 | 0:02:44 | |
and become a dodgy tradesman | 0:02:44 | 0:02:46 | |
just so we can show you how not to get conned. | 0:02:46 | 0:02:49 | |
'We've set up a few minor household problems so that Roger can go in and fix them. | 0:02:49 | 0:02:54 | |
'He'll be working with our cameraman Luke, who's acting as an apprentice | 0:02:54 | 0:02:59 | |
'so they can film everything in secret. | 0:02:59 | 0:03:01 | |
'In a moment, we'll find out where they're playing their first dirty tricks.' | 0:03:01 | 0:03:05 | |
According to Trading Standards, victims of rogue tradesmen | 0:03:06 | 0:03:10 | |
lost more than £200 million in the UK in 2010. | 0:03:10 | 0:03:13 | |
Roofers and driveway merchants caused the most problems, | 0:03:13 | 0:03:16 | |
but there are cowboys in all the trades. | 0:03:16 | 0:03:19 | |
We have a shocking real-life story about dodgy damp-proofers coming up in just a moment. But first... | 0:03:19 | 0:03:25 | |
'Meet Michael Hartley, a fitness instructor from Gravesend in Kent. | 0:03:26 | 0:03:30 | |
'He's invited us to set up his older brother Andrew, a music teacher.' | 0:03:30 | 0:03:35 | |
The best way to describe Andrew would be down-to-earth, | 0:03:35 | 0:03:38 | |
fun, energetic, sort of up for a laugh, gullible. | 0:03:38 | 0:03:43 | |
He's quite easily lead. What happened, he had a washing machine that was leaking. | 0:03:43 | 0:03:48 | |
As a result, the mould started climbing the wall. | 0:03:48 | 0:03:50 | |
'Well, that mouldy wall is the cue for our tradesman to extract as much work and money | 0:03:50 | 0:03:55 | |
'from the unsuspecting Andrew as possible. | 0:03:55 | 0:03:58 | |
'Luke and Roger want to trick him into believing he's got a huge problem | 0:03:58 | 0:04:03 | |
'with the help of some strong-smelling cheese.' | 0:04:03 | 0:04:06 | |
I've got a special prop sent with love all the way from France. | 0:04:06 | 0:04:09 | |
-Have a smell of it. -I can smell it already, mate. Oh, that is fresh. | 0:04:09 | 0:04:13 | |
We'll show you what this little bit of cheese does in a few moments. | 0:04:13 | 0:04:18 | |
Roger will plant that cheese so Andrew's kitchen reeks. | 0:04:18 | 0:04:21 | |
Hopefully Andrew will think he has a serious mould problem. | 0:04:21 | 0:04:24 | |
The next trick will be to lie about the cause. | 0:04:24 | 0:04:26 | |
Roger will flannel him with nonsense about his damp-proofing course. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:30 | |
Then he'll charge over the odds for a special treatment that won't be special at all. | 0:04:30 | 0:04:35 | |
'It's nearly ten past nine | 0:04:37 | 0:04:39 | |
'when Roger and Luke arrive ready to spring a van-load of tricks. | 0:04:39 | 0:04:43 | |
-This one. -'Andrew doesn't realise that a simple extractor fan | 0:04:43 | 0:04:47 | |
'would help prevent dampness in the kitchen. That costs around £30 to £50 with the installation on top. | 0:04:47 | 0:04:52 | |
'Let's see if our cowboy builder will give him such helpful advice.' | 0:04:52 | 0:04:57 | |
-Good morning to you, sir. Are you Andrew? -Yes. Roger? | 0:04:57 | 0:05:00 | |
-Sorry, yeah. Hi. -You all right? -This is my assistant, Luke. | 0:05:00 | 0:05:03 | |
-Hello, you all right? -He's on a bit of work experience. You're not paying for him. | 0:05:03 | 0:05:07 | |
'Oh, dear. He's failed to ask Roger for ID. | 0:05:07 | 0:05:10 | |
'His brother's obviously done a great job of convincing him that Roger's the man for the job.' | 0:05:10 | 0:05:15 | |
-All right are you? -Yeah, not bad. How are you? -Yeah, good, thanks. | 0:05:15 | 0:05:20 | |
-Bit of damp, yeah? -Yeah. -Bit of damp. Let's have a quick look. | 0:05:20 | 0:05:25 | |
'Like any trickster, our cowboy must first assess the mouldy wall | 0:05:25 | 0:05:28 | |
'and build a rapport with Andrew. | 0:05:28 | 0:05:31 | |
'To squeeze the most money out of the job, it's crucial to gain his confidence.' | 0:05:31 | 0:05:36 | |
Look at that. That is pretty mouldy, actually, yeah. | 0:05:36 | 0:05:40 | |
I'd be concerned about that. There's just loads of mould behind there. | 0:05:40 | 0:05:45 | |
We'll be able to give that a bit of a... | 0:05:45 | 0:05:48 | |
There you are. There's a little bit of your mortgage. | 0:05:48 | 0:05:51 | |
-Oh, right. -Yeah, it's horrible, actually, isn't it? Really horrible. | 0:05:51 | 0:05:55 | |
I'll just go and get a torch and a little lamp tie. | 0:05:55 | 0:05:59 | |
'Now for the first dirty trick. | 0:06:00 | 0:06:02 | |
-'Bring on the cheese!' -It's pretty nasty, isn't it? -Mm. | 0:06:02 | 0:06:07 | |
'While trusty assistant Luke keeps Andrew talking, Roger smears it under the counter.' | 0:06:07 | 0:06:12 | |
-We had a problem with a heron a little while ago. -Really? | 0:06:12 | 0:06:16 | |
-It ate some of the fish, so... -Oh, I see. | 0:06:16 | 0:06:18 | |
-That's why you put it on. -Yeah. -OK. -Herons will never... -Blimey. | 0:06:18 | 0:06:22 | |
That is quite extensive, actually. | 0:06:25 | 0:06:27 | |
-It smells... Quite honestly... -It smells quite bad. | 0:06:27 | 0:06:30 | |
It smells like the forest in here. That... | 0:06:30 | 0:06:34 | |
If you have a whiff of that, that's... If it was timber in that floor... | 0:06:34 | 0:06:39 | |
-Ohh! It's like mushrooms, isn't it? -Yeah. -Is it? | 0:06:39 | 0:06:42 | |
'Not much of a reaction. Perhaps Andrew's smelt worse. | 0:06:42 | 0:06:45 | |
'It's time now to try out one of the oldest tricks of the trade | 0:06:45 | 0:06:48 | |
'and baffle the homeowner with pseudo-science.' | 0:06:48 | 0:06:52 | |
Excuse me, I just want to have a look outside. | 0:06:52 | 0:06:54 | |
In case there's something obvious. Oh, right. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:58 | |
What they've done is, this render has breached the damp-proof course | 0:06:59 | 0:07:04 | |
to an extent. You're supposed to stop at the damp-proof course | 0:07:04 | 0:07:09 | |
so the damp can't climb over. | 0:07:09 | 0:07:11 | |
And unfortunately, they've hacked it... Oh, right. | 0:07:11 | 0:07:15 | |
See what's going on round here? What they've basically done with that | 0:07:16 | 0:07:20 | |
is shoved that render all the way down to the ground, damp course is up there, | 0:07:20 | 0:07:24 | |
it's on a hiding to nothing anyway cos it's a single-brick wall. | 0:07:24 | 0:07:27 | |
If it was a cavity wall, it would have to jump the cavity. | 0:07:27 | 0:07:30 | |
Because it's a single-brick, it's just going straight up there. It's almost like a sponge. | 0:07:30 | 0:07:35 | |
'It all sounds very plausible, doesn't it? | 0:07:35 | 0:07:38 | |
'But it's all a pack of lies.' | 0:07:38 | 0:07:40 | |
If we coat it, we can give it a spray over with some silicone, which will just repel the water. | 0:07:40 | 0:07:46 | |
'Silicone? I can smell a trick coming on. | 0:07:46 | 0:07:49 | |
'Using little more than the gift of the gab, Roger's lining up a massive quote. | 0:07:49 | 0:07:53 | |
'Remember, an extractor fan worth 50 quid plus a small installation fee would solve Andrew's problems.' | 0:07:53 | 0:07:58 | |
What we'll do is, if we give it a coat around the outside | 0:07:58 | 0:08:02 | |
and then just put this damp-proofing stuff on it, | 0:08:02 | 0:08:06 | |
-erm... What will we say? 360 for that. -Right. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:12 | |
-If we're going to do it for cash, that is. -OK. | 0:08:12 | 0:08:15 | |
'£360. That's roughly four times what he ought to be paying.' | 0:08:15 | 0:08:20 | |
-Just stop the immediate problems of that mould from growing. -Yeah. -The thing is with that mould, | 0:08:20 | 0:08:25 | |
I'm just concerned that it might continue to grow otherwise. | 0:08:25 | 0:08:29 | |
'Well, Andrew has heard what the bill could roughly be | 0:08:29 | 0:08:31 | |
'but he hasn't asked for thinking time, let alone the chance to pick up at least two other quotes. | 0:08:31 | 0:08:37 | |
'Roger's also relying on Andrew not asking for a receipt. Let's hope it doesn't cost him dear.' | 0:08:37 | 0:08:42 | |
-So do you want us to do that? -Er, I think so. | 0:08:42 | 0:08:45 | |
Yep. OK. | 0:08:45 | 0:08:48 | |
OK, I'll go and get the gear. | 0:08:48 | 0:08:51 | |
'So will Roger get away with this outrageous damp-proofing trick?' | 0:08:53 | 0:08:56 | |
What it does is, it reacts with moisture. | 0:08:56 | 0:08:59 | |
'Andrew won't really hand over £360 to this no-nonsense mould-buster, will he?' | 0:08:59 | 0:09:04 | |
There's so many cowboys in this game that you don't know what you're doing really, you know? | 0:09:04 | 0:09:09 | |
It seems unbelievable, doesn't it, but the idea of charging someone a fortune | 0:09:13 | 0:09:18 | |
for spraying their walls with water is based on reality. It's one of the dirtiest tricks in the book | 0:09:18 | 0:09:23 | |
and it actually happened to vulnerable consumers in Nottinghamshire. | 0:09:23 | 0:09:27 | |
'Operation Rigsby, named after the landlord in the TV sitcom Rising Damp, | 0:09:31 | 0:09:36 | |
'was a mammoth Trading Standards investigation. It took place over five years | 0:09:36 | 0:09:41 | |
'and covered five counties. We're looking at several cases, the first near Nottingham. | 0:09:41 | 0:09:47 | |
'Unlike the city's most famous son, Robin Hood, the ruthless con artists involved stole from the vulnerable | 0:09:47 | 0:09:53 | |
'and gave nothing in return. | 0:09:53 | 0:09:55 | |
'A team of six scammers, led by Paul Hilton and Kevin Christian, | 0:09:55 | 0:09:59 | |
'carried out hundreds of bogus damp-proofing jobs. | 0:09:59 | 0:10:03 | |
'They had just one mission in life - to squeeze as much money out of innocent homeowners as possible.' | 0:10:03 | 0:10:09 | |
We know that there's definitely over 200 victims that have been involved | 0:10:09 | 0:10:13 | |
and we're looking at a figure of just under about £1.5 million. | 0:10:13 | 0:10:18 | |
'£1.5 million, an astonishing amount. | 0:10:18 | 0:10:22 | |
'One of those targeted by the gang in April 2008 | 0:10:24 | 0:10:27 | |
'was 79-year-old Joan Walker, | 0:10:27 | 0:10:30 | |
'a widow living in Nottinghamshire.' | 0:10:30 | 0:10:32 | |
It happened about two years ago. | 0:10:32 | 0:10:35 | |
They knocked on the front door | 0:10:35 | 0:10:38 | |
and offered me a free service for a damp course. | 0:10:38 | 0:10:42 | |
And I thought, "I might as well have it done, it's free" | 0:10:42 | 0:10:46 | |
and took it from there. | 0:10:46 | 0:10:48 | |
'What Joan didn't know was that she was letting a professional con man into her house | 0:10:49 | 0:10:54 | |
'who'd already fleeced dozens of victims.' | 0:10:54 | 0:10:56 | |
A lot of the gang's victims are older ladies that live on their own, | 0:10:56 | 0:11:00 | |
they're widowed, | 0:11:00 | 0:11:02 | |
they've got family but family don't live with them, | 0:11:02 | 0:11:05 | |
they're struggling to get people in to do jobs for them | 0:11:05 | 0:11:09 | |
and that's the typical type of victim that we've been dealing with. | 0:11:09 | 0:11:13 | |
He came through the door and he walked across the living room | 0:11:13 | 0:11:17 | |
and he walked across... In fact, I didn't notice anything in his hand at first, | 0:11:17 | 0:11:21 | |
but he had a little gadget not much bigger than that. | 0:11:21 | 0:11:24 | |
And he went down by the fireplace | 0:11:24 | 0:11:27 | |
and he checked all the back of the fireplace there. | 0:11:27 | 0:11:30 | |
When he got halfway to the window, then it started bleeping | 0:11:30 | 0:11:33 | |
and it got louder and louder and louder | 0:11:33 | 0:11:36 | |
and he went in the porch, and that was loud, very loud. He said, "Oh, dear, it's bad here." | 0:11:36 | 0:11:41 | |
'These devious rogue tradesmen were using damp detection devices, but they weren't playing fair. | 0:11:41 | 0:11:47 | |
'These devices can be picked up at any DIY store | 0:11:47 | 0:11:50 | |
'and can be manipulated to give false readings, | 0:11:50 | 0:11:53 | |
'for instance, by wetting the sensors with a licked finger or a damp cloth. | 0:11:53 | 0:11:57 | |
'Because one thing's for sure. Joan didn't have a damp problem. | 0:12:00 | 0:12:05 | |
'But she was already starting to fret about the state of her home. | 0:12:05 | 0:12:09 | |
'Preying on her fear and vulnerability, | 0:12:09 | 0:12:11 | |
'the scammers played their next trick on the unsuspecting grandmother.' | 0:12:11 | 0:12:15 | |
They brought me outside, they were on about the damp course that's already in and he said that's no good. | 0:12:17 | 0:12:23 | |
He said, "Now, what can I do? Oh, I know, I'll convince you | 0:12:23 | 0:12:28 | |
"that it really does need doing." | 0:12:28 | 0:12:31 | |
'Their next dirty trick was simple but very effective.' | 0:12:31 | 0:12:36 | |
He convinced me by getting a bucket of water and throwing it all over the wall. | 0:12:36 | 0:12:41 | |
When he threw the bucket of water over the wall, | 0:12:44 | 0:12:47 | |
he said something about if the bricks absorb the water, | 0:12:47 | 0:12:50 | |
that means, yes, you need a full damp course. | 0:12:50 | 0:12:54 | |
'But bricks are designed to be porous, so water will always be absorbed. | 0:12:54 | 0:12:59 | |
'The con men had Joan exactly where they wanted her.' | 0:12:59 | 0:13:02 | |
Well, I felt gutted, really. This is something that really needs doing, I've got to find the money. | 0:13:03 | 0:13:10 | |
So then we discussed how much it was | 0:13:10 | 0:13:13 | |
and I said, "Oh, no, I can't afford that". | 0:13:13 | 0:13:16 | |
And I got him down to 999. | 0:13:16 | 0:13:18 | |
And I said, "Oh, all right, then". | 0:13:18 | 0:13:21 | |
I gave him £100 deposit. | 0:13:21 | 0:13:24 | |
After that, he came on the Monday and they did the job | 0:13:27 | 0:13:32 | |
and I paid him the rest of the money in cash. | 0:13:32 | 0:13:35 | |
'They had fleeced Joan out of almost £1,000 for nothing. | 0:13:35 | 0:13:40 | |
'But her ordeal was still not over. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:42 | |
'Later on, we'll find out how Joan got the better of those con men. | 0:13:46 | 0:13:49 | |
'Plus, we'll hear from other consumers who fell victim to their dirty tricks.' | 0:13:49 | 0:13:53 | |
It makes me feel angry because you take them into your confidence | 0:13:53 | 0:13:58 | |
and realise all the time they've been scamming you thinking, "I'm taking you for a ride". | 0:13:58 | 0:14:03 | |
'Plus, in our quest to show you how not to be ripped off, | 0:14:03 | 0:14:07 | |
'Roger has more dirty tricks for a tough customer in Surrey.' | 0:14:07 | 0:14:10 | |
-What we doing for the money? -What money? -75 quid. | 0:14:10 | 0:14:14 | |
-For what? -Are you winding me up? For doing that! | 0:14:14 | 0:14:16 | |
'But first, what about music teacher Andrew from Kent and that mouldy kitchen?' | 0:14:18 | 0:14:22 | |
The thing is, with the mould, I'm just concerned that it might continue to grow. | 0:14:22 | 0:14:27 | |
'Roger says his damp-proofing course isn't up to scratch | 0:14:27 | 0:14:30 | |
'and that the water is leaking in, causing mould. | 0:14:30 | 0:14:33 | |
'The cheap solution would be a simple extractor fan worth £30 to £50 plus installation. | 0:14:33 | 0:14:38 | |
'But Roger claims he can improve the damp course by spraying on a simple silicone-based water repellent. | 0:14:38 | 0:14:44 | |
'Totally unnecessary. And the charge for that, £360.' | 0:14:44 | 0:14:49 | |
Right, take this gear in for me, mate. | 0:14:52 | 0:14:55 | |
This is a prop. | 0:14:55 | 0:14:57 | |
-This is what he thinks we're using, all right? -Right. | 0:14:57 | 0:15:02 | |
'This little bottle contains nothing more than water. | 0:15:02 | 0:15:05 | |
'Let's hope Andrew doesn't check the contents, or Roger's credibility could be blown.' | 0:15:05 | 0:15:10 | |
I'll just put a bit of household bleach, basically. | 0:15:10 | 0:15:14 | |
Give that a clean off. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:18 | |
'It's now 10:30 and Roger returns | 0:15:18 | 0:15:20 | |
'to apply his totally unnecessary damp-proofing course | 0:15:20 | 0:15:24 | |
'and wipe down the wall with a bleach solution, something Andrew could've done himself for nothing.' | 0:15:24 | 0:15:29 | |
This stuff I've got on here kills any of the mould | 0:15:29 | 0:15:34 | |
before it can get established anywhere else. | 0:15:34 | 0:15:38 | |
And then if we stop the moisture from the outside... | 0:15:38 | 0:15:42 | |
-I'm going to go out and give it a spray. -'With the mould cleaned off, it's time to tackle the outside.' | 0:15:42 | 0:15:48 | |
-The stuff that goes on the outside is this super-concentrated stuff. -Yeah. | 0:15:48 | 0:15:53 | |
'As we know, the super-concentrated solution is nothing more than water in a little white bottle. | 0:15:53 | 0:15:59 | |
'This light spray of water won't harm the wall | 0:15:59 | 0:16:01 | |
'but nor will it damp-proof it. And it certainly isn't worth 360 quid!' | 0:16:01 | 0:16:07 | |
What it does is, it reacts with moisture. The wetter the wall... | 0:16:09 | 0:16:13 | |
'To maintain Andrew's trust, Roger keeps up his flow of super-concentrated waffle.' | 0:16:15 | 0:16:21 | |
With this stuff, it'll breathe. So all the moisture that's locked in will breathe out, | 0:16:21 | 0:16:25 | |
especially during the warm summer. | 0:16:25 | 0:16:28 | |
There's so many cowboys in this game that...you don't know what you're doing really, you know. | 0:16:28 | 0:16:34 | |
'After half an hour, Roger decides to call it a day. | 0:16:36 | 0:16:40 | |
'So, Andrew Hartley let in a tricky tradesman without checking his ID. | 0:16:45 | 0:16:50 | |
'Roger's kicked up a stink with some rotten old cheese. | 0:16:51 | 0:16:54 | |
'And he's treated Andrew's exterior walls with nothing more than water. | 0:16:54 | 0:17:00 | |
'So, will Andrew believe the job is done and pay up?' | 0:17:00 | 0:17:04 | |
-360, Rog? -Yeah, that's it, mate. Are you taking the money? | 0:17:04 | 0:17:08 | |
-Don't trust him with the money. -No, you take the money. -Give it to me. -ANDREW LAUGHS | 0:17:08 | 0:17:12 | |
Erm, yeah, that's all right, 360. | 0:17:12 | 0:17:16 | |
Two. Two, four, six, eight, three. | 0:17:16 | 0:17:20 | |
-Two, four, six. -That's lovely. We won't worry about the call-out charge, either. | 0:17:20 | 0:17:25 | |
-THEY LAUGH Cheers. -All right, lovely. All the best. -Thank you. -Have a good day. | 0:17:25 | 0:17:30 | |
Thanks a lot. | 0:17:30 | 0:17:32 | |
'£360 handed over without any second opinion, any written quotation, any receipt, | 0:17:32 | 0:17:37 | |
'or in fact, any actual evidence that the work was done. | 0:17:37 | 0:17:40 | |
'All because Andrew was rushed into a job he didn't actually need doing. | 0:17:40 | 0:17:45 | |
'With Roger safely round the corner, it's time for our producer to pay Andrew a visit | 0:17:49 | 0:17:53 | |
'and explain the truth.' | 0:17:53 | 0:17:56 | |
-Hi. Is it Andrew? -Yeah, speaking. | 0:17:56 | 0:17:58 | |
Hi, Andrew, I just wondered if you might be able to do a little chat with us. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:02 | |
We're doing a bit of filming in the area for a BBC consumer programme. | 0:18:02 | 0:18:06 | |
Have you had anyone call this morning, by any chance? | 0:18:06 | 0:18:09 | |
-Only to put some treatment on the wall. -OK. | 0:18:09 | 0:18:12 | |
-Yeah. -Were you happy with that? -Yep. Yeah, more than happy. | 0:18:12 | 0:18:15 | |
Suppose I was to tell you that it was a bit of a scam. | 0:18:15 | 0:18:18 | |
-Yeah. -And that actually there was nothing wrong with your wall. -Yeah. | 0:18:18 | 0:18:25 | |
'Andrew seems to be in shock. Still, he has just handed over £360 to a cowboy. | 0:18:26 | 0:18:32 | |
'It's time to tell him exactly what's going on.' | 0:18:32 | 0:18:35 | |
Your brother sort of, er, has got us here doing a bit of a scam on you | 0:18:35 | 0:18:40 | |
-to see whether you might fall for it. -Right. | 0:18:40 | 0:18:44 | |
How would you react if I told you that? | 0:18:44 | 0:18:47 | |
HE LAUGHS | 0:18:47 | 0:18:50 | |
-All right? -Yeah. | 0:18:50 | 0:18:52 | |
All right, mate? | 0:18:54 | 0:18:56 | |
'Er, what about that £360?' | 0:18:56 | 0:18:59 | |
-Well done, sir. Thank you very much indeed. That was great. Hello. -You all right? -Yeah, yeah. | 0:18:59 | 0:19:05 | |
I'm very reluctant to do this, but I suppose I better give you your money back. | 0:19:05 | 0:19:09 | |
Roger was great. I just took it that he was a builder and he knew exactly what he was doing. | 0:19:09 | 0:19:14 | |
There you are, mate. Lovely. | 0:19:14 | 0:19:17 | |
-Thank you very much. -Count it, cos you can't trust me. | 0:19:17 | 0:19:20 | |
I had no idea anything was going on at all. Nothing. It was so well done. | 0:19:20 | 0:19:25 | |
I was just happy to go along with that. | 0:19:25 | 0:19:28 | |
I'd definitely question more traders in the future. Definitely. | 0:19:28 | 0:19:32 | |
Andrew was such a good sport there, but what should you do in that situation to avoid being conned? | 0:19:32 | 0:19:38 | |
First, always get at least three quotes for this kind of work. | 0:19:38 | 0:19:43 | |
Second, never leave tradesmen alone. | 0:19:43 | 0:19:46 | |
If Andrew had kept an eye on Roger, he'd have seen him whip out his cheese. | 0:19:46 | 0:19:50 | |
And finally, if anything goes wrong, don't be afraid to call for help. | 0:19:50 | 0:19:54 | |
Your local Trading Standards will offer advice. | 0:19:54 | 0:19:58 | |
There are few things more annoying than when your washing machine breaks down | 0:20:01 | 0:20:05 | |
and leaves a huge puddle of dirty water all over the kitchen floor. | 0:20:05 | 0:20:09 | |
Well, that's the scenario facing our next consumer. | 0:20:09 | 0:20:11 | |
Except it's all been arranged by his wife, along with a visit from our rogue repair man. | 0:20:11 | 0:20:16 | |
'Tina Chambers works part-time for the ambulance service. | 0:20:18 | 0:20:21 | |
'She's been married to husband Andy, a civil servant in the police, for nine years.' | 0:20:21 | 0:20:26 | |
I've decided to set Andy up because I wanted to get one over on him today. And just to catch him out. | 0:20:26 | 0:20:32 | |
'Loving wife Tina has got a rodent-based score to settle.' | 0:20:32 | 0:20:35 | |
Previously when we've done building work, we did find a rat. | 0:20:35 | 0:20:39 | |
And he scurried off upstairs and left me to deal with the rat. | 0:20:39 | 0:20:43 | |
I've told him that we've got a leaking washing machine, | 0:20:43 | 0:20:46 | |
which I've spilt water down on the floor. | 0:20:46 | 0:20:49 | |
'That's Roger and Luke's cue to step into tricky-tradesmen mode, | 0:20:49 | 0:20:53 | |
'and spring a con that involves a leaky washing machine and a fake mouse we got from a TV prop store.' | 0:20:53 | 0:20:58 | |
-There we go. There's a little bit of a sign of what is in there. -Oh, lovely! | 0:20:58 | 0:21:03 | |
Beautiful. What we're going to do, we're going to put these humane mouse traps in there. | 0:21:03 | 0:21:07 | |
But also, to make the job worth a bit more money, we're going to use these rodent repellers. | 0:21:07 | 0:21:13 | |
What they do is, they work on an ultrasonic signal and an electromagnetic signal | 0:21:13 | 0:21:17 | |
and they send a signal around the mains in the house | 0:21:17 | 0:21:21 | |
and it's uncomfortable for rodents to live in that house. | 0:21:21 | 0:21:24 | |
So Roger will spend a few moments pretending to fix a leak which doesn't exist. | 0:21:25 | 0:21:30 | |
Whilst he's behind the washing machine, the next trick will be to plant his props. | 0:21:30 | 0:21:34 | |
With luck, Andy will believe him and snap up Roger's mouse traps and deterrents. | 0:21:34 | 0:21:39 | |
All at a vastly inflated price. | 0:21:39 | 0:21:41 | |
'Roger is calling this his squeaky-clean washing machine trick. | 0:21:43 | 0:21:46 | |
'It's an audacious, ambitious scam and might not go exactly to plan. | 0:21:46 | 0:21:51 | |
'Depending on the manufacturer and warranty situation, | 0:21:51 | 0:21:54 | |
'a call-out charge to repair a washing machine should cost somewhere between £50 to £90. | 0:21:54 | 0:21:59 | |
'Of course, Roger has his eye on a bigger cash prize.' | 0:21:59 | 0:22:03 | |
Hello. | 0:22:06 | 0:22:08 | |
Have I got the right one? Did you nick all this from Brighton beach? | 0:22:08 | 0:22:13 | |
-Washing machine, yeah? -That's it. I can do bikes, too. | 0:22:13 | 0:22:16 | |
You all right with the bike, are you? I like bikes. | 0:22:16 | 0:22:19 | |
'Andy's not checking Roger's ID. He could be anybody. | 0:22:19 | 0:22:24 | |
'First things first. What's the all-important question that every tradesman likes to hear?' | 0:22:24 | 0:22:29 | |
-Do you want a drink, or a cup of tea? -I'd love a cup of tea, yeah. | 0:22:29 | 0:22:32 | |
-These are plugged into the same thing? -Er, no, that one is plugged in under there. -That's fine. Perfect. | 0:22:32 | 0:22:38 | |
And that's it, isn't it? | 0:22:38 | 0:22:40 | |
'Before the tea, let's have a look at this washing machine. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:44 | |
'Roger, what are you up to? | 0:22:44 | 0:22:46 | |
'Don't do yourself a mischief, mate. Now, he soon gets down to business round the back of the machine.' | 0:22:48 | 0:22:54 | |
We'll have a little dust pan and brush before we go cos... I'm just going to get my torch out. | 0:22:54 | 0:23:00 | |
'It's not just a torch he's after. It's time for Roger to collect something more important, | 0:23:00 | 0:23:05 | |
'that TV prop mouse.' | 0:23:05 | 0:23:08 | |
OK. I've got the washing machine out. I've had a look behind it. | 0:23:11 | 0:23:15 | |
There's some promising signs of bits of food there. | 0:23:15 | 0:23:18 | |
Lots of things like crisps that the kids have dropped. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:21 | |
The sort of thing a mouse might be interested in. | 0:23:21 | 0:23:23 | |
Now all I've got to do is introduce that mouse, plant that and hope for a good reaction from him. | 0:23:23 | 0:23:29 | |
'I hope he doesn't bite, Rog. No, not the mouse. I mean Andy, | 0:23:34 | 0:23:38 | |
'who's obviously wondering where they've been all this time.' | 0:23:38 | 0:23:42 | |
We're just trying to get rid of this other job, cos really we don't want to do it. | 0:23:42 | 0:23:47 | |
Yeah. I'm just trying to reach the old stopcock in the back here. | 0:23:47 | 0:23:52 | |
It's just a bit of a stretch for me. | 0:23:55 | 0:23:57 | |
'Tricky tradesmen often plant props or manipulate people's possessions, | 0:24:01 | 0:24:05 | |
'to make their scams seem more convincing.' | 0:24:05 | 0:24:07 | |
Look at that little fella down there. | 0:24:09 | 0:24:11 | |
Is it a big one, is it? Oh, my life! | 0:24:11 | 0:24:14 | |
-Oh, you've got a few of those. -No way! | 0:24:14 | 0:24:17 | |
-Is it... There's little bits of food under there. -BLEEP! | 0:24:17 | 0:24:20 | |
He doesn't look like he's alive anymore, you're all right. | 0:24:20 | 0:24:24 | |
-Oh! -I thought he moved. | 0:24:24 | 0:24:27 | |
-Really? I don't think he has gone and moved. -He's been here a while. | 0:24:27 | 0:24:30 | |
-Mummified, is it? -There you go, give it the kiss of life. | 0:24:30 | 0:24:34 | |
-Go on! -Oh! | 0:24:34 | 0:24:36 | |
-Humanely dispose of it. -'Cor, Roger, how do you get away with it? | 0:24:37 | 0:24:41 | |
'By the way, Andy doesn't seem too concerned about his uninvited house guest.' | 0:24:41 | 0:24:45 | |
-Do you know how big a hole they need to get through? -Oh, tiny. -It's like a biro pen or something. | 0:24:45 | 0:24:51 | |
And once they're in, it's free food. They're laughing. | 0:24:51 | 0:24:55 | |
'So Roger is here to sell his mouse deterrent, so a quick reminder of the facts of life might be helpful.' | 0:24:55 | 0:25:00 | |
If you've got two mice, I reckon in six weeks, I don't know, some fantastic figure they multiply by. | 0:25:00 | 0:25:07 | |
So you're on a hiding to nothing when they're in. | 0:25:07 | 0:25:10 | |
-What's the best solution, Rog? -'Well, whatever it is, it's bound to involve lots of Andy's money. | 0:25:10 | 0:25:16 | |
'So will Andy pay up for Roger's mouse deterrents?' | 0:25:17 | 0:25:21 | |
-Have you ever heard of these electronic deterrents? -I've heard of them, yeah. | 0:25:21 | 0:25:25 | |
'Could he be Roger's most determined customer yet?' | 0:25:25 | 0:25:28 | |
-What do we do for the money? -What money? -The £75. -For what? -Are you winding me up? For doing that! | 0:25:28 | 0:25:34 | |
Hm, let's hope Roger doesn't go too far with his tall stories. | 0:25:38 | 0:25:41 | |
Now, earlier we heard from a consumer in Nottinghamshire | 0:25:41 | 0:25:44 | |
who'd fallen prey to some dirty damp-proofing tricks. | 0:25:44 | 0:25:48 | |
They were just a small part of Operation Rigsby, and Joan wasn't the only victim. | 0:25:48 | 0:25:53 | |
'Operation Rigsby was a massive Trading Standards investigation | 0:25:53 | 0:25:57 | |
'that targeted a prolific gang of six fraudsters. | 0:25:57 | 0:26:00 | |
'They fleeced more than 200 victims out of almost £1.5 million. | 0:26:00 | 0:26:07 | |
'79-year-old widow Joan Walker was one of those tricked into forking out almost £1,000 | 0:26:07 | 0:26:12 | |
'for a bogus damp-proofing course. | 0:26:12 | 0:26:14 | |
'They did this by giving her a false reading | 0:26:14 | 0:26:17 | |
'using a damp detection device and some other rather less subtle methods.' | 0:26:17 | 0:26:22 | |
They convinced me by getting a bucket of water and throwing it all over the wall. | 0:26:22 | 0:26:27 | |
'Their victims were spread over five counties and were usually elderly or vulnerable folk. | 0:26:29 | 0:26:34 | |
'Pam and Michael Robinson from Leicestershire were on the receiving end | 0:26:34 | 0:26:38 | |
'of a clinically organised visit from the gang.' | 0:26:38 | 0:26:42 | |
It makes me feel angry. It upsets me | 0:26:42 | 0:26:45 | |
because, you know, you take them into your confidence, if you like, | 0:26:45 | 0:26:50 | |
and you realise all the time they've been scamming you and thinking, "I'm taking you for a ride". | 0:26:50 | 0:26:56 | |
'In January 2008, gang member Dominic O'Carroll | 0:26:58 | 0:27:02 | |
'cold-called the Robinsons to ask if they'd like a surveyor to visit them. | 0:27:02 | 0:27:06 | |
'He said the service usually costs £99 | 0:27:06 | 0:27:09 | |
'but on this occasion, the surveyor could inspect their bungalow for free. | 0:27:09 | 0:27:13 | |
'Of course, the surveyor was another gang member, Christian Baird. | 0:27:13 | 0:27:16 | |
'So when he came the next day, the scam was well and truly underway.' | 0:27:16 | 0:27:20 | |
He went all in the house. Nothing in there. Came out here. | 0:27:20 | 0:27:25 | |
Came back and says, "You've just got one problem." | 0:27:25 | 0:27:27 | |
Brings us out here with a torch up there. | 0:27:27 | 0:27:32 | |
He said the felt under the tiles was going rotten. | 0:27:32 | 0:27:36 | |
And he said that the water would get in there, rot all the timbers... | 0:27:36 | 0:27:42 | |
-And we need a new roof. -..and we'd end up needing a complete new roof. We were sort of panicking a bit. | 0:27:42 | 0:27:48 | |
'On top of scaring the Robinsons into having the re-felting done, | 0:27:48 | 0:27:52 | |
'Baird now played another roguish trick. | 0:27:52 | 0:27:54 | |
'He said it would cost £1,200 to repair the roof, | 0:27:54 | 0:27:59 | |
'but that he could call a builder to try and get the price down. Two minutes later, the quote was £844 | 0:27:59 | 0:28:05 | |
'and the builder was scheduled to start the next day.' | 0:28:05 | 0:28:09 | |
He brought in a piece of this felt guard to show us, | 0:28:09 | 0:28:14 | |
and he just carried on, he was just doing it, pushing the tiles up, | 0:28:14 | 0:28:19 | |
and then as he pushed the tiles up then this lays on, | 0:28:19 | 0:28:23 | |
and then they brought the tiles down, but it took about five hours and it was dark when he finished. | 0:28:23 | 0:28:29 | |
'So it wasn't until the next day that Pam could inspect the roofing work properly | 0:28:29 | 0:28:33 | |
'in all its shoddy glory.' | 0:28:33 | 0:28:36 | |
The front gable, there was a big piece of concrete there which he stuck back in with the silicone. | 0:28:37 | 0:28:44 | |
And that fell out two days later. | 0:28:44 | 0:28:46 | |
There was a tile up there had been pushed up, hadn't been put back down. It was a complete mess. | 0:28:46 | 0:28:52 | |
'This cost the Robinsons £200 to put right. | 0:28:53 | 0:28:56 | |
'So on top of the £844 they'd already paid, the total came to more than £1,000. | 0:28:56 | 0:29:02 | |
'For a re-felting job that should have cost just £325. | 0:29:02 | 0:29:07 | |
'What's more, the job really didn't need doing. Just like the unnecessary damp-proofing | 0:29:07 | 0:29:12 | |
'for which Joan Walker paid the gang a similar extortionate sum.' | 0:29:12 | 0:29:16 | |
My granddaughter came round and she said, "You haven't had it done, have you?" | 0:29:16 | 0:29:22 | |
So I said, "Yeah." She says, "Well, you haven't decorated." | 0:29:22 | 0:29:25 | |
I says, "It don't need decorating." "Ah, but it does!" she said. | 0:29:25 | 0:29:28 | |
'To damp-proof properly, plaster has to be taken off interior walls | 0:29:28 | 0:29:33 | |
'and holes drilled around the house and then injected with a waterproof chemical. | 0:29:33 | 0:29:37 | |
'A process that can take hours, if not days. | 0:29:37 | 0:29:40 | |
'The rogue traders who came to Joan's house certainly didn't go to that much trouble.' | 0:29:40 | 0:29:45 | |
And then from there, we got onto Trading Standards. | 0:29:45 | 0:29:48 | |
'Trading Standards officer Nicola Schofield took on Joan's case, | 0:29:50 | 0:29:53 | |
'which, along with Pam and Michael Robinson's case, she was able to link with Operation Rigsby.' | 0:29:53 | 0:29:58 | |
We'd had several complaints coming into the department | 0:29:58 | 0:30:01 | |
about this particular company. We began to investigate that. | 0:30:01 | 0:30:05 | |
And then we got another complaint in about Joan's particular circumstances. | 0:30:05 | 0:30:10 | |
We came out and took a statement from her. It started from there. | 0:30:10 | 0:30:13 | |
The similarity between Joan's case and a lot of other cases were the use of the hand-held damp detector | 0:30:13 | 0:30:19 | |
to say there was damp in the property when there wasn't. | 0:30:19 | 0:30:22 | |
And getting people to invite them into their homes | 0:30:22 | 0:30:25 | |
on the basis that it's a free property survey when, in fact, it wasn't. | 0:30:25 | 0:30:28 | |
'Once inside, they could fake problems which didn't actually exist. | 0:30:28 | 0:30:32 | |
'A classic trick played by the gang on both Joan and the Robinsons.' | 0:30:32 | 0:30:37 | |
-This is some of the paperwork you signed. Do you remember the contract that you signed? -Yes. | 0:30:37 | 0:30:43 | |
-And that there is going to be Dryzone external injection, as the diagram. -Right. | 0:30:43 | 0:30:47 | |
-And that's the price that you paid. -Yes. | 0:30:47 | 0:30:51 | |
The first criminal act they took was inferring there was a problem with the property when there wasn't. | 0:30:51 | 0:30:56 | |
It is a type of fraud. There is then other issues with paperwork | 0:30:56 | 0:31:01 | |
and things like offering a guarantee that is non-existent. | 0:31:01 | 0:31:04 | |
So there's other offences alongside of that. | 0:31:04 | 0:31:07 | |
-That's the guarantee, isn't it? -Yes. Because I thought, "20 years, well, I might not be here in 20 years." | 0:31:07 | 0:31:13 | |
'Worse was still to come. Trading Standards sent an expert surveyor round.' | 0:31:13 | 0:31:18 | |
We had a surveyor's report done on this property and from his findings, he's concluded that, | 0:31:18 | 0:31:24 | |
"The installation of a chemical injection damp-proof course in the external walls of the property | 0:31:24 | 0:31:29 | |
"in April 2008 was not justified and therefore unwarranted." | 0:31:29 | 0:31:33 | |
In layman's terms, that means that the work wasn't necessary | 0:31:33 | 0:31:37 | |
and it didn't need doing in the first place. | 0:31:37 | 0:31:41 | |
'But it wasn't all bad news for Joan and the other victims. | 0:31:41 | 0:31:45 | |
'Their courage in contacting Trading Standards helped to build a case against this gang of six rogues. | 0:31:45 | 0:31:51 | |
'In particular, the ringleaders Paul Hilton and Kevin Christian.' | 0:31:51 | 0:31:54 | |
Two main people involved with these companies, Paul Hilton and Kevin Christian, | 0:31:54 | 0:32:01 | |
have both been sentenced to 12 and 18 months respectively in prison. | 0:32:01 | 0:32:04 | |
The other members have been given effectively community service and suspended sentences. | 0:32:04 | 0:32:10 | |
'And there's still hope for those conned of claiming back some of their money.' | 0:32:10 | 0:32:15 | |
We have started a financial investigation into these traders, | 0:32:15 | 0:32:19 | |
and the money, the first priority would be to compensate the victims. | 0:32:19 | 0:32:23 | |
My advice to consumers is to be careful about who you do business with on the doorstep. | 0:32:23 | 0:32:28 | |
If someone comes to the door offering to do work on your property, | 0:32:28 | 0:32:31 | |
just remember that you don't have to have it done there and then. | 0:32:31 | 0:32:34 | |
Speak to friends and relatives, get recommendations, get quotes, | 0:32:34 | 0:32:38 | |
and always think about who you're doing business with at the door. | 0:32:38 | 0:32:42 | |
A truly remarkable and terrible story. | 0:32:46 | 0:32:49 | |
Let's find out how Roger's getting on now with his dirty tricks. | 0:32:49 | 0:32:52 | |
'Now remember, he's been called in to investigate a supposedly leaky washing machine | 0:32:54 | 0:32:59 | |
'at the home of the police civil servant Andy Chambers. He's planted a prop mouse behind the machine | 0:32:59 | 0:33:06 | |
'and hopes to charge for rodent traps and ultrasonic gadgets to deter vermin.' | 0:33:06 | 0:33:11 | |
-Look at that little fella down there. -Oh, my life! | 0:33:11 | 0:33:15 | |
'So far everything is going to plan and with a leak to fix, too, | 0:33:15 | 0:33:18 | |
'Roger could be looking at making 300 quid.' | 0:33:18 | 0:33:21 | |
-Some fantastic figure they multiply by. -Yeah. | 0:33:21 | 0:33:24 | |
So you're on a hiding to nothing when they're in. | 0:33:24 | 0:33:27 | |
-This is all concrete floors. -What's the solution, Rog? | 0:33:27 | 0:33:30 | |
Well, I'm just thinking. I can get you a couple of mouse traps. Stick them in there. | 0:33:30 | 0:33:36 | |
-We've actually got some. -Did you get anything in them or not? | 0:33:36 | 0:33:39 | |
-No, nothing. -Where are they? -Out in the shed. | 0:33:39 | 0:33:43 | |
'Oh, dear, Andy's not taking the bait.' | 0:33:43 | 0:33:47 | |
The only other thing I can do, have you ever heard of these electronic deterrent things? | 0:33:47 | 0:33:52 | |
-They send like a sonic signal. -I've heard of them, yeah. | 0:33:52 | 0:33:56 | |
Erm, if I get you a couple of those and plug them in and it just sends a signal round and in the end... | 0:33:56 | 0:34:01 | |
-I think the neighbour has them. -Oh, really? -They've had a few before. -Right. | 0:34:01 | 0:34:05 | |
I'll get theirs of them, borrow them for a little while. | 0:34:05 | 0:34:08 | |
'Ah, things are starting to get a little tricky for our Roger.' | 0:34:08 | 0:34:11 | |
'Andy's just not falling for his pitch with the ultrasonic deterrents.' | 0:34:11 | 0:34:15 | |
If you use theirs, then what will happen is that... | 0:34:15 | 0:34:19 | |
-It'll push them back again. -..they'll keep going backwards and forwards between the two houses. -Yeah. | 0:34:19 | 0:34:25 | |
So that'll be a bit of fun. All right. OK. Well, erm, | 0:34:25 | 0:34:30 | |
-which side is it, that side? The side you're joined to, is it? -Yeah. -That's all right. | 0:34:30 | 0:34:34 | |
OK, erm, all right, that's fine. | 0:34:34 | 0:34:38 | |
'There's nothing for it but to repair the washing machine. And we know there's nothing wrong with it. | 0:34:38 | 0:34:43 | |
'Andy's wife made up the problem in order to get Roger into the house. | 0:34:43 | 0:34:47 | |
'It gives Luke a chance to brush up on his banter.' | 0:34:47 | 0:34:50 | |
-And you've got a rabbit out there, as well. -Guinea pigs, yeah. -Yeah. -Three guinea pigs. | 0:34:50 | 0:34:54 | |
-I'll just get the old absorbent cloth, all right? -OK. | 0:34:54 | 0:34:58 | |
That's a beautiful garden, isn't it? It's great. | 0:34:58 | 0:35:02 | |
He's not going to go for it. He doesn't want my mouse traps, he's got a couple already. | 0:35:06 | 0:35:11 | |
He's going to borrow the ultrasonic devices from next door. | 0:35:11 | 0:35:16 | |
So what am I going to do? What I've got to do now, I guess, is go for that chewed up bit of cable | 0:35:16 | 0:35:22 | |
and hope that he goes for that. | 0:35:22 | 0:35:24 | |
That's my only chance to make this washing machine repair into something bigger. | 0:35:24 | 0:35:28 | |
'Keep your chin up, Roger. If Andy isn't falling for your overtures, that's not a bad thing. | 0:35:28 | 0:35:33 | |
'He's clearly a switched-on consumer. But you might still make a quick buck from the gnawed cable. | 0:35:33 | 0:35:39 | |
'Maybe try some of your class-A codswallop on him.' | 0:35:39 | 0:35:42 | |
-As far as your rodents go... -Yeah? | 0:35:42 | 0:35:45 | |
..I'm just a bit concerned in case they've chewed through some of your cables or something, you know? | 0:35:45 | 0:35:51 | |
-Do you get any trouble with electrics at all? -No, not really. | 0:35:53 | 0:35:56 | |
-They never pop off on you or anything? -No. -Sometimes what they do is chew through the cables. | 0:35:56 | 0:36:01 | |
Next thing you know, you're getting house fires and things. | 0:36:01 | 0:36:04 | |
You get a lot of that when they're in lofts and they chew cables. | 0:36:04 | 0:36:07 | |
-Yeah. -Before you know it, you've got things arcing together. Sets the house on fire or something. | 0:36:07 | 0:36:14 | |
I wanted to make sure you're OK. | 0:36:14 | 0:36:16 | |
We can't interest you in anything else. We're not going to be able to rewire your house or anything today. | 0:36:16 | 0:36:23 | |
Just trying to make a crust. That was all. | 0:36:23 | 0:36:25 | |
-VIOLIN MUSIC -Thought I might make a few bob. | 0:36:25 | 0:36:28 | |
Life is hard. I tell you, we're going to have a really thin weekend this weekend. | 0:36:28 | 0:36:34 | |
I don't think I'm going out tonight. | 0:36:34 | 0:36:37 | |
It's like getting blood out of a stone. | 0:36:37 | 0:36:39 | |
'I'm sorry, I'm losing it. This is almost Dickensian. | 0:36:41 | 0:36:44 | |
'How soon before you mention Tiny Tim and his crutches?' | 0:36:44 | 0:36:47 | |
That looks very good. | 0:36:48 | 0:36:51 | |
OK, I'll be back in a second. | 0:36:51 | 0:36:53 | |
He's not going for it. He's not going to get anywhere. | 0:37:00 | 0:37:03 | |
So we're just going to have to try him for £75 call-out charge on the washing machine. | 0:37:03 | 0:37:08 | |
And then we're just going to have to say, "If you need anything, if we can help with that rodent problem, | 0:37:08 | 0:37:15 | |
"then don't hesitate to contact us." | 0:37:15 | 0:37:17 | |
'There's no faulting Roger's effort. | 0:37:17 | 0:37:20 | |
'Charging £75 call-out to repair a washing machine that's not even broken isn't bad. | 0:37:20 | 0:37:25 | |
'But with Andy advertising his hobby on the windowsill, could there be a chance to make more?' | 0:37:27 | 0:37:33 | |
Racehorses. He's a gambling man, isn't he? | 0:37:33 | 0:37:37 | |
He is. Did you notice he's got horseracing in his downstairs loo? | 0:37:37 | 0:37:42 | |
He's got horseracing here. Do you know what? We should have spotted the signs. | 0:37:42 | 0:37:46 | |
-Do you go to Epsom a lot? -Oh, we go everywhere. -Do you? | 0:37:46 | 0:37:50 | |
-OK, look, I tell you what, my call-out charge for this, minimum call-out charge is £75. -Right. -Cash. | 0:37:50 | 0:37:56 | |
If you're a gambling man, do you want to do it on the flip of a coin, double or nothing? | 0:37:56 | 0:38:01 | |
-Would you not do that, seriously? -No. | 0:38:01 | 0:38:04 | |
I'm desperate. I'm desperate for some money. | 0:38:04 | 0:38:07 | |
What's he like? | 0:38:07 | 0:38:09 | |
'Roger, ten out of ten for effort. But Andy is turning out to be completely disinterested.' | 0:38:09 | 0:38:15 | |
-That's running like a dream. -Lovely. Cheers for that. | 0:38:15 | 0:38:18 | |
OK, my friend, that's it. We're going to try and make some proper money out of somebody. | 0:38:18 | 0:38:23 | |
Somebody that cares about us impoverished tradesmen. | 0:38:23 | 0:38:27 | |
I don't carry the money, you see, it's the missus. She ain't here. | 0:38:27 | 0:38:30 | |
So what do I do? Have I got to wait for her to come home? | 0:38:30 | 0:38:34 | |
-Seriously? -Seriously what? -Where do I get the money? | 0:38:35 | 0:38:39 | |
-HE LAUGHS -'This is brilliant. This is turning into a nightmare for Roger, | 0:38:39 | 0:38:42 | |
-'who might not be making any money at all today.' -What is going on? | 0:38:42 | 0:38:47 | |
Right. | 0:38:50 | 0:38:52 | |
So, er, that's all we want, 75 quid. | 0:38:52 | 0:38:56 | |
-Sure. -Cash, yeah, that's all. | 0:38:56 | 0:38:58 | |
'So, police civil servant Andy Chambers | 0:38:58 | 0:39:01 | |
'has let in a tricky tradesman to fix a leaky washing machine. | 0:39:01 | 0:39:05 | |
'Roger has tried to con him with a prop mouse, plus a scheme with traps and ultrasonic gadgets, to no avail. | 0:39:05 | 0:39:11 | |
'Will he be able to persuade Andy to part with any money today? | 0:39:11 | 0:39:15 | |
'Andy thinks this is covered by his warranty | 0:39:15 | 0:39:17 | |
'and doesn't think he should pay Roger for the call-out.' | 0:39:17 | 0:39:20 | |
-Right. Lovely. -Cheers. What do we do for the money? -What money? | 0:39:20 | 0:39:25 | |
-The 75 quid. -For what? -Are you winding me up? For doing that. | 0:39:29 | 0:39:32 | |
-The call-out. -What call-out? | 0:39:32 | 0:39:35 | |
-For the machine. -There isn't any -BLEEP -call-out fee. | 0:39:35 | 0:39:40 | |
-Where's your paperwork, then? -I'll go and get it. -Go on, then. | 0:39:41 | 0:39:45 | |
I'm losing the plot here. I don't know what's going on. | 0:39:50 | 0:39:53 | |
I just had a callout to do the job, I've done the job. | 0:39:53 | 0:39:56 | |
Now I'm being wound up. | 0:39:57 | 0:39:59 | |
'At last, now you know how it feels, Roger.' | 0:40:00 | 0:40:03 | |
I don't know what to do. This is turning into nightmare for me. | 0:40:10 | 0:40:14 | |
He's not even going to pay for me fixing the washing machine. | 0:40:14 | 0:40:18 | |
Looks like I'm going to come away with nothing. He's tough. | 0:40:18 | 0:40:22 | |
'Our devious trickster really has met his match today. | 0:40:22 | 0:40:26 | |
'With his scam lying in ruins, Roger may have no alternative but to leave empty-handed.' | 0:40:26 | 0:40:32 | |
-Do you want me to send you a bill? -No. | 0:40:32 | 0:40:35 | |
'It's clear Andy isn't budging. He's stalling Roger to send the bill anywhere, | 0:40:35 | 0:40:39 | |
'his insurers, the manufacturers, anywhere, | 0:40:39 | 0:40:41 | |
'just as long as he doesn't have to pay for it himself, in cash, today.' | 0:40:41 | 0:40:45 | |
-Yeah, but where do I get it from? -Whoever calls you out. | 0:40:45 | 0:40:49 | |
-Are you joking? -No, no. I thought you were joking. | 0:40:49 | 0:40:53 | |
-'So that's it for Roger.' -OK, we're all done. Have we got everything from there? -Yeah. | 0:40:53 | 0:40:57 | |
All right. Cheers, mate. I can't believe it. | 0:40:57 | 0:41:01 | |
'Hurray! Andy has been the very model of a switched-on consumer. | 0:41:01 | 0:41:06 | |
'He's held his ground and he hasn't fallen for any nonsense. | 0:41:06 | 0:41:10 | |
'Well done, mate! And with Roger and Luke safely around the corner, | 0:41:10 | 0:41:13 | |
'it's time for our producer to pay Andy a visit and explain exactly what's been going on.' | 0:41:13 | 0:41:19 | |
Hi there. I wonder if you could give us a couple of minutes | 0:41:24 | 0:41:27 | |
to tell you you've actually been set up by your wife. | 0:41:27 | 0:41:32 | |
-What's this all got to do with? -I want my mouse back. Where's my mouse? | 0:41:32 | 0:41:37 | |
-HE LAUGHS -You are brilliant. | 0:41:37 | 0:41:40 | |
They did it very well, really. I believed everything. | 0:41:40 | 0:41:44 | |
-You didn't go for my mouse thing. -Was that you? | 0:41:44 | 0:41:47 | |
-Didn't you know about the mouse? Do you know how much it cost? -I'm still thinking we got mouse problems. | 0:41:47 | 0:41:52 | |
I wouldn't have parted with anything. But it was, erm, | 0:41:52 | 0:41:56 | |
like I say, I can quite easily see how people do get conned into it. | 0:41:56 | 0:42:00 | |
-Very well done. Very well done. -Thank you. -Hook, line and sinker, but you weren't getting no money. | 0:42:00 | 0:42:06 | |
I think definitely with the occupation that I'm in with the Metropolitan Police, | 0:42:07 | 0:42:12 | |
it makes me more conscious of certainly other scams that are out there. | 0:42:12 | 0:42:17 | |
It's made me more aware than normal people would be. | 0:42:17 | 0:42:21 | |
A lot instances that we hear of where con men have done this and done that and it seemed quite easy. | 0:42:21 | 0:42:27 | |
Thanks for taking it so well, Andy. Now, the vast majority of tradesmen are honest and hardworking. | 0:42:28 | 0:42:33 | |
It's only a very few who play dirty tricks. | 0:42:33 | 0:42:36 | |
The crucial thing to remember is, if in doubt, keep them out. | 0:42:36 | 0:42:40 | |
Thanks for watching and I'll see you next time. | 0:42:40 | 0:42:42 | |
'If you'd like to help us reveal how easy it is to fall for the cons of rogue tradesmen | 0:42:43 | 0:42:48 | |
'by sending our trickster to visit your unsuspecting friends or family, | 0:42:48 | 0:42:52 | |
'you'll find all the details at: | 0:42:52 | 0:42:56 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:42:59 | 0:43:03 | |
E-mail [email protected] | 0:43:03 | 0:43:07 | |
. | 0:43:07 | 0:43:07 |