Citroen Don't Get Done Get Dom

I've been battling your rights for years,

but it seems some companies still aren't getting the message.

The main aim for big companies is profit.

They don't care about customers.

Day in, day out, thousands of you are still being taken for a ride,

and it's always the same old things.

Shoddy products, small print and bad customer service.

If they want to be rude to customers, they are the losers, big-time.

Some firms are driving you barmy, causing you sleepless nights

and making you feel like you're the one to blame.

But don't despair, because I'm here to take up the fight

and make sure that you don't get done.

Coming up on today's show,

a brand-new car with problems so new even the manufacturers can't fix it.

I was completely in the unknown as to is it something really major,

or is it something that I don't have to worry about too much?

One man's battle over care home fees the Government said he was entitled to.

The net result of this report was no money was going to come

because she didn't meet the criteria.

And we hit the high street with some consumer conundrums

to see if you know your rights.

Who's done it, it's down to them.

Let me tell you, when you've got a few years under your belt, like me,

one of the biggest purchases you'll ever make is a house.

But when you're a bit younger, one of the biggest, most exciting purchases you'll ever make

is a brand spanking new car.

CENTRAL LOCKING BEEPS

What a buzz!

So you're driving along on the open road, enjoying your new motor.

All of a sudden, something goes wrong.

There's a problem with your car that you weren't expecting.

I don't really know what's wrong with it, but never mind, it's a new car.

The garage will get it sorted out in a jiffy.

Or so you'd think.

And that's exactly what 22-year-old Becky Radigan thought would happen

when her brand-new car ran into problems.

Becky lives with her parents in North Yorkshire.

She's an independent, career-minded young lady who, in 2011,

set her sights on a dream motor.

I'd moved into a different role at work.

That's when I made the decision to get the new car that was a bit more economical,

a bit nicer to look at,

and something just new.

Living out in the country and needing a car for her new job as a support worker for the elderly,

she needed one that was reliable.

But Becky being Becky, it was more important how it looked.

So she fell head over heels for a brand-new 1.6 litre Citroen DS3.

Very nice.

Becky purchased the £15,000 car from her local Citroen dealer in July 2011.

It was a lot to spend, but Becky thought she deserved it.

It was my present to myself for working hard, to be able to have a brand-new car.

Becky had everything she could want. A new car, her new job.

The future looked bright. Or did it?

Unfortunately for Becky, the only things bright were the lights

appearing on the dashboard of her brand spanking new car.

I'd only had it four days when I turned it on to go to work

and it stated "Engine fault" on the LED screen

and "Service fault" on the dashboard.

My first instinct was to think, "Oh, my God, what's wrong with it?"

Becky got on the blower and her Citroen garage assured her it was fine to drive and booked the car in.

Now began Becky's nightmare.

Over the following five months, her brand-new car went in and out of the garage

and they still couldn't fix the problem.

Much to Becky's frustration, not to say inconvenience,

it wasn't the smooth ride Becky, or I, for that matter, would expect when buying a new car.

Which is why...

..I've come way up north to find out more about Becky's situation.

I can tell you something, I realise out here why a car is so important.

Look. I'm surrounded by fields.

Miles away from home.

And you know me,

I'd still travel to Timbuktu if it meant sorting out companies who don't take care of their customers.

-Hiya.

-Hiya, Dom.

-Are you Becky?

-Yes. Thank you so much for coming.

-Is this the beast in question?

-It certainly is, yes.

-Right.

Now, I've got to say, Becky, they're very good looking cars.

-It's a gorgeous car, isn't it?

-You're quite young, aren't you?

-Yes, I'm only 22.

-Right.

For a lady like you, that's the dream vehicle.

That was the best vehicle I got. That's all I set my heart on.

It was all I wanted. I had blinkered vision. If not, I didn't want anything.

Well, good for you.

But you pay for having good taste like Becky.

She paid a deposit, signed up for a finance agreement

and part exchanged her old car as part of the deal.

To say she was excited is an understatement, as mum Elaine well remembers.

I'll never forget the day she picked it up,

she was just jumping up and down for joy.

It was her ideal vehicle. And it went on for days.

But unfortunately, the engine management light issue ruined the high.

No matter what the garage have tried, they still haven't fixed it.

Now, this looks almost immaculate.

In fact, I've got to say, immaculate.

-Is there a mark on it anywhere?

-No, there shouldn't be.

How many times have you been to the garage to try and sort this out?

At least about five times. Five or six times it's been with them.

What have they done to it?

The first time, they told me they adjusted a belt on it.

They didn't say what belt, but they said a belt needed adjusting.

The light had gone off, brought it home.

The second time, it was a relay they wanted to fix.

They got the new part in, brought it home.

The third, fourth and fifth time, it was a glow plug problem.

-They replaced the glow plugs at least three times.

-Right.

So it certainly sounds like there's no doubt there's a problem.

We know that. The garage haven't been able to pinpoint it, have they?

No, I don't think they've been able to ascertain exactly what is causing the light to come on.

It's just a lot of upset that I've spent this amount of money

and I'm not happy or confident with the car.

A lot of frustration that it's still not fixed.

When I get in the car in the morning, the light is still there. It's not going away.

I can hardly believe what I'm hearing.

In five months, her brand-new car's gone in and out of the garage five times

and the engine management light's appeared over 50 times.

No wonder she's no happy chappie.

Something I want to clarify -

has the car ever ground to a halt and broken down?

-No. Not yet.

-OK.

What did the manual or service department tell you about that light being on?

They have said, since the last time it was in,

it's down to a software issue and I can ignore the light

up until a point a download is available.

-I don't actually agree with what they've told you to do there and ignore it.

-No.

Get it sorted out. You've attempted to do that.

-They haven't been able to.

-No.

So straight away, if you were my daughter,

I wouldn't have confidence in you driving

with an engine management light coming on 50-odd times.

I'm sure you were the same, especially being stuck in the middle of nowhere.

I've had enough of this car's story in the five minutes I've been in it,

let alone the five months Becky's been battling for.

Right, I think it's time to get down to some important paperwork and stuff like that.

-Shall we go inside?

-Yes, of course.

And once inside and settled on the sofa,

Becky shows me that she's got a wise head on young shoulders.

-What have you got there?

-I wrote a timeline.

Luckily, every time the light came on, I wrote it in my diary,

just to know how many times it had come on.

The timeline shows when it was in the garage, when I collected it,

when the first engine light came on.

It details every engine light

and then when it has been to the dealership,

when it's come out and what they have told me.

Crikey! How many pages? I bet if they see you in the forecourt,

they put the closed sign on the door!

OK, but although you've done all this,

no-one's actually said to you, "Do this, get the problem sorted out and this is what you can do."

-You're still in a bit of a limbo here, aren't you?

-Yes.

All the companies I've spoke to have either said,

"Oh, you need to ring this company, ring Trading Standards, ring the finance..."

Finance told me to ring the dealership,

the dealership told me to ring Citroen UK.

I have been passed from person to person with no outcome.

As I go over Becky's case with her,

I'm beginning to realise just how much work she's put in to try and get this problem sorted.

She's spoken to Trading Standards,

who put her in contact with Consumer Direct.

They told her, under the Sale of Goods Act she had a case,

yet she's still being refused a refund by Citroen.

Why?

So here we are now,

50-odd times the light's been on, five months down the line.

-And you haven't been able to do anything about it.

-Nothing.

-Which is frustrating, cos you've done everything by the book.

-Very frustrating.

Cos I don't know where else to sort of turn with it now.

Reading through Becky's copious paper trail,

it seems Citroen are saying it's no more than a software fault

causing the light to go on and off,

but fundamentally, the car's not faulty.

Therefore, no refund for Becky.

Now, let me tell you, something doesn't smell right,

and it's not the exhaust fumes.

Becky's made all the right moves as a conscientious consumer,

but she's hit a brick wall.

To help me out on this case, I want Becky to do some further research.

I want her to meet up with Trading Standards

and double check her consumer rights.

She may be incredibly organised, but has she got all her facts straight?

I can't make promises, because there's a lot of grey areas when it comes to cars.

Certainly, one huge thing in my favour is just how efficient you've been with everything.

I really do admire you for that.

But as I understand it now, I want to clarify this 100%,

the only thing you'll be really happy with

-is if you can wash your hands of this car.

-Yeah.

-And you'd love an apology from Citroen.

-Just an apology.

-Right.

I can't make promises but I'll certainly give it a go for you.

-Can I keep your paperwork?

-Yep, of course you can. Thank you.

-Right, lovely.

I've got to say, I really feel sorry for Becky.

She's a young girl, she's bought a dream car there

and she seems to have had quite a lot of problems with it.

What I'm really, really surprised about, she's been so efficient in what she's done

and she's not been able to get it sorted.

Trouble is, it's now five months old, it's done a few thousand miles.

Am I going to be able to do any better?

Just have to keep me fingers crossed.

Before I go any further with this case,

I think it's high time I researched who I'm up against.

Citroen was founded in France in 1919

and was the first mass production car company ever outside of the USA.

They are now over 90 years old

and in 2009 relaunched its brand with cars like Becky's DS3.

They've got a good pedigree, but it won't stop me gunning my engine at them.

I'll tell you one thing.

If I bought a brand-new car like Becky had and had had untold problems

from almost day one, I wouldn't want the car fixed.

I'd want me money back, cancel it. And that's what I'm going to aim to get for her.

But it is a very grey area.

Right, first things first.

I want to get a definitive answer from the Citroen garage Becky has been dealing with

about what to do if an engine management light appears on your dashboard.

Hi, there, service department, please.

I'm put straight through to the workshop.

A lady's got a Citroen DS3

and the engine management light keeps coming on.

If that happens, what would anybody advise somebody to do if that problem happens?

Yep, you've guessed it.

Interesting, because the workshop controller says

if the engine management light comes on, do not drive the car.

And this is the crux of my beef with Citroen.

On the one hand, don't drive.

On the other hand, it's fine to drive, it's just a software fault.

No wonder Becky's confidence in her car has hit rock bottom.

And so does mine, when I discover just what Becky's been up against,

as Citroen ask me to question the foundations of her case.

He said, "Do you think she deserves her money back?" I said, "Yeah.

"And when you read all the information, I think you will as well."

Consumer law can be very confusing.

You've got your Sale of Goods Act, distance selling, right to return.

I could go on.

But knowing just a few of these laws can save you not only money

but an awful lot of hassle as well.

My research team have been out on the streets,

armed with questions to put to you, the buying public,

to find out if you know your consumer rights from your consumer wrongs.

Today, we hit the shopping centres in our quest for spreading knowledge.

First question for you canny consumers, a flight of fancy.

"You've bought flights to Paris, but last-minute work commitments mean you can't go.

"You offer your tickets to a friend, but then find out

"the airline are going to charge you for the privilege.

"Can they do this?"

Yes, I think they can.

Yes, I think they can.

The reason I think they can is because when you buy them,

I think they say on them, "not transferable".

They can do this because you're changing the details of the flight.

Correct.

The airline can charge for administration fees to change the name on the ticket.

Even spelling your own name incorrectly can lead to a charge of up to £100.

The only way to guarantee not having to pay these fees

is to make sure your details are bang on first time.

Admit it, I'm a natural at this.

Ever heard about pride coming before a fall?

Anyway, next up, birthday blowout.

"You are given a voucher for your birthday but don't use it for eight months.

"When you go into a store, they tell you the voucher has expired and is worthless.

"Is this legal?"

I think you must get longer, maybe a year.

Well, on the voucher, they tell you how many months until it expires.

So once it expires, you can't use it.

It depends if there's small print on the voucher, I imagine.

You have to check to see if it has an expiration date.

Correct. Two out of three of you. Not bad.

It is legal because vouchers come with their own set of terms and conditions

and individual expiry dates.

Some shops may let you use the vouchers outside of the expiry date,

but this is a goodwill gesture on their part.

But remember, according to the Office of Fair Trading, it's up to the shop to make you aware

the vouchers do have a time limit.

I'd haggle with them there!

Aha, a lady after my own heart. And finally, internet safety net.

"You discover money has been fraudulently taken from your bank account via online transaction

"but you have not lost your card and you not had them stolen.

"Can you get your money back from the bank?" Yes, you can.

I believe most bank cards do have a limit, whereby they will reimburse you.

Yes. You can.

-I'm pretty sure about that one.

-Crikey! All three of you correct.

That happened to a friend of mine. But it took him a while to get the money back.

If the bank can't prove you acted recklessly with your card,

you are entitled to a refund.

They must also credit your account immediately while they conduct their investigations.

But, and there is a but, you are liable to pay up to the first £50 in costs.

I had a similar situation where they used my credit card

and I hadn't lost my credit card,

but the lady behind the counter had swiped it for her friend.

It just goes to show, it pays to keep your eyes wide open when splashing the cash.

Well done, you lot. Three right answers in a row.

I can see my years of ranting about your rights is beginning to sink in.

Trust me, knowing your rights will stop you getting done.

I've been called in by 22-year-old support worker Becky Radigan.

In July 2011, she fell in love with a brand-new Citroen DS3.

But sadly, it didn't take long for the £15,000 relationship to go sour.

After just four days,

the engine management light pinged on and off and on and off.

Eventually, over 50 times in five months.

And no-one at Citroen could fix it.

When I was ringing them to tell them I was dissatisfied

and when I wrote to the letters to say I am not happy, they didn't understand why I was upset.

It didn't feel like they understood, and they didn't seem to have any empathy towards -

you have just spent a lot of money on what is known as a good car.

Becky has lost confidence in the car and wants to reject it,

but the garage are saying there's no fault with it, it's a software issue.

It doesn't work like that in this country. Becky has rights and I'm going to help her achieve them.

But what exactly are those rights?

And just how easy is it to reject a new car? Let's see what the industry experts think.

Emma Butcher is the consumer editor for What Car? magazine

and believe me, she knows her motors.

Buying a new car is one of the most exciting purchases that people make.

It's the second biggest purchase that most people will make after a house.

A car is an emotional purchase for a lot of people,

as well as being an integral part of people's lives.

In Becky's case, it was both an emotional

and integral purchase, but it's gone wrong and now she's distraught.

Did she have her hopes set too high?

We should expect perfection from a new car. At What Car?, that's certainly what we believe.

There will be times when there will be minor niggles which can be fixed and repaired very easily.

Most people find that when they have a problem with their car, their dealer will take it straight back,

rectify the problem and they're back on the road and everyone's happy.

Apart from Becky, in this case, because they never managed to fix the issue once and for all.

If there is something inherently wrong with the car,

you are within your rights under the Sale of Goods Act to reject the car.

It's a difficult thing to do and there are very few

rejections in the UK because there are generally other remedies.

Things don't usually go that badly.

But sadly, they have in this case.

Even though Becky's car never broken down, there is still something wrong that they haven't fixed.

Thanks, Emma. Time to get back on the blower.

I'm going to call the Citroen dealership to get their take on Becky's five month battle.

What's the name of the dealer principal, please? Is it possible to be put through to him, please?

But it turns out he's busy. Too busy to speak to me anyway.

And it transpires the boss is too busy all day.

Failing to return my calls, I decide to cut my losses.

I'm going to ring Citroen head office now, actually. I was hoping to try to sort it out.

If you can ask him to return my call, I did leave the number earlier.

OK. Thanks very much. Lovely, thank you. Bye.

Now, that slightly annoys me. I called a few hours ago and was told he was in a meeting.

I said, "Can he call me back as soon as possible?" And he hasn't. He's out of the office. Doesn't matter.

I'll just go straight to the top now and Citroen head office.

I'm going to try and get hold of the man Becky's been dealing with. Despite her writing to him

and quoting the Sale of Goods Act, he flatly refused to let her reject her car,

stating it had never actually broken down, therefore wasn't faulty enough to warrant a refund.

He then ignored all her correspondence. Shame on you.

It's Dominic Littlewood.

But again, it seems my luck is out. The man I'm after is busy. It's time for a different approach.

Is it possible to speak to the press department?

Hopefully, these guys will sit up and listen. This is my fourth call in this case.

I suspect they know I'm sniffing around, but they don't know what I'm calling about.

Marc, good afternoon. It's Dominic Littlewood calling from the BBC.

I bring Marc Raven, the head of PR, up to speed with events

and let him know I now have Becky's permission to represent her

in this case and they will now only be dealing with me.

She should be covered under the Sale of Goods Act to reject the goods - in this case, the car.

Even if it's a software download, she shouldn't be expected wait for that.

In theory, the car's not fit for purpose.

Interestingly, Marc keeps asking whether the car has ever broken down, leaving Becky stranded.

That old chestnut again.

I tell him no, and it's irrelevant because I have a timeline in front of me, showing the past five months

of issues Becky's had with her car and it's still not fixed.

Marc promises to get on the case.

Bye bye, then. Now things are starting to happen.

When you get to the top, you can't help feeling that this case will be sorted out fairly soon.

Although he did say something interesting.

He said, "Do you think she deserves her money back?" I said, "Yeah.

"When you read all the information, I think you will as well."

While Citroen UK mull that over,

I want to spend some time going over Becky's comprehensive paper trail to see if I can work out

where her case against Citroen fell down.

During the first eight weeks, whilst the dealership tried to repair the car,

Becky made it clear in writing that allowing them the opportunity

to try and fix it five times would not affect her right to a refund.

When the fault was still not rectified, she wrote to both the dealership and Citroen UK

saying she wanted to reject their car.

She backed this up with advice from Trading Standards

and the Sales of Goods Act, quoting section 14,

that goods must be fit for purpose and free from minor defects.

But Citroen don't agree with it being not fit for purpose, as it's never broken down.

But I'll tell you what has broken down, Citroen's relationship with a once happy customer.

They didn't seem bothered, so to speak, that I was having these problems.

They were brushing it under the carpet and saying, "We'll fix it another day."

They weren't very polite on the phone.

He was quite abrupt, which upset me even more because I was

so frustrated that I couldn't get my point across.

I was disappointed that they couldn't even have said sorry.

Becky's troubles have got me thinking.

Modern day cars have got so much technology, what with ECUs

and brains, is it becoming more of a hindrance than a help?

Who are they there for? The driver or the dealer? The engine or the environment?

To discover more, we've got hold of some experts.

And what experts they are! Stuart White is an award winning master technician.

Piers Bridgeman-Williams has over three decades of mechanical experience under his belt,

dealing with everything from Daimlers to Datsuns.

So, first up, engine management lights. Piers starts with the basics.

An engine management light on most cars is an orange light that comes up on the dashboard

and it tells you that something is not correct with the engine.

Ah, but how does it know something's potentially wrong?

It's got a lot of electronic control.

Just what we can see under the bonnet here,

we've got a throttle actuator there, we've got a temperature sensor.

We've got an air mass sensor there.

That's just a fraction of the amount of sensors and actuators

that are on this vehicle to control the engine and the emissions.

These sensors will be linked to the engine management system.

So if any one of these multitude of sensors picks up on something,

ping, on comes the warning light.

So is this level of technology a good or bad thing for us drivers?

The engine fault light's important for a number of factors.

It can be reporting a fault that means the vehicle is emitting higher emissions than it should do.

That's one of its main functions.

It can also be reporting there's a fault which could be causing damage to the vehicle.

I think on the whole, the engine management light system is over-complicated.

The engine management lights today are extremely sensitive

to a variety of problems. Some of which, frankly, are insignificant.

OK, two differing opinions, but what about when that thing

that's supposed to spot the problem is seemingly the problem?

And remember, if an engine management warning light is showing during your MOT, it will fail.

Hopefully, that little fact will save a few of you a headache when it comes to your next MOT.

So, what do these guys think about Becky's car conundrum?

I would never expect an engine management light on a new car. No.

If the car is brand-new and you've done very little mileage in it,

I think, really, three chances is enough.

So a fault light can mean anything from a fuse to fuel,

and overall, they're a good thing, both for monitoring emissions and your motor.

But you heard both these guys. What's happened to Becky shouldn't happen with a brand-new car.

What do Trading Standards think? I've asked Becky to do a bit of digging for me.

Hiya, Len. Nice to meet you.

I want Becky to conduct some extra research into consumer law.

She's already written to Trading Standards about her case,

but it's time she got the facts straight from the horse's mouth.

They're meeting up at a local dealership, that I might add, have nothing to do with her issues.

I've got one question with regards to what consumer rights people have when it comes to buying a vehicle.

-Is it the same as going shopping for a pair of shoes? Do you have the same rights?

-Yes.

It's essentially the same legislation. It's the same rights.

I was under the impression from the dealership

that a rejection on a car is almost impossible

and it's an item you can't return once you've got.

It's a good example of how they're telling you something which isn't actually true within the law.

The rights are the same. You can reject a car,

but it's important you tell the garage as soon as possible.

Do you get a lot of complaints regarding rejections on vehicles?

It varies. The rejection one is quite small, actually.

There aren't that many, I would say, that would be about rejection.

There may not be that many, but in my eyes,

it doesn't mean car companies can simply ignore those that do

want to legitimately reject their car.

After what Becky's been through, I think her case is watertight.

I hope that's helped. Just keep on being determined and don't give up.

Thanks. I feel a lot more reassured and confident in going to keep on going.

-I won't let them get away with it this time.

-Good for you.

Trading Standards think Becky has a case.

But even better, I think I've just found Citroen's Achilles heel

in their argument against issuing Becky with a refund.

They may have ignored the Sales of Goods Act about her car not being fit for purpose,

but they can't ignore how long Becky's waited for it to be fixed.

Let me explain, using this calendar.

I'm ticking off every day over the five months that light has appeared on Becky's dash.

And this is the point, Citroen may only consider this a minor fault,

but it's still a fault regardless.

I've discovered that under the Sales of Goods Act, the retailer must either repay her,

replace or refund the goods within a reasonable time if the goods

are not of a satisfactory quality or fit for purpose.

I don't know about you, but a £15,000 car, 50 warning lights coming on,

five visits to a garage and a five month battle?! That don't sound very reasonable to me! No way!

I'm going to let Citroen know it. It seems they want to discuss these issues with Becky rather than me.

Despite the fact they know Becky has asked me to handle this case on her behalf,

they've rung her. Maybe they're just being helpful.

Hi. Is that Marc?

It's Marc from Citroen's PR. I'd like a word in his ear.

Let's get down to the business and Becky Radigan.

I know you called her yesterday. She was a bit shocked at that.

But she's such a thorough girl, she gave me a transcript of the conversation.

For a start, Becky has told Citroen only to deal with me

and in this phone call, Marc tried to persuade her to give them once last go at fixing the fault.

Because lo and behold, they've now got the software update needed.

Sorry, too late. In fact, five months too late.

That's not an option she wants to consider.

The garage had five opportunities to fix the car, she's been told various things,

from belts needing adjustment to software downloads.

She was told the software download wasn't available, now it is.

Marc then tells me he thinks it's reasonable to give them one chance at fixing the car.

One go, reasonable. The sixth attempt, not reasonable.

She did write to you and reject the car,

she also CC'd Citroen Financial Services with Citroen UK.

She's attempted to reject it.

Trading Standards have been notified. From her, not from me.

I haven't got involved in that yet.

They've advised her she's within her rights to reject the car. I know that, under the Sale of Goods Act.

She doesn't want any more goes, any more one last attempts,

she's lost confidence in the car.

She doesn't want to be driving it. I don't blame her. She's in her 20s, she's a girl,

the engine light keeps coming on, she's been back to the garage five times, it was brand-new.

Marc puts the offer forward one last time, but I'm afraid it's falling on deaf ears.

I won't pull a u-turn and if you hadn't already noticed,

Becky's a lady who is not for turning.

He said, "Now I know where you stand, put it in writing and I'll let you know within 24 hours."

It's going to be the longest 24 hours of my life.

And at the end of it, will I be able to give Becky and her family news that they want to hear?

-I told Mum how you're a bit upset.

-What's wrong?

I love helping you fight your consumer battles

but it's even better when you use my advice to fight your own corner. And here's how you did it.

Everyone gets old and I'm certainly no spring chicken,

but there may come a time when moving from your own home into a care home becomes a reality.

But who pays for this? In some cases, the government, but in over a third of cases,

the bill is paid using a person's savings or their relatives.

Alan Brown from Kent found himself in this situation when his mother,

Muriel, was diagnosed with dementia in 2005 and needed to go into care.

Luckily, there were schemes in place to help cushion the blow.

When someone goes into care,

a lot of people don't realise that there is a national directive

that says you can offset the cost of the care from the property.

So you don't actually lose the property.

You can have an interest free loan against the property.

This scheme basically meant the council would pay for Muriel's care

up until her death and claim the money back once her house was sold.

Muriel was in care from 2006 to 2008,

when she finally passed away in September, aged 88.

The final six months of her life had seen her health decline.

Having broken her hip and suffered a stroke,

She needed round the clock care.

The funeral for her was tremendous.

There was well over 100 at the funeral.

We had a lovely time there.

The family were grieving, but Muriel's death meant it was time

to think about paying the council back the care fees.

In Muriel's case, this came to over £46,000.

When Alan came to sell the house, the care fees were paid off.

It was only later down the line that Alan heard about another

government scheme that said if, like Muriel, you needed total care

at some point during your stay at a care home,

you can potentially be reimbursed some of your fees.

Because, as in Muriel's case, after her broken hip and stroke, she could have stayed in a hospital.

So Alan visited the Age Concern website, got hold of the right forms and got the ball rolling.

Within a couple of weeks,

I received a letter back with a form that you have to fill in

to give permission for records and everything, which I duly did.

And that was it. I didn't hear any more for quite some time after that.

The scheme, run by the Primary Care Trust,

then sent letters to Muriel's GP and the care homes she'd stayed at over the years,

in order to get a picture of the type of care she'd received.

The months rolled on - till Alan got a letter from the trust

telling him none of the care homes had responded.

He decided to take matters into his own hands.

I thought, "I'll go to the care homes because they're fairly local

"and try and find out what was going on." Which I did.

It turned out both care homes had simply filed away or ignored the request letter from the trust.

Alan thought he was now back on track. But as the weeks went by and still nothing happened,

Alan cut to the chase.

I rang the company who runs the care home

and I got through to the managing director's PA, quite surprisingly.

And this lady was horrified at what I'd found.

And within a few days, the notes appeared.

After nearly four months, things were finally happening,

but Alan then waited another four months for the trust to get back to him with a decision

about whether Muriel's condition in the last six months of her life warranted a reimbursement.

She needed total care, and yet the report said she didn't.

And we wouldn't get any money or anything.

Alan was frustrated, as it seemed like a case of conflicting opinions.

On the one hand, Muriel needed total care, but on the other hand, her condition was rated OK.

It just didn't make sense, especially for the 72 day period

after her stroke when she was totally dependent on care.

Alan appealed against the decision and a hearing was set with a panel of experts.

My sister and myself went and we stated our case and asked them

what total nursing care was actually about.

And what were the criteria.

And they couldn't really answer that at all.

We went away and we just waited to see what would happen.

Alan was about to get some unexpected news.

The panel had decided in his favour,

agreeing that in the last 72 days of her life, Muriel had indeed needed total care.

We were absolutely stunned when it came out at over £9,600,

when it suddenly turned up.

We were quite amazed that we had actually, after almost a year

to the day, succeeded in what we'd tried to do.

I'm really pleased for Alan. Despite grieving for his mother, he fought for what he thought

was rightfully theirs, and his perseverance and patience

and getting to speak to the person at the top eventually paid off.

And they got the men in the suits to pay out.

22-year-old care worker Becky Radigan has had a five month battle over a brand-new Citroen DS3.

It's had a warning light fault since week one and they can't fix it and won't give her a refund.

Ignoring the Sales of Goods Act, Citroen refuse to acknowledge

her case that her brand-new car was not fit for purpose

because it had never actually broken down.

But that's beside the point.

According to the experts I've spoken to:

We should expect perfection from a new car.

I would never expect an engine management light on a new car.

You'd expect to walk away with a product that is

not going to cause you any aggravation,

ideally, for the next three years, under its warranty period.

Just keep on being determined and don't give up.

And that's exactly why I looked further into the Sales of Goods Act, and pointed out

they have had a reasonable time to fix the fault and have failed.

Money back or nothing, I'm afraid.

They wanted 24 hours to consider my demand. Let's see how far they've got.

Don't know if it's good news or bad,

but there's only one way to find out.

'I get Marc, head of Citroen's PR.'

Fire away. I believe you might have some news for me.

'Marc and I banter about the case so far.

'Citroen are keen to stress this is just a one-off software issue,

'but it's the five months of bad customer service that I have issues with.'

She's lost confidence. I know it's a great car. It wouldn't have won Car of the Year if it hadn't.

'And that's the point - this isn't about the car,

'it's about fobbing off a diligent customer for nearly half a year.

'Citroen still have to sort some of the final details out in their offer to Becky.

'There's things like mileage to consider, as she's been using the car for five months.

'"Fine," I say, but don't forget I want her deposit back

'and for her to leave her finance deal unscathed, with a clean slate.'

Very good news, but... There's always a but, isn't there?

Not quite got the result I wanted yet.

I've got to ring Becky now and find out what the mileage is on the car.

Definitely nearing the goalposts though.

'Over the following week, e-mails bounce back and forth

'to Citroen about the condition of the car and its mileage.

'But finally we get to an agreement, which is why I'm back in Yorkshire.'

-All right, Becky?

-Hello.

-I love your county, but I don't like this weather. It's freezing!

'And from a very cold start, I bring Becky back up to speed

'on the week's events and the banter between Citroen and myself.'

Open the boot.

I've been a little bit sneaky.

Right. They are from Citroen. Now, that's from Citroen head office.

-Oh, my God!

-I can take it that's their way of saying sorry.

It's lovely that they've done it, but they've still,

to the extent of my complaint, and the time length it's gone on,

they haven't really done anything.

Listen, I've got some news for you.

Citroen are giving you a full refund.

Thank you so much.

-It's been my pleasure.

-I can't believe it.

-You can start again.

-Start afresh.

-It's all I've waited for.

They're cancelling the finance,

they're not taking any money off you cos you've done nearly 4,000 miles.

-You can start afresh now.

-Thank you.

-Wipe the slate clean.

I can't believe that! It's all I've waited for off them.

I really thought I'd just have to give in to them and say,

"It doesn't matter. Forget it. I'll just keep it." I knew I didn't want to do that.

I didn't want to be another unhappy customer and walk away and say never mind.

Cos I didn't like the way I'd been treated.

But that's the best news ever.

Do you know what, while you're standing there, do you want to tell your mum?

-Yeah, please.

-Shall I go get her?

-Yeah.

-You stay there.

-Thank you.

'This is how I love a case to come to a close.

'It would have been a lot harder had Becky not been such a diligent customer.

'Her paper trail was perfect.

'I asked Citroen if they wanted to meet me, but they declined.

'They say though, that they regret the inconvenience experienced by Becky,

'but...

'They also highlighted that there was never actually anything wrong

'with Becky's car...

'And finally, that they...

'Good on you, Citroen. We got there in the end, and when you see the relief on this young lady's face,

'you can see it's the right ending.'

-I told Mum how you're a bit upset.

-What's wrong?

-They're giving me a refund.

-Oh!

-Are you proud of her?

-Oh, God. I can't say how proud I am.

Thank you.

'And you're not the only one, Mum! I just wish all consumers were as canny as Becky.'

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