Halifax Don't Get Done Get Dom

'For years now, I've been on a crusade to combat your consumer woes, but there'

are still companies out there who just aren't taking the hint.

Big companies only care about money.

On a daily basis, thousands of you are being taken for a ride

and it's always the same old stuff -

bad customer service, poor products,

dodgy workmanship and dreaded terms and conditions.

Companies don't show the respect to the consumers.

These dismal dealings can drive you to despair,

leaving you feeling abused and confused... But fear not.

Because I'll take them on to make sure YOU don't get done.<<<20 SECS>>>

Coming up on today's show...

A house that's literally splitting at the seams

and a powerless homeowner that's bricking it.

I've got this hideous house situation.

At the moment, for the foreseeable future,

it isn't going to be sorted out.

We learn how one man steered a fight over his car insurance hike

into a triumph.

I was somewhat surprised at just how easy it was.

And my team hits the streets to find out exactly how consumer-savvy you guys really are.

That is my area of expertise.

As a nation, we spend billions of pounds every year

on home improvements, making our houses as special as possible.

But what happens when our domestic bliss is destroyed?

Ah, thank you very much.

RUMBLING

Getting those responsible to put things right might not be

as straightforward as you think.

One person who knows exactly what that feels like

is Affy Beheshti.

She's a straight-talking independent woman who runs her own business

and in 1999, Affy bought a three-bedroom terrace in London's

West Ealing, moved in and was as pleased as punch with her purchase.

It's more than a financial investment, it's my home.

I got it just the way that I wanted it.

But 11 years later, Affy's new house took a turn for the worse

when new flats started being built at the end of the terrace.

I was sitting at home, minding my own business and suddenly,

my house was...

shaking furiously,

because of the digging that was taking place two doors away.

I went upstairs to my back bedroom

and saw that a crack had started to appear.

And as the days progressed, the cracks became bigger

and bigger and were spreading throughout that back bedroom.

Affy did the right thing and contacted her insurance company.

Halifax were very sympathetic, very sympathetic,

and actually offered to rehouse me,

because it was becoming apparent that I couldn't use the kitchen.

But 18 months on, Affy is still living in temporary accommodation.

She had no idea if or when Halifax are going to mend her house

or even if it's repairable.

And the lack of straight answers has sent her stress levels

through the roof.

That's why she's called in yours truly.

No-one wants to be woken up in the middle of the night

by their house falling down around them, but that's exactly

what's happened to Affy, and I'm about to find out why.

-Morning. You must be Affy.

-I am. Nice to meet you.

I tell you what...

Your neighbours, without a doubt there, have got one massive problem.

There's cracks there probably an inch and a half wide.

I mean, that's really noticeable,

but your house, from the front here, looks untouched.

SHE LAUGHS

Come and have a look inside. It's a different story.

-Right, OK. The way you said that, I'm in for a shock, am I?

-You are.

OK.

I can tell straightaway you haven't been living here for a while,

-have you?

-No, over a year and a half now.

-Do you need a kick?

-(It's fine.)

-First signs of cracks obviously there.

'Now, I've seen a few cracks in my time, but as Affy leads me

'to her kitchen, something tells me I could be in for a big surprise.'

-You are joking me? Affy!

-No.

I wasn't... That is unbelievable.

I can see daylight through the sides of your windows.

-I know.

-And those gaps... And it's like this throughout the house?

Absolutely dreadful, yes. That's not as bad as some of the cracks.

How long had you lived here for?

12 years, well, 12 years as of now.

OK, so you must have loved the place, it's home, isn't it?

Oh, I loved it! I'd just refurbished about a year before,

the place was immaculate, just the way that I wanted it.

How do you feel about your situation right now?

Well, furious, actually.

I feel my life is on hold, I'm in limbo, I don't...

I don't know where I'm going to be living in the next few months.

-Everything has been put on hold.

-And who's paying the rent for you?

-The insurance. At the moment.

-And how long for?

-No idea.

'Sounds like Halifax started off on the right foot by rehousing Affy,

'but before we find out where it all went wrong,

'I want to learn more about the problems these cracks have caused.'

What's all this white powder?

The white powder is the only way I could stop the ants

and I'm talking about thousands and thousands of ants -

in the fridge, in the dishwasher, on the floor, on the worktops,

on the cooker...

Basically, I couldn't use my kitchen for a whole month.

Basically, that's like leaving the front door open for them.

Every animal that wants to come in somewhere warm and dry now...

You've left the door open. What are these patio doors like?

Well, after about week one, they didn't open at all.

-So that's totally out of square as well.

-Yes.

So if you unlock that now, it's jammed?

You can open the lock, but the door won't open.

So really, the whole back of the house here,

-the whole thing is lopsided?

-Yes.

-And there's one massive problem.

-That's your party wall with your neighbour...

-Yes.

-So whatever's happening next door is affecting here.

-Yes.

And whatever's happening next door to her is affecting her.

-It's a domino effect.

-Yes.

'Let me just explain Affy's situation.'

Work on new flats began two doors down, and cracks started

appearing on Affy's and her neighbour's properties immediately.

Now, Affy's neighbour has a party wall agreement in place with

the developer, so she's protected by that,

but as Affy has no such agreement, it is

up to Affy's building insurer Halifax to take care of her.

And she needs all the help she can get.

-I've got to say, I'm shocked. Can I have a look upstairs?

-Yes, sure.

-'When Affy said it was worse upstairs, she wasn't kidding me.'

-Right, OK.

This is my second bedroom.

-You're joking me?

-I'm not joking.

-Look at it!

-I could put my hand through that.

-Yes.

-That's unbelievable.

'With gaps like that, I can see why her house has become uninhabitable.'

This resulted in heavy draughts coming through

everywhere in the house, so the house was freezing cold,

even with the heating on all day.

I can see in the corner, going right across,

all the coving's fallen off. You've effectively got two houses here.

This one here, which hopefully will be fairly rigid and upright

-and this one, being pulled down.

-Yes.

Whoa... And all that debris there, that's fallen down purely

because of the fact it's falling apart.

Well, the cracks started in this room

and from day one, the debris was horrendous.

That's nothing compared to how it was.

'But the debris wasn't restricted to dust.'

I remember walking down the stairs from the first floor to

the ground floor and I was being hit by stones and debris

from the top floor, coming through the cracks.

Now, I'm aware of what this is -

this is where the loss adjuster's come along and put these up to monitor any movement.

They normally take a little while, I've had that myself.

Sometimes a year, they come along, put the scales up, say, "Yes, it's moved a millimetre..."

'But in Affy's case, Halifax have been monitoring the house for over 18 months.'

-You've been living with this problem now for donkey's.

-Yes.

-That's got to be driving you bonkers, hasn't it?

-Mm.

'It's clearly going to take more than a tub of filler to put this

'lot right and I want to see what effect it's had on the roof.'

I mean, every single corner you look at here,

you've got gaps there, you've got cracks here and bear in mind,

this tongue and groove will hide a multitude of sins.

Once this starts coming off... You'll see a lot worse than this.

-Affy, you are in a right mess, aren't you?

-Mm.

'I'm quickly learning why poor old Affy is deeply concerned.

'She's not only got a substantial amount of equity tied up

'in these four walls, but her beloved house is in ruins.'

Affy, what has happened here, you've got a home you lived in for 12 years,

a home you really love, and it's turned into a disaster site.

It has. It's like a derelict house now.

Too true.

I've seen the damage and now I need to get down to the nitty-gritty.

I've got to ask, why has this been dragging on so long?

Once the insurance company acknowledges a genuine claim

is in place, they normally get things moving.

I can totally understand with certain subsidence claims,

they might want to allow a little period of time to see

whether it had stopped, but 18 months down the line,

you should be in a nice house now with all these problems behind you.

Why on earth not?

I've had nothing in writing confirming anything.

So there's a lack of paperwork.

I didn't know that I should be getting anything in writing,

I'm just a layperson. I wouldn't know that.

'I can barely believe what I'm hearing.

'I know Halifax are not to blame for the cracks,

'but as Affy's insurance company,

'it's their job to get her house back on track as soon as possible.

'If I was in her shoes, the least I would expect my insurance

'company to be doing is creating a paper trail of events.

'So, what have Halifax been doing?'

-Have you got a single point of contact there?

-Um... No. A team.

I speak to a team.

OK, that's something I want to try and resolve straightaway,

because when you've got something so major,

you want one point of contact, ideally a direct-dial number

and a mobile number so you can speak to the same person who knows you,

knows the problems, and you can get on their case if you need to.

Well, there was a loss adjuster, but unfortunately he's left now, so it's a bit disjointed.

Tell me what you'd like me to sort out for you,

because you must bear in mind, I do rectify a lot of people's

problems and situations - this is major.

This won't be something I can sort out overnight.

I won't turn up in two weeks and say they're going to start building

and you'll be back in by the weekend.

So be realistic and tell me what you want me to address and get sorted.

Well, it would be good to know that I have the alternative accommodation

for the foreseeable future, until my house is ready to move back into.

-Yep.

-Obviously, to make sure the work is done

-in absolutely 100% the correct manner...

-Yes.

-Where's all your stuff?

-Oh, in storage.

-Who's paying for that?

-Insurance have been paying.

-Do you know how long for?

-No idea.

-OK, that's something I'll address.

-Another issue that needs looking at.

Presumably, you haven't mentioned it,

but when on earth are they going to start doing the house?

Absolutely no idea.

The workload here is huge. I feel dizzy just thinking about it.

So to help me out, I want Affy to get the house looked over

by an independent structural engineer.

We need to find out whether this is repairable or whether

it needs to be razed to the ground and start again.

That's a major leap forward.

If you can do that, I'll get all the details -

and start trying to sort this out.

-Certainly a lot quicker than 18 months.

-OK, thank you.

-That's all I can offer at the moment.

-OK.

Don't expect me to come back in two weeks and say they're starting now,

but I'll speed things up, without a doubt.

The sad thing here is that there's a huge amount

of movement in Affy's house, but very little movement

when it comes to her insurance company sorting out her problem.

It's been going on for 18 months and that is far too long.

Let's see if I can change that.

To say I've got my work cut out with Affy's case would be an understatement.

If I had any hair,

I'd be pulling it out trying to get to the bottom of this mess!

My first priority is to let Halifax know I'm on the case.

Armed to the teeth with paperwork and a fresh cup of Rosie Lee...

Halifax - expect a call.

'To begin with, I'm through to the switchboard.'

My name's Dominic Littlewood. 'But a few calls later...

'..and a bit of the old Dom Magic...' Thank you.

'I'm through to the head of media relations.'

I'll give you a really brief synopsis.

She's owned a property which she was quite happy with.

She's insured with Halifax.

She can't do anything without you guys doing it.

I just wondered if I could stir up the bees' nest a bit and try

and get things going.

Definitely. We're very happy to look at it.

If you can e-mail me over, as you say,

her consent and her details so that I can track that particular customer,

I'm very happy to have a look at it for you.

Smashing. Thanks. Bye-bye.

She's got a croaky voice. Last thing she needs is me on there saying, "Hurry up, sort something out",

but she seemed very amenable.

She said get the details over and she'll try and sort things out ASAP.

Just what you need - go to the top.

I don't know who that was down the bottom of the chain.

The boss, the manager, I'm feeling confident about this one. Right...

But whilst I get caught up in a flurry of optimism,

Affy finds out just how badly damaged her house is.

Oh, my God, look at this crack.

I know better than anyone that the laws involved with buying goods

and services are a bit of a minefield.

I've been swotting up on this stuff for years and my mind still boggles.

But a little knowledge will do both you and your wallet a huge favour.

So the Don't Get Done team have been out and about

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

to see if you know your consumer rights from your consumer wrongs.

Today, we've hit the high street

on a mission to give you busy shoppers a bit of savvy.

First question to you prudent punters.

"You buy a train ticket for a long journey at the last minute.

"The ticket is £200, but when you get on the train,

"it's packed and you have to stand the whole way for five hours.

"Can you claim compensation?"

Er, no, I'd have thought.

Yes, I believe you can claim compensation.

The answer is no. You're buying the right to travel,

not the right to a seat.

Correct. Two out of three!

That's not a bad start.

If you don't reserve a seat before you travel,

then you're not guaranteed to get one.

To ensure you get a seat on busy routes, it's best to try

and reserve one when booking your ticket.

If you did reserve a seat but didn't get to use it,

only THEN should you be able to get compensation.

That is my area of expertise!

Hmm, not sure if insider knowledge is allowed!

But anyway, next up...

"You put down a £100 deposit for a £1,000 sofa in a local store.

"A week later, you see the same sofa reduced to £500.

"You go into the shop and demand to get it for the same price.

"Can you do this?"

I think the answer to that would be no.

Um, well, you could try, I'm sure!

No, I don't think you can do that.

Correct.

But I'm not sure the gentleman actually answered the question.

If you agreed to pay that price, then you must honour the deal.

To withdraw at this point

would make you in breach of the contract of sale.

If the retailer agrees to give you the discount, this would be

purely as a gesture of goodwill and not because of any legal obligation.

-Because it's a law of contract, which I've studied.

-Check you out!

Best move on or you'll be after my job, next! So, last up...

"You buy a television and it comes with a free DVD player.

"However, when you get it home, the DVD player doesn't work.

"Are you entitled to take it back and get a replacement?"

Yes.

Yes. I would say so.

-Yes, definitely you are.

-Correct.

Three out of three - very impressive!

Even though it was a free gift,

if it's offered as part of a purchase, you've got rights.

Under the Sales Of Goods Act, you're entitled to a working product,

even if it's free.

My advice is, take it back to the shop and demand a replacement.

-Crackerjack!

-Crackerjack?! You're showing your age.

Well, there's still scope for improvement

but I'm pleased to see some of you appear to have lent an ear to my years of ranting about your rights.

Trust me, a little inside knowledge

will go a long way in stopping YOU getting done.

I've been called in to help out homeowner Affy Beheshti

who's at her wit's end as her beloved house in West Ealing is

literally tearing at the seams after development work started

two doors down, leaving Affy's insurance company to pick up the pieces.

I don't know where I stand. I've got this hideous house situation,

which for the foreseeable future, isn't going to be sorted out.

Affy's insurance company Halifax moved her into temporary

accommodation, but 18 months on, there's no sign of her house getting

repaired and Affy feels like Halifax have left her out in the cold.

I don't have anything written from the Halifax about anything -

alternative accommodation costs, nothing.

I didn't actually think I needed it in writing,

but I'm now starting to think maybe I do.

You know what they say about an English person's home

being their castle? Well, the props department couldn't get me a real castle,

so I've had to make do with this.

Now, Affy had been building the home of her dreams for years.

And those dreams were destroyed almost overnight.

So the question is,

just how long is it going to take to put things right?

'But before I start digging around,

'it's best I have a little peek at who I'm dealing with.'

Halifax was formed in 1853, funnily enough in a little town called Halifax in West Yorkshire,

with a notion of helping the local workers.

By 1913, it had grown to be the largest building society in the UK

and is now part of the banking giant, the Lloyds Group.

Now, I'm used to playing with the big boys,

but I'm not sure if I've played with them THIS big.

And less than a week after I first called Halifax,

they've sent me an e-mail answering some of my questions.

It seems I've got more information in six days

then Affy's had in six months.

So, Halifax have told me that they "have accepted the claim

"and continue to service the claim."

And on the issue that poor Affy feels she's received no assurances

that Halifax will pay for her rented accommodation,

they've said that

"we will continue to pay for our customer's alternative accommodation.

"Although the policy limit had been exceeded, we feel this is only fair

"given the unusual situation this customer is in".

This sounds good, but at the heart of the beef with Halifax is why

after 18 months, poor Affy has nothing in writing

about what's going to happen to put her house right.

Halifax have told me

there is an issue with the stability of Affy's house.

Basically, they claim it's still moving and until it stops,

they can't start the repairs

and they've been unwilling to commit to any timescales.

'So, it's time I got back on the blower to dig a little deeper on this one.'

First time I phoned Halifax, I spoke to somebody

and then I e-mailed them over all the details of the case

and we received an e-mail back.

I then phoned that person and left a message. That was two weeks ago.

And they never responded.

'A month into my quest for answers, I feel like I've hit a brick wall.

'But I wouldn't be where I am now if I wasn't persistent,

'so rather than twiddle my thumbs all day long,

'I let Halifax know that I'm not going anywhere fast.'

I have her mobile.

A call as soon as you can would be appreciated. Bye-bye.

Didn't get any answers,

but she certainly knows that I've rung her and left a message.

Just again, it's becoming that pain in the proverbial backside. Hmmm.

If Halifax thinks they can bury their heads in the builders' sand,

and think I'll just go away, they're wrong.

They may have got away with a lack of information

when dealing with Affy, but I assure you they won't with me,

because I'll just go on constructing my case.

So to get things moving, I've asked Affy to get an independent expert

to assess her house and report back on the extent

of the damage and how difficult it will be to put right.

When the problems first started,

Affy had the house assessed by structural engineer Rusi Dalal,

so she's asked him to come back and take another look.

-Hello, Affy.

-Hello, Rusi.

-How are you?

I see you've got to kick the door to keep it open.

So, 18 months since his last visit, what will Rusi make of it?

-So, how are the cracks? Behaving themselves? Getting worse?

-Getting worse.

-Oh, my God, look at this crack.

-I'll be interested in your view.

Oh, this is much, much... Yeah, it's certainly got bigger.

Not looking good so far.

Let's see what he makes of things upstairs,

where the gaps first appeared.

You can see the crack in the upper floor as you go up towards

the roof, it is much wider than down below.

That clearly indicates that there is a movement that way,

with a crack wider at the top and narrower at the bottom.

From the layperson's point of view, the cracked walls look serious.

But from an engineer's perspective, how bad is it?

You shouldn't worry too much about the wall in itself.

It has moved, but then one has to consider

whether it is safe or otherwise.

In my opinion, it would be safe,

so in other words, you don't have to demolish the wall and rebuild it.

Well, that's a relief.

But 18 months down the line, why have the repairs still not started?

You can't do any work until such time as you can prove

that no further movement can jeopardise any of the future works.

So Rusi is convinced the monitoring process that Halifax have undertaken is justified.

But how long will it take to get Affy back in her house

once it's stopped moving?

In terms of the actual reconstruction, it wouldn't be that long.

You're talking in terms of months rather than years,

-but it will be a straightforward process once it starts.

-Once it starts!

The repairs to the house should be a relatively simple job.

That's good news for Affy

and hopefully will give her the assurance she needs.

But couldn't Halifax have just told her this in the first place?

And it's not all good news,

as Rusi tells Affy that before any work can start,

agreements with her neighbours she shares the walls with

need to be drawn up - and this means paperwork.

Party wall paperwork, to be precise.

I think it's time I got back on the phone to Halifax.

I haven't had much luck getting through to my contact.

So I've got a telephone number that should shake things up a bit.

What I now plan on doing - going direct to the boss at the Halifax.

Work your way up the top.

It's Dominic Littlewood at the BBC. We did speak a couple of weeks ago, I don't know if you remember?

'But before I get down to business, there's something I've got to get off my chest.'

I'm getting slightly concerned now because there's issues here which need addressing.

The case has been going on for 18 months

and if the person you're telling me to speak to doesn't respond to me

in two weeks, I don't think we're making much progress there.

I'd rather speak to somebody that I can actually talk to

on the phone, so is there a chance I can deal directly with you on it?

Bye-bye.

Ooh, that's going to stir things up.

The lady who didn't answer my call and ring me back two weeks ago...

I just went above her head.

So she is now going to get a phone call from the boss, saying, "What're you doing?"

I feel like I'm banging my head against a brick wall.

If Affy's past dealings with Halifax have been

anything like mine, no wonder she's at the end of her tether.

I always knew cases like this are very slow to resolve,

and eight weeks later, I'm onto my third contact at Halifax.

Now, to be fair,

they have already agreed in writing to continue to pay Affy's rent

and storage costs until her house is fixed, which I'm happy about.

And on the big issue of when and how Affy's house will be repaired,

Halifax have said that "effective stability has been achieved

and that such repairs "can now be progressed".

Well, that's convenient - I'm on their case

and it seems the house has now stopped moving.

But the stumbling block is that Halifax have told Affy that

work can't start until party wall agreements are reached

with her neighbours.

On one hand, Halifax say that they had now had indication that

the neighbour will press for demolition

and rebuild of the party wall.

On the other hand, they say that

"It is currently our expectation that the party wall can be retained"

and go on to say that "it is now appropriate that Ms Beheshti appoints a competent surveyor

"to investigate and advise." Excuse me pointing out the obvious,

but surely this could have been done months ago?

Why are they only asking about this now?

But before I pester Halifax for answers,

I want to find out what this party wall is all about.

A party wall is a wall dividing two properties.

If any major work was required on either property,

you'd need to get a party wall agreement.

To do work without one is actually illegal.

In Affy's case, her party wall was with her neighbour -

her neighbour's party wall was with the new developers.

Getting a bit confusing, isn't it?

Don't worry, we've called in an expert to explain.

The Party Wall Act is an act that gives protection to adjoining

owners when works are going to be undertaken to either property.

It protects party structures, party walls

and also has been extended for excavation works.

So when should you get a party wall agreement drawn up?

If you know that there is a development being undertaken

in close proximity to your property, the first

thing you should be looking out for is notice to be served upon you.

If, having looked at this, you believe that you should be

in receipt of a notice,

if you're within three metres

or six metres of the development,

then the best thing to do would be to contact a surveyor.

And how does all this relate to Affy's house?

In Affy's case, it is fairly complicated because she wasn't

entitled to an original notice, but as a result of the works adjacent

to her, the party wall between her and her neighbour has been damaged.

So before repairs start,

Affy needs to draw up her own party wall agreement with her neighbours.

But it's 18 months since Affy moved out,

so why haven't these agreements been done already?

In Affy's case, I would normally expect an insurance company

-to become involved at the earliest possible time.

-Hold your horses...

Who did she say should have dealt with the agreement?

I would normally expect an insurance company to become involved

at the earliest possible time.

Halifax?!

Well, if it's their responsibility,

why have they just raised this issue now, after 18 months?

I need to start really pushing this forward now.

Morning, it's Dominic Littlewood from the BBC.

'The lady at Halifax didn't want her voice used.'

You sent us an e-mail back -

when I say you, I'm talking about Halifax in general -

asking us what the state of the party wall situation is.

That's not for us to tell you, it's the other way round.

You guys should be telling us what the situation is.

She doesn't really answer my question,

but reiterates that Affy needs to take on an independent party wall surveyor to tackle this issue.

I totally understand a structural engineer needs to be independent,

why is this only happening now, 20 months down the line?

'Surely, getting in a surveyor whilst they waited for the house

'to stop moving would have speeded things up a bit?'

It does sound to me... That's what you're saying.

You can't do anything until you're 100% certain that movement has stopped.

In which case,

this problem could be anybody who's got any sort of subsidence movement.

'But now I've got Halifax on the phone,

'I'm going to push for some more answers.'

Who should Affy approach for compensation for all this inconvenience and problems?

Is that yourselves?

'Again, she'll find out.'

Bye-bye.

I've got to say, poor girl, she's very lovely and very sweet,

but I ain't half bashed her ears!

As I was going, I was thinking, "I want to know about this, that,"

and I fired a load of questions at her. "Come back to me with answers,"

and she said, "I'll give you an update in an hour or two".

Certainly haven't made her start of the day a very enjoyable one.

So I suspect it could take a while before I get Halifax's response,

but when I do, there are some things I really don't want to hear.

They've said Mrs Beheshti is required to fund the works!

I really, really hope at this point that THAT is a misprint.

It's fantastic news

when someone wins a battle against the big boys and I know for a fact

it can be a long, hard slog and some of you just don't give in.

And good on you! Here's how you did it.

Cars are one of our biggest expenses

and car insurance is an essential one.

When Ian Gallagher went to renew his insurance with a company

he'd been with for nine years, he got a real shock.

At this point, the woman repeated, "You'll owe us a £75 fee,

"another £159, and the £62.85...

"And is there anything else I can do for you today, sir?"

I had to bite my tongue at that point!

They said he needed to pay a price increase of 23%

or, if he wanted to ensure his car elsewhere, he'd face a penalty.

This was not something he was willing to take lying down.

Now, this story begins in the beautiful surroundings of the Lake District.

High peaks, open fells

and home to outdoor pursuits instructor Ian Gallagher.

My car is absolutely essential for the job.

I need a car to get around because I work at various venues

around the Lake District, and Wales and Scotland,

so I need a vehicle to travel.

I also need a vehicle to carry equipment that I'll use

in the course of my job and on occasion,

I have to transport clients around with me.

So the vehicle is absolutely essential.

Ian had been a loyal customer of Budget Car Insurance for nine years

and been more than happy with the cover and service he'd received.

But all that was about to change.

I noticed this year when I got my new policy documents

from Budget that there had been a price hike of £86

on the previous year, which was the equivalent to roughly 20%.

In the past, they have made small increases,

but this increase, bearing in mind I haven't had a claim the entire

time I've been insured with them, I thought was absolutely outrageous.

The previous year, Ian had paid £364.64,

but Budget had driven the renewal price up to £450.96.

Now, under the terms and conditions outlined by Budget,

Ian had a 14-day period to accept or decline the renewal.

But, when the letter arrived, eight days AFTER renewal was due,

Ian was away from home.

By the time I arrived back from holiday on 21 May,

the cooling-off period had expired by over a week,

therefore I had no chance to act within the cooling-off period.

To add insult to injury,

Ian had not only missed the opportunity to cancel his

increased policy, he'd been charged a further £15 fine for failing to

return a signed copy of the consumer credit agreement within 14 days.

So, an unimpressed Ian immediately hit the Internet.

And found that I could get policies exactly the same as mine

for less money than Budget were quoting and also with

the same insurer that they were offering to put me through.

In fact, he got a quote for just over £300 - almost £150 less

than Budget's renewal price.

So how do you explain this?

'I contacted Budget Insurance'

to say, "Look, I'm not sure what's going on here.

"You have increased my policy by £86 this time and I can get cheaper

"insurance quotes elsewhere for exactly the same policy details.

"Also, interestingly enough,

"I can insure my vehicle through you with the same insurer

"as a new customer for less than you were quoting me

"as an existing customer, so what's going on?"

But Budget weren't budging.

They weren't only not willing to match Ian's Internet quote,

but if he cancelled his policy, he would be charged for the first

month's insurance at an increased short-term rate.

Which, topped with a cancellation fee, came to a whopping £297.16.

Needless to say, Ian felt as though he was being taken for a ride.

I think this is something we have all discovered at some point

or other - and Ian decided his time with Budget was over

and it was time to move on.

I then went online,

because they take monthly instalments from my bank account

and I just went to the direct debit set-up page

and cancelled it there and then.

A few days later, I rang up to say, "I've cancelled this".

But the worst was yet come.

Budget said to me, "As we clearly won't be able to collect

"the money from your bank account,

"we will pass this outstanding amount onto our debt collection agency."

Ian discussed the matter with his partner,

who was concerned that they'd be in the bank manager's bad books.

In a professional capacity with work, she said, "Well,

"that unfortunately means that my credit rating will get trashed

"as well as yours, so we can't have that, Ian.

"You'll have to pay the money." I said, "There's no way I'm paying the money".

She said, "We need to sit down and write a letter and get our facts correct."

It was looking like a big mountain to climb to get his money back

and Ian decided if Budget were going to play hardball,

he'd only communicate with them in writing.

We outlined all of the details of our grievance

insomuch that the policy had been hiked up by 20%.

We also made reference to things that they had in their terms,

I think it was under "Cancellations" or something like that,

with respect to the fact that in actual fact, if we hadn't signed

this credit agreement, there wasn't a great deal they could do about it.

Ian had certainly done his research

and picked holes in the small print of Budget's renewal terms.

Firstly, Ian had not received anything in writing

before the end of the old policy.

And secondly, Budget had failed to find Ian the best price.

But instead of receiving a written response,

Budget tried to call Ian and left him a voicemail.

I just thought, "No, I don't want to speak to you,

"so I'm going to reply to your voicemail in writing,

"stating I will only deal with you in writing. No other way."

Ian's tactics were spot-on and within a few days,

Budget sent him an interesting response.

"We can understand why you feel aggrieved about having missed

"the cooling-off period...

"We will waive the £15 non-return of credit agreement fine,

"so to speak, and also...

"the £75 cancellation fee."

They were also prepared to cancel that.

If we were happy to leave it at that, then they were happy to leave it at that themselves.

So that was a good result.

Ian's perseverance not only saved him nearly £300, but a whole

load of hassle from the debt collectors and Budget would like

to state that...

I did feel very relieved that everything had been dropped.

I was somewhat surprised at just how easy it was.

Using the means that we did - writing letters

and making sure that everything was sent recorded delivery...

It certainly seemed to bring about the good result

that we were very happy with in the end.

Well done, Ian. Proof that when it comes to insurance companies, it's worth going that extra mile.

I've spent the last 11 weeks hard at work, trying to help Affy Beheshti.

Her beloved house was literally cracking around her ears,

forcing her to move into rented accommodation, but after 18 months,

Affy's insurance company Halifax have not started any repairs.

They've not told her what's going on with her claim or

whether they're willing to cover her at all.

I feel because of what's happened and I've had to move

out of my house through no fault of my own,

that my life is in limbo.

So my life is on hold until this mess is sorted out.

I've been battling hard to get Affy the assurances she needs

and they have given me some answers, but not enough.

But finally, it looks like Halifax have sent through something concrete.

Halifax have got back to me with a letter answering most of my queries.

Wait till you hear this -

I've said, "Who's going to pay for the work?"

And they've said, "Mrs Beheshti is required to fund the works!"

I really, really hope at this point that THAT is a misprint.

Morning. It's Dominic from the BBC.

I've got to say, my heart is racing a little bit.

I've just read your letter to us.

'Halifax say it's just a term of reference

'and it's not Affy that's required to pay for the works.

'It's funded by her insurance cover. Phew!'

OK. My heart rate is just slowing down now.

I'm going to meet Affy this morning

and I'm going to give her some news.

Can you just summarise for me what I'm OK to tell her

as far as the Halifax is concerned on this claim?

'Crikey, there's plenty for me to report back to Affy.

'Now remember, she asked me to get written confirmation that her

'rent and storage would be paid and to find out when the repair

'is going to start and ensure it's done in the correct manner.'

Well, I've got some news on all fronts

AND something a little extra.

But after 18 difficult months,

I'm off to meet Affy down her local pub.

How are you feeling right now about the situation, Affy?

Well, still anxious and I'd like to know what's happened,

what's going to happen, where I stand.

Let me tell you, I've made plenty of phone calls.

My little digit's worn out, I'm telling you!

Halifax have been fairly good.

I've got a single point of contact who's really taken on board everything

and she's done whatever she can to try and get me the right answers.

One thing you were concerned about was the rental accommodation.

Bearing in mind, in theory,

you've already exhausted the limit which they would normally give you.

The good news is they've said to you that will be ongoing.

-That's indefinite until you get your problem sorted out.

-OK.

If your landlord or landlady even insists on you signing

a six-month contract, rather than a one-month rolling one,

-they're prepared for you to do that.

-That's good.

As far as your storage costs are concerned, the same.

-That'll be ongoing until you're back in your house.

-OK.

-You shouldn't have to pay anything.

-Good.

If you get any bills, forward them on and get them paid. Compensation.

Now, you are insured and you have got legal cover

and they will start a claim going in on your behalf for compensation.

Because of your inconvenience, I think you'll be quite happy with the payout you get eventually.

-OK.

-Now, we're getting to the more important issues about your house.

The problems are massive, you know that.

They've granted you permission to instruct your own structural surveyor.

They will pay those costs.

'And for Affy, this is a huge breakthrough.

'As I rattled through the small print, I explain how Halifax

'have agreed that the surveyor Affy hires will have the power to

'investigate and advise regarding the scope of the repairs required.

'So Affy will be in total control of her repairs

'and handle the all-important party wall agreement.'

They are so keen now to get your house back to its former glory,

they said to me they reckon you'll be back in there within about three months.

'I don't blame her for being a cynic after such a long battle with them.

'But Halifax have told me that...'

And that...

So, sounds to me like Halifax

are committed to getting Affy back on track.

And in order to illustrate just how far we've come over the last

few months, I've arranged for independent surveyor

Steve Coates to talk Affy through where we go from here.

Right, a builder's surveyor has had a look round your place.

It'll be interesting to see what he says. Hi, Steve.

-Dominic, nice to meet you.

-Nice to meet you. Hi, Affy.

-Hi, Steve.

-Bit shocking, eh?

-It is.

It's going to take a bit of work,

bit of negotiation with the neighbours, but I'm sure

we can get it all reinstated and get your house back to how it was.

We can get you on track and we'll get a programme of works

so you'll know how long it's going to take.

-Obviously, then your insurance company will also know how long it'll take.

-Told you, Affy.

-Once it starts, it snowballs.

-Good.

-How does that sound to you?

That's good news, yeah.

This never was going to be an overnight success story for me

and certainly not for Affy - it's been 18 months of hard slog for her.

Certainly now, she's turned a corner

and it won't be long before she gets her house back.<<<OUT>>>

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd