Kitchens Don't Get Done Get Dom

'My name is Dominic Littlewood

'and I'm passionate about taking on your consumer battles.

'In fact, taking companies to task has become my aim in life.'

I'm looking for about £20,000 to sort this out once and for all.

'Big or small, no company is excused from my quest to ensure

'that you guys get what you're entitled to.'

Wait for them to ring me back. Ooh, so frustrating!

'Whether it's getting your money back...'

It was just unacceptable as a customer to be told no.

'..or taking on your contract conundrums...'

The response I got was not satisfactory

because they failed to give me the information I asked for.

I'm on your side.

And today, I'm helping five people who are all feeling

let down by a brand they thought they could trust.

It was a reputable company.

Massive. Everybody knows who they are.

When you want to buy fast, fast, fast,

but what you get is slow, slow, slow.

They're sending out a lesser product

than what they're actually advertising.

I say if you don't correct, that means you accept.

So what to do when the building work you've paid for isn't up to scratch?

The standard a customer should be expecting

should be the highest standard.

I'm taking on your consumer problems to make sure you don't get done.

When I was young, you'd go to a supermarket to buy,

well, groceries, really.

Nowadays, you can get just about anything and everything from them.

You can get insurance, savings,

internet, banking, car tyres, kitchens...

Yep, you name it, they sell it.

But is that such a bad thing?

After all, they're a brand we can trust.

Well, I've heard from several people who bought kitchens

from Britain's largest supermarket chain, Tesco,

but have experienced a catalogue of problems with them.

Such as Donna Burns from Coventry,

who decided to buy a new kitchen in September 2012

after a family member left her some money.

My old kitchen was about 20 years old

and dilapidated and needed updating.

A bit like me, Donna.

So Donna went on to research kitchen companies.

I had a look at all the big companies that supply kitchens, fit them,

but I believed Tesco's was the one that stuck out for me.

It was a reputable company. Massive.

Everybody knows who they are.

I really thought, "Oh, yeah, I can definitely trust them.

"They'll do everything they can for me."

So Donna booked an appointment with a designer.

When the designer came, he had a booklet

and he showed me the work surface so I could pick that,

an oven, a hob and an extractor fan.

It all seemed so perfect, so Donna went ahead with the order.

But when the company began fitting the goods,

the workmanship fell well short of Donna's expectations.

There weren't cupboard doors,

the plug sockets were crooked and were hanging off the wall.

The plastering - well, a child could have done it better, literally.

After the fitters had been and said they'd completed the job,

they left and within about four hours of them leaving,

there was a massive leak under the sink.

They just hadn't plumbed it in properly at all.

And there are two electric plugs under there

and the water was actually spraying all over these plugs.

And I was absolutely petrified

because, obviously, water and electric do not mix.

Too true. And having paid £6,500 for her kitchen,

Donna wanted everything to be perfect,

so she went back to the company to complain.

But after eleven months and at least five revisits by the fitters

to try to rectify matters, Donna is still not happy.

When I ordered the kitchen, I presumed this cupboard

would be right up to the edge of the wall, but it isn't.

I had cornices made out of other cupboards

and they're razor sharp.

There's plaster all over the lights.

This oven here was not what I ordered.

It's been a problem since the day I got it.

Burning, the element blew, the door seal's gone.

I didn't order the extractor fan. It was a different one altogether.

This all sounds familiar to Doug Fidler

and his partner, Tina, from Milton Keynes.

They spent £10,500 on their kitchen and were expecting the very best.

When we chose a kitchen, we went with Tesco

because it is a big brand, it's a big name.

But no sooner had work got underway than alarm bells started to ring.

It all started to go wrong partway through the first week

when they sent the wrong parts.

They put the corner cupboard up on the wall

and they couldn't get the doors on,

the doors were too thick for the cupboards to open up.

And for about six weeks, we sat with no doors on the top cupboards,

cupboards that wouldn't fit properly.

And on the large breakfast area, they'd put two worktops on

and they weren't even screwed down.

Every time you knocked them, they moved.

£10,500 down and eight months later, Doug is still not happy.

Since the installers finished their particular part on the kitchen fit,

we've had granite that's broken, granite that's been misplaced

on the units where you can get your hands down the back.

Cupboards that don't hang properly. We've had doors that keep dropping.

Um...false promises on the lights.

It's just... It just gets too much sometimes.

Young parents Lindsay Hare and Chris Dunford from Littlehampton

also felt let down by Tesco.

They paid almost ten grand for their kitchen

and were assured it would be fitted within a week.

The end of the first week we were left with no washing machine,

no sink, no cooker.

This was quite difficult with a young son of four.

And, six months after they ordered and paid for their kitchen,

the couple are still left with a list of complaints.

We've got a kitchen that's not finished,

doors that don't shut properly or shut too hard,

we've got plastering which isn't finished,

therefore we can't paint the kitchen and enjoy it as a completed kitchen.

And we've heard from more dissatisfied customers.

Shirley Hughes from York had wanted a new kitchen for 25 years,

but had never had the cash to pay for it.

Now, finally, after receiving a generous redundancy package,

it was within her sights.

I finally decided on Tesco kitchens

because Tesco's was a trusted name

and you've far more faith in a trusted name

that they're not going to run off with your money

and not get the job done.

Shirley had a whole list of requirements,

one of which stood out above all others.

My main priority was I wanted to have an extractor hood

with ducting to get the steam out of the house

because this is a very damp house.

According to Shirley, once work got underway,

the kitchen fitters failed to drill a hole in the wall

to accommodate an extractor fan.

They then tried to persuade Shirley

that she never requested one in the first place

and said she didn't even need one.

I felt pretty sick that I was being told that I hadn't ordered something

that I had made quite...specific

that it was one of my main priorities.

20 months after signing up for her kitchen,

Shirley is still without a satisfactory extractor fan system

and has kitchen tiles that she's far from happy with.

All the tiling's terrible. It's haphazard, it's up and down,

it's not...horizontal,

and the grouting is just absolutely disgusting.

It's certainly not the sort of state

that I would expect a supposed professional tiler

to leave the tiles in.

And the customer complaints are not just about kitchens.

Andrew Halliday from Wolverhampton

paid £7,000 upfront for a Tesco bathroom,

but the fitters measured the place incorrectly

and when the bath and cabinets arrived they didn't fit.

Andrew was also left without a flushable toilet for two weeks,

even though he'd been promised

the toilet would be replaced within one day.

Understandably, Andrew got straight on the phone to Tesco.

As did Lindsay and Chris, Shirley, Doug and Donna.

I kept phoning, e-mailing,

asking them what was going on, when they were coming out.

And I never really got anywhere.

And that's exactly why they've all contacted me.

So we've got four unfinished kitchens,

one unfinished bathroom and six unhappy customers.

They've been e-mailing about their outstanding issues for ages now

and some of their problems still aren't resolved.

I've already sent an e-mail to Tesco,

so now I think it's time to chase them up.

I don't think Tesco's press office

are going to be too pleased to hear from me.

Hi, it's Dominic Littlewood from the BBC. Good afternoon.

I'm phoning up about some complaints we've received

about some of the Tesco kitchens.

I've got a list of five of them.

The press officer doesn't want us to broadcast her voice

and tells me she can't give me any answers now.

What's probably easiest, I won't ask any questions,

I'll just give you some people's details.

But she does promise to look into things and get back to me.

That's quite typical of press offices.

They like to say, "Get everything sent over via e-mail,"

because they're very good at what they do.

'So let's see what they come back with via e-mail.

'And if they don't provide me with a satisfactory response,

'I'll be getting back on the phone.'

Us Brits spend £6 billion a year paying people to do up our homes,

and we have every right to expect

top-quality workmanship for our cash.

So, what happens when the new look isn't the right look?

You can potentially spend months chasing a company to put it right.

So, how can we avoid this happening in the first place?

Number one, do your research.

Ask friends and family to recommend building firms

who have done work for them.

Talk to the builder's previous customers to see if all went well,

and get quotes from at least three different builders

before making a decision.

After all, the building firm you choose

will be spending several weeks, or even months,

working in your home.

Mark Berkes is an instructor from Able Skills,

who specialise in construction training.

For him, any big project, be it new windows,

a conservatory, or a refurb,

should start with a specification list of the work you want done.

With a specification of work, you know,

a builder would come round and he would explain to the customer

what is going to happen and how it's going to happen.

If you're happy with that, then you can sign

the specification of work and he should work to that.

And that forms part of your contract with the fitters.

The specification of work will list everything

that the builder or fitters will be doing during the job.

Make sure you are happy it covers every detail

and you know what you're getting into.

The customer should ask questions like,

"Are the areas going to be sheeted up and protected?

"How many people might be working on site?

"How much noise they might be creating,

"what sort of finish, the duration of the job..."

And it's not just the customer who should be prepared.

Any reputable builder or fitter

should also be asking themselves a few questions.

When you take on jobs, you need to look at the job

to make sure that things are level, square and straight.

You also need to look at the area you're going to be working in,

where you might get rid of any materials.

Are you going to put it into a skip? Have you got a skip?

OK. So the work is nearly finished.

At this point, customers again need to be proactive

and start drawing up a snagging list.

A snagging list is generally for the slight little bits

that are left over or not fitted correctly.

So for an example, the handles might be loose,

doors might be catching other doors, things might not be level.

If you're unsure that something's not uniform,

then you must bring it to their attention.

That sounds prudent to me.

So, how can you recognise

when things haven't been fitted correctly?

The next unit is not level with the previous unit.

That must be level all the way across.

It's not uniform. There are different gaps from the top to the bottom.

Any gaps like that should be closed up.

There's a gap all the way down there,

so it's not been fitted very well

and it's got chips along the bottom there,

so it's not been cut very well.

So anyone that wants to snag their own kitchen

would be able to find these.

And if you're still not sure?

Go and look at the catalogue.

If it's not the same as what's been fitted,

talk to the builder and discuss the problems there and then.

It's important to be vigilant as a customer

before you let the fitters leave site,

or before you make the final payment.

But remember, a snagging list is not an excuse

for additional work to be done.

You should not put any additional works on your snagging sheet.

If there are any additional works, then that's got to be costed for

and, you know, labour costs and material costs.

It's all about being clued up

and having a clear paper trail between you and your builder.

And there's one final thing that Mark is very clear on.

The standard that a customer should be expecting

should be the highest standard.

If you're employing a professional builder,

there shouldn't be any snagging whatsoever.

And the moral of the story is make your voice heard,

because if you don't correct, that means you accept,

and you have every right to ask them to put right what's wrong.

When these customers ordered a kitchen or bathroom through Tesco,

they never imagined that, months down the line,

they would still be waiting for outstanding issues to be sorted out.

Doug has been left with ill-fitting cupboards and worktops.

Donna's units have been poorly fitted

and her appliances are not the ones she ordered.

Lindsay and Chris still have an unfinished kitchen after six months.

And Shirley is still waiting for her kitchen walls to be retiled

and a fully-functioning extractor fan to be installed.

I was made to feel as though this is as good as it's going to get.

And what it is is not good.

I've put all these complaints to Tesco

and I'm waiting for a response.

But, as I dig a little deeper, I discover that perhaps

it's not Tesco that I should be speaking to at all.

I was led to believe that it was Tesco's that do the fitting.

It wasn't until some time later when the first fitter arrived,

that I discovered that it was this company called Mark Two

that are actually fitting the kitchens.

And it wasn't just Shirley who was in the dark about this.

When Donna called up to complain about the state of her kitchen,

she was also told the person she was talking to didn't work for Tesco

but for another company called Mark Two.

I thought I was dealing with Tesco's.

All the way through, I had,

and then, all of a sudden, I'm being told it's Mark Two.

So, who are Mark Two?

Well, it turns out they're one of the largest distributors

of kitchen and bathroom products in the UK.

They've been around for 30 years

and boast thousands of satisfied customers

and complimentary testimonials.

They're also licensed by Tesco to supply and fit the Tesco kitchens.

But Donna and the others say that point was never made clear to them.

They thought they were doing business with Tesco's

because it was a name they knew, so therefore trusted.

As for Mark Two, they'd never heard of them.

We were under the impression when this was all going on

that this was all done by Tesco's and that it was Tesco's fitters,

Tesco's kitchens, Tesco's suppliers,

but we found out that week that, er...

we weren't actually dealing with Tesco's, we were dealing with

a company called Mark Two. Never heard of them.

Every time we phoned the call centre, it was answered Mark Two.

We never once spoke to anybody who said they were from Tesco

after the point of the salesman being here

saying he was from Tesco's.

I don't know how they can call it a Tesco kitchen.

It should be a Mark Two kitchen

because that is actually what it is.

And there's nothing wrong with subcontracting work

to a third party - companies do it all the time.

The customers' complaint here is that it wasn't made clear to them

that it was a company other than Tesco's

who were supplying and installing their kitchen.

So, where did the confusion come from?

I've just pulled up Tesco Kitchens' website here.

One of the first things you see underneath Tesco is, "Our kitchens."

I say "our" because it's important.

They then say, "What we do."

As you scroll down, "We'll measure your kitchen.

"We take the time to get to know you

"and find out what's best for your lifestyle."

"Our," "We'll," - all things that make you feel

like you're dealing directly with Tesco.

But from what their customers have told me, it seems pretty clear

that it's Mark Two who are actually doing all the work.

And, after my phone call to Tesco,

they also appear to be doing all the clearing up.

One week on from my phone call,

Mark Two has been in touch with Donna

and company director Richard Lee has driven to Coventry

to see her in person.

Richard discusses the issues Donna has had with her kitchen

and offers a resolution which sounds promising.

The way we've left it today

is that Richard's going to send in the post

all the things that he's going to put right in the kitchen.

I'm going to wait for Richard's offer in writing,

then I'm going to have a think about it.

I'm not really sure what I'm going to do yet, so I'll wait and see.

It's a positive move, though, and over the next few days

Richard also visits Doug and Lindsay and Chris.

At least they've come round and bothered to do something

this time and it does sound positive.

I do feel like a weight's been lifted off my shoulders a little bit

after today's meeting, and perhaps we might get somewhere.

Today, Richard's in York to meet Shirley

and hear first-hand about her experiences with the fitters.

Richard has asked not to be on camera,

so we can only feature Shirley's side of the conversation.

When he came, I have never seen such a...

stupid debacle about how he put the tiles on.

The old tiles that he took off

were ones that I had put on myself

about 25-30 years ago.

And the finish on them looked more professionally done

than how he had done the tiling.

Richard agrees to make sure the work is now carried out

to Shirley's satisfaction

and promises to keep any disruption to a minimum.

He's also keen to discuss with Shirley

some recompense for all the problems she's had.

But, like the others, Shirley wants to see something in writing

before accepting any offer.

I will be more positive

when he's proved that he can...

come up with the goods.

Mark Two is now responding quickly to their customers' complaints,

but let's not forget that all of these customers

have been waiting months for their kitchens

and all of them feel they have not received

the service they expected from Tesco.

I went with Tesco's because of the brand name.

And I'm sorry that I did that.

The complaint here isn't that

the customers didn't want a kitchen made by Mark Two,

it's that they thought they were dealing with Tesco.

So, how come none of these customers knew about Mark Two

until after they'd ordered and paid for their kitchens?

I've arranged to meet Shirley, Doug and Donna to find out more.

OK, let me just sum this up.

Who did you think you bought your kitchen from, Donna?

-Tesco's.

-Tesco.

-Tesco's.

Who did you actually pay your money to?

-Tesco's Direct.

-And it was definitely them?

Definitely them. I had an electronic receipt.

OK. And was that the same in both your cases?

-Yes. Yeah.

-It was Tesco.

-The fitters that came round, were they wearing uniforms?

-No.

-So, they were in their own casual clothes?

-They were contracted.

-What about their vans? Did they have any livery on the side?

-No.

So, as far as you're concerned, they were Tesco fitters?

As far as I was concerned, everybody worked for Tesco's.

But when things started to go wrong

and the customers tried to complain to Tesco,

they were simply redirected.

With each of the issues I've had,

I've tried to get in touch with somebody at Tesco's themselves,

but every time I tried to contact Tesco's

they just referred me back to Mark Two.

I couldn't get beyond Mark Two dealing with any of my issues.

Tesco's are advertising these kitchens

and giving consumers peace of mind with the brochures and guarantee.

They're not dealing with the problems,

and they're leaving everything in Mark Two's hands.

Not exactly what you've paid for at all, is it?

You phone Tesco's and they say,

"It's not our problem, it's Mark Two."

I had two calls to the executive officer at Tesco's

and I spoke to two people there

who said they would take up the problem

and if I didn't get a call back, they would call me back

or if there was no reply, just phone them back.

They didn't want to know.

It's time for me to put in another call to Tesco

to try to get to the bottom of this confusion

between Tesco and Mark Two.

But, first of all, I want to have a look at the Tesco Kitchens website

and the Tesco Kitchens brochure

to see whether there is any mention there of Mark Two.

So on the website, there is a mention of them,

but it's in the small print right at the bottom of the page

and, with all the glossy photos on the page,

it's easy to see why the customers missed it.

As for the brochure...

I've been through this brochure Shirley was given.

It's lovely. It's glossy and it's quite thick.

But I've been through it back to front, inside out and upside down.

Nowhere in this brochure does it say

that these kitchens are not supplied by Tesco's.

Nowhere does it mention Mark Two.

Even in the small print. Anywhere at all.

Now, I'm going to question that with Tesco's,

but just in case they say, "Ah, Dominic, that's an old brochure,"

what I've done, literally half an hour ago,

I went online and downloaded this one.

To me, it looks exactly the same.

So, let's see what Tesco have got to say about that.

Morning. It's Dominic Littlewood

from Don't Get Done Get Dom with the BBC.

I've been trying to sort things out with this query

and the confusion with Tesco Kitchens

and I've got a couple of questions for you.

I've got the copy that Tesco supplied two of the ladies

that I'm helping out at the moment.

It's a lovely, glossy brochure, approximately 20-odd pages thick,

and I can't see on it anywhere at all a mention of Mark Two.

I can't see on there anywhere at all

the fact that it doesn't actually say Tesco's fit these kitchens.

And it really does lead people to believe

that you are supplying and fitting these.

What would you say about that?

'The press officer takes down my questions, but declines to comment.

'Mark Two is doing their bit to put things right for their customers,

'but I have plenty of questions for Tesco.'

With Mark Two, what I'd like to know is

if they're fitting all your kitchens,

what sort of checks are done on their quality of work?

And, as far as money is concerned, when a customer orders a kitchen,

who are they paying, Mark Two or Tesco's?

'Before I go, there's one more thing I'd like to take up with Tesco.

'When gas or electrical appliances are fitted in a home,

'it's a legal requirement for fitters to provide certificates

'confirming that the work carried out meets UK safety standards.

'Neither Shirley or Donna were initially provided

'with these certificates.'

I'd like to double check, if certificates are given

in every single case, which ones are they?

'I've asked Tesco to get back to me by this afternoon

'and I've also suggested a meeting with them

'to get their side of things.'

Right, what I expected is what happened there.

He was a very nice guy, he wrote down every question I asked him.

He said, "I'll get you the correct response

"and send them back to you either e-mail or phone."

Fair enough. That's somebody being extra cautious.

But I've requested to meet with them.

I did suggest meeting in one of his own coffee bars.

He can have a couple of quid out of me, as well!

Right, let's see if I can get my answer this afternoon as requested.

There's nothing wrong with companies offering goods and services

that are supplied by a third party. It happens all the time.

But it's important that you, the customer,

know who the supplier is and who your contract is with.

'Shirley, Doug and Donna were quite clear

'about who they think their contract is with.'

Now that you're all unhappy with what you've received,

who do you think is accountable, Donna?

-I still think it's Tesco's.

-Ultimately Tesco's.

Tesco's are ultimately responsible.

And what does UK consumer law say?

If you buy a product from a company or website,

who is your contract with?

And if things go wrong, who should you complain to?

If you're buying something on a supermarket website, for example,

and you are paying that supermarket direct through their website,

then the contract is between you and the supermarket.

So that is a retail contract.

Your rights under law are against the supermarket

who is selling you that stuff, even if they may have a supplier

that is actually delivering the item direct to you in the background.

So, the law is clear -

if things go wrong and you want to make a complaint,

you should contact the company who sold you the product,

and they in turn have a legal obligation

to sort things out for you.

So, why, after numerous phone calls and emails to Tesco,

were all our customers told it wasn't Tesco's responsibility

to sort the problems out,

it was the responsibility of Mark Two?

Well, it's now almost two weeks since my last phone call to Tesco

and I've just received an e-mail from them.

They said:

They also state that:

So I told them this brochure has no mention of Mark Two

and Shirley's bank statement shows she paid Tesco,

not Mark Two, for her kitchen.

What have they got to say about that?

Well, apparently nothing,

because I've been waiting almost a week and it's all gone silent.

So I've come to meet Damian Walters, the founder of

the Institute of Kitchen, Bedroom and Bathroom Installers.

Tesco is one of their partners and Mark Two are members,

so I'm hoping he can help me get to the bottom of this.

Why did your organisation need to be set up?

Simple, really. The size of the industry is massive.

It's a multibillion pound industry.

Very little regulation in terms of the kitchen,

bedroom and bathroom installers

that represent us out in the marketplace

and, quite simply, there was a growing number

of complaints received each year.

Give me a rough idea of how many complaints you get each year.

2011 and 2012 saw around £69 million worth of complaints

in our industry alone, which is ridiculous.

You're right, it is.

And it's a huge amount of money, hence the reason you set up.

One of the founding reasons, yeah, absolutely.

As far as being a member of the IKBBI,

what sort of regulations do they have to adhere to,

what sort of training do they have to have,

what sort of qualifications do you insist on?

We've put a set of criteria in place that our members need to meet

in order to become accredited with us.

And that involves things like looking at previous work,

we have an understanding of their history,

specifically within the KBB sector.

We look at things like their gas and electrical credentials -

very, very important -

and we guide them in terms of the roles and responsibilities

that they have in terms of gas and electrics.

So, anybody who works for Mark Two is a member of IKBBI

and has gone through all your accreditation processes,

-all your checks?

-Absolutely.

'And what about the confusion customers have experienced

'over who is actually providing and installing their kitchen?'

Everybody we spoke to bought a Tesco kitchen

-because it's a brand they knew and trusted.

-Yeah.

I've had a look at the brochure, back to front, inside out,

there's nowhere in that brochure any mention of the fact

it's not Tesco's who are supplying and fitting this kitchen,

it's a third-party company called Mark Two.

Unfortunate, not good enough,

something would need to be done about that.

And I think, yes, you're right,

clarity with the consumer is the most important thing.

If a customer doesn't know what they're getting into,

then the expectation element of kitchen installation

or bedroom or bathroom installation is wrong from the beginning.

'OK. And what about the fact that some of their customers

'have had to wait over a year for a kitchen

'which should have been completed within a week?'

We'd like to see a kitchen finished, start to finish,

-within a couple of weeks, you would say.

-OK.

That's broad brush, Dom, and if it's any longer than that,

then I'd be expecting to understand the reasons why.

And how can the IKBBI help if customers are not happy

with the service they've received from one of its members?

Bring that to our attention. We will look at individual instances

and we will give it immediate priority.

The growth of the industry

and everything that goes on with the industry

is actually very much dependent on consumers

going out and having trust in what we deliver as an industry.

If that isn't happening at any level,

then the first people the consumer should engage is their retailer.

And they have a legal right to ask the reason why.

Well, that all seems pretty clear.

Customers have a right to expect work to be carried out

to a high standard within a specified period of time.

It should be made crystal clear

who is going to be carrying out the work,

especially if it's been subcontracted to a third party.

And if anything goes wrong or you're not happy

with the finished product, you should complain to your retailer.

When I'm at home, I like to be able to walk around the house

while I'm on the telephone.

So if I ordered a cordless one and this arrived,

I'd be pretty disappointed.

And most of us, when we order something,

do so because we have a specific requirement.

But not always do we get what we want.

This is what happened to Nathan Birchall from Manchester

when he ordered an iPad from Littlewoods for his girlfriend.

I wanted to buy the iPad for Helen

because it was approaching her birthday

and that's something she'd always wanted.

At the time, I had a 3G phone

and most of the apps in the App Store

were no longer available for that device.

So I thought, right, well, I'll get one of the up-to-date ones,

you know, and that's why I picked the 4G one.

4G is the fourth generation of mobile phone technology.

While 2G was suitable for making calls and sending text messages,

3G made it possible to access the internet.

And 4G now offers a superfast surfing on mobiles,

tablets and laptops,

with download speeds up to seven times faster

than those for existing 3G networks.

The iPad Nathan bought could be used at home

through the couple's WiFi provider,

or you could insert a SIM card and use it out and about.

So Helen bought a 4G SIM card for her iPad

and prepared to get down to some superfast surfing.

But there was a problem.

I actually put the 4G SIM card into the iPad

and the 4G wasn't working on the iPad.

Assuming there was a problem with the network,

Helen called her mobile phone provider, EE.

They went through a series of trouble-shooting options with her,

but the iPad still didn't work.

She then called Apple, the makers of the iPad,

who asked her for the product's serial number.

Apple told me that the iPad wasn't the 4G version,

it was the 3G version.

And, obviously, I was very shocked to hear that

because my partner had paid for the 4G iPad.

Furious that he appeared to have been mis-sold a product,

Nathan got straight on the phone to Littlewoods.

They gave me two options.

Either return the item and get a full refund

or keep the item and they'd give me £48 off the original price I paid.

But Nathan wasn't happy with that.

He still wanted a 4G iPad,

so he asked them to send him the item he originally purchased.

But they wasn't interested in that.

They were saying, send the item back, get the full refund

then repurchase the one I originally purchased back in January.

But when I actually looked on the website,

it had risen in price by £120.

So it was, like, I'm paying £120

for their mistake of sending me out the wrong item.

Now, I didn't think that was very good,

so Littlewood got onto Littlewoods

and pointed out that his receipt clearly states

he had bought a 4G iPad.

And Littlewoods came back with this response:

Confused? I am. So I called Apple.

They told me that they do sell 4G iPads in the UK

and they are WiFi and cellular models.

They explained that if it's a cellular iPad

it will work on 4G.

Nathan had apparently bought a cellular iPad,

so I put this information to Littlewoods and they said:

Well, that's not much good to Helen and Nathan,

unless they're planning on moving abroad, which they're not.

So I sent one more e-mail to Littlewoods

asking them to reconsider their offer to Helen and Nathan.

And this was their response:

"The iPad that Mr Birchall bought from us in January 2013

"was compatible with overseas 4G networks,

"but not with the limited 4G service offered in the UK at the time.

"We accept that this could perhaps have been a little confusing

"and to make things clearer,

"we've since changed the wording on the site

"to specify where the tablet is compatible only with 3G networks."

They also acknowledge that the reference to 4G

on Nathan's receipt was an error on their part

and apologise for any confusion this may have caused.

"With that in mind and as a gesture of goodwill,

"we'd like to offer Mr Birchall and his partner

"a replacement 4G-compatible iPad

"along with our best wishes."

Wow!

I feel fantastic about that outcome. That is brilliant.

I mean, you couldn't ask for more. Thank you very much.

I've got my original birthday present that I was meant to get in the first place.

So Littlewoods have apologised

and Helen and Nathan now have a brand-new iPad. Job done.

With five complaints about Tesco's kitchens and bathrooms,

ranging from poor customer service, bad workmanship

and having to wait months for jobs to be finished,

somehow, I knew I was going to have my work cut out on this one.

Following an e-mail from Tesco,

where they claimed they make it clear to customers

that Mark Two do the installation work, payments are made to Mark Two

and installers issue the relevant gas and electrical certificates,

I wrote back disputing each of these points.

I've yet to receive a response.

I have just made a discovery, though.

When Tesco's customers were first given a brochure,

this is the one they were given.

And there's absolutely no mention on there at all of Mark Two.

I went online and printed off their brochure.

Again, there was no mention of Mark Two kitchens.

Well, since our involvement, I've been online again

and I've just printed off their new brochure.

And this time, in small print on the back, it says,

"Tesco Kitchens are brought to you by Mark Two Home.

"The goods you buy from Tesco Kitchens

"will be purchased from Mark Two Home."

It seems they're taking my concerns very seriously.

Mark Two say every year:

Well, I'm back in Coventry again to meet Donna because I've heard

there's been some good news with her kitchen.

'Donna was unhappy with her appliances

'and with the slapdash way she felt her kitchen units had been fitted.'

-Do you want to show it to me?

-Sure. Let's go.

'She has now had a complete refit

'and an upgrade of her oven, fridge and hob.'

I've got to say, I can see a marked improvement already.

-Yeah.

-Lots of things which you had issues with before,

the cornicing - that was all ugly and stuck out and had sharp edges.

-Yes, it was.

-Are you happy with that now?

-I am, yes.

-It certainly looks and feels a lot better.

-It does.

-Your appliances have been changed.

-They have.

-Also, there was a problem over there, wasn't there?

-Yes.

There was a big gap there.

So they've put an infill there for me, which is a lot better.

Yeah. And something that should have been done right from the start.

-Sink been sealed?

-Yes, it has, yeah.

-Lights round here?

-They've been cleaned up.

Is there anything here which you're not pleased with?

-No. I'm actually happy with what I've got now.

-Yeah.

What I've paid for. I'm glad, yeah, I really am glad.

And Donna's not the only one.

Doug has also accepted an offer from Mark Two,

but we've been asked to keep the exact amount confidential.

They're giving me back my money.

It's more than I ever asked for in the beginning,

but I think, after the length of time...

You know, nine months is a long time to have a kitchen fitted,

and I think that is a fair settlement for that length of time.

I am very grateful to Dom,

but I'm also very grateful to Richard Lee, I have to say that

because the guy's come in,

he's taken me on face value and he's worked with me.

After being left without a functioning toilet

and units that didn't fit,

Andy has been told his bathroom will be redesigned

and refitted to the correct standard.

Lindsay and Chris have also received an offer

and, while Mark Two don't want to reveal the exact details,

it's safe to say the customers are happy.

Most of the reparation work they're going to do is above and beyond.

It's going to be better than it would have been

even before the kitchen was installed.

We are starting to see a potential light at the end of the tunnel.

Well overdue, but if things can be finished off

within the next three to four weeks, then I think we'll be happy.

And Shirley, who was left with badly-tiled kitchen walls

and an unsatisfactory extractor fan,

has also received and accepted an offer from Mark Two.

I'm happy with the outcome he's offered me.

If I hadn't got Dom involved,

I don't think I would have managed to achieve any of this,

because I think it's Dom's clout that's bringing all this to light.

Thank you, Shirley.

I'm really glad things are moving in the right direction

and the customers are finally on the verge of receiving

their dream kitchen, bathroom or compensation.

-So you're a happy bunny.

-I am.

-Is my job done?

-It is. Thank you so much.

Did they give you any compensation?

650 they gave me, yeah.

Good. So a little bit of a bonus.

-Absolutely.

-What are you spending that on?

-Tiles.

-And a bit of paint.

Yeah! And a bit of paint.

-And the job will be done.

-Exactly! Yeah.

OK. Donna, time for me to say I'll love you and leave you.

-Oh, thank you, Dom.

-Ciao, sweetie.

-Ciao.

It's always great when I can help a whole group of people like that,

especially when they've spent their hard-earned cash on a product

and not got what they paid for.

So Mark Two have finally come up trumps.

And I've received a statement from Tesco which says: