Episode 2 Rip Off Britain

I'm not happy at all. It is the small print with the clause in,

that you didn't realise. We are being ripped off big time. Whether

it is a deliberate rip off, a catch in the small print or a mistake. We

will find out why you are out of pocket and what you can do about

it? Keep asking the questions, go to the top if you have to. We do

get results, that is the interesting thing. Your stories,

your money. This is Rip-Off Britain. Welcome to Rip-Off Britain, today,

as always, we will be challenging the companies that you say have

left you feeling short changed. We are here to ask them the tough

questions that sometimes you can't. But most of all, to make sure that

you are being treated the way you deserve.

Absolutely, these are really tough times and who knows, maybe they are

about to get worse. So you really do need to know that your cash is

working hard for you. Avoiding any suspect schemes, or rip-offs along

the way. Every penny counts, and it is frustrating if you get caught

out by a charge you didn't expect. We have all been there. It doesn't

have to be a huge amount. We know from your letters and e-mails, when

you feel ripped off, it is not how much you have lost, it is the

principle that matters. That is the case with many of the stories we

are investigating today. Also coming up on today's programme.

The pricing antics of Britain's best-known comic, why this grandma

is boycotting the Beano called gifts. I don't think if something

is advertised as a gift you can pay for the privilege. And more

problems solved at the Rip-Off Britain one stop shop. Unless you

pay by direct debit you have to pay handling charge, I think it is

wrong. With all of us paying for more gas and electricity this

winter, it is a good idea to try to save money by becoming more energy

efficient. Having your old boiler replaced with the shiny new

condenser boiler is a great start. There is no instant return, it

doesn't come cheap. Imagine the frustration if after you shelled

out thousands of pounds to get one, winter strikes and your boiler

packs up. It is bound to get you hot under the collar.

December 2010, the fiercest cold snap for a century, left us all

sheltering in the warmth of our homes. Not everyone was suffering.

The UK's biggest domestic energy supplier, British Gas, has reported

profits of �742 million. And those profits are a double blow for some

British Gas customers. Not only are they facing higher energy bills

this year, but thousands of them are now being told they will have

to fork out extra to fix a problem with a particular type of boiler,

which British Gas sold them. Every year a million people need to

replace their boilers. It is now a legal requirement that when you do,

you install a condenser-type. These new models may be efficient,

they are not always fans of sub zero weather. Breaking down and

leading people without heat at the very time they need it more. That

is what happened to Jean and Gordon, in 2005 they paid a total of �6,016,

to have a Glow worm boiler installed. All was fine when five

years ago the boiler threw in the towel. I thought it was a bit cold

and felt the radiators, and they should have come on, he said he

didn't know. The problem was down to the extreme cold we all felt in

December. Temperatures of minus 20 stopped the boiler to stop working,

because a small plastic pipe, designed to vent condensation, had

frozen and caused the system to break down. An engineer came out

and said the pipe would need replacing at a cost of �150.

were not happy about that. Because to us, it is a define fault. So

whether it is a fault of the manufacturers of the system, or

British Gas doing it, it is just not fit for use, really.

Not in those circumstances. You can see why they might say that, their

broken boiler wasn't a one-off. British Gas has written to 46,000

customers who suffered similar breakdowns last year, advising they

now need to fit an extra part so the same thing doesn't happen this

year. That can cost between �149- �199. Jean and Gordon are having

their's replaced today. This is the pipe up here. That is coming down

the wall that goes into the guttering. That is the pipe that is

freezing in the winter. They put the boiler in, as far as we knew it

was a workable boiler. OK it is six years old, but nobody should give

you something that you cannot use fuing time, whether it is hot or

cold -- full-time, whether it is hot or cold. Two hours later, here

is the new-look winter proof pipe, fitted with a part called a trace

element, a hot wire that warms the plastic pipe to stop freezing. The

couple are nearly �200 lighter. are not happy about it, because we

are paying �199 for it. But, we are just going to hope and pray that it

will work for us. If every one of the 120,000 new

condenser boilers which British Gas have installed each year since 2005

needed to be upgraded in this way, what they are charging for the new

part would bring in over �107 million. Is that just adding to

their profits, or does the boiler have a fundamental flaw which they

should repair for free. We asked them and they said, no.

They told us: it is only during the prolonged freezing weather of the

last two years that the problem came to light, to prevent it they

now install pipes on the inside wrfrb possible. For outdoor pipes

they supply the part that Jean and Gordon had fitted, they do so at

cost price, making no profit. The boiler's manufacturers says there

is no external fault and saying the pipes worked adequately for five

typical winters, and last year's extreme weather affected all

manufacturers, not just them, which the industry's trade body has

confirmed. But Jean and Gordon are still disappointed that they had to

pay. It doesn't feel fair. It doesn't feel right.

Now to something generations of us have grown up loving and trusting,

the good old Beano. The nation's favourite comic has been making

children laugh for over 70 years. The antics off the page prompted

this letter from Christine, who regularly buys a copy for her

grandson. She wanted an answer to this question: Why does the Beano

feel the need to rip off young children and grandparents? The

Beano, ripping people off, that would not be funny. We wouldn't

resist picking up the challenge on Christine's behalf, but we needed a

dictionary to do it. For children the Beano is as much a

part of growing up as riding a bike and washing behind your ears. Since

the first issue was sold in 1938, the capers of characters like

Dennis the menace, and the Bash Street Kids, have made the comic a

national institution. One that still sells 37,000 copies every

week. Dennis and Nasher and I like them, they cause drama, the whole

of Beano Town is really scared of them.

James's grandma, Christine, also has a real soft spot for the Beano,

she has been buying it for the best part of 30 years, first for her son,

then her grandson. She's pretty keen on it herself. It encourages

them to read, because the stories are all short and you can read

through them pretty quickly. Of course, it gives them hints and

tips on how to be little rascals as well. But Christine wrote to Rip-

Off Britain, because she thinks the Beano, just like Dennis and Knasher

is up to no good. Christine goes to her local shop to buy the Beano,

just as she does every week. She goes to pay the usual price.

Only to find it is a pound more expensive than last week. Christine

has noticed every time there is a gift with the Beano the price goes

from �1.50 to �2.50. She's pretty miffed about it. I think it is a

rip-off, if something is advertised as a gift, you should pay for that

privilege. To me a gift is a gift and shouldn't have a cost to it.

And clearly the Beano do charge an extra �1. The Beano don't actually

advertise the supposed gifts as free. Instead using words like

"amazing" or simply "gifts". Christine, along with Roger, thinks

that is just dodging the issue. you are giving a gift, give a gift,

don't try charging your poor customers extra for that privilege.

The Oxford egg English Dictionary agrees. It describes a gift as a

thing given willingly to someone without payment. So if a gift is

something you don't charge for, how can the Beano put the price up

every time one is included. Christine wrote to the comic twice

to ask. When they didn't respond. She wrote to us. We asked the Beano

the name question. They said the cost of producing comics has risen

substantially over the last year, while at the same time sales have

been declining. To help them compete effectively with rivals,

and also attract new readers, they have adopted a flexible pricing

policy. Which depends on the overall package presented. They

stress they are kaifrt not to say the gifts are free. Pointing out

there is an additional cost to them as well as to the readers. Because

these issues cost more to produce. They say research and sales have

shown most readers like the gifts. Five for minutes and I want you in.

Christine thinks the Beano should forget all about gifts and

concentrate on what it has been doing so well for years, making a

magazine that children love. I will buy it at its normal retail price,

because it is, at that price, fairly good value for money. And it

does keep him occupied in the back of the car, in his bedroom. I will

not buy it at the inflated price with amazing gifts for � 2.50.

James will get the magazine some of the time, good for him, but not for

the rest of the family. Beano is a very good way of thinking of stuff

to menace about. It gives you ideas to what you could do to your

parents when they are asleep, like draw moustaches on them, with

marker. Have you ever done that? but I'm going to try it! Before you

get seduced by any sort of offer, whether a gift, a buy-one-get-one-

free, or a three-for-two, James from the Office of Fair Trading has

really good advice to help you decide if what you are getting is

as good as it teams. The OFT was interested in how pricing practices

used by retailers can influence purchasing decisions made by

consumers. What we found is the presentation of the prices is often

as important as the prices themselves. We looked at reference

pricing, where a price is presented as being relative to another price,

such as was �50, now �20. What we found is consumers often perceived

the product to be much better value when it is put in the context of a

higher reference price, even if that reference price had never been

charged at all for the product. Another pricing practice we looked

at were time-limited offers, such as must end today, or this bank

holiday we found these are particularly powerful, it prevents

consumers from shopping around. Without shopping around it is

difficult to know whether you are getting a good deal or not. We also

looked at deals like, buy-one-get- one-free, or three-for-two. We

found this makes it difficult for consumers to understand the value

of the product they are getting. Particularly where the

circumstances are that the product is routinely offered in that way.

All of the different pricing practices can result in an

information overload for consumers, that is particularly harmful where

they are being manipulated in such a way, that they use prices that

may or may not have been used as a sales price at some point in the

past. The way to combat that is be aware the pricing practices are

used, to shop around and not purchase anything until you are

confident you are getting a good deal.

There can't be too many of us who haven't, at some point or another,

received letters in the post promising the chance to win big

cashes, in return for fining up for something or taking out a

subscription. What are the chances of actually winning? Here is one

Rip Off viewer who has been waiting for his prize for quite a long time.

Reader's Digest is something of an institution, it was published in

1958, and established itself as a family magazine, and a trusted

brand. 3 years later, it is still a popular read. Enjoyed by some 70

million people worldwide. One big fan is Roy, an 87-year-old war

veteran, and Military Cross holder. He's been a subscriber of the

magazine for years, he also loves its regular book offers. I decided

I would buy books from Reader's Digest and build up a reasonable

library of interesting books. A good plane are about the war years,

because that's -- many are about the war years, that is something I

was interested in, having been involved myself. So this is how I

built up the collection. Which I hope will benefit my children and

also my grandchildren in due course. But when Roy orders his books, he

also receives letters from the company, offering him the chance to

take part in regular prize draws. They send a catalogue of books,

then they say if you choose one book or two books out of the

selection, you will enter for a prize that might be worth �10,000-

�15,000, something of that sort. And for Roy's daughter, Anne, it is

those prize draw letters that are causing concern. She says the

language used in them has left her father convinced that the more

books he buys, the better his chances of winning a prize. As a

result, in the last five years, she estimates he has spent around

�2,000. Some of the letters make it plain that he doesn't have to say

yes to win a prize, but they then subsequently have gone on to say,

if you do say yes, you will get an extra prize, or there will be an

extra bonus for you. They give the impression, I think, that your

chances of winning are very, very good. "To claim your �30,000

opportunity, simply browse through the enclosed catalogue now." Then

it says, "to order one or mo products and ensure your

opportunity to win the �30,000 customer reward prize, complete

your joint confirmation certificate." Well if that doesn't

sound like you have to buy something to win a prize, I don't

know what does, frankly. Roy has bought dozens of books over the

years, and entered many of the draws, but so far he has yet to

scoop the big prize. Having recently been told he's down to the

final stages in one draw, he's convinced that the �100,000 prize

really could be coming his way. In fact, he is so hopeful he asked us

not to use his surname, to make sure that his future chances won't

be scuppered. I don't know the number of people in the draw, but

I'm assuming it is probably two or three in the final stages. You

don't get a letter from the liaison officer for winners, unless there

is something in the offing. So I interpret that accordingly. I feel

he may be in for a disappointment. I feel it is cruel. If he really

isn't close to winning the big prize, I don't think these people

should be writing him letters which make him think he is. I think

that's wrong. Chances are, those letters are

going to many more people than Roy realises. And Anne believes, if

customers like her dad, knew their real chances of winning, they would

feel differently about the prize draws. Suppose they say when you

enter the prize draw your chance of winning is going to be one in

10,000. How would you feel about that? What would you think?

very enthusiastic about it. Probably not bother. I probably

wouldn't bother. Reader's Digest does state in the small print that

you don't need to buy anything to take part in the prize draws. But

Anne believes they should make this much clearer, and she's so

concerned about the letters that she has passed some of them on to

the advertising standard authority. I said if I could please collect

more correspondence from my father, they would be prepared to look at

the case again. They felt, from what they had seen, that there were

issues which might need to be investigated. Anne hopes that by

telling her dad's story, it is going to help raise awareness of

the marketing tactics that even trusted companies often use, but

which she believes can be misleading. People who, of an age,

if they receive an official-looking letter, from a company, which they

trust, will take the contents at face value. It won't be younger

people, they might be a little more sceptical about the contents.

Reader's Digest told us that Roy is a valued customer and while every

competition has an element of excitement about the possibility of

winning, it isn't their aim to raise unrealistic expectations.

They said they will take Anne's comments into account when they

review how to contact customers. In the meantime, while her dad

holds on to the hope of a big win, Anne is determined to try to get

the rules on prize draws changed, to stop vulnerable customers being

persuaded to make the sort of purchases they neither want nor

need. Do remember, with any sort of

unsolicited mail, though they may phrase things as though they are

your best friend, they are usually only after your cash. Don't be

persuaded to hand it over, unless it is for something that you are

sure you really want. At a time when money is tighter

than ever, you need to know that your cash is working hard for you,

avoiding rip-offs and sharp practice along the way. We have put

together a booklet of tips and advice to help safeguard your money.

You can find a link to the free Still to come on Rip-Off Britain

Britain. You have certainly kept us busy with stories and complaints,

our pop-up shop gave us a chance to solve some of them face-to-face.

There is savings to be made for consumers by bundling your

broadband and home phone together. We investigate whether the

donations going in the charity bags that drop through your letterbox

really do end up where you think. Over the last two years, we have

lost up �4.6 million in bags that haven't been given to us.

A problem that we looked at in our first series has cropped up again

in a lot more of your letters. That's the charges for watching

television, if you are snuk a hospital bed. Hospitals, of course,

are where you might need some cheering up. Having access to a

tele can seem a life saver, but it may not come cheap. It is usually a

case of pay up or switch off, you might find there is another catch

too. After a spell in hospital, Archie is glad to be back at home,

he struggled with his health, after suffering two strokes, the 57-year-

old from Scunthorpe has also developed lung problems. He relies

on his family, including his nephew, Rob, for help around the house.

can hardly breathe. If I'm going out for a walk, I have to stop,

every so often, to catch my breath. Archie loves to watch TV, it fills

his time while he gets plenty of rest to build up his strength. He

spent just over a week in nearby scorn Thorpe General, which like

many hospital -- Scunthorpe General, which, like many hospitals in

Britain has a television system. But patients have to pay to use

them. Archie bought a �5 card, which apparently gave him 12 hours

of TV Times. He was amazed to discover those 12 hours had to be

used continuously. I knew I was being ripped off, basically. Paying

all that money to watch something, that even if you switch it off at

nightime, you have used it, your hours are gone, you don't save

anything. To me it is just a big con. But, with little else to do,

Archie kept buying the cards. During eight days in hospital, he

spent �40, just to watch television. He wasn't watching it all the time.

But, of course, he couldn't store up those unused hours. I just can't

afford it, I'm on the dole i get �65 a week. You go into hospital

and you have to pay out for that for a tele. You can watch it at

home for nothing. Ridiculous. It was around ten years ago that

pay-for-TV and telephone systems were introduced into hospitals

across the UK. They are expensive to install, and have no cost to the

NHS. So, that optional bedside entertainment, brought with it a

price for the patient. If Archie was at home, the cost of watching

TV, with his license, would be 40p a day. Quite a lot less than the �5

he was charged for 12 hours viewing in hospital.

Archie isn't the only patient agrieved over the charges. It is an

issue that is debated in the local press, and MP, Nick Dakin has heard

from several other constituents who are unhappy. I'm concerned about

the impact on people with low incomes and can't afford to be 3ing

up large bills. There is a long -- to be picking up large bills. There

is a long history of communal places where people can access

television. Why that should be taken away so people don't have a

choice, I have a concern about that. If there was still the communal

areas and the axe sets to -- access to TVs over the bed, that seems a

fair choice, and people can make the decision that best suits them.

The company that operates the bedside TV system, says, unusually,

they haven't been able to find Archie's details in their records.

But, in any case, there are better value pricing options he could have

chosen, which would have halved the cost. They have trialed pay-per-

unit system, but for various reasons, they didn't work. Although

they are exploring alternative methods ofing for the future, of

10,000 patients who took part in a survey in September, 65% described

the current set-up as value for money.

Meanwhile, it is likely that Archie will need more treatment for his

condition, and another stay in hospital. Even if he chooses a

different package, he fears facing another hefty bill. The people are

going to be in there for months. How can they afford it? How does a

company like that explain themselves to people's relatives

that it's costing that much to keep them there. Just to keep them a

little bit entertained. Unfortunately it appears these are

charges we can't escape and are not going to go away. We have some

pointers on other charges you can expect when you are in hospital.

Where possible, how to avoid them. If you are going to hospital for

treatment, you might assume that because it is NHS treatment that it

is free, however, you may find that you are being charged for amenities

that don't constitute treatment. Car parking charges will vary

throughout the country. In Wales, for example, there are no charges,

they have been scrapped all together, in Scotland certain

conditions have been exempt from charges. In England, exempts and

discounts -- he can exceptions and discounts vary from hospitals to

hospitals. If you want to make telephone calls from a bedside

phone, you might find the charges are quite say. Relatives who want

to call you might be hit with very high in coming call charges. You

might be able to use your mobile phone on the ward, you should

always check with the ward sister first. You might be charged for

taking money out at a hospital cash machine, take money with you.

Hospital shops are more expensive than high street shops. Think about

taking what you need, such as packed lunches with you when you

travel. Hundreds of you e-mail and write

into us at Rip-Off Britain Britain. So we decided we wanted -- Rip-Off

Britain, so we decided to have the opportunity to meet you face-to-

face and hear your stories. We have teemed up with BBC Learning to open

our own Pop Up Shop in Manchester. It is going incredibly well, we

have had lots of responses. Simon, we have a queue outside the door.

What are you expecting today? think it will be mostly to do with

flights. First of all, booking the flipping things, and why you have

to pay a charge with some airline, just to hand over money. Also, if

your flight is delayed or cancelled, what are your entitlements. The

biggest rip-off today that I want to persuade people to avoid, is the

changing money at the airport scenario. If you do that you might

as well just hand over your purse to someone and say help yourself,

ultimately you are just being ripped off massively. It is not

just the travel industry that is affected by hidden charges. Carolyn

has found out that she's paying for the prove lij of paying her phone

and broadband bill. They introduced a �5 non-direct debit charge.

you want to write a cheque for your bill it costs �5 to pay that way.

Unless you pay by direct debit you have to pay the �5 handling charge.

Which I think is wrong. They have now introduced a paper billing

charge, of �1.50. What do you make of this case? Unfortunately it is

not unique in the market nowadays. Providers in all sorts of

industries nowadays consider cheques to be an expensive way to

take the money from you, certainly within broadband, there is only one

or two providers that will allow a cheque for free. Two or three

providers won't allow you to take a cheque at all. The best way is to

bundle your home phone and broadband together. If you go down

the route where you have to pay by cheque premium it is only one

payment. In conclusion to your case, you are getting a better rate with

one company and they are charging a smaller amount for paying. If you

eliminate the charge per month, as Mike says, possibly you will be

paying for more your service. I'm a little bit confused, you access

your computer regularly, why are you so resistant to paying your

bills on-line? Because of the security. I have never paid

anything on-line, I have never bought anything on-line, I don't

like my bank details being on-line. Because you never know these days

what might happen. A lot of the big providers in the market now are

very security conscious, if you are leaving your bank details on the

account, you really should feel quite sure that nothing will happen

to them, and you will be able to make your payments without issues.

Carolyn feels she should learn more about on-line security, BBC

Learning have good advice. It has recommended guides, it shows how to

shop safely with a credit card on- line. It has all that information

for you. There is a beginners guide to using the Internet. You click on

to it, it says safety. Skillswise website has been a great

starting point for Carolyn, that should open more doors for her as a

consumer. We're all finding more and more

charity bags pushed through our letterboxes, asking us to fill them

with our unwanted items. A perfect excuse to clear out the cupboards

and help a good cause at the same time. But do you really know where

your donations end up. Not all these bags are quite what they seem.

In fact, doing what you think is a good deed, so end up having a

really adverse effect on your local charity shops. With so many

collection bags arriving through our letterboxes, it seems charity

really does begin at home. But instead of being delighted at what

appears to be an effective way of getting us to give. One of the

country's best known charities is warning against it, saying only a

third of the items put into these bags will end up for sale in

charity shops. The way that the world is at the moment, the price

of rag is the highest it's been in my ten years of service with the

British Heart Foundation bs, that obviously encourages more

collection companies to sipt. The glut of commercial collect -- set

up. The glut of commercial collecting companies has made it

hard for us to get the stuff we need. It is not justs the

collections that upset the heart foundation, they say the public

don't realise when charity companies deal with private

companies to collect on their behalf, the private companies are

able to sell on the goods themselves, and only give a small

percentage to the charities themselves. The items are resorted

and sold on to Third World countries, the money that then goes

back, sometimes it is as little as 5% that goes across to the original

charity. Every single charity needs money, without the vital funds none

of us continue the hard work. A small percentage is better than no

percentage at all. The British Heart Foundation uses

its own vans to pick up donated goods, and driver, Joe, is

concerned about the dwindling number of collections he is making.

I have been a British heart foundation van driver for ten years,

I have noticed doorstep donations drop dramatically from full van

loads every day, to half a van load. I will drive around the housing

estates, there is less and less doorstep donations, the

householders are confused, they don't know what they are doing.

charity claims that two-thirds of the bags drop through our doors are

delivered by commercial companies. And while many of those are working

with charities, a growing problem is that some collectors are doing

nothing of the kind. Over the last two years we have

lost up to �4.6 million in bags that haven't been given to us.

There is a huge difference between the commercial collectors who are

giving a small percentage to charities, but there is also a lot

of bogus collectors out there giving absolutely nothing to

charities. The charities say this can make it

hard for anyone wanting to support a particular cause, to be confident

that their donations will do so effectively. Which is why, in

Ipswich, another charity, Mind, has stopped delivering bags all

together. I have noticed in the last three to four years, massive

increase in the amount of companies representing charities, putting

bags through the doors, for collections. It has become

increasingly hard to find an area that hasn't been blanket dropped by

these massive companies. They collect clothing and shoes, and

give a very small percentage of the money that they make on those

collections back to the charities that they represent.

I think it is vital that these private companies are regulated in

some way. So that they show exactly how much profit they are making,

from these charitable organisations. So it gives the public an informed

choice about whether they should support these people or not, or

whether they can support the charities in a different way, that

could actually make a real difference.

In a British Heart Foundation survey, 65% of the people asked and

wonder why these companies exist, and wrongly assume whether all

their donated -- wrongly assume all their donations are going to the

charity. Both Jill and Louise are determined to get the message out.

My advice to the general public is, if they are putting their stock

into a bag, really read the detail on the bag, check with the local

shops, check with the charities of their choice, but the absolutely

best and most guarantee way to get your stock into your local charity

is take it to the shop. I think people would be horrified if they

realise what had a small percentage was going back to the charity and

how much profit these corporates were making on the back of what

would appear to be a very charitable gesture.

We do feel ripped off, most importantly we feel the public are

being ripped off. They are not clearly informed about where their

stock is going. Commercial collectors, if you have nothing to

hide, be transparent on your bags. The public deserve the truth.

a depressing picture of people feeling their charitable instincts

are being taken advantage of. We pride ourselves on being a

charitable nation, but if we lose our faith in the system of

collection, we may stop giving, and then the people we want to help

will lose out. What can the Government do to help? I have come

to speak to the minister for civil society, to see what he has to say.

Minister, there is a crisis for charities about the bags that are

left in people's houses, which they fill in good faith, and the

charities say that two-thirds of the stuff never ends up in their

shops. My concern as minister for charities is what it is doing to

undermine public trust in giving. We have two potential problems here,

one is public dissatisfaction with how much of the proceeds from that

go to the charities. The second issue is the one that is concerning

me most at the moment, is actually about crime and left and fraud, and

the fact that in some cases this isn't going to charities at all, it

is going into Eastern Europe, in many cases, as really organised

crime. That is very, very serious indeed, and costing charities in

this country, estimates vary, but up to �50 million a year. There is

a lot of money to be made by the wrong kind of people out of this, I

think the figures are something like nearly �1,000 for a tonne of

clothing, and yet the maximum fine I believe that the police can levy

on people is �1,000. Is there anything that you can do to perhaps

create a greater match between the offence and the punishment?

convened a meeting of everyone who has an interest in this area,

charities, licensing authorities, the police, to say OK, there is a

problem here, what can we do to work together to make this more

effectively. Critically the missaid they know they can do more and

should -- the police said they know and should do more. The authorities

are taking "zero tolerance" approach to this. That is one of

the key developments. People are generous, they want to do the right

thing, they want to make good use of the things they no longer want,

they want to give them to charities, what should they do? Please don't

be discouraged about giving, now more than ever charities need your

support. Secondly, there is a requirement for anyone collecting

on behalf of a charity, to print on the bag, the registration number of

the charity. Not a company registration number, but the

registration of the charity, check that. If you have any doubts, check

that number on the charities commission website to recognise

this is a bona fide operation. If you have any further doubts check

with your local authorities that it is legitimate. If you still, at the

end of that process, have any doubts, please consider taking the

clothes directly to your local charity shop, or if you have a

recycling bin near you. Simple steps to give yourself the

confidence that you are not being ripped off. Here at Rip-Off Britain,

we are always ready to investigate more of your stories. Confused over

your bills? Trying to wade through endless small print that leaves you

none the wiser. I might have been stupid for not reading it, or I

have read it and not took it in. I could kick myself, I really could.

Unsure what to do when you discover you have lost out, and that called

great deal has ended up costing you money. I thought this cannot be

true. It is totally unacceptable. I was so angry. You might have a

cautionary tale of your own, and want to share your mistakes with us,

so other people won't do the same. Nobody knows about this, and it is

very strange to me I would like to get it clearer. You can write to us

The team is ready and waiting to investigate your stories.

I think you will agree it is obvious from the experiences we

have heard today that quite understandably most of us want to

know exactly where our money is going. So when that's not clear,

always do your research, and never be afraid to ask questions, that is

the motto. Absolutely, it is what we do on this programme. It can

seem that everyone is after your money. So you really do have to

protect it. You can never do too much research or price comparison

when you are being asked to hand over your cash. Not least, because

you just might discover another company that will give you a better

deal. That is always a good thing, that's it for today. Please join us