:00:14. > :00:17.I think there's a lot of hidden information about your bills
:00:17. > :00:27.I don't feel I get treated how I should be.
:00:27. > :00:40.How do I get my money back? Cos I just think I'm entitled to it.
:00:40. > :00:44.Keep asking the questions. Go to the top if you have to.
:00:44. > :00:53.We do get results. I mean, that's the interesting thing.
:00:53. > :00:57.Hello and welcome to Rip Off Britain where, as ever,
:00:57. > :00:59.we're going into battle on your behalf
:00:59. > :01:01.and challenging the companies that you've told us
:01:02. > :01:10.the really tough questions that sometimes you can't,
:01:10. > :01:13.and if we can help more of you losing out in the first place
:01:13. > :01:18.Because, as you know, once you've handed over your well-earned money,
:01:18. > :01:20.sadly, if you then need to get it back, well,
:01:20. > :01:22.that can prove very difficult indeed.
:01:22. > :01:25.How many times have we seen that on the programme?
:01:25. > :01:29.And, really, that applies whether you're dealing with companies
:01:29. > :01:34.that are respectable household names or ones that aren't that familiar.
:01:34. > :01:53.I just feel like they're just daylight robbers.
:01:53. > :02:04.I just think they're scammers - complete and utter scammers.
:02:04. > :02:15.this unfortunate feeling that I was not going to the game.
:02:15. > :02:18.Maggie and Rick Hilton are a couple in the business of making
:02:18. > :02:20.other people's wedding dreams come true,
:02:20. > :02:23.but after what they thought was a dream purchase of their own,
:02:23. > :02:26.they've been left distinctly unhappy themselves,
:02:26. > :02:29.not to mention thousands of pounds worse off.
:02:29. > :02:32.That's bad enough, but what really frustrates them is that,
:02:32. > :02:34.although they've lost an awful lot of money,
:02:34. > :02:49.there doesn't seem to be anything they can do to get it back.
:02:49. > :03:17.The car that we've got now, I mean, it's not
:03:17. > :03:21.really something that we can use physically to transport people.
:03:21. > :03:25.But it's only really for photography purposes and it's just to add
:03:25. > :03:28.a little extra to the couples that are getting married,
:03:28. > :03:54.It was a Beauford Tourer, beautiful 1930s Gatsby-style,
:03:54. > :04:03.beautiful leather seats, very eco-friendly,
:04:03. > :04:24.which he agreed to build. I mean, it was special.
:04:24. > :04:29.And obviously thought that, being a legitimate limited company,
:04:29. > :04:36.So we were very confident to go ahead with him.
:04:36. > :04:40.We even got a chauffeur's uniform for you, didn't we?
:04:40. > :04:56.Oh, yes, yes. A very enchanting chauffeur's uniform for me.
:04:56. > :05:01.That was like the icing on the cake, to get that little value added thing
:05:01. > :05:20.to make people's weddings or breaks here something really special.
:05:20. > :05:38.He was really busy and off work with a bad stomach,
:05:38. > :05:45.Didn't get back to us as he had the day off.
:05:45. > :05:49.Couldn't take any more pictures due to the rain.
:05:49. > :06:19.We were living in hope the whole time, hoping that it was all true.
:06:19. > :06:22.By the time he did send these pictures,
:06:22. > :06:24.the car was meant to be near enough completed,
:06:24. > :06:28.but it was obvious, when you looked at the pictures, that it wasn't.
:06:28. > :06:54.Looks like probably one of his wedding cars there. Hmm. But...
:06:54. > :06:57.When I got onto the, I think it's the VOSA,
:06:58. > :07:00.they confirmed that it hadn't even been in for the test,
:07:00. > :07:07.all the emails that was he was sending were just total lies.
:07:07. > :07:37.And, obviously, then we knew that there was something seriously wrong.
:07:37. > :07:43.We did everything. We went to Trading Standards, Citizen's Advice,
:07:43. > :07:48.debt collectors, courts and, in the end,
:07:48. > :08:10.we had a judgement in our favour for nearly £30,000.
:08:10. > :08:18."Well, it's been through a court of law,
:08:18. > :08:36.Unfortunately, obtaining a court order doesn't necessarily mean
:08:36. > :08:39.that the claimants will receive all their moneys back.
:08:39. > :08:42.The Hiltons, in this case, had a substantial sum due to them
:08:42. > :08:45.but they were dependent on the bailiffs being able to
:08:45. > :08:47.enforce the debt against the company,
:08:47. > :08:52.and the company having sufficient assets to satisfy the debt.
:08:52. > :08:54.Bailiffs can't just go into property,
:08:55. > :09:00.So, quite feasibly, if the director either doesn't answer
:09:00. > :09:02.the door of the property or moves assets around,
:09:02. > :09:05.bailiffs will have difficulty locating the assets to
:09:05. > :09:28.He was brought back into court and they actually ordered him
:09:28. > :09:35.which he refused or didn't act on it,
:09:35. > :09:42.I mean, obviously, we were just absolutely devastated.
:09:42. > :09:45.And because of our financial situation, I mean,
:09:45. > :10:02.we couldn't just keep getting lawyers to act on our behalf.
:10:02. > :10:04.Because their contract was with a limited company that
:10:04. > :10:10.and they'd be unlikely to get any joy joining a list of creditors
:10:10. > :10:15.they really have reached the end of the road.
:10:15. > :10:18.We chased him for over three years. I mean, this is the fourth year now
:10:18. > :10:24.and it does wear you down after a while.
:10:24. > :10:28.But...we've decided now just to draw a line under it and get on,
:10:28. > :10:36.and just carry on making people happy.
:10:36. > :10:42.we get thousands of emails and letters covering a very wide
:10:42. > :10:45.range of subjects and, by the way, we love hearing from you.
:10:45. > :10:47.So, when we suddenly get a lot of correspondence,
:10:47. > :10:51.not just about the same topic but complaining about the same company,
:10:51. > :10:54.we know straight away that it's something we need to investigate.
:10:54. > :10:57.And that's exactly what happened with our next story -
:10:57. > :11:00.one name kept coming up again and again -
:11:00. > :11:03.a business which has let a lot of people down.
:11:03. > :11:05.And, in a way, that seems particularly cruel
:11:05. > :11:08.because all those people in tough times had found a way to
:11:08. > :11:14.make their lives better, or so they thought.
:11:14. > :11:19.Constant phone calls, being fobbed off, put on hold.
:11:19. > :11:23.Your dad's been stupid enough to get ripped off by a dodgy company.
:11:23. > :11:54.Basically, you're like, cheated out of your money.
:11:54. > :12:30.It's a massive career change and it's something I've always wanted to do.
:12:30. > :12:35.There's a brilliant glossy website and it looked really appealing.
:12:35. > :12:59.I applied for it and everything was fine.
:12:59. > :13:02.It was a very big deal cos me and my partner were living together,
:13:02. > :13:07.I had to put a bit aside to pay Direct LGV,
:13:07. > :13:11.which all I could afford at the time was £100.
:13:11. > :13:14.It eventually got to the point where I moved back to my parents
:13:14. > :13:49.and the last payment I paid to them was £500, and that was it.
:13:49. > :13:55.They haven't paid me at all for two guys that I've trained.
:13:55. > :13:58.They've just basically said, "We're not paying you."
:13:58. > :14:15.They've left me, basically, high and dry.
:14:15. > :14:21.On another occasion, "I've just paid it ten minutes ago, Andy.
:14:21. > :14:26."It's paid directly into your account", and it never happened.
:14:26. > :14:44.So, without payment, Mark couldn't come on the course.
:14:44. > :14:46.I thought, "There's no chance of me getting my money back."
:14:46. > :14:51.I just feel like they're just daylight robbers.
:14:51. > :14:55.I just think they're scammers - complete and utter scammers.
:14:55. > :15:16.Now then, Mark, how you doing? Yeah, not so bad.
:15:16. > :15:20.They need to be outed, this company. Yeah. 100%.
:15:20. > :15:23.And brought to justice for what they've done,
:15:23. > :15:27.cos there's not only just me and you,
:15:27. > :15:32.there must be about 35 others that we've contacted on the internet,
:15:32. > :15:35.and these guys are just left high and dry.
:15:35. > :15:38.What kind of advert is that for this industry? It's terrible.
:15:38. > :15:40.When we're trying to teach people to drive lorries
:15:40. > :16:15.My dealings with Direct LGV, how it's affected me personally,
:16:15. > :16:20.is obviously the loss of the money, the £2,199.
:16:20. > :16:24.That's had a knock-on effect. I borrowed that money off my mother.
:16:24. > :16:27.Also, part of that money was for my summer holidays,
:16:27. > :16:30.and now I've got to explain to the two kids that maybe we're not
:16:30. > :16:38.He's been stupid enough to get ripped off by a dodgy company.
:16:38. > :17:50.of second prize, five balls and the bonus
:17:50. > :17:53.The glossy website has been replaced with a message saying that they have
:17:53. > :18:31.ceased to trade. Our shop was inundated with people
:18:31. > :20:08.winning get a lot higher, don't Our shop was inundated with people
:20:08. > :20:12.with their concerns. You set our very clearly, at the top of your
:20:12. > :20:14.letter, how you want this to be resolved... Our experts were amazed
:20:14. > :20:17.letter, how you want this to be with a variety of topics. They'll
:20:17. > :20:21.look into it for you and make sure it doesn't happen again. Travel
:20:21. > :20:24.related problems were high on the list of complaints. Organising a
:20:24. > :20:27.holiday can take an awful lot of planning, but as our travel expert
:20:27. > :20:34.Simon Calder has been hearing, that dream holiday can often turn into a
:20:34. > :20:37.very expensive nightmare. Unfortunately for Joyce and her
:20:37. > :20:41.companions, it seems there is no way of getting back the money that they
:20:41. > :20:44.had lost. We intended to go on a cruise, which included the Greek
:20:44. > :20:49.islands. Lovely. Very nice trip. So, you were all excited about going,
:20:49. > :20:53.presumably. Oh, absolutely. What could possibly go wrong? That's what
:20:53. > :20:58.we thought. A few weeks later, we found out the cruise had been
:20:58. > :21:01.cancelled. When they cancelled the cruise it was because the ship was
:21:01. > :21:05.going into dry dock at Malaga. Surely if it's going to dry dock,
:21:05. > :21:09.they must know some time in advance. When that was cancelled, all you can
:21:09. > :21:13.do is say, "Right, we'll have our money back." What the crucial thing
:21:13. > :21:16.in this case is that you had bought separately flights and therefore the
:21:16. > :21:19.airline is going to say, "Well, ladies, the flight's still here,
:21:19. > :21:25.we're still here, "you can't have your money back." You got the cruise
:21:25. > :21:29.money back all right, didn't you? We did, yes. So it's purely the flights
:21:29. > :21:33.that we're talking about. So how much did you lose? Just under £1,400
:21:33. > :21:37.for the six of us. Next time, make sure you know exactly what would
:21:37. > :21:40.happen if you booked a flight and, for some reason, the cruise is
:21:40. > :21:44.changed or doesn't go. I'm really sorry. It is not what you wanted to
:21:44. > :21:46.hear, I know, but I sympathise with you because you didn't expect the
:21:46. > :21:59.boat to go into dry dock. Still to come: A card too dangerous
:21:59. > :22:04.to drive and that can't be fixed. So, why was it sold that way by the
:22:04. > :22:09.dealer? I literally don't know what to do with it. I'm so tired and so
:22:09. > :22:14.fed up of this whole situation. It's been going on too long now and I
:22:14. > :22:18.just want my money back, and I just want it to be over. If you're a
:22:18. > :22:21.sport or music fan desperate to see your heroes, then a company that
:22:21. > :22:25.promises it can get you those hard to find, or even sold-out seats, can
:22:25. > :22:28.seem just the ticket. But those companies can often deliver an
:22:28. > :22:32.unexpected result, as one of them did for our next viewer. He was
:22:32. > :22:34.determined to get to Barcelona for a football game, but the company he
:22:34. > :22:46.used kept moving the goalposts. Let's go! Aside from his day job,
:22:46. > :22:57.there is only one thing that really takes up the time of Bez, Hezbollah
:22:58. > :23:06.that Arsenal. -- his beloved had Arsenal. Arsenal. Arsenal's in my
:23:06. > :23:10.blood. I was raised an Arsenal fan by my father and my uncle. Those
:23:10. > :23:14.were the days when we used to be able to go and, you know, for £10 we
:23:14. > :23:18.could go watch the game, buy a programme and a hot dog and the
:23:18. > :23:22.train fare home. But if I can't get to a game, I like to try and be
:23:22. > :23:25.involved with the Arsenal community somehow cos it's just a love of
:23:25. > :23:28.mine. When Arsenal beat Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions
:23:28. > :23:31.League time, there was no doubt what Bez would need to do next. The very
:23:31. > :23:35.next day, I was straight online looking to buy some tickets to go
:23:35. > :23:37.out there and watch the game. This website came up - they were called
:23:37. > :23:40.onlineticketexpress.com. In hindsight, I didn't put any research
:23:40. > :23:42.into this company whatsoever and, obviously, it came back to hit me
:23:42. > :23:53.hard. The tickets were not cheap. But as
:23:53. > :23:59.it was such a crucial game, Bez was not put off and he ordered two, one
:23:59. > :24:03.for himself and one for his brother, Oz, at a total cost of £525. 'Having
:24:03. > :24:07.made the purchase online,' the very next thing that was asked was that I
:24:07. > :24:11.returned an email signed back to them via fax to confirm that I was
:24:11. > :24:15.definitely making a purchase of these tickets. I did that
:24:15. > :24:20.immediately. I'd never made a purchase online for a sporting event
:24:20. > :24:32.before, so nothing... ..triggered my mind that there was anything
:24:32. > :24:36.abnormal about that. Tickets apparently sorted, he set about
:24:36. > :24:40.organising what should have been the perfect holiday, sun, sea and
:24:40. > :24:42.Arsenal. But then the company sent an unexpected request. I received an
:24:42. > :24:45.email from onlineticketexpress.com requesting that I make scanned
:24:45. > :24:51.copies of my passport and card that I'd used to make the purchase. I
:24:51. > :24:55.called them and said, "What's this all about?" I spoke to a lady who
:24:55. > :25:03.said to me, "This is completely normal." I said, "OK. Well, I'm
:25:03. > :25:05.going to need to question that, really." I contacted Barclays and I
:25:05. > :25:10.was told straightaway, immediately, "Under no uncertainty do you ever
:25:10. > :25:18.send scanned "copies of your passport to anyone."
:25:18. > :25:25.So, Bez said no. The company said without the document is the purchase
:25:25. > :25:31.could not be completed. Despite that, four days later, they took
:25:31. > :25:35.over £600 from his account. Bez asked them to refund it. Although
:25:35. > :25:38.they agreed on the phone they would do just that, they then stopped
:25:38. > :25:43.acknowledging any further calls or e-mails. At that point, I realised I
:25:43. > :25:46.was just being taken for a fool and that this company was just... You
:25:46. > :25:50.know, playing me and... At that moment, I got very worried and
:25:50. > :25:58.thought, "Well, am I going to be losing this money now?" But with his
:25:59. > :26:03.flights and hotel already booked, a few days later he flew to Barcelona,
:26:03. > :26:09.resigned to watching the game from outside the stadium. The atmosphere
:26:10. > :26:12.was brilliant, the buzz was amazing, but there was always this... It just
:26:12. > :26:19.absolutely killed me, this unfortunate feeling that I was not
:26:19. > :26:21.going to the game. He could not resist buying a ticket outside the
:26:21. > :26:26.game. I managed to purchase a ticket, which I had pay a lot of
:26:26. > :26:28.money for, but I was out there in Barcelona already, so I just had to
:26:28. > :26:36.see that match. But it really was a Barcelona already, so I just had to
:26:36. > :26:41.game of two halves. When he got home, he found an e-mail waiting for
:26:41. > :26:45.him. It was headed, last call. It had been sent by the company just a
:26:45. > :26:49.few hours before the game, instructing him to pick up his
:26:49. > :26:55.tickets from an unspecified area near the box office. Bez was
:26:55. > :26:58.baffled. As far as he had been concerned, the purchase had not gone
:26:58. > :27:02.ahead and he had still been waiting for a refund. But he was worried to
:27:02. > :27:06.see that the e-mail also stated that, regardless of if the tickets
:27:06. > :27:09.were collected, they would be considered delivered, with a refund
:27:09. > :27:13.not an option. I immediately contact Barclays and informed them of this.
:27:13. > :27:19.At the same time, I contacted Barcelona FC and asked them if they
:27:19. > :27:21.knew about this company. Barcelona FC immediately told me, "This
:27:21. > :27:26.company, we've heard their name before, "they continually do this.
:27:26. > :27:31.We always have people "coming and asking where is there a pick-up
:27:31. > :27:38.point for this company. "No such pick-up point exists."
:27:38. > :27:44.Upon hearing this, in Berkeley is returned the ticket purchase price
:27:44. > :27:49.to his account in full. However, the ticket site played the game too well
:27:49. > :27:53.and, as the final whistle blew, they had one last shot. I realised that
:27:53. > :27:56.this amount of money had gone back out of my account again. I then
:27:56. > :28:00.contacted Barclays and asked them what was going on here, and Barclays
:28:00. > :28:10.then told me the amount had been disputed by the company. The company
:28:10. > :28:13.then told me the amount had been argued that as Bez had signed the
:28:13. > :28:17.terms and conditions, he had agreed to the company's methods. Regardless
:28:17. > :28:20.of the fact that the purchase had not been completed and that his
:28:20. > :28:26.tickets had never materialised, the bank agreed with them and he lost
:28:26. > :28:29.his money. I said to Barclays that I never received the tickets I paid
:28:29. > :28:33.for. So then Barclays said that there's nothing that they could do,
:28:33. > :28:34.that the terms and conditions had been signed, and that the charge
:28:34. > :28:50.back scheme had been challenged. We contacted the company, based in
:28:50. > :28:55.Andorra. They did not reply. We also got in touch with Barclays. They
:28:55. > :28:58.said they did approach Bez to see if he wished to continue with the
:28:58. > :29:01.dispute. Due to his delay in replying, they are no longer in a
:29:01. > :29:05.position to challenge the transaction. I didn't do enough
:29:05. > :29:07.research and it's really cost me now, cos I'm out of pocket by £600
:29:07. > :29:19.because I never got what I paid for. So, whether it's for a game or a
:29:19. > :29:23.gig, how can you be confident about where you buy your tickets? Tony
:29:23. > :29:24.Neat from Get Safe Online has some advice to make sure you don't lose
:29:24. > :29:30.out. Buying tickets online for sporting
:29:30. > :29:34.events, for concerts, for festivals is fantastic. The opportunity to get
:29:34. > :29:37.exactly what you're looking for is great, but we've got to make sure
:29:37. > :29:40.that we're not being ripped off. 50% of the websites that were selling
:29:40. > :29:42.tickets last year were unauthorised websites that had no tickets to
:29:42. > :29:49.sell. One of the problems is it's very
:29:49. > :29:53.difficult to find out if the ticket that you're buying is from an
:29:53. > :29:56.authorised reseller. These websites look very, very genuine, they can
:29:56. > :30:01.even have names of genuine companies linked to it, so you need to do your
:30:01. > :30:04.background checks or you end up by not having tickets or for buying
:30:04. > :30:08.tickets for a concert that never really existed in the first place.
:30:08. > :30:13.The sort of things that you should check out is check the actual
:30:13. > :30:16.website that you're on, ask questions, have a look and see if
:30:17. > :30:20.there's a postal address. Is there a telephone number? If you're going to
:30:20. > :30:24.pay, then pay by a credit card. It gives you far more security if
:30:24. > :30:28.something should go wrong. Make sure you go to the event's website. Make
:30:28. > :30:33.sure you go to the concert website to find out who are selling their
:30:33. > :30:36.tickets. If you get a ticket that doesn't look right, if the tickets
:30:36. > :30:37.never arrive or you suddenly realise that the concert doesn't exist,
:30:37. > :30:42.contact your local police. Tell the ticket company or the
:30:42. > :30:47.agents that are dealing with that Tell the ticket company or the
:30:47. > :30:50.particular concert or festival, tell your credit card company
:30:50. > :31:00.straightaway, cos you may be able to get a refund.
:31:00. > :31:06.We all make mistakes. And big companies are no exception. Even if
:31:06. > :31:10.they have had years of experience. It is what they do to put those
:31:10. > :31:14.mistakes right that can leave you feeling ripped off. So, you need to
:31:14. > :31:19.know what your rights are and where to go when you don't think you have
:31:19. > :31:23.been treated fairly. So, we have put together a booklet of tips and
:31:23. > :31:39.advice. You can find a link to the free guide on the website. Or you
:31:39. > :31:42.can send a stamped, self-addressed A5 envelope to the address we will
:31:42. > :31:45.give you at the end of the programme. Next, a car sold in a
:31:45. > :31:47.pretty shocking state of repair, but that's perhaps not even the worst
:31:47. > :31:58.part of the story. Over 6.7 million people bought a
:31:58. > :32:03.second-hand car in the UK last year. Ruth was one of them. I had my old
:32:03. > :32:06.car and its time was up, so I thought I'd get a bit of money
:32:06. > :32:14.together and actually buy something a bit more decent for myself. Is she
:32:14. > :32:17.soon found a dealer that seemed to be offering something reliable. But
:32:17. > :32:20.how wrong she was. I came across this website for Kingswood Bargains
:32:20. > :32:23.and, basically, they said their website had quality used cars, and
:32:23. > :32:34.all the cars came with full history and MOT certificates, so they seemed
:32:34. > :32:37.quite trustworthy. Reassured by the website of the company, not to be
:32:37. > :32:41.confused with other companies with similar names, she headed down to
:32:41. > :32:49.the dealership in Bristol to take a look. I found this Ford Ka and it
:32:49. > :32:53.was in my price range - it was £1,395 - and so I put down a £100
:32:53. > :32:58.deposit on that day. They wouldn't let me take it away with me because
:32:58. > :33:01.they wanted to check it over in the garage for me to make sure
:33:01. > :33:04.everything was OK. And they also gave me three months free warranty
:33:04. > :33:08.as well, in case anything went wrong. When she was able to drive it
:33:08. > :33:12.away a few days later, she was very happy with the service she had had
:33:12. > :33:15.so far. Delighted the car had been checked over and that it came with a
:33:15. > :33:20.three month warranty, she was sure that she had bagged herself a
:33:20. > :33:22.bargain. It did seem like the perfect little runaround. Or at
:33:22. > :33:26.least it did until, five months later, she booked it in for an MOT.
:33:26. > :33:30.The man at the garage gave me a call, basically, to tell me that it
:33:30. > :33:33.had failed miserably. It needed so much welding but there wasn't any
:33:34. > :33:38.clean metal to weld to, and also loads of other problems, mainly
:33:38. > :33:41.corrosion. Even the seat belts are corroding away. Power steering was
:33:41. > :33:49.leaking, problem with the brakes, all sorts of things, really. So many
:33:49. > :33:52.things, in fact, that the mechanic said he would not even attempt
:33:52. > :33:56.repairs. He told me it was dangerous to drive, and so dangerous that it
:33:56. > :34:01.shouldn't have been sold to me in the first place. I was really upset,
:34:01. > :34:07.actually. I was... I didn't know what to say. She was even more upset
:34:07. > :34:14.when she read the report. what to say. She was even more upset
:34:14. > :34:17.clear that the car had been in this condition when she bought it, even
:34:18. > :34:26.though they said that they were checking it over. To see for
:34:26. > :34:31.ourselves the full state of the car, we arranged for it to have a second
:34:31. > :34:36.MOT. The independent garage we chose came back with the same devastating
:34:36. > :34:40.results. I failed this car on rust to the front suspension and rust to
:34:40. > :34:44.the rear and a wheel. The front suspension rust is in a place where,
:34:44. > :34:48.if it failed, it would cause a serious accident. It could cause the
:34:48. > :34:52.suspension to collapse. And the front wheel rim, which I failed, has
:34:52. > :34:57.got a serious dent in it, which could cause a blow-out and obviously
:34:57. > :35:01.cause an accident. With rust, all of a sudden it can go from a position
:35:01. > :35:09.where it's an advisory to a fail, but from start to finish the rust
:35:09. > :35:12.takes years to occur. Although her problems are extreme, recent
:35:12. > :35:15.research by citizens advice has revealed that used cars bought from
:35:15. > :35:20.an independent dealer are far and away the most complained about
:35:20. > :35:23.purchase, with over 45,000 complaints in less than 12 months.
:35:24. > :35:27.When buying a second hand car, my advice would be, if you don't know a
:35:27. > :35:31.lot about cars take someone who does. Your local garage would have a
:35:31. > :35:33.look over the car, probably for a small amount of money, could save
:35:33. > :35:36.you thousands in the long run. If small amount of money, could save
:35:36. > :35:39.you are sold a car with an existing fault and that was not made clear
:35:39. > :35:44.when you bought it, then you should be entitled to a refund, repair or
:35:44. > :35:49.replacement under the sale of goods act 1979. So, armed with this
:35:49. > :35:55.knowledge, Ruth contacted Kingswood Bargains to get her money back. He
:35:55. > :35:59.basically said on the phone that it wasn't his problem and how was he
:35:59. > :36:13.supposed to know the car was in that state? And if a car has an MOT
:36:13. > :36:17.certificate, he will sell it. She decided to make a claim through the
:36:17. > :36:21.courts, which she did over the internet using a Government website.
:36:21. > :36:25.So, I paid £70. You write out your case and you submit it, and then
:36:25. > :36:31.what happens is the court will write a further two letters to the
:36:31. > :36:33.dealership. Despite having the weight of the law behind her, she
:36:33. > :36:37.dealership. Despite having the still got no response from the
:36:37. > :36:40.company. When the court sent a bailiff to visit Kingswood
:36:40. > :36:43.Bargains, he was told that a different dealership was now trading
:36:43. > :36:51.from the premises and they insisted they knew nothing about Ruth's Case.
:36:51. > :36:54.Well, I felt devastated again because I thought, "I've gone
:36:54. > :36:57.through this whole process, I've paid for the bailiff, the court
:36:57. > :37:01.fees, "and I'm still not going to get my money back." When we got in
:37:01. > :37:03.touch, the man that now runs the dealership denies having had
:37:03. > :37:08.anything to do in the business in the days when it was called
:37:08. > :37:10.Kingswood Bargains. So, Ruth has hit something of a brick wall. Although
:37:10. > :37:14.Kingswood Bargains. So, Ruth has hit she is fighting on to get her money
:37:14. > :37:17.back and has been to court, she is hindered by the fact that, despite
:37:17. > :37:22.asking, she was never given the name of the man that ran the original
:37:22. > :37:26.dealership. So, although she is convinced that the new business is
:37:26. > :37:30.connected to the old one, with the dealership so adamant that it isn't,
:37:30. > :37:32.moving her caisson has not proved straightforward is. In the
:37:32. > :37:39.meantime, I'm afraid she is stuck with a car that cost her £1395, has
:37:39. > :37:44.no MOT and has been branded too dangerous to drive. I don't know
:37:44. > :37:48.what to do with it. I'm so tired and so fed up of this whole situation.
:37:48. > :37:55.It's been going on too long now and I just want my money back, and I
:37:55. > :37:59.just want it to be over. Since we first featured the story, she has
:37:59. > :38:03.had a breakthrough. She finally did receive a refund from Kingswood
:38:03. > :38:07.Bargains, through the owner of the new business. Although he stressed
:38:07. > :38:13.he was just the middleman. He also came and towed the car away. But
:38:13. > :38:15.Ruth says, for now, she is steering well clear of second-hand car
:38:15. > :38:20.dealers. Judging from the correspondence that
:38:20. > :38:23.we get, one of your biggest frustrations is paying for goods or
:38:23. > :38:26.services and then discovering that you actually receive neither, and
:38:26. > :38:31.moreover that the company concerned is in no hurry to put things right.
:38:31. > :38:36.In those circumstances, your only option may be to take them to the
:38:36. > :38:41.small claims court, but how many of us know exactly how to do that?
:38:41. > :38:47.As far as I can understand it, if you get no satisfaction from the
:38:47. > :38:52.retailer, you threaten them with the small claims court. I haven't got a
:38:52. > :38:56.clue what a small claims court is or does, to be honest. I mean, I'm
:38:56. > :39:01.pretty sure the clue is probably in the title but the specifics,
:39:01. > :39:04.couldn't tell you. In the past year, over 79,000 trials and hearings went
:39:04. > :39:08.through the Small Claims Court in the UK. They are open to any
:39:08. > :39:12.individual or business. And although it may sound like a lot of hassle,
:39:12. > :39:19.it's actually a lot less complicated than you might think. In fact, these
:39:19. > :39:23.days, you can even do most of the process online. Ministry of Justice
:39:23. > :39:27.figures shows that it takes an average of 30 weeks for small claims
:39:27. > :39:31.hearings. But even if you win the case, there is no guarantee you will
:39:31. > :39:35.get the money that you are owed. Costs to make a claim start at £25.
:39:35. > :39:40.If you have to take further action to get your money, this could cost
:39:40. > :39:43.more. However, quite often the threat of court action may in itself
:39:43. > :39:48.be enough to get the other party to saddle. Or at least pay what they
:39:48. > :39:51.owe you. -- settle. Just one word of caution. Some cases can take quite a
:39:52. > :39:55.long time to be processed through the courts, so make sure that you've
:39:55. > :39:59.examined every other avenue before you take that particular route. It
:39:59. > :40:02.isn't always going to be a quick fix. But research from Consumer
:40:02. > :40:05.Focus has demonstrated that some 75% of cases do have a successful
:40:05. > :40:07.outcome, and only 12% of those have needed to send in the enforcement
:40:07. > :40:18.agencies to get hold of the money. So, for most people, it really is a
:40:18. > :40:22.successful exercise. But if you'd like to find out more about how to
:40:22. > :40:24.go through the small claims court, then just go to our website where
:40:24. > :40:42.you'll find a lot of information. We are always ready to investigate
:40:42. > :40:45.more of your stories. Confused over your bills? Trying to wade through
:40:45. > :40:49.never-ending small print? We should read it, but it's not in plain
:40:49. > :40:55.English. It should be simple - A, B, C - very basic stuff. Unsure what to
:40:55. > :40:58.do when you discover you have lost out and that great deal has ended up
:40:58. > :41:02.costing you money? You get home, you get your bill and it's like £70 when
:41:02. > :41:04.it's meant to be £35. And it's just basically... You get ripped off,
:41:04. > :41:09.don't you? You might have a basically... You get ripped off,
:41:09. > :41:12.cautionary tale of your own and want to share the mistakes you have made
:41:12. > :41:16.with others so that others do not do the same. We paid them good money to
:41:16. > :41:37.act in our best interests - they didn't. You can write to us at:
:41:38. > :41:40.the Rip Off Britain team is ready and waiting to investigate your
:41:40. > :41:46.stories. Well, sadly, as we've been hearing
:41:46. > :41:50.today, even when you do all your research or think you've gone about
:41:50. > :41:53.things in exactly the right way, it doesn't guarantee that you won't end
:41:53. > :41:56.up feeling ripped off. Now, perhaps the biggest frustration of all is
:41:56. > :42:00.that, even when the law says you should have your money back, you may
:42:00. > :42:04.not end up seeing a single penny. So, I'm afraid the best advice we
:42:04. > :42:07.can give is still what we always say, check and check again exactly
:42:07. > :42:11.who you're giving your hard-earned money to before you agree to hand it
:42:12. > :42:15.over. And we can't say that often enough, can we? Because what it
:42:16. > :42:19.means is that you may not be able to avoid all of the risks, but at least
:42:20. > :42:23.you can reduce them as much as possible. Well, I'm afraid that's
:42:23. > :42:27.all we've got time for today but I do hope that you will join us again
:42:27. > :42:29.the next time that we investigate even more of your stories. But until