Episode 15 Rip Off Britain

We asked you to tell us who has left you feeling ripped off, and

you couldn't tacted us in your thousands, by -- contacted us in

your thousands, by phone, e-mail, even stopping us on the streets,

the message could not be clearer. Things weren't right, it was

costing me time and money, it was like, does anybody listen?

Unfortunately these companies are more motivated by their share price

than actually looking after the customer. You have told us with

money tighter than ever, you need to make sure every pound you spend

is worth it. How do I get my money back, I think I'm entitled to it.

Whether it's a deliberate rip-off, a simple mistake, or a catch in the

small print, we will find out why you are out of pocket, and what you

can do about it. Keep asking the questions, keep, 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.

Hello and welcome to Rip Off Britain, the series that tries to

ensure that whenever you spend your money, whether it is pounds or

pennies, you are really getting exactly what you paid for.

But, unfortunately, that's often not the case. So today we are

investigating situations where you have told us you have had a raw

deal, either because you have had poor value for money, or bad

customer service, or, in some cases, both at the same time.

What makes the cases we have been hearing about especially

frustrating, is it is the find of situation that could happen to

every single one of us. As well as finding out what has gone wrong, we

will have advice about how to stop the same things happening to you.

Coming up, the secondhand car dealer who proves the industry

still has its share of rogues. they have the money and the car. We

felt we are being taken for ale foo. The true -- For a fool. The true

value of high street gift vouchers, what happens when the shop won't

honour them? They wouldn't take the voucher, to my mind that was a �10.

The Rip Off Britain Pop-Up Shop tackles your problems head on.

When you have paid top whack for a hotel that is supposed to be in a

league of its own, you are bound to be a bit disappointed if it doesn't

come quite up to scratch. While nobody expects everything to be pr

effect, when even the rep says the place should have been downgraded,

how much of that should you have been told about before you packed

your suitcase. Clear blue skies, perfect beaches.

No wonder the Maldives are marketed as the ultimate tropical paradise.

It seemed the ideal choice when Dawn and Bill decided to blow their

savings on a perfect getaway. special reason for the holiday was

it was the first time that Bill and I were going on holiday together.

We wanted it to be something really special. We both had pretty rough

couple of years, and we decided that, actually, we were going to

splash out and have a really nice holiday I had always wanted to have

a holiday with one of the villas, where it was over the sea, and he's

a mad, keen fisherman, we decided to go to the Maldives.

Rather than booking on-line, they decided to visit a travel agent.

must felt that by speaking to somebody we would be able to select

a holiday that was much more appropriate to us, than just

booking off the Internet. We shopped around, looked at other

places, they weren't really that helpful, so we went into Thomson's,

and sat down and chatted to them, and felt that they were giving us

the right answers to the requirements we had. All they had

to do now was decide where to say, they were recommend today one of

Thomson's most impressive-sounding resorts, then called Cinnamon

Island. It was a platinum hole day, a four/5-star, it was a gold medal

winner, we thought it would be really nice. It certainly sounds

like that on the website, which describes it as "the ultimate cast

Ye experience", with a "tropical feel". When we saw pictures of the

resort it looked lovely. It looked like a real paradise. We thought

this is the one, this is the one we are going to chose. Dawn and Bill

went ahead and booked, although paradise does come at a price, in

this case �4,350. So, not cheap. But they couldn't wait to set off.

Unfortunately, when they arrived, there wasn't much sparkle to

Thomson's top-range platinum experience. When we arrived at the

eye, my first impressions were that it was not quite how the pictures

looked. It looked quite tatty, and quite worn. I was just thinking, oh

dear. I hope that our Villa is a little bit better than what this

looks like. Sadly, it wasn't what Dawn had expected for the money.

When we got to the Villa, I have to say my heart dropped. There were

wires hanging out of the wall. The roof was falling in, in some bits.

When we looked at the outside bathroom we had green mould, algae

all over the floor. The downstairs bathroom was outside, so for

privacy it had wooden shrat, but you could also see through the

shrats, so for privacy we had pieces of fabric, but they were

frayeded with holes all over them. Things didn't improve, it was not

an idyllic stroll to the beach. three days we had the rubbish boat,

which had rusty pieces of metal, it had tanks on it, all sorts of

rubbish on it, we had to climb, in rough seas, across this boat, to

get on to our boat that would take us to the sand strip, on one case

the sea was quite rough, we had to climb in the windows of our boat to

get on to it. After the third or fourth day when the scrap boat came

to the jety, I think we just thought we really just want to go

home. Things weren't any better by the pool. Which the website had

described as "styled to the nines". The sun loungers either needed

painting, cleaning, or throwing away. The island was just so tired,

and so, it looked wornout. I just thought, what's going on?

This isn't what the brochure says. I was really, really unhappy.

and Bill certainly didn't feel that they were getting a platinum

experience worth more than �4,000. So they phoned the local Thomson

rep to say so. She said she wasn't going to come to the island, it

would take her a day to fly to the island, but that she would talk to

the management and try to get them to sort it out, which it didn't

happen. But the rep did pass on an intriguing piece of information,

telling them that the resort had been downgraded. Her stance was

that we should have been told before we went to the island and

given the chance to choose a different place to go to. But that

hadn't happened, and when we checked the website several months

later, although the resort was now advertised under its new name, the

J Resort Alidhoo, there was still nothing to suggest it had been

downgraded in any way. I have to say I'm feeling completely letdown

by Thomson's, I went into the branch who sold us the holiday. I

spoke to the assistant manager, she was really helpful. She agreed we

should get a refund, but head office did have the power to sort

it out for me. Dawn contacted head office, who offered her �175 off

another holiday, which she rejected. When they upped their offer to

either �330 cash, or �500 voucher, to spend with them. She said no to

that too. They increased their offer to �500, but that was off a

holiday with them. I thought there is no way I'm having another

holiday with you, because of what we have already had, so I was not

going to send spend any more money on another holiday. We got in touch

with Thomson, who said, they are sorry that Dawn and Bill were

disappointed by their hole day, and having reviewed the complaint again,

they -- holiday, and having reviewed the complaint again, they

would like to increase the amount of the "goodwill gesture for the

Ishinomaki use they have experienced", they have offered

�1,500,. They said the resort was never downgraded, despite what the

rep said, but they do regularly monitor hotels to meet high

standards the customers expect. As a result this resort is no longer

featured in Thomson's holiday programme.

But Dawn is still disappointed that the memories of her holiday are not

one that is she can treasure, next time she will be more cautious

about how she chooses her destination. I'm very wary now

about my holidays and who I book them with. I will now only book

through recommendation. I certainly wouldn't book from a brochure. It

is upsetting, because it is a holiday we can't get back, our

first holiday together, you can't replace that. That was ruined.

Next, a couple who made a purchase that they really thought was going

to improve their lives. They bought a car. But, in fact, it did nothing

of the sort. Because although they couldn't wait to hit the road, once

they did, they soon came to a grinding halt.

Every day last year an average of 18,500 secondhand cars were sold in

England, Scotland and Wales. It's not long since Dr Kabas and his

wife bought one of them. No more public transport for them, you

might think. So why then, are they waiting for a bus? It all started

back in September 2009, the couple both suffer from ill-health and

needed car. So their friends and family lent them the money to buy

one. I couldn't believe how lucky I am

to have such a nice family and friends, that they were willing to

collect money for us to buy the car. I'm really thankful forever for

them. With the cash sorted, all they needed now of the perfect

vehicle. They looked on the car trade website Autotrader, a seven-

seater Mercedes, and ideal for their four children and them. They

immediately called their dealer, of the The Old Stable Car Co, not to

be confused with any other company, and all the arrangements were made.

The arrangement was he delivered the car, because we couldn't go

there, it was too many miles. deal was they would pay John

Staniland a �2,000 deposit with a debit card over the phone, and the

remaining, �4,300 would be due in cash on delivery of the car.

were delighted, it is too good to be true, now we can have a car, we

can be independent and our problems solved. The dealer delivered the

car to their home as promised, although the couple wanted to take

it out for a test drive straight away, but the couple were told that

wasn't possible, as they didn't have insurance. As the car came

with a three-month guarantee, they weren't that worried. So Dr Kabas

handed over the remaining money, all �4,300, in cash.

We were so sure that was the car we wanted, we were just quite happy.

The following day, with the car now taxed and sured, the family took to

the open road. But after just minutes, the car brokedown, as it

approached a business -- insured, the family took the car on the open

road, it brokedown on a round about. The children were screaming, the

cars were going to hit us, it was a very bad experience. I was really

shocked. I couldn't, I didn't know what to do. I just wanted to cry.

Horrified, they took the car to a local Mercedes garage, where they

were told the last thing they wanted to hear. Both the engine and

the gear box were faulty. And it would cost around �3,000 to fix

them. I couldn't believe it, I was just

in tears, how can I afford this amount of money. Remember, they had

only bought the car the day before. Still, at least it had come with a

three-month guarantee. They phoned the dealer, John Staniland, asking

for the car to be fixed, or the money back. Every time he made

excuses, he didn't pick up the phone. He's busy, he's on the road

driving. The couple contacted Trading Standards, who advised them

to write to John S st, aniland -- Staniland, and reject the vehicle

because the car was faulty. They were also advised to have an

independent inspector to test the car. Within minutes when the engine

started to warm it suffered from catastrophic power loss, it was

unsafe to use on the road. might think the dealer might want

to put right a dangerous car, even with Trading Standards on the case,

it took John Staniland over a year to even agree to fix it. When he

did finally come and collect the car, in April 2011, that was the

last they saw of it. I think now he has the money and the car, we felt

you know we are being taken for a fool.

In desperation, nearly two years after they had parted with their

cash, Dr Kabas decided the only option was to take John Staniland

to court. They hoped they would find out what happened to their car

and money. Unfortunately, he didn't show up.

But it did seem as if their luck was beginning to change.

judgment was in our favour to Mr Staniland to give us our money back.

We thought justice had been done, but sadly enough, it wasn't.

Despite being ordered by the court, John Staniland did not return any

of the money. Refusing to give up, Dr Kabas paid a bailiff's company

to enforce the court order, even they returned defeated. They said

they went to his place a few times, but they can't speak to him because

he has a very tall fence, they send him e-mails and tried telephoning

him, all in vain, they could not locate Mr John Staniland. In March

this year, there was a further twist, the couple received a letter

from the DVLA, saying someone was trying to register the car, leading

them to believe that John Staniland was selling on the car they owned.

What a surprise he's trying to sell the car, he has the money and the

car and he's trying to sell it again. We asked John Staniland to

explain himself. But he hasn't bothered to answer any of our

questions. We know he got at least one of our letters, because we

delivered it to his premises ourselves. And when we did, we

could see exactly what the bailiffs were up against. So, Dr Kabas and

his family have been left high and dry. And with the police unable to

help because it is a civil matter, the family are still without their

car or their �6,300. I was deeply disappointed, because

we lost the money that we got from family and friends, we let them

down. The way I feel at the moment is disgusted with the whole ordeal.

If you want to join the millions of people who do safely manage to buy

a used car, then Sylvia Rook from Trading Standards has more advice

on how to make that right purchase. When buying a car from a motor

dealer you have rights under the Sale of Goods Act that the car

should be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described.

If you have a problem with the motorcar, you can go back to the

dealer to get your money back or a repair. If you buy a car from a

private seller, you have fewer rights under the Sale of Goods Act.

The right you have is that goods should be as described, that means,

if you have a problem with the car being faulty, you don't have a

claim against the private seller. For that reason it is very

important you ask lots of questions and do a lot of checks if you are

buying from a private seller. If you have used a credit card to put

a deposit down on a motorcar, then the credit card company is label

under the credit card consumer act, then you can go to the dealer and

the credit card company or both. Always examine a car thoroughly

before you buy it, look for places where the paint doesn't match, it

might be resprayed after an accident, look for spots of

rewelding, if you have any doubts, won't buy T always make sure there

is the correct documentation with the vehicle before you buy T check

the registration document to make sure the VIN number matches the

vehicle, and all names and addresses match up, that way you

are less likely to have a stolen vehicle. Always get a history check

on it, that will tell you if there was outstanding finance on the

vehicle, whether it is an insurance write-off or the vehicle has been

stolen. It may cost a little bit more, but it is worth it in the

long run. Overnight we transferred this space

into a drop-in consumer advice shop, where we met hundreds of you face-

to-face. There is one particular group of

consumers who felt they were getting a really raw deal. One of

the big problems we get here in Rip Off Britain is all to do with

motoring, cars, the cost of petrol, everything, in fact, to get your

car on the road. And getting back behind the wheel of her new car is

proving very difficult for Amily. bought a car in January, it was

brand new, I only had it ten weeks and it developed a fault. I have

taken it back to the garage four times, complained to head office

twice, and I still don't have a resolution. You are covered by the

Sale of Goods Act, when you buy a car it must be of satisfactory

quality and remain so for a reasonable period of time. From

what you are saying your car is not of satisfactory quality. If they

areing saying they send it off to somewhere else they should provide

a replacement car so you are not inconvienced at all. If you suffer

any losses or miss any work, you can claim what is called

consequential losses, you can claim those losses from the garage where

you bought the vehicle. Do you feel better now? I do. Good luck, I hope

you get it sorted. Also within our advice shop, the

literacy and numeracy team from BBC Skills Wise, has put together a

series of practical scenarios to test your consumer skills. There is

one handy device in particular, that is helping make sure you are

getting the best deal. I break out into a cold sweat when percentages

are mentioned, you have something there that can help? Sometimes when

you are in a shop where there is a discount, you can't work out the

prices all the time. We have developed a tool that you can

simply slide up the price, slide down the discounts, and it will

tell you what the final price is. You can download it straightaway on

to your phone? Yes details are on the Skillswise website. Another

consumer was concerned she was getting a raw deal on her loan

agreement, that was Margaret, she popped in to see our finance expert

to get some advice. I took out a loan with a loan company 14 years

ago, I'm still paying, I only took it out for �11,000, they are saying

I still owe �26,000. Given the high rate of interest you are paying on

the loan, you really do need to do something about it. I would

strongly advise you to get some free advice, speak to the National

Debtline and Consumer Credit Counselling service, and see what

they think about challenging the agreement. It is the fairness of

the agreement, is there anything they should have done, have they

done anything that is subsequently wrong, you may find that if it is

the debt might be written off. Thank you very much for your advice.

Still to come, counting the cost and the words of that small print.

The extraordinary length of the terms and conditions we sign up to

every day. I think the small print is so small sometimes that people,

they can't be bothered to read it, you could be signing your soul away.

It is not always easy to know what to buy as a present, even if it is

for someone you have known for years. Which is why rather than

risk getting it wrong, most of us, at some point, have fallen back on

the trustee gift voucher, you spend the money and they choose the

present they want. Simple, isn't it. Why are some people finding they

can't redeem their vouchers from the high street store, whose name

is written all over the front. It's almost that time of year again.

But finding the perfect Christmas present can take a lot of effort,

and cost a lot of money. Which is why, when you're buying

for a loved one, and you know exactly where they like to shop, a

voucher, or gift card, can seem an ideal solution. Great Britain --

that is exactly what Marie thought when she was looking for a present

for her mother Pat. She wanted something easy to find and wrap and

something they would definitely use. She plumped for a gift voucher from

the clothing store Peacocks. It was a couple of weeks before Christmas,

I had bought my sister and my mum a present, I thought because they do

so much for me, I would like to give them something more, and I

know they both like shopping at Peacocks. Unknown to Marie,

Peacocks was about to become the latest high street shop to come

into trouble. A few week after she handed over her presents, it was

announced the chain was in administration. While a buyer was

sought, its shops were still trading. Maria's mum thought she

better spend the voucher at the local branch after seeing the news.

I went into town and had a word with the staff, they said there was

a problem, and they would probably all be losing their jobs. So I was

quite happy that I got in with the voucher when I did. Two days later

Pat returned to the same store, this time to spend her daughter

Elizabeth's voucher on her behalf. I picked up a few things, when I

got to the counter they said they are sorry they can't accept the

vouchers any more, they are invalid. Pat was told the voucher was now

useless. They just would not accept the voucher at all, despite the

fact that, to my mind, that voucher was, in effect, a �10, so we were

left with a voucher that we couldn't use. The store had, of

course, already accepted the money to purchase the voucher, but,

perhaps surprisingly, that didn't mean the store was obliged to

honour it. Many people that vouchers or gift cars are as good

as a bank note, they are real cash, they are not. They are a promise,

by the company that issues them, to let you spend that much money. If

that company goes out of business, goes into administration, or goes

bankrupt, then that promise, of course, dies with the company. And

this really does frustrate people, because when a company goes into

administration, it will problem still be running in some way, they

will still be the same shops on the high street, they will be owned by

the administrators, not by the firm. And those administrators have

absolutely no obligation to honour the promises that were made. Back

in the Wirral, Pat of determined to get her money back for her daughter.

But the official statement from the administrators didn't offer much

hope. It said voucher holders will count as unsecured creditor, and as

such could complete a form to make a claim. But it made clear that due

to the financial situation at Peacock, they are likely to see a

nominal return. Pat and Marie did make a claim, as

the administrators advised, they were astonished by the response.

the bottom of this letter we got back, it says "based on the current

information, the dividend is estimated to be 0.7p in the pound,

this means the likely return for a gift voucher with a value of �10

will be 7p". Can you believe that? 7p, it is an absolute insult.

Peacocks was bought by Edinburgh Woolen Mill last February, but the

store has confirmed, gift karlds bought prior to administration,

won't -- giftcards bought prior to administration, won't be honoured.

KPMG said though they sympathise, they are bound by the law on how

they deal with the claims of unsecured creditors, and it is

common practice for administrators not to honour gift vouchers.

So, whatever else this family give each other this Christmas, you can

bet it won't be a voucher or a gift card. I certainly won't be buying a

piece of plastic again, it is not worth it. It is a rubbish present.

It was a nice thought. It's not your fault it went wrong. We might

get 7p! If something is sold for one specific purpose, that is

exactly what you are meant to get. So you can understand why the

couple we're about to meet were livid after what they bought failed

to live up to the one simple promise. It is a type of insurance

that sounds clear-cut, but an increasing number of people have

found it's far from that. Whether you get it new or secondhand, one

of the most frustrating things about buying a car is how quickly

it depreciate in value. Which is why what is known as gap insurance

seems such a good idea. If your vehicle is written off, it covers

the difference between what the car was worth at the time it was

damaged, and what you paid in the first place.

Neil and Denise Thomson had never heard of it until five years ago

Denise bought a secondhand car on finance. And, immediately

afterwards, the dealer rang suggesting gap insurance was

something she would need. I asked him what the gap insurance was, and

they explained that any loss on the vehicle, that it pays the

difference, the outstanding difference to the finance company.

I took the policy out, because it wasn't expensive. The dealer

arranged the finance and gap insurance through the same company,

although Denise and Neil didn't see the paperwork. The actual policy

was sold to my wife over the phone, and she agreed to sign up for it

over the phone. There was no paperwork. But the policy seemed a

very good thing to have, because, if the car was declared a total

loss, it would cover the shortfall between what the vehicle was valued

at, and any remaining finance. Of course, the Thomson's hoped nothing

would ever happen to the car. But, three years later, it did.

August my son borrowed the car to go to his girlfriend's father's

work place, he left the car there, and they came home, and we got a

phone call from the police, I think it was, saying that the car had

been set on fire. The unprovoked arson attack totally destroyed the

car. Denise was gutted, it was her pride and joy, she used the car

nearly every day, so, she was gutted. At the time the Thomson's

owed �6064 to the finance company. �4475 of that was quickly paid off

under their car insurance. And they were confident that the remaining

shortfall of �1,589 would be paid off by their gap insurance.

Afterall, the G-A-P in gap insurance, standed for guaranteed

asset protection. Much to the couples' surprise the policy paid

out only half of that, leaving them with �738 still owed. When it came

down to what the primary insurer actually paid to the finance

company, the gap insurance should have then paid the difference, they

didn't, that is the whole crux of the matter, they didn't keep their

end of the bargain on the gap insurance. The gap insurer, the

London General Insurance Company Ltd, reduced to pay the amount,

because they said when Denise bought the car, they paid more than

market value, and they considered it to be negative equity and not

their responsibility. But Neil didn't agree. And he was determined

to get what he felt was owed. So, he asked the company to send him

the policy documents. When we actually got the policy documents,

the terms and conditions in it were so awkward to understand, as a lay

person, who had never any dealings with insurance companies in this

manner, it was very difficult. refusing to give up, Neil dug a bit

deeper. He had a look at his insurer's website, and found a big

gap between the way the insurance was described in the paperwork he

was sent, and how it was explained on-line. When I looked at the

website, it was dead clear, the policy that they were selling was

dead clear. It was very, very simple to understand. So when we

got the terms and conditions, it made it looks a though they were

two different policies. The website wording seemed clear, that the

policy would pay the outstanding balance at the time of the loss to

the finance company. So, armed with this information, Neil took his

case to the Financial Ombudsman Service. I formally wrote to them

complaining about the gap insurance. I detailed all the paperwork that I

had, and sent many, many reams of paper off to them for them to

consider. The adjudicator came down on our side saying they were right,

and the gap insurance should have said the correct amount and hadn't.

But that wasn't the end of it. The insurers disputed that decision, on

the grounds that although it was their policy, it hadn't been they

that had sold it to Denise. I was annoyed and angry about, that they

were trying to absolve their responsibility. So I think they

were just being obstructive once again, not want to go pay what was

due. It was left to the Financial Ombudsman Service to decide. They

agreed Neil and Denise should have been paid the amount, and the terms

and conditions were not clear enough, and the website was

misleading. I was absolutely delighted because at every stage we

have been right regarding what the policy was, and just vindicated for

all the hard work we had put in over the two years to try to get it

settle. When we contacted the insurance company, they reiterated

in their opinion the issue here was to do with the way the policy was

sold. And they believed they calculated the settlement correctly.

But they confirmed they had accepted the ombudsman's decision,

and paid the money. Neil and Denise aren't the only ones to find that

gap insurance doesn't always do quite what it says on the tin. Over

the last years complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service about

this kind of policy increased by 17%. If you are getting this kind

of policy, keep in mind it may not always be as straight forward or

clear cut as it appears. I would say to other people be very, very

careful when you are taking gap insurance out, that you understand

the terms and conditions that they may not pay out at the end of it.

Because of certain elements within the terms and conditions, be very,

very clear on what you are buying. Sometimes when you feel ripped off,

it could be you that's made a mistake. Perhaps you didn't read

the small print, or realise the consequences of what you signed up

to. Whoever is at fault, when things go wrong, you need to know

what to do about it. We put together a booklet of tips and

advice, you can find a link to the new free guide on our website.

Or to receive a copy in the post, send a stamped self-addressed A5

envelope to the address we will give you right at the end of the

programme. Here at Rip Off Britain we always

say, don't forget to read the small print. But because the terms and

conditions we sign up to are so long, and sometimes quite frankly,

extremely confusing, you can understand why some people find it

easier not to bother analysing the small print. In fact the Office of

Fair Trading says one in ten of us are sign contracts without reading

a single word. According to the experts, it is

words like these in a contract, that are most likely to leave you

drowning in a sea of small print. Words too many of you never

question, and words some of you never even read. I never bother

reading it t I just tick the box, and hope nothing -- I just tick the

box and hope nothing happens. should read it, if you don't it is

your own fault. They don't give you the chance and time to read through

all the small print. The small print is so small people can't be

bothered to read it, you could be signing your soul away. The Plain

English Campaign continually hear from consumers who fail to read the

small print. Many of us don't read the terms and conditions, the

problem is as soon as you tick the box and put your name on the boted

line, you have given up all chance -- dotted line, you have given up

all chance of resource -- replying. It is written in tiny packed

sentences, full of industry jargon and terminology we don't use on a

regular basis. Why do companies make their conditions so difficult

to wade through. The office in fair trading says one in five people

would have had some sort of difficulty with a consumer contract

just in the past year, and while not all of those will be serious,

as we see all too often on this programme, getting caught out by

the small print can result in a significant loss of money. Who are

the worst offenders, and which industry do consumers have the most

problems with, when it comes to contracts. A recent report carried

out by YouGov, did a survey to work out exactly that. Telecoms and

internet contracts came top of the list, where consumers had

experienced problems in the last 12 months, closely followed by home

entertainment products like television systems, mobile phones

and delivery services featured high up on the list of complaints. Is

one reason people fall foul of contracts simply that they are too

long and wordy to wade through. To read or not to read, that is the

question. With contracts and paperwork, how many words are too

many words? Which? Magazine totted up the words in the terms and

conditions for the Internet payment service PayPal, believe it or not,

they found there were 36,000 of them, that is 6,000 words longer

than Shakespeare's Hamlet. Then there is iTunes, they totted up the

words in their terms and conditions, believe it or not there were almost

20,000 of them, making them longer than Macbeth, which makes you

wonder how many of the hundreds of thousands of people who have signed

up to iTunes terms have actually read them. How many just ticked the

box to say they had, but, in fact, didn't bother. The information is

not presented in a way that is accessible for most people. I never

read through anything I tick or sign, people know that. The very

first time I got iTunes, years and years ago, every time there is an

update, I have to say yes to something, I wouldn't, not any more,

not on iTunes. ITunes didn't want to comment. But PayPal said, that

although they recognise their user agreement is rather long, it

contains a huge amount of information about their services,

protection policies and much more. They say they summarised the key

points at the start, and then links allow you to jump straight to the

relevant section. And although they do think it is clear, they are now

looking at how to make it shorter. The Plain English Campaign, has

come up with a way to encourage big companies to make their contracts

easier to understand. The Plain English Campaign decided they

needed some kind of guide for the public to recognise clear

information. That is what the Chris kal Mark provides, people -- the

Crystal Mark provides, people should look out for it, whether in

the doctors' surgery or medical leaflets, or in your energy bills,

so if it has the Crystal Mark it has been through the Plain English

he had bitting process. The best thing with a contract if you don't

understand it, don't sign it. Take extra care going through the small

print for anything that is particularly expensive, or you are

dealing with a business you are not familiar with. If you are talking

to someone on the telephone, get them to send your their terms and

conditions before signing up. Don't get caught out because you haven't

had the time or haven't bothered to even look at the paperwork. And we

have seen more advice on this on our website. I think you know it by

now, but it is below. Here at Rip Off Britain, we are

always ready to investigate more of your stories. Confuses over your

bills? Trying to wade your way through neverending small print?

should read it, but it is not in plain English, it should be simple,

ABC, very basic stuff. Unsure what to do when you discover you have

lost out and that great dole has ended up costing you money. You get

home and you get your bill, it is �70 and it is meant to be �35, it

is just basically you get ripped off, don't you.

You might have cautionary tale of your own and want to share the

mistake s you made with us so other people don't do the same thing.

feel angry and stupid that I had allowed this to happen to me.

Don't forget the Rip Off team is ready and waiting to investigate

your stories. I guess we all know that sometimes

things do happen and it's nobody's fault. But as we have been seeing

today, there are plenty of situations where, in truth, more

could so easily have been done to make sure that you really did have

the full picture before you ever handed over your cash.

Because if something has been sold a certain way, it is not

unreasonable for you to expect that is what you are going to get. If

it's not the case, or for some reason things turn out to be less

straight forward than you expected, it really should have been plainged

up in advance. Not -- flagged up in advance.

And not left for you to find out until it is too late. Keep your