:00:28. > :00:32.We asked you to tell us who has left you feeling ripped off. And
:00:32. > :00:37.you contacted us in your thousands. By post, e-mail, even stopping us
:00:37. > :00:40.on the streets. And the mess avreage couldn't be clearer. --
:00:40. > :00:44.message couldn't be clearer. There is a lot of hidden
:00:44. > :00:48.information about your bills that should be made a lot more clear.
:00:48. > :00:52.don't feel I get treated how I should. You told us with money
:00:52. > :00:57.tighter than ever, you need every pound to be worth it. How do I get
:00:57. > :01:00.my money back, I think I'm entitled. Whether it is a deliberate rip-off,
:01:00. > :01:04.a simple mistake, or a catch in the small print, we will find out why
:01:04. > :01:08.it is that you are out of pocket, and what can you do about it.
:01:08. > :01:12.asking the questions, keep going to the top. We do get the results.
:01:12. > :01:18.That is the interesting thing. stories, your money. This is Rip
:01:18. > :01:23.Off Britain. Welcome to Rip Off Britain, where,
:01:23. > :01:27.as always, we three are on hand to fight your corner in those
:01:27. > :01:31.situations that haven't just cost you time and money, but have also
:01:31. > :01:34.probably cost you an awful lot of grief along the way. All the people
:01:34. > :01:37.we will be hearing from today will say they have been treated unfairly,
:01:37. > :01:41.either because of small print, that they don't think was clear, or
:01:41. > :01:44.plain and simple bad customer service, and I tell you, we have
:01:44. > :01:48.quite a few examples of that come up. I must say it has been a huge
:01:48. > :01:52.mail bag, and some of the problems are really quite shocking, with
:01:52. > :01:55.huge sums of money, that stand to be lost. They are all to do with
:01:55. > :02:00.problems around the home, and big problems, at that. In one case it
:02:00. > :02:04.could hardly be worse. We will also hear about a
:02:04. > :02:10.conservatory that suddenly shattered for no reason. Why hasn't
:02:10. > :02:14.the guarantee, that came with it, put things right. It was absolutely
:02:14. > :02:19.frightening, this glass kept falling, just plummeting everywhere,
:02:19. > :02:25.and shooting everywhere. Plus, a mysterious problem that could be in
:02:25. > :02:30.your home too. A particularly nasty case of it, that after months,
:02:30. > :02:36.still hasn't been sorted. We just seem to have hit a brick wall,
:02:36. > :02:42.really. It is not just going any further. More of your problems
:02:42. > :02:46.solved at our Pop-Up Shop. What do you have to do to be
:02:46. > :02:50.classed as "occupying your home", does it mean you stay there
:02:50. > :02:53.overnight, or is it being at the property every day? Now, I admit
:02:53. > :02:56.that may seem rather than odd question, but it is one that really
:02:56. > :03:02.matters. When it comes to house insurance.
:03:02. > :03:12.As this next couple found out, they face losing everything, because of
:03:12. > :03:12.
:03:12. > :03:17.that one tiny detail, which makes all the different.
:03:17. > :03:20.Andrew Hill is a carpenter, skilled at what he does, so when he and his
:03:20. > :03:24.girlfriend decided to buy a house in the town of Glastonbury, they
:03:24. > :03:30.wanted one that they could work on. And, with a fit of financial help
:03:30. > :03:37.from his dad and a mortgage, they found the perfect bungalow, priced
:03:37. > :03:42.at �138,000. We had gone for a really rundown bungalow that needed
:03:42. > :03:49.a lot of work to do, and a project for me. With all the paperwork done
:03:49. > :03:53.via a consultant at Countrywide Estate agents, the redevelopment
:03:53. > :03:57.began. For 12 month, evenings and weekends, they worked on the
:03:57. > :04:01.project. Coming to the end it was looking amazing, every room we were
:04:01. > :04:08.happy with, it was ready to move in. On the night of April 9th 2011,
:04:08. > :04:13.just two weeks before they were due to move in, disaster struck. A
:04:13. > :04:16.neighbour's home caught fire, and the fire quickly spread to Andrew
:04:16. > :04:21.and Chaska's house, with devastating consequences. Got the
:04:21. > :04:26.call from my best friend's sister, she said your neighbour's house is
:04:26. > :04:31.on fire, and within 20 minutes, half an house it was ripping
:04:31. > :04:35.through our roof. And I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.
:04:35. > :04:39.I felt sick, gutted, shocked. big room here, and that bit over
:04:39. > :04:47.there is the extension, which Andrew built, and this bit here,
:04:47. > :04:52.which is now the kitchen, of the second bedroom. So this was the
:04:52. > :04:57.original kitchen, which is now turned into the third bedroom, it
:04:57. > :05:02.was beautiful, and ready to move into. As all of their hard work
:05:02. > :05:10.burnt to the ground in front of them, their only comfort was, along
:05:10. > :05:14.with their mortgage, they had taken out home protection and insurance.
:05:14. > :05:18.People kept reassuring us saying you are sured, it will be tough for
:05:18. > :05:23.a few months. That is an understatement, they put in a claim
:05:23. > :05:26.on their policy, which organised by Countrywide, was underwritten by
:05:26. > :05:31.Axia, one of the biggest names in the insurance business. Their claim
:05:32. > :05:35.was rejected. On the grounds that the house wasn't permanently lived
:05:35. > :05:39.in during renovation. They said if we had known what your plans were,
:05:40. > :05:44.we would never have insured you, and basically our insurance was
:05:44. > :05:51.void because the property, they said the property was unoccupied.
:05:51. > :05:56.And this is how Axia's policy spells out what they say unoccupied
:05:56. > :06:03.means. "not permanently lived in by you or a person authorised by you
:06:03. > :06:09.for more than 60 consecutive days". That is what it says. It is the
:06:09. > :06:12.ambiguity about what the word "occupied" means, is at the root of
:06:12. > :06:14.Andrew's problems now. There is no industry standard definition. As
:06:14. > :06:19.far as Andrew was concerned, because he was at the house every
:06:19. > :06:25.day, and the occasional night, he was occupying it. And that's how
:06:25. > :06:30.his dad, Paul, understood things too. We had been quite open,
:06:30. > :06:34.complaipbgd our situation, on number -- explained our situation,
:06:34. > :06:41.on numerous occasions, completely overwhelmed and shocked by the way
:06:41. > :06:47.it has turned out. All because of the word "occupancy" and
:06:47. > :06:51."unoccupancy", I can't get it out of my head, those two words. How
:06:51. > :06:56.we're in a battle now trying to prove it. Andrew insists that when
:06:56. > :07:01.he bought the policy, at Countrywide, who also arranged his
:07:01. > :07:05.mortgage for him, he had explained in detail, exactly what he would be
:07:05. > :07:08.doing in the house, and how often he would be there. His dad, also at
:07:08. > :07:13.a meeting with the broker agrees? There is absolutely no doubt in my
:07:13. > :07:18.mind, that the mortgage consultant knew exactly what our plans were,
:07:18. > :07:21.we discussed it in great detail. We went through every question, we
:07:21. > :07:26.discussed our plans, we told her that we were not going to be living
:07:27. > :07:30.in there, we told that we were going to modernisation work, and
:07:30. > :07:34.when all the works were completed, Andrew would be moving in. How did
:07:34. > :07:38.Andrew end up with a policy that didn't give him the cover that he
:07:38. > :07:43.needed A question, when they rejected his claim, the insurers,
:07:43. > :07:47.Axia, said they couldn't answer. When speaking to Axia, they came
:07:47. > :07:54.back and said our argument was with the broker, so we went back to the
:07:54. > :07:58.broker, and they basically said that we never told her.
:07:58. > :08:03.Unfortunately we are told, regardless of whatever we said,
:08:03. > :08:12.there is nothing there to prove what went on at that meeting, in
:08:12. > :08:16.that office, that night. We are trying to fight a battle, and we
:08:16. > :08:20.can't prove what was said. there should be an easy way to
:08:20. > :08:23.clear all this up. The Financial Services Authority has guidelines
:08:23. > :08:27.requiring anyone selling insurance toe keep careful notes of the
:08:27. > :08:34.meetings that they had. So that, if later, there is a dispute over
:08:34. > :08:38.exactly what was said, those notes can settle it. But Countrywide has
:08:38. > :08:42.failed to produce any such records. As a result, when Andrew took his
:08:42. > :08:45.case to the Financial Ombudsman Service, their initial response was
:08:45. > :08:50.to say that they were not minded to uphold his complaint, because,
:08:50. > :08:54.without any recordings, or detailed notes of the sales meetings, with
:08:54. > :08:59.Countrywide, there was no evidence to suggest the policy had been mis-
:08:59. > :09:04.sold. But Andrew and Chaska were determined not to give up. For them,
:09:04. > :09:10.it still makes no sense that after Andrew spent all his free time
:09:10. > :09:13.doing up the house, that is not enough to mean that he occupied it
:09:13. > :09:18.permanently. Every single morning, evening, the doors opened to that
:09:18. > :09:23.property, I never left the property for more than 30 days, even two
:09:23. > :09:31.days, because I just wanted to keep on battling through, to get it
:09:32. > :09:36.finished to move in. We spoke to insurers Axia about Andrew's
:09:36. > :09:39.situation. They reiterated his claim was rejected because the
:09:39. > :09:43.house was not permanently occupied. The fact they had only known about
:09:43. > :09:49.after the fire. If they had been aware of it at the time of purchase,
:09:49. > :09:52.they would not have provided cover. They bounce the issue back towards
:09:52. > :09:58.Countrywide, saying it was their responsibility to only sell
:09:59. > :10:02.policies to customers that meet the criteria. When we pushed
:10:02. > :10:06.Countrywide for an explanation, they said, while their committed to
:10:06. > :10:10.providing excellent products and services to customer, they do not
:10:10. > :10:13.comment on the detail of individual cases.
:10:13. > :10:18.They didn't explain why they hadn't been able to produce any notes at
:10:18. > :10:23.all from the sales meeting that they had with Andrew, as the
:10:23. > :10:28.guidelines said they should. Then there was some encouraging news, in
:10:28. > :10:32.July, after looking at the case again, the Financial Ombudsman
:10:32. > :10:38.Service upheld Andrew's complaint against Countrywide, concluding the
:10:38. > :10:41.policy was mis-sold on the basis of all the evidence. So we went back
:10:41. > :10:46.to Countrywide once more, although they said they were reviewing the
:10:46. > :10:52.case, there was no guarantee they would accept the new ruling, Andrew
:10:52. > :10:56.and Chaska still facing losing the entire value of their home.
:10:56. > :10:59.fire actually started in our next door neighbour's house, their house
:10:59. > :11:04.has been rebuilt because their insurance has paid out. Our house
:11:04. > :11:08.is still left like this, our insurance won't pay. At the moment
:11:08. > :11:18.we are stuck between the broker and the insurer, and I have still got
:11:18. > :11:22.to pay for the mortgage, my loans, for this pile of rubbish.
:11:22. > :11:28.But just as this programme was being finished, there was a very
:11:28. > :11:32.welcome final twist. Insurers, Axia rang Andrew at work w a change of
:11:32. > :11:37.heart. I had to go outside I couldn't hear the lady properly,
:11:37. > :11:42.she said Axia will pay for the full rebuild of your house. It was like
:11:42. > :11:45.the winning lottery ticket. I was running around, shouting. Jumping
:11:45. > :11:49.around. You came home from work, because you needed to sit down and
:11:49. > :11:54.take this information in. couldn't work any more, I was just
:11:54. > :11:58.walking around just smiling, shouting. Ringing all my friends up,
:11:58. > :12:04.saying guess what, they are going to pay.
:12:04. > :12:07.Axia say, after reviewing the case in more detail, they understand
:12:07. > :12:11.that Andrew answered all the application questions honestly, and
:12:11. > :12:16.should not be disadvantaged because of a miscommunication between them
:12:16. > :12:21.and Countrywide, they will pay the claim in full, and give appropriate
:12:21. > :12:26.compensation. It's finally coming to an end. We can actually start to
:12:26. > :12:30.get on with our lives, and look forward to the future, rather than
:12:30. > :12:33.just being in complete and utter...Have A black cloud over our
:12:33. > :12:41.head, our lives have been on hold for the last 18 months, finally we
:12:41. > :12:46.can look to the future. Yeah. We all make mistake, and big
:12:46. > :12:49.companies are no exception. It's what they do, or don't do to put
:12:49. > :12:52.those mistakes right, that can leave you feeling ripped off. So
:12:52. > :12:57.you need to know what your rights r and where to go when you don't
:12:57. > :13:00.think you have been treated fairly. We have put together a new free
:13:00. > :13:10.booklet of practical tips and advice. You can download it from
:13:10. > :13:19.
:13:19. > :13:23.In recent years, as we have all tightened our belt, it has become
:13:23. > :13:27.increasingly common for people who might have fancied moving to a new
:13:27. > :13:32.home, to, instead, improve, or extend, the one that they have
:13:32. > :13:36.already got. That's exactly what Bob and Margaret Shilton did, and
:13:36. > :13:39.the work they had done even came with a guarantee. But was that
:13:39. > :13:44.guarantee worth the paper that it was written on?
:13:44. > :13:50.Here is how their confidence in that guarantee, and indeed in their
:13:50. > :13:54.new Conservativery, both ended up shattered.
:13:54. > :13:58.Five years ago, Margaret and Bob Shilton, decided to add a new
:13:58. > :14:03.conservatory to their home, so they could enjoy looking at their
:14:03. > :14:06.outdoor space, all year round. the weather is sunny, it is
:14:06. > :14:13.absolutely wonderful to sit in the conservatory, and look on our small
:14:13. > :14:18.garden and watch the birds going in and out of nesting boxes. Margaret
:14:18. > :14:21.and Bob spent �15,000 on the conservatory, and an extra �9,000
:14:21. > :14:26.for associated work on the roof. And for the next four years, they
:14:26. > :14:34.spent as much time in there as they possibly could. Then one sunny day
:14:34. > :14:38.in July 2011, all of that suddenly changed.
:14:38. > :14:44.There was a rather large bang from the back of the bungalow. I walked
:14:44. > :14:48.through to the conservatory, and then I heard a large cracking noise.
:14:48. > :14:54.Which made me look upwards, and to my horror, there was a rather large
:14:54. > :15:00.hole in one of the panes of class, and major cracks appearing all the
:15:00. > :15:04.way round it. And worse than just cracks, glass was raining down.
:15:04. > :15:09.It was frightening, the amount of glass that was coming down, and
:15:09. > :15:13.also the length of time it was going on, ten, 15 minutes, this
:15:13. > :15:18.glass kept falling. And just plummeting everywhere.
:15:18. > :15:21.The thing that worried me about it, of fact that Margaret, four minutes
:15:21. > :15:25.earlier had been sat at the table on the computer. When the coast was
:15:25. > :15:30.clear, Margaret and Bob examined the damage. They could see that one
:15:30. > :15:35.of the large roof panes had almost entirely shattered. Although it was
:15:35. > :15:41.a mystery as to why. Because, although the interior pane had
:15:41. > :15:44.smashed, the glass own the outside remained intact -- on the outside
:15:44. > :15:48.remained intact. I couldn't understand at all why
:15:48. > :15:53.the pane of glass had shattered, and there wasn't anybody at all in
:15:53. > :16:01.the conservatory, absolutely nothing. It was a total conundrum.
:16:01. > :16:03.The glass had also scratched and dented some of Margaret and Bob's
:16:03. > :16:07.possessions. My presenter was covered with glass,
:16:07. > :16:12.and it was obvious - printer was covered with glass, and it was
:16:12. > :16:17.obvious it was not much use, and my favourite chair for sitting at the
:16:17. > :16:22.computer was covered in glass shards, about two inches deep.
:16:22. > :16:28.Fortunately Margaret had kept all the paperwork from when they had
:16:28. > :16:33.bought the conservatory. From a company called Reflections Limited.
:16:33. > :16:38.She was reassured to find in the terms and conditions, it was
:16:38. > :16:43.guaranteed for five years since "fair wear and tear". I felt much
:16:43. > :16:47.happier when I found out we had the five-year guarantee on the windows,
:16:47. > :16:51.and this had happened after four years. I was very happy to know
:16:51. > :16:54.that the window would be replaced. So, Margaret called Reflections,
:16:54. > :16:59.and the company sent round an engineer to investigate. When he
:16:59. > :17:03.left, she and Bob were optimistic that all would be put right quite
:17:03. > :17:07.quickly. But when a letter eventually arrived in the post, it
:17:07. > :17:13.didn't have the news that the couple were expecting. The letter
:17:13. > :17:18.that arrived from Reflections, told us, that the window wasn't covered
:17:18. > :17:22.by their five-year guarantee. Due to the amount of time that had past
:17:22. > :17:29.since the conservatory had been put up. Which was only four years
:17:29. > :17:36.previously, and it was a five-year guarantee. Reflections did say, if
:17:36. > :17:40.the Shiltons bought a new pane of glass for �324, they would fit it
:17:40. > :17:48.gree of charge as a goodwill -- free of charge, as a goodwill
:17:48. > :17:54.gesture. After spending so much money with the company, Margaret
:17:54. > :17:57.and Bob, didn't feel that was enough goodwill. I thought I could
:17:57. > :18:05.expect better customer service than we're getting at the moment.
:18:05. > :18:08.Margaret rang Reflections Windows Ltd, to ask why their five-year
:18:08. > :18:14.guarantee was to the valid after four, and was given another reason
:18:14. > :18:19.why the company did not consider itself liable for the repair.
:18:19. > :18:22.I spoke to the managing director of Reflections, he was of the opinion
:18:22. > :18:28.that anything could have happened and anything could have hit it.
:18:28. > :18:32.Shiltons think it very unlike that -- unlikely that something could
:18:32. > :18:36.have hit the conservatory, because the pane of glass that broke of on
:18:36. > :18:42.the inside. If something had hit on the outside, wouldn't that be one
:18:42. > :18:45.of the panes that broke, as for the inside, though the window does have
:18:46. > :18:49.specialist blinded fits, they were in place without any problems for
:18:49. > :18:53.two years. There was nothing to suggest they had anything at all to
:18:53. > :18:58.do with what happened. Then Reflections delivered another blow
:18:58. > :19:01.to any hopes that the couple had that the guarantee might be
:19:02. > :19:10.honoured. According to the managing direct to it is basically down to
:19:10. > :19:16.us to prove that we didn't misuse the window in any way. Other than
:19:16. > :19:22.that, the guarantee from the company was invalid. If we couldn't
:19:23. > :19:27.provide any form of proof. Worried that their chances of getting the
:19:28. > :19:35.problem sorted were going out of the window, the Shiltons contacted
:19:35. > :19:41.a solicitor. Own their behalf, she wrote to Reflections, but did not
:19:41. > :19:44.get a response. It is months now since my shris wrote to Reflection,
:19:44. > :19:49.and -- solicitor wrote to Reflection, and we haven't heard
:19:49. > :19:55.anything at all from them. And I don't think they are taking their
:19:55. > :20:00.responsibility of care at all. we contacted Reflections, the
:20:00. > :20:04.company did respond, initially with a change of heart. They told us,
:20:04. > :20:09.though they didn't accept liability, they would replace the unit, free
:20:09. > :20:13.of charge, as a goodwill gesture, which seemed like good news for Bob
:20:13. > :20:17.and Margaret, a date was even agreed for the work to be done. But
:20:17. > :20:21.then, a few days later, the company's managing director e-
:20:21. > :20:27.mailed again, to say that he had changed his mind. He now said that
:20:27. > :20:32.the company has no goodwill available to extend to the Shiltons,
:20:32. > :20:40.and as they don't accept liability, they refuse to spend any more time,
:20:40. > :20:43.money or stress on this situation. That's something we haven't
:20:43. > :20:50.experienced before, and as far as Bob and Margaret are concerned,
:20:50. > :20:55.that is now twice that Reflections have gone back on a promise. I feel
:20:55. > :20:58.a lot better if this was all sorted out, and the window was replaced,
:20:58. > :21:07.and checked the rest of them to make sure they are all safe and
:21:07. > :21:11.nothing was wrong. Their guarantees are abs light worthless.
:21:11. > :21:17.Still to come on Rip Off Britain, after she spent thousands of pounds
:21:17. > :21:21.buying her boiler, why has this woman been left wondering if it's
:21:21. > :21:30.even safe? This was a huge investment, and to receive a check
:21:30. > :21:33.list that tells me it is not up to current standard, is horde rendous.
:21:33. > :21:37.-- Horrendous. Next we have got something of a mystery, two
:21:37. > :21:41.mysteries, the first is something that we wonder about quite a lot
:21:41. > :21:45.about on this programme, that is how can some companies take so long
:21:45. > :21:49.to sort out a customer's problem, but the second, well that's
:21:49. > :21:54.something that we have never come across before. It's an odd
:21:54. > :22:01.occurrance that's found in, otherwise, ordinary homes. Who
:22:01. > :22:03.knows, perhaps it's even happening in your's too.
:22:03. > :22:08.There's something strange lurking under foot in this house.
:22:08. > :22:14.appeared out of nowhere, overnight, more or less. It was just a wavey
:22:14. > :22:20.line, and I thought, there's something leaking under the carpet.
:22:20. > :22:30.I have been here 23 years, and this is the worst case that I have ever
:22:30. > :22:30.
:22:30. > :22:34.seen. It's a weird phenomena. This is a case of carpet pile
:22:34. > :22:38.reversal. An unusual occurrance that leaves or thery household
:22:38. > :22:45.carpets looking markeded and ugly. It is unsightly and annoying, and
:22:45. > :22:50.Paul and Bev have a nasty case of it. Three years ago we decided we
:22:50. > :22:54.would have a carpet change, we picked a nice quality carpet, so we
:22:54. > :22:58.thought, we have had this carpet fitted through our main lounge,
:22:58. > :23:03.through into the middle sitting room, it goes all upstairs, landing
:23:03. > :23:10.and everywhere. The carpet was over �3,000, in the end, fitted and
:23:10. > :23:13.everything else. It was in 2010, 15 months after the carpet had been
:23:13. > :23:19.professionally laid, that these strange marks started appearing on
:23:19. > :23:24.it. I came downstairs one morning, I shouted to my husband, Paul, I
:23:24. > :23:30.said I'm sure we have had a leak. There is a big damp patch. But it
:23:30. > :23:35.wasn't damp, and the marks only got worse. Although the carpet did come
:23:35. > :23:39.with a 12-month guarantee, it was now 15 months since they had it
:23:39. > :23:43.fitted. So the couple contacted the carpet shop, they had bought
:23:43. > :23:51.carpets from there many times before, and know the owner, Steve,
:23:51. > :23:56.well. So this is the carpet that Paul and Bev chose. This is an 80%
:23:56. > :24:02.wool twist. Heavy duty, and you would expect this to be on the
:24:02. > :24:06.floor, probably, 15-odd years. Steve wanted his loyal customers to
:24:06. > :24:09.remain happy one, so he set about trying to help. In October 2010,
:24:09. > :24:16.after inspecting the carpet, he reported the problem to the
:24:16. > :24:19.wholesaler who supplied it, a company called Warren Mills Ltd.
:24:19. > :24:24.kept ringing and saying what's happening. He said he had made skon
:24:24. > :24:28.tact, they had promised to -- contact, and they promised to get
:24:28. > :24:32.back, he said nothing was happening. I said give me the phone number and
:24:32. > :24:37.I will put some weight behind me. Eventually after months of trying,
:24:37. > :24:42.Paul got hold of the director of Warren Mills and he sent an
:24:42. > :24:47.inspector, he said it was, indeed, a called case of carpet pile
:24:47. > :24:54.reversal. What exactly does it mean. Derek and Paul are experts in this
:24:54. > :25:02.mysterious phenomenon, we asked them to explain. Nice wavey line,
:25:02. > :25:06.coming over the door. Classic pile reversal. In a structure like
:25:07. > :25:11.carpet, which is individual tufts of yarn, made and designed to stand
:25:11. > :25:15.upright for the first few moments of the life, then it will take a
:25:15. > :25:20.lean in some direction, some force causes various areas, occasionally
:25:20. > :25:28.to not go with the mass of the carpet, but to lie in an opposite
:25:28. > :25:32.direction, or reverse. The causes are unclear, but Derek has
:25:32. > :25:38.successfully fixed the pile problem in houses of carpets, but
:25:38. > :25:42.unfortunately in this case it is unsolvable. This carpet has 10%
:25:42. > :25:47.polyester in it, which makes t unfortunately, untreatable. I'm
:25:47. > :25:53.afraid that is how it is going to look. Unless, of course, it is
:25:53. > :25:56.replaced. Which is exactly what Paul wanted Warren Mills Ltd to do,
:25:56. > :26:01.in February 2011, the company promised to do just that, which
:26:01. > :26:05.should have been the end of it. But when weeks turned into months, and
:26:05. > :26:10.no carpet had arrived, Paul tried to speak to the boss at Warren
:26:10. > :26:13.Mills to find out why. I rang again, and again, and again. Eventually he
:26:13. > :26:18.answers, and I say, what's happening, and he says he doesn't
:26:18. > :26:24.know, he's looking into it, can you leave it with me. He kept fobbing
:26:24. > :26:29.us off. And then another complication. Warren Mills were now
:26:29. > :26:34.saying that they would only replace the faulty carpet, if Paul returned
:26:34. > :26:38.the old one first. I was rather worried, I had family coming round
:26:38. > :26:43.for Christmas, 16 of us, I was thinking to myself, right mum and
:26:43. > :26:46.dad and all the grandchildren, are we going to be looking at floor
:26:46. > :26:51.boards. At the carpet shop, the owner, Steve, was also surprised at
:26:51. > :26:58.this request, something, he says, he has never heard in 30 years of
:26:58. > :27:01.trading. So he and Paul told Warren Mills that they wouldn't return the
:27:01. > :27:04.carpet until the replacement arrived. When there was no further
:27:04. > :27:10.word from the company, Steve and Paul felt they had no choice but to
:27:10. > :27:13.start court proceedings. When we contacted Warren Mills, they said
:27:13. > :27:17.they were disappointed they haven't managed to reach an amicable
:27:17. > :27:22.solution on this. And although they don't agree with Paul's version of
:27:22. > :27:25.event, they are sorry he feels fobbed off. They say the
:27:25. > :27:29.replacement carpet was offered as a gesture of goodwill, and feel they
:27:29. > :27:32.have been more than helpful in attempting to resolve this
:27:32. > :27:36.complaint. Almost two years since they first reported the problem,
:27:36. > :27:42.Paul and Bev wouldn't agree, they feel their problem has been swept
:27:42. > :27:46.under the carpet, they just want it finally laid to rest.
:27:46. > :27:52.We seem to have hit a brick wall, really. It doesn't seem to be going
:27:52. > :27:55.any further. We're not giving up, he has to do what he says he will
:27:55. > :27:58.do and replace this carpet. If you find that you have bought something
:27:58. > :28:04.that really isn't up to the standard that you expect, you may
:28:04. > :28:14.be able to make a claim under the Sale of Goods Act. Can find out a
:28:14. > :28:16.
:28:16. > :28:21.lot more detailts on the website. The Rip Off Britain team has come
:28:21. > :28:24.to the metro centre in the north- east to open up our very own Pop-Up
:28:25. > :28:27.Shop. It is our opportunity to meet many
:28:27. > :28:32.of you face-to-face, and hear about your problems.
:28:32. > :28:36.We have a whole team of experts, ready, willing and able to sort out
:28:36. > :28:41.all your problems. And problems close to home, high on
:28:41. > :28:45.the list of complaints, that consumers were keen for advice on.
:28:45. > :28:50.When squadron leader Adele was posted abroad with the RAF, she
:28:50. > :28:53.decided to rent out her property, a process she thought would be
:28:53. > :28:56.relatively simple and inexpensive. I contacted the mortgage company
:28:56. > :29:00.and said I would manage this myself from now on, that is where the
:29:00. > :29:04.problem started. They insisted on getting a solicitor involved, who
:29:04. > :29:08.checked the rental agreement, that should have been straight forward,
:29:08. > :29:12.a couple of hundred pounds, by the time we had sorted it all out, the
:29:12. > :29:17.solicitors fees came to �800. we talking about sensible figures
:29:17. > :29:21.here, or is she being ripped off? feel the legal fees you have ended
:29:21. > :29:25.up paying are on the high side. What I would say is when you enter
:29:25. > :29:28.an arrangement with a solicitor, they should be crystal clear and
:29:28. > :29:32.transparent about the level of fee that is you are going to be getting
:29:32. > :29:36.into. Can you ask in advance what you are likely to be charged for
:29:36. > :29:40.this? Not just that, but actually solicitors are under a professional
:29:40. > :29:43.duty, according to their conduct rules, to tell you in advance what
:29:43. > :29:48.they are going to be charging. If you aren't happy with the legal
:29:48. > :29:51.service that is you have received, then every legal firm should have a
:29:51. > :29:57.complaints procedure. If you are not satisfied with that, then you
:29:57. > :30:01.can go to the legal ombudsman. me an idea of the ball park figure
:30:01. > :30:08.that your firm would charge? would have looked at a fixed fee of
:30:08. > :30:11.�250 or something like that. Many of you write to us with your
:30:11. > :30:16.consumer complaints, we have come up with a novel way of sharing them.
:30:16. > :30:21.We call it our Gripe Box, there are plenty of things that you are keen
:30:21. > :30:25.to get off your chests. I have come here to complain about my dentist,
:30:25. > :30:30.the prices. Car insurance has gone up really high for some reason at
:30:30. > :30:36.the minute, I don't understand why. My complaint is about mobile phone
:30:36. > :30:40.tarrifs. I believe that we are all being ripped off. Phone calls from
:30:40. > :30:43.PPI people, constant, don't stop. Someone who very much regrets
:30:43. > :30:47.answering a call about payment protection insurance is Isabelle,
:30:47. > :30:54.she paid out hundreds of pounds up front to a company who offered to
:30:54. > :30:59.pursue a claim on her behalf. sent me the forms, I signed them,
:30:59. > :31:02.sent them back, and found out it was a scam. I have lost �1800, just
:31:02. > :31:06.over. For anyone thinking of using a claims management company, it is
:31:06. > :31:11.really important to never pay any fee up front. It sound like the one
:31:11. > :31:15.you have been dealing with, are ultimately conartists, they are not
:31:15. > :31:19.even purr -- con artists, they are not pursuing the claim for you.
:31:19. > :31:25.Over the last ten months I have been getting messages on my mobile
:31:25. > :31:29.phone, which starts "our records show that you may be entitled to
:31:29. > :31:33.�2,000". They may be genuine claims management companies, although it
:31:33. > :31:41.is illegal to cold call you in that way. They often put at the end of
:31:41. > :31:45.the text message, to stop receiving these texts text back "STOP", you
:31:45. > :31:52.are telling them they have hit a valid phone number, our advice is
:31:52. > :31:55.not use these companies at all. If you are owed a valid compensation
:31:55. > :32:00.payment you should get every penny of it. If you want to find out
:32:00. > :32:10.exactly how to make a claim yourself, all the details are on
:32:10. > :32:12.
:32:12. > :32:16.our website. For most of us, our boiler is as crucial as it can be
:32:16. > :32:20.troublesome, which is why when you are next viewer needed another one,
:32:20. > :32:24.she decided she would get top of the range cover to make sure if
:32:24. > :32:27.anything went wrong in the future, it would quickly be put right. She
:32:27. > :32:30.doesn't feel the cover has given her the service she expected. What
:32:30. > :32:36.makes that especially frustrating s she bought it from one of the
:32:36. > :32:43.biggest names in the business. At British Gas we have it covered.
:32:43. > :32:48.As you can see, their ads promise the earth. That's because our cover
:32:48. > :32:52.comes with unlimited callouts. Which is why Trish turned to
:32:52. > :32:58.British Gas, when a few years ago, she needed advice on her rapidly
:32:58. > :33:05.ageing boiler. I had a boiler for 25 years. Which got to the stage
:33:05. > :33:11.where it really wasn't surable any more. So, being disabled I decided
:33:11. > :33:15.one of the most important things, as I got older and in more pain,
:33:15. > :33:19.was heating. The country's biggest energy supplier was there to help.
:33:19. > :33:26.The first port of call was British Gas, because I was already on a
:33:26. > :33:31.direct debit for my gas and electricity. And also, I had had a
:33:31. > :33:36.home care policy with them, which covers plumbing, electricity,
:33:36. > :33:39.anything that breaks down in the house. Now because Trish has a
:33:39. > :33:42.warm-air heating system, British Gas say they couldn't fit a new
:33:42. > :33:47.boiler themselves. But they did suggest a company who could come
:33:47. > :33:56.and do the job. And with that recommendation, Trish didn't
:33:56. > :34:02.hesitate. It was �2,600-odd, but I didn't approach anybody else to
:34:02. > :34:11.give me a quote. Because I thought they were so trustworthy. You can
:34:11. > :34:15.count on us to come to your rescue. Look after your world with HomeCare.
:34:15. > :34:20.Although Trish already had British Gas HomeCare over, when she had the
:34:20. > :34:26.new boiler installed, she decided to have it upgraded. She signed up
:34:26. > :34:29.for the top of the change policy, which British Gas calls its most
:34:29. > :34:37.comprehensive package. I thought the most sensible bring to do was
:34:37. > :34:46.to have the highest premium, which covers me for everything. That is
:34:46. > :34:50.costing me �35 a month. It is quite a lot of money. �420 a year, in
:34:50. > :34:55.fact, but included in that is an annual service, and when Trish
:34:55. > :34:58.booked the first one in, she didn't think it would throw up anything
:34:58. > :35:06.unexpected. The engineer came, very pleasant, had a cup of tea and a
:35:06. > :35:12.chat. Signed a piece of paper, away he went. It was only a couple of
:35:12. > :35:20.hours later when I thought I better file that, I saw, big circle,
:35:20. > :35:24.advice note. Circle around that. Saying, "this is not up to current
:35:24. > :35:29.standards". Shocked to hear that only eight months after it was
:35:29. > :35:32.fitted, her new boiler was classed as "not up to current standards",
:35:32. > :35:36.Trish called British Gas, who sent around another engineer to take a
:35:36. > :35:40.look. The next person said, oh, the vent above your front door is not
:35:40. > :35:44.the right size, we will have to send somebody to knock the whole
:35:44. > :35:50.above the front door. Then they sent somebody down with the new
:35:50. > :35:54.vents, he said, I'm very sorry, it is the wrong size. So away we go.
:35:54. > :35:58.Although that problem of sorted, for Trish that was just the start.
:35:58. > :36:05.Because over the next four years, each annual service seemed to throw
:36:05. > :36:08.up more issues. This year I was told that the vents in the
:36:08. > :36:16.cupboards had had actually been installed upside down. It goes on
:36:16. > :36:19.and on. After each visit Trish has been given a check list of what the
:36:19. > :36:24.yearly service has revealed. Each time, not always for the same
:36:24. > :36:34.reason, that list has said her boiler doesn't meet current safety
:36:34. > :36:40.
:36:40. > :36:45.standards. This is a Homescare -- Home Care, check list, it says it
:36:45. > :36:53.is not safe, it says the appliance doesn't conform to the current
:36:53. > :36:57.safety standards, and comments at the bottom, the flu bend and
:36:57. > :37:03.compartment vent configuration not up to current standard. After
:37:03. > :37:07.spending all that money, I expect every one to say "passed". What
:37:07. > :37:11.Trish had assumed the policy would do, was not just to tell her
:37:11. > :37:16.everything was wrong, but, if necessary, put the problems right.
:37:16. > :37:22.I should not be faced with check lists saying "not up to current
:37:22. > :37:27.standard", when I have laid out thousands of pound, how can I go to
:37:28. > :37:32.anybody else, if my paperwork says "not up to current standard", I
:37:32. > :37:36.can't ask anybody else to insure me. I'm stuck. They have got me over a
:37:36. > :37:39.barrel. We asked the company who had fitted the boiler, why each
:37:39. > :37:42.service, rather than reassuring Trish, has left her confused and
:37:42. > :37:47.worried. As soon as they heard from us, they went straight round to
:37:47. > :37:51.have a look. And when they did, they told us they are confident
:37:51. > :37:57.that the product and installation do complay with all relevant safety
:37:57. > :38:00.regulations and no safety problem exists. A big relief for Trish, but
:38:00. > :38:05.why then does she keep being told that the system does not meet
:38:05. > :38:08.current safety standards. British Gas told us they are
:38:08. > :38:14.committed to ensuring that Trish has confidence in her home care
:38:14. > :38:16.policy. But that it doesn't cover atations or improvements to
:38:17. > :38:24.existing installations. And though, when it comes to safety, they
:38:24. > :38:28.always err on the side of caution, but had more detailed manufacture
:38:28. > :38:32.er's guidance been researched, the engineers may have concurred that
:38:32. > :38:37.the condition of the warm air unit did meet current standards. They
:38:37. > :38:44.accept being told every year it didn't was extremely distressing
:38:44. > :38:48.for Trish, for which they apologise, unreservedly. For �425 a year,
:38:48. > :38:55.Trish had expected her home care policy would give her peace of mind,
:38:55. > :39:00.and not do exactly the opposite. This really was a huge investment
:39:00. > :39:10.For me, and to receive a check list that tells me it is not up to
:39:10. > :39:11.
:39:11. > :39:21.current standard, is horrendous. Confused over your bills? Trying to
:39:21. > :39:33.
:39:33. > :39:39.wade through wojing of small print? The team is ready and waiting to
:39:39. > :39:43.investigate your stories. It's always our aim to get you straight
:39:43. > :39:48.answers and advice on what to do if you feel you have been ripped off.
:39:48. > :39:55.So I went to interview operations and policy director of the Trading
:39:55. > :39:59.Standards Institute, Andy foster. Andy Foster. How far can you go in
:39:59. > :40:02.protecting and supporting consumers? Consumers need to be
:40:02. > :40:05.empowered. They need to be educated to a point where they can make good
:40:05. > :40:09.decisions, that they understand what their rights are, so they can
:40:09. > :40:15.stand up for themselves, when things go wrong. But also, when
:40:15. > :40:18.things do get a point where things fall into dispute with a trader and
:40:19. > :40:23.they can't find agreement, there needs to be enforcement action, and
:40:23. > :40:27.justice against the trader. Do you have the teeth and power to take
:40:27. > :40:31.legal action on behalf of a consumer, if they have been ripped
:40:31. > :40:34.off? It depends on the circumstance. There are two strands of law in the
:40:35. > :40:39.country, there is civil issues, you bought something and it has gone
:40:39. > :40:42.wrong, there is also breaches of criminal legislation, for example,
:40:42. > :40:45.fraudulent activity, or somebody selling fake goods N those
:40:45. > :40:51.circumstances we have good teeth. We have strong powers, what we
:40:51. > :40:55.don't have is infinite capacity. Rogue traders, builders, we get
:40:55. > :40:58.loads of letters and e-mail about this. People pay for work, it is
:40:58. > :41:01.never completed. Can Trading Standards do anything in those
:41:01. > :41:04.circumstances? This is generally going to be a civil dispute, no
:41:04. > :41:10.different to buying a car and it has broken down, and you have paid
:41:10. > :41:14.somebody to build a garden wall and it hasn't been built, or it is
:41:14. > :41:18.part-built and they go and do another job. And you have paid them
:41:18. > :41:23.in full? That is the first lesson, don't pay them in full, choose
:41:23. > :41:26.somebody who is part of a trade association, if it is an OFT
:41:26. > :41:31.approved code, they will have protection on the deposit. If the
:41:31. > :41:34.company goes bust or you find yourself in a dispute, your money
:41:34. > :41:37.is protected. Would you sum up the things that make your job easier,
:41:37. > :41:40.powers that you don't have, that you would like the Government to
:41:40. > :41:44.give you? We did a piece of research with the Office of Fair
:41:44. > :41:48.Trading recently, that said, over a lifetime, the average consumer
:41:48. > :41:51.loses about �5,000 a year, because they don't stand up for their
:41:51. > :41:54.selves, either they feel intimidated or they don't
:41:54. > :41:57.understand their rights when they take something back. He had
:41:57. > :42:01.cautious and the next thing is a proper enforcement regime, we have
:42:01. > :42:06.a very well advanced enforcement regime, one of the best in the
:42:06. > :42:11.world. No matter how good our laws are, if you don't invest in
:42:11. > :42:15.enforcement when things go wroun, the laws are worth -- wrong, the
:42:15. > :42:21.laws are worthless. The third thing is, how to empower consume Tories
:42:21. > :42:25.make good decisions. Thank you very much indeed.
:42:25. > :42:29.I think we would all agree that it is never good to find you have been
:42:29. > :42:34.ripped off. But some how, it is particularly bad when it affects
:42:34. > :42:37.your own home. As ever, one way or another, it is quite often
:42:37. > :42:41.paperwork that is at the root of the problem. Whether it has been a
:42:41. > :42:51.promise that hasn't been kept, or, a clause that you didn't quite
:42:51. > :42:52.
:42:52. > :42:55.understand. We get a lot of that, won't dough we -- don't we.
:42:55. > :42:58.don't always get you what you sign up to. But going through all the
:42:58. > :43:03.terms and conditions is the best way to protect yourself and your
:43:03. > :43:05.property. I couldn't have said it better myself, your home is the
:43:05. > :43:09.most important asset you will probably ever have, battling
:43:09. > :43:14.through all that small print, is really worthwhile in the end. Even