Episode 4 Rip Off Britain

We asked you to tell us who has left you feeling ripped off. And

you contacted us in your thousands. By post, e-mail, even stopping us

on the streets. And the mess avreage couldn't be clearer. --

message couldn't be clearer. There is a lot of hidden

information about your bills that should be made a lot more clear.

don't feel I get treated how I should. You told us with money

tighter than ever, you need every pound to be worth it. How do I get

my money back, I think I'm entitled. Whether it is a deliberate rip-off,

a simple mistake, or a catch in the small print, we will find out why

it is that you are out of pocket, and what can you do about it.

asking the questions, keep going to the top. We do get the results.

That is the interesting thing. stories, your money. This is Rip

Off Britain. Welcome to Rip Off Britain, where,

as always, we three are on hand to fight your corner in those

situations that haven't just cost you time and money, but have also

probably cost you an awful lot of grief along the way. All the people

we will be hearing from today will say they have been treated unfairly,

either because of small print, that they don't think was clear, or

plain and simple bad customer service, and I tell you, we have

quite a few examples of that come up. I must say it has been a huge

mail bag, and some of the problems are really quite shocking, with

huge sums of money, that stand to be lost. They are all to do with

problems around the home, and big problems, at that. In one case it

could hardly be worse. We will also hear about a

conservatory that suddenly shattered for no reason. Why hasn't

the guarantee, that came with it, put things right. It was absolutely

frightening, this glass kept falling, just plummeting everywhere,

and shooting everywhere. Plus, a mysterious problem that could be in

your home too. A particularly nasty case of it, that after months,

still hasn't been sorted. We just seem to have hit a brick wall,

really. It is not just going any further. More of your problems

solved at our Pop-Up Shop. What do you have to do to be

classed as "occupying your home", does it mean you stay there

overnight, or is it being at the property every day? Now, I admit

that may seem rather than odd question, but it is one that really

matters. When it comes to house insurance.

As this next couple found out, they face losing everything, because of

that one tiny detail, which makes all the different.

Andrew Hill is a carpenter, skilled at what he does, so when he and his

girlfriend decided to buy a house in the town of Glastonbury, they

wanted one that they could work on. And, with a fit of financial help

from his dad and a mortgage, they found the perfect bungalow, priced

at �138,000. We had gone for a really rundown bungalow that needed

a lot of work to do, and a project for me. With all the paperwork done

via a consultant at Countrywide Estate agents, the redevelopment

began. For 12 month, evenings and weekends, they worked on the

project. Coming to the end it was looking amazing, every room we were

happy with, it was ready to move in. On the night of April 9th 2011,

just two weeks before they were due to move in, disaster struck. A

neighbour's home caught fire, and the fire quickly spread to Andrew

and Chaska's house, with devastating consequences. Got the

call from my best friend's sister, she said your neighbour's house is

on fire, and within 20 minutes, half an house it was ripping

through our roof. And I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I felt sick, gutted, shocked. big room here, and that bit over

there is the extension, which Andrew built, and this bit here,

which is now the kitchen, of the second bedroom. So this was the

original kitchen, which is now turned into the third bedroom, it

was beautiful, and ready to move into. As all of their hard work

burnt to the ground in front of them, their only comfort was, along

with their mortgage, they had taken out home protection and insurance.

People kept reassuring us saying you are sured, it will be tough for

a few months. That is an understatement, they put in a claim

on their policy, which organised by Countrywide, was underwritten by

Axia, one of the biggest names in the insurance business. Their claim

was rejected. On the grounds that the house wasn't permanently lived

in during renovation. They said if we had known what your plans were,

we would never have insured you, and basically our insurance was

void because the property, they said the property was unoccupied.

And this is how Axia's policy spells out what they say unoccupied

means. "not permanently lived in by you or a person authorised by you

for more than 60 consecutive days". That is what it says. It is the

ambiguity about what the word "occupied" means, is at the root of

Andrew's problems now. There is no industry standard definition. As

far as Andrew was concerned, because he was at the house every

day, and the occasional night, he was occupying it. And that's how

his dad, Paul, understood things too. We had been quite open,

complaipbgd our situation, on number -- explained our situation,

on numerous occasions, completely overwhelmed and shocked by the way

it has turned out. All because of the word "occupancy" and

"unoccupancy", I can't get it out of my head, those two words. How

we're in a battle now trying to prove it. Andrew insists that when

he bought the policy, at Countrywide, who also arranged his

mortgage for him, he had explained in detail, exactly what he would be

doing in the house, and how often he would be there. His dad, also at

a meeting with the broker agrees? There is absolutely no doubt in my

mind, that the mortgage consultant knew exactly what our plans were,

we discussed it in great detail. We went through every question, we

discussed our plans, we told her that we were not going to be living

in there, we told that we were going to modernisation work, and

when all the works were completed, Andrew would be moving in. How did

Andrew end up with a policy that didn't give him the cover that he

needed A question, when they rejected his claim, the insurers,

Axia, said they couldn't answer. When speaking to Axia, they came

back and said our argument was with the broker, so we went back to the

broker, and they basically said that we never told her.

Unfortunately we are told, regardless of whatever we said,

there is nothing there to prove what went on at that meeting, in

that office, that night. We are trying to fight a battle, and we

can't prove what was said. there should be an easy way to

clear all this up. The Financial Services Authority has guidelines

requiring anyone selling insurance toe keep careful notes of the

meetings that they had. So that, if later, there is a dispute over

exactly what was said, those notes can settle it. But Countrywide has

failed to produce any such records. As a result, when Andrew took his

case to the Financial Ombudsman Service, their initial response was

to say that they were not minded to uphold his complaint, because,

without any recordings, or detailed notes of the sales meetings, with

Countrywide, there was no evidence to suggest the policy had been mis-

sold. But Andrew and Chaska were determined not to give up. For them,

it still makes no sense that after Andrew spent all his free time

doing up the house, that is not enough to mean that he occupied it

permanently. Every single morning, evening, the doors opened to that

property, I never left the property for more than 30 days, even two

days, because I just wanted to keep on battling through, to get it

finished to move in. We spoke to insurers Axia about Andrew's

situation. They reiterated his claim was rejected because the

house was not permanently occupied. The fact they had only known about

after the fire. If they had been aware of it at the time of purchase,

they would not have provided cover. They bounce the issue back towards

Countrywide, saying it was their responsibility to only sell

policies to customers that meet the criteria. When we pushed

Countrywide for an explanation, they said, while their committed to

providing excellent products and services to customer, they do not

comment on the detail of individual cases.

They didn't explain why they hadn't been able to produce any notes at

all from the sales meeting that they had with Andrew, as the

guidelines said they should. Then there was some encouraging news, in

July, after looking at the case again, the Financial Ombudsman

Service upheld Andrew's complaint against Countrywide, concluding the

policy was mis-sold on the basis of all the evidence. So we went back

to Countrywide once more, although they said they were reviewing the

case, there was no guarantee they would accept the new ruling, Andrew

and Chaska still facing losing the entire value of their home.

fire actually started in our next door neighbour's house, their house

has been rebuilt because their insurance has paid out. Our house

is still left like this, our insurance won't pay. At the moment

we are stuck between the broker and the insurer, and I have still got

to pay for the mortgage, my loans, for this pile of rubbish.

But just as this programme was being finished, there was a very

welcome final twist. Insurers, Axia rang Andrew at work w a change of

heart. I had to go outside I couldn't hear the lady properly,

she said Axia will pay for the full rebuild of your house. It was like

the winning lottery ticket. I was running around, shouting. Jumping

around. You came home from work, because you needed to sit down and

take this information in. couldn't work any more, I was just

walking around just smiling, shouting. Ringing all my friends up,

saying guess what, they are going to pay.

Axia say, after reviewing the case in more detail, they understand

that Andrew answered all the application questions honestly, and

should not be disadvantaged because of a miscommunication between them

and Countrywide, they will pay the claim in full, and give appropriate

compensation. It's finally coming to an end. We can actually start to

get on with our lives, and look forward to the future, rather than

just being in complete and utter...Have A black cloud over our

head, our lives have been on hold for the last 18 months, finally we

can look to the future. Yeah. We all make mistake, and big

companies are no exception. It's what they do, or don't do to put

those mistakes right, that can leave you feeling ripped off. So

you need to know what your rights r and where to go when you don't

think you have been treated fairly. We have put together a new free

booklet of practical tips and advice. You can download it from

In recent years, as we have all tightened our belt, it has become

increasingly common for people who might have fancied moving to a new

home, to, instead, improve, or extend, the one that they have

already got. That's exactly what Bob and Margaret Shilton did, and

the work they had done even came with a guarantee. But was that

guarantee worth the paper that it was written on?

Here is how their confidence in that guarantee, and indeed in their

new Conservativery, both ended up shattered.

Five years ago, Margaret and Bob Shilton, decided to add a new

conservatory to their home, so they could enjoy looking at their

outdoor space, all year round. the weather is sunny, it is

absolutely wonderful to sit in the conservatory, and look on our small

garden and watch the birds going in and out of nesting boxes. Margaret

and Bob spent �15,000 on the conservatory, and an extra �9,000

for associated work on the roof. And for the next four years, they

spent as much time in there as they possibly could. Then one sunny day

in July 2011, all of that suddenly changed.

There was a rather large bang from the back of the bungalow. I walked

through to the conservatory, and then I heard a large cracking noise.

Which made me look upwards, and to my horror, there was a rather large

hole in one of the panes of class, and major cracks appearing all the

way round it. And worse than just cracks, glass was raining down.

It was frightening, the amount of glass that was coming down, and

also the length of time it was going on, ten, 15 minutes, this

glass kept falling. And just plummeting everywhere.

The thing that worried me about it, of fact that Margaret, four minutes

earlier had been sat at the table on the computer. When the coast was

clear, Margaret and Bob examined the damage. They could see that one

of the large roof panes had almost entirely shattered. Although it was

a mystery as to why. Because, although the interior pane had

smashed, the glass own the outside remained intact -- on the outside

remained intact. I couldn't understand at all why

the pane of glass had shattered, and there wasn't anybody at all in

the conservatory, absolutely nothing. It was a total conundrum.

The glass had also scratched and dented some of Margaret and Bob's

possessions. My presenter was covered with glass,

and it was obvious - printer was covered with glass, and it was

obvious it was not much use, and my favourite chair for sitting at the

computer was covered in glass shards, about two inches deep.

Fortunately Margaret had kept all the paperwork from when they had

bought the conservatory. From a company called Reflections Limited.

She was reassured to find in the terms and conditions, it was

guaranteed for five years since "fair wear and tear". I felt much

happier when I found out we had the five-year guarantee on the windows,

and this had happened after four years. I was very happy to know

that the window would be replaced. So, Margaret called Reflections,

and the company sent round an engineer to investigate. When he

left, she and Bob were optimistic that all would be put right quite

quickly. But when a letter eventually arrived in the post, it

didn't have the news that the couple were expecting. The letter

that arrived from Reflections, told us, that the window wasn't covered

by their five-year guarantee. Due to the amount of time that had past

since the conservatory had been put up. Which was only four years

previously, and it was a five-year guarantee. Reflections did say, if

the Shiltons bought a new pane of glass for �324, they would fit it

gree of charge as a goodwill -- free of charge, as a goodwill

gesture. After spending so much money with the company, Margaret

and Bob, didn't feel that was enough goodwill. I thought I could

expect better customer service than we're getting at the moment.

Margaret rang Reflections Windows Ltd, to ask why their five-year

guarantee was to the valid after four, and was given another reason

why the company did not consider itself liable for the repair.

I spoke to the managing director of Reflections, he was of the opinion

that anything could have happened and anything could have hit it.

Shiltons think it very unlike that -- unlikely that something could

have hit the conservatory, because the pane of glass that broke of on

the inside. If something had hit on the outside, wouldn't that be one

of the panes that broke, as for the inside, though the window does have

specialist blinded fits, they were in place without any problems for

two years. There was nothing to suggest they had anything at all to

do with what happened. Then Reflections delivered another blow

to any hopes that the couple had that the guarantee might be

honoured. According to the managing direct to it is basically down to

us to prove that we didn't misuse the window in any way. Other than

that, the guarantee from the company was invalid. If we couldn't

provide any form of proof. Worried that their chances of getting the

problem sorted were going out of the window, the Shiltons contacted

a solicitor. Own their behalf, she wrote to Reflections, but did not

get a response. It is months now since my shris wrote to Reflection,

and -- solicitor wrote to Reflection, and we haven't heard

anything at all from them. And I don't think they are taking their

responsibility of care at all. we contacted Reflections, the

company did respond, initially with a change of heart. They told us,

though they didn't accept liability, they would replace the unit, free

of charge, as a goodwill gesture, which seemed like good news for Bob

and Margaret, a date was even agreed for the work to be done. But

then, a few days later, the company's managing director e-

mailed again, to say that he had changed his mind. He now said that

the company has no goodwill available to extend to the Shiltons,

and as they don't accept liability, they refuse to spend any more time,

money or stress on this situation. That's something we haven't

experienced before, and as far as Bob and Margaret are concerned,

that is now twice that Reflections have gone back on a promise. I feel

a lot better if this was all sorted out, and the window was replaced,

and checked the rest of them to make sure they are all safe and

nothing was wrong. Their guarantees are abs light worthless.

Still to come on Rip Off Britain, after she spent thousands of pounds

buying her boiler, why has this woman been left wondering if it's

even safe? This was a huge investment, and to receive a check

list that tells me it is not up to current standard, is horde rendous.

-- Horrendous. Next we have got something of a mystery, two

mysteries, the first is something that we wonder about quite a lot

about on this programme, that is how can some companies take so long

to sort out a customer's problem, but the second, well that's

something that we have never come across before. It's an odd

occurrance that's found in, otherwise, ordinary homes. Who

knows, perhaps it's even happening in your's too.

There's something strange lurking under foot in this house.

appeared out of nowhere, overnight, more or less. It was just a wavey

line, and I thought, there's something leaking under the carpet.

I have been here 23 years, and this is the worst case that I have ever

seen. It's a weird phenomena. This is a case of carpet pile

reversal. An unusual occurrance that leaves or thery household

carpets looking markeded and ugly. It is unsightly and annoying, and

Paul and Bev have a nasty case of it. Three years ago we decided we

would have a carpet change, we picked a nice quality carpet, so we

thought, we have had this carpet fitted through our main lounge,

through into the middle sitting room, it goes all upstairs, landing

and everywhere. The carpet was over �3,000, in the end, fitted and

everything else. It was in 2010, 15 months after the carpet had been

professionally laid, that these strange marks started appearing on

it. I came downstairs one morning, I shouted to my husband, Paul, I

said I'm sure we have had a leak. There is a big damp patch. But it

wasn't damp, and the marks only got worse. Although the carpet did come

with a 12-month guarantee, it was now 15 months since they had it

fitted. So the couple contacted the carpet shop, they had bought

carpets from there many times before, and know the owner, Steve,

well. So this is the carpet that Paul and Bev chose. This is an 80%

wool twist. Heavy duty, and you would expect this to be on the

floor, probably, 15-odd years. Steve wanted his loyal customers to

remain happy one, so he set about trying to help. In October 2010,

after inspecting the carpet, he reported the problem to the

wholesaler who supplied it, a company called Warren Mills Ltd.

kept ringing and saying what's happening. He said he had made skon

tact, they had promised to -- contact, and they promised to get

back, he said nothing was happening. I said give me the phone number and

I will put some weight behind me. Eventually after months of trying,

Paul got hold of the director of Warren Mills and he sent an

inspector, he said it was, indeed, a called case of carpet pile

reversal. What exactly does it mean. Derek and Paul are experts in this

mysterious phenomenon, we asked them to explain. Nice wavey line,

coming over the door. Classic pile reversal. In a structure like

carpet, which is individual tufts of yarn, made and designed to stand

upright for the first few moments of the life, then it will take a

lean in some direction, some force causes various areas, occasionally

to not go with the mass of the carpet, but to lie in an opposite

direction, or reverse. The causes are unclear, but Derek has

successfully fixed the pile problem in houses of carpets, but

unfortunately in this case it is unsolvable. This carpet has 10%

polyester in it, which makes t unfortunately, untreatable. I'm

afraid that is how it is going to look. Unless, of course, it is

replaced. Which is exactly what Paul wanted Warren Mills Ltd to do,

in February 2011, the company promised to do just that, which

should have been the end of it. But when weeks turned into months, and

no carpet had arrived, Paul tried to speak to the boss at Warren

Mills to find out why. I rang again, and again, and again. Eventually he

answers, and I say, what's happening, and he says he doesn't

know, he's looking into it, can you leave it with me. He kept fobbing

us off. And then another complication. Warren Mills were now

saying that they would only replace the faulty carpet, if Paul returned

the old one first. I was rather worried, I had family coming round

for Christmas, 16 of us, I was thinking to myself, right mum and

dad and all the grandchildren, are we going to be looking at floor

boards. At the carpet shop, the owner, Steve, was also surprised at

this request, something, he says, he has never heard in 30 years of

trading. So he and Paul told Warren Mills that they wouldn't return the

carpet until the replacement arrived. When there was no further

word from the company, Steve and Paul felt they had no choice but to

start court proceedings. When we contacted Warren Mills, they said

they were disappointed they haven't managed to reach an amicable

solution on this. And although they don't agree with Paul's version of

event, they are sorry he feels fobbed off. They say the

replacement carpet was offered as a gesture of goodwill, and feel they

have been more than helpful in attempting to resolve this

complaint. Almost two years since they first reported the problem,

Paul and Bev wouldn't agree, they feel their problem has been swept

under the carpet, they just want it finally laid to rest.

We seem to have hit a brick wall, really. It doesn't seem to be going

any further. We're not giving up, he has to do what he says he will

do and replace this carpet. If you find that you have bought something

that really isn't up to the standard that you expect, you may

be able to make a claim under the Sale of Goods Act. Can find out a

lot more detailts on the website. The Rip Off Britain team has come

to the metro centre in the north- east to open up our very own Pop-Up

Shop. It is our opportunity to meet many

of you face-to-face, and hear about your problems.

We have a whole team of experts, ready, willing and able to sort out

all your problems. And problems close to home, high on

the list of complaints, that consumers were keen for advice on.

When squadron leader Adele was posted abroad with the RAF, she

decided to rent out her property, a process she thought would be

relatively simple and inexpensive. I contacted the mortgage company

and said I would manage this myself from now on, that is where the

problem started. They insisted on getting a solicitor involved, who

checked the rental agreement, that should have been straight forward,

a couple of hundred pounds, by the time we had sorted it all out, the

solicitors fees came to �800. we talking about sensible figures

here, or is she being ripped off? feel the legal fees you have ended

up paying are on the high side. What I would say is when you enter

an arrangement with a solicitor, they should be crystal clear and

transparent about the level of fee that is you are going to be getting

into. Can you ask in advance what you are likely to be charged for

this? Not just that, but actually solicitors are under a professional

duty, according to their conduct rules, to tell you in advance what

they are going to be charging. If you aren't happy with the legal

service that is you have received, then every legal firm should have a

complaints procedure. If you are not satisfied with that, then you

can go to the legal ombudsman. me an idea of the ball park figure

that your firm would charge? would have looked at a fixed fee of

�250 or something like that. Many of you write to us with your

consumer complaints, we have come up with a novel way of sharing them.

We call it our Gripe Box, there are plenty of things that you are keen

to get off your chests. I have come here to complain about my dentist,

the prices. Car insurance has gone up really high for some reason at

the minute, I don't understand why. My complaint is about mobile phone

tarrifs. I believe that we are all being ripped off. Phone calls from

PPI people, constant, don't stop. Someone who very much regrets

answering a call about payment protection insurance is Isabelle,

she paid out hundreds of pounds up front to a company who offered to

pursue a claim on her behalf. sent me the forms, I signed them,

sent them back, and found out it was a scam. I have lost �1800, just

over. For anyone thinking of using a claims management company, it is

really important to never pay any fee up front. It sound like the one

you have been dealing with, are ultimately conartists, they are not

even purr -- con artists, they are not pursuing the claim for you.

Over the last ten months I have been getting messages on my mobile

phone, which starts "our records show that you may be entitled to

�2,000". They may be genuine claims management companies, although it

is illegal to cold call you in that way. They often put at the end of

the text message, to stop receiving these texts text back "STOP", you

are telling them they have hit a valid phone number, our advice is

not use these companies at all. If you are owed a valid compensation

payment you should get every penny of it. If you want to find out

exactly how to make a claim yourself, all the details are on

our website. For most of us, our boiler is as crucial as it can be

troublesome, which is why when you are next viewer needed another one,

she decided she would get top of the range cover to make sure if

anything went wrong in the future, it would quickly be put right. She

doesn't feel the cover has given her the service she expected. What

makes that especially frustrating s she bought it from one of the

biggest names in the business. At British Gas we have it covered.

As you can see, their ads promise the earth. That's because our cover

comes with unlimited callouts. Which is why Trish turned to

British Gas, when a few years ago, she needed advice on her rapidly

ageing boiler. I had a boiler for 25 years. Which got to the stage

where it really wasn't surable any more. So, being disabled I decided

one of the most important things, as I got older and in more pain,

was heating. The country's biggest energy supplier was there to help.

The first port of call was British Gas, because I was already on a

direct debit for my gas and electricity. And also, I had had a

home care policy with them, which covers plumbing, electricity,

anything that breaks down in the house. Now because Trish has a

warm-air heating system, British Gas say they couldn't fit a new

boiler themselves. But they did suggest a company who could come

and do the job. And with that recommendation, Trish didn't

hesitate. It was �2,600-odd, but I didn't approach anybody else to

give me a quote. Because I thought they were so trustworthy. You can

count on us to come to your rescue. Look after your world with HomeCare.

Although Trish already had British Gas HomeCare over, when she had the

new boiler installed, she decided to have it upgraded. She signed up

for the top of the change policy, which British Gas calls its most

comprehensive package. I thought the most sensible bring to do was

to have the highest premium, which covers me for everything. That is

costing me �35 a month. It is quite a lot of money. �420 a year, in

fact, but included in that is an annual service, and when Trish

booked the first one in, she didn't think it would throw up anything

unexpected. The engineer came, very pleasant, had a cup of tea and a

chat. Signed a piece of paper, away he went. It was only a couple of

hours later when I thought I better file that, I saw, big circle,

advice note. Circle around that. Saying, "this is not up to current

standards". Shocked to hear that only eight months after it was

fitted, her new boiler was classed as "not up to current standards",

Trish called British Gas, who sent around another engineer to take a

look. The next person said, oh, the vent above your front door is not

the right size, we will have to send somebody to knock the whole

above the front door. Then they sent somebody down with the new

vents, he said, I'm very sorry, it is the wrong size. So away we go.

Although that problem of sorted, for Trish that was just the start.

Because over the next four years, each annual service seemed to throw

up more issues. This year I was told that the vents in the

cupboards had had actually been installed upside down. It goes on

and on. After each visit Trish has been given a check list of what the

yearly service has revealed. Each time, not always for the same

reason, that list has said her boiler doesn't meet current safety

standards. This is a Homescare -- Home Care, check list, it says it

is not safe, it says the appliance doesn't conform to the current

safety standards, and comments at the bottom, the flu bend and

compartment vent configuration not up to current standard. After

spending all that money, I expect every one to say "passed". What

Trish had assumed the policy would do, was not just to tell her

everything was wrong, but, if necessary, put the problems right.

I should not be faced with check lists saying "not up to current

standard", when I have laid out thousands of pound, how can I go to

anybody else, if my paperwork says "not up to current standard", I

can't ask anybody else to insure me. I'm stuck. They have got me over a

barrel. We asked the company who had fitted the boiler, why each

service, rather than reassuring Trish, has left her confused and

worried. As soon as they heard from us, they went straight round to

have a look. And when they did, they told us they are confident

that the product and installation do complay with all relevant safety

regulations and no safety problem exists. A big relief for Trish, but

why then does she keep being told that the system does not meet

current safety standards. British Gas told us they are

committed to ensuring that Trish has confidence in her home care

policy. But that it doesn't cover atations or improvements to

existing installations. And though, when it comes to safety, they

always err on the side of caution, but had more detailed manufacture

er's guidance been researched, the engineers may have concurred that

the condition of the warm air unit did meet current standards. They

accept being told every year it didn't was extremely distressing

for Trish, for which they apologise, unreservedly. For �425 a year,

Trish had expected her home care policy would give her peace of mind,

and not do exactly the opposite. This really was a huge investment

For me, and to receive a check list that tells me it is not up to

current standard, is horrendous. Confused over your bills? Trying to

wade through wojing of small print? The team is ready and waiting to

investigate your stories. It's always our aim to get you straight

answers and advice on what to do if you feel you have been ripped off.

So I went to interview operations and policy director of the Trading

Standards Institute, Andy foster. Andy Foster. How far can you go in

protecting and supporting consumers? Consumers need to be

empowered. They need to be educated to a point where they can make good

decisions, that they understand what their rights are, so they can

stand up for themselves, when things go wrong. But also, when

things do get a point where things fall into dispute with a trader and

they can't find agreement, there needs to be enforcement action, and

justice against the trader. Do you have the teeth and power to take

legal action on behalf of a consumer, if they have been ripped

off? It depends on the circumstance. There are two strands of law in the

country, there is civil issues, you bought something and it has gone

wrong, there is also breaches of criminal legislation, for example,

fraudulent activity, or somebody selling fake goods N those

circumstances we have good teeth. We have strong powers, what we

don't have is infinite capacity. Rogue traders, builders, we get

loads of letters and e-mail about this. People pay for work, it is

never completed. Can Trading Standards do anything in those

circumstances? This is generally going to be a civil dispute, no

different to buying a car and it has broken down, and you have paid

somebody to build a garden wall and it hasn't been built, or it is

part-built and they go and do another job. And you have paid them

in full? That is the first lesson, don't pay them in full, choose

somebody who is part of a trade association, if it is an OFT

approved code, they will have protection on the deposit. If the

company goes bust or you find yourself in a dispute, your money

is protected. Would you sum up the things that make your job easier,

powers that you don't have, that you would like the Government to

give you? We did a piece of research with the Office of Fair

Trading recently, that said, over a lifetime, the average consumer

loses about �5,000 a year, because they don't stand up for their

selves, either they feel intimidated or they don't

understand their rights when they take something back. He had

cautious and the next thing is a proper enforcement regime, we have

a very well advanced enforcement regime, one of the best in the

world. No matter how good our laws are, if you don't invest in

enforcement when things go wroun, the laws are worth -- wrong, the

laws are worthless. The third thing is, how to empower consume Tories

make good decisions. Thank you very much indeed.

I think we would all agree that it is never good to find you have been

ripped off. But some how, it is particularly bad when it affects

your own home. As ever, one way or another, it is quite often

paperwork that is at the root of the problem. Whether it has been a

promise that hasn't been kept, or, a clause that you didn't quite

understand. We get a lot of that, won't dough we -- don't we.

don't always get you what you sign up to. But going through all the

terms and conditions is the best way to protect yourself and your

property. I couldn't have said it better myself, your home is the

most important asset you will probably ever have, battling

through all that small print, is really worthwhile in the end. Even