Episode 8 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 message couldn't be clearer.

I think there's a lot of hidden information about your bills

that should be made a lot more clear.

I don't feel I get treated how I should be.

You've told us, with money tighter than ever,

you need to be sure that every pound you spend is worth it.

How do I get my money back? Because I just think I'm entitled to it.

So whether it's a deliberate rip-off,

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

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

Keep asking the questions, go to the top if you have to.

We do get results. That's the interesting thing.

Your stories, your money. This is Rip-Off Britain.

Hello and welcome to Rip-Off Britain, the programme that

investigates your complaints and tries to get to the bottom

of why you're out of pocket or feel you've been treated unfairly.

When you write to us on the programme, it's usually

because so far you haven't had any joy getting your problem sorted out,

and certainly some of the ones we'll be

hearing about today have rumbled on and on for quite some time

with a fair bit of to-ing and fro-ing, but as yet, no resolution.

But in those circumstances, it can be all too easy to just give up.

But the people we're going to be meeting today have all

battled on to fight their corner,

and whatever the truth of the situations that they found

themselves in, they are determined to make themselves heard.

Coming up, the community forced to keep paying

a charge for something they say they have never had.

People were really angry. There was a lot of shouting.

People feeling that they'd been ripped off, basically.

How this woman is using her experience with a builder who

wrecked her home to save her neighbours from rogue traders.

I thought, well, this might be a chance to stop someone else

being conned out of a lot of money, or even out of a little money.

And more of your problems solved face-to-face at our pop-up shop.

Our green and pleasant land has long inspired poems, songs,

even the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

And if you're lucky enough to live close to some sort of park or

outdoor space, research shows that it can

add as much as £10,000 to the value of your home.

Well, it was the promise of that sort of amenity that made some

of the people in our next story buy their properties in the first place.

But, six years later, the space that they've ended up with

may well be green, but it's not very pleasant.

So, why are they still paying a fee to have it?

When buying a new home, many people are happy to pay a green premium

to be close to parks, woodlands or recreational areas.

And for some of the residents moving into one new development

in Leeds, that was very much a key part of the appeal.

They say when they moved in, it was on the understanding that

the estate would get its own woodland walkway.

I've got a disabled son, so it would've been nice to

take him round there, a nice, safe environment for him.

We could go and build tree-houses and dens,

and just really enjoy what you would call a proper childhood.

However, six years on, the residents are still waiting.

And one of them, Lynn Ward, can take us on a tour to show us

exactly how the space they had such high hopes for has turned out.

There's just loads of bricks and builders' rubble everywhere.

Ugh! It's really not safe.

This is just an overgrown pile of shrubs

and trees that we cannot walk through.

You risk twisting your ankles

or falling or whatever. It's really, really not safe.

Lynn had purchased her house from developer Harron Homes in 2006,

believing that the area would be a safe place for her son Jacob

to play.

But as it is, he has to play elsewhere.

If Jacob wants to go out on his bike,

then either myself or my husband Jeff will go out

and supervise him playing in the street. It's very

dangerous with the cars coming in and out of the street.

A woodland walkway would have been the perfect solution.

Which is why, at first, residents didn't mind

being told they would have to pay the developers an annual charge

of £69 plus VAT, specifically to create and maintain the space.

So, shortly after they moved in, the land was sealed off, which

residents say they were told was to allow time for the trees to develop.

It was quite frustrating for us, not being able to access the land.

But we were prepared to wait for this beautiful woodland walkway.

But after a year had passed, the land was overgrown

and full of rubble.

So, the residents arranged to meet with the developer,

Harron Homes, to find out just what was going on.

To their horror, they were now told that the land had never been

intended as a recreational area.

Instead, Harron Homes claimed it was only ever going to be a place

where trees would be planted to mask the noise of the nearby motorway.

People were really angry. There was a lot of shouting,

people feeling they'd been ripped off, basically, by Harron Homes.

Outraged, the residents checked the title deeds,

and we have also taken a look.

These do clearly talk about land described as an amenity area,

going on to say that the space is intended to be set up

for "woodland play or landscaping."

The title deeds state that the land is a recreational facility -

that we can walk the dogs on there,

provided they're on a lead, the children can play on there.

It's a place where we can get exercise, basically.

Harron Homes agreed to pay

the maintenance fees for the next few years

to a company called Greenbelt Group Limited, who by now

had taken over managing the land.

So, the residents,

relieved at no longer having to pay for something they felt

they weren't getting, sat back and waited

for their woodland walkway to appear.

But by 2011, it hadn't.

And to make matters worse,

it was at that point that they were told by Greenbelt Group

that they'd need to start paying the maintenance fee again.

Even though it wasn't clear

what they'd be getting for their money.

In the maintenance agreement,

it clearly states that Greenbelt should be maintaining the trees.

That has not been done. The trees really are in a very poor condition.

In fact, they're in a terrible state.

The residents were determined not to pay the annual charge

until things improved.

But Greenbelt were even more determined to get their money.

Well, the residents as a whole have been receiving threatening letters

from Greenbelt Group

saying that they will take action with credit agencies,

they will write to our lenders, they will even take us to court

if we don't pay these fees.

Some residents, like Roger Lawton, have felt pressured into paying up.

I just felt that was bully boy tactics.

I did pay because I don't want to have CCJ against my name.

Greenbelt Group are trying to use the threat that we are in breach

of our deeds of our properties if we don't pay this money.

This is why they believe that they can threaten people into paying.

As both sides continue to battle over how much should be paid

and for what, the dream of a green space for their children to

play in seems further away than ever.

It's really becoming quite tiring for everyone on the estate.

We do want it to end.

We want it all to be over and done with, once and for all.

When we contacted Greenbelt Group, they told us that they

manage the land...

Which they insist is simply for a buffer zone between the estate

and the motorway.

They insist they ARE maintaining the space, looking after the trees

and collecting litter, and have also offered residents a revised

maintenance programme and a reduced annual charge.

They totally refute any suggestion that they have been bullying

or aggressive in collecting the fees,

saying they employ standard practices,

which have been shown to be both legal and justified, and that

the residents have signed a legally binding contract to pay their share.

They're confident that they've responded positively to

residents' concerns, and have arranged a meeting later this month

to discuss the issues again, but stressed it was

not them that landscaped and created the site.

So, we also spoke to the people who did, developer, Harron Homes.

They, too, maintained that there was never any intention to use

the land in the way that the residents say,

and that, despite its mention of "woodland play", the clause

in the deeds only obliged them to landscape the area as a buffer zone.

As for what residents were told when the homes were built, they say

there was no way of knowing exactly what sales staff said at the time,

but suggest that it is perhaps possible that

comments about a nearby wood,

accessible by pathways, could have been misinterpreted.

They do agree, though, about the apparent lack of maintenance

of the land by Greenbelt Group, and have offered to...

But Lynn and the other residents have not given up hope that

one day the land will end up the way that they have always

believed that it would.

This situation has been going now for over six years.

I think myself and the other residents will all be

absolutely overwhelmed if we do get this woodland walkway that we

were promised in the first place.

It'll be a place we can go and relax

and de-stress after six years of hell

with Harron Homes and Greenbelt Group.

Now, if you've ever had a bad experience with a tradesman,

chances are you just want to put the whole thing behind you.

But not Rhoda Staley.

She's used it to become a consumer champion for her area,

giving up her own time to stop the whole community being ripped off.

Rhoda Staley is a woman on a mission, determined to make sure that no-one

in her area gets caught out by pushy salesman or unscrupulous gangsters.

Today she's at her local library,

talking to other members of the community.

Scammers want paying in cash.

Rhoda is one of 152 people who have volunteered to become

a consumer champion for Suffolk Trading Standards.

The idea is to stop people being scammed by cold callers,

cold telephone calls, rogue traders, anything like that.

And it's not just older people. A lot of kids get caught.

Rhoda is a brilliant example of a consumer champion.

She works tirelessly to help people within her community

to understand rogue traders, what they get up to

and how to avoid being a victim of them.

And she has a very good reason to take part.

She fell foul of a rogue trader and it cost her thousands of pounds.

When I bought the property, it needed completely updating.

A man came along and said he was a local plumber,

so we got together to discuss what needed doing.

It was a mistake to have him in to show him

the work that needed doing, and to have no-one else.

I know now you should have at least three quotes.

But Rhoda only got one, from the man who'd called round.

He offered to do her plumbing and building work for £10,000.

I wanted the dividing wall in the garage knocking down

and building up as a solid wall.

I needed a boiler putting in and a full central heating system,

and that was the initial work.

Rhoda now knows, of course, that there

are things you should have checked before going ahead with the work.

But back then, she simply didn't know any better.

I was very naive to accept his word,

because he didn't produce any certificates.

I should have insisted on seeing the certificates.

I asked for a certain very good quality boiler to be fitted,

and the boiler he fitted

was one of his choosing, which didn't work at all.

Every few minutes, it was shaking and shuddering very violently,

and I was getting more and more frightened of the thing

because I was sure it was going to blow up,

and if it had blown, it would have blown my house and next door.

And that was just the start. After six months of work,

Rhoda was left with an illegally-fitted boiler

condemned by British Gas,

a wrongly-installed toilet that flooded twice, dodgy electrics...

In fact, just about everything the builder did

breached some sort of regulation and needed to be replaced.

Every time I look around the house, I see all of the appallingly

poor workmanship, all the money which has just been wasted.

It just makes me really sick.

Rhoda took the tradesman to court

and eventually managed to get some of her money back.

But she was keen to make sure nobody else goes through

what she did, which is why she eagerly signed up

to become a consumer champion.

I thought, well, this might be a chance to stop someone else

being conned out of a lot of money, or even out of a little money.

And I thought, well, perhaps if I can be there

and even just handing out leaflets or pointing

people in the right direction, it would be something.

So that is exactly what she does.

Acting as a vital bridge between Trading Standards

and the good people of Beccles.

We provide them with information on the latest scams,

rogue traders, and we ask them to disseminate that

within their community to make them stronger, and then also for them

to let us know the issues in their community

so we can resource properly and try and help them.

And while Suffolk isn't alone is having this kind of initiative,

Rhoda is confident that in her area, one scheme which deters cold callers

from knocking on people's doors is already making a big difference.

I haven't seen people round here door knocking for quite a long time.

In the next road to me, there's a "no cold calling" zone.

I think when people see that, they don't bother to come round here.

So, let's see Rhoda in action.

We asked for the top tips that after her own experience,

she now passes on to others.

If you're having work done,

make sure that you have the work that you want doing

written down and signed by the person who's doing it.

When you get a quote, that's a fixed figure.

It can't be altered, unless you discuss it further.

You need to see the certificates of any workmen that you're thinking of employing.

If they can't produce them, don't use them.

Remember - never feel pressured in your own home.

If you're not happy, tell them to leave.

I don't want people to be so untrusting that they don't trust anybody.

You've got to trust people, but you've got to be very careful.

Just be very wary, but don't live a life where you can't trust anybody.

Rip-Off Britain is on the road again.

Overnight, we've transformed this space into a one-stop consumer advice shop,

so we can try and solve some of your problems face-to-face.

For one weekend only, we've a team of experts

ready and waiting to offer practical advice.

When you've been left feeling ripped off,

knowing where to go to complain and, actually,

how to get your point across to be most effective,

is often easier said than done.

But our experts have been helping to steer people in the right direction.

For our next case, Sylvia Rook from Trading Standards has

teamed up with telecommunications expert Dominic Baliszewski.

Ashley's new phone broke after just a few months,

and the shop has told mum Lisa that they can't replace it.

They can't repair it and it's not under warranty.

-Was it purchased as part of a contract or on its own?

-It was part of a contract.

Well, any goods that are supplied either on their own or as part of a contract

should be what the law says is

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

It's nothing to do with whether you've got an insurance contract or a warranty.

You have a claim against the retailer that sold it to you in the first place.

If they continue to refuse, then you may look to try to take action through the small claims court.

Going forward, keep a note of all interactions with them.

When you write the letter, you can include all of that,

-so it's all documented.

-Lovely. Great.

-We wish you luck with that, cos it would be nice to have your brand-new phone back, wouldn't it?

-Yes.

-Especially as a Christmas present you haven't got to use yet.

-Yeah.

Our pop-up shop wasn't only a great opportunity for many of you

to get on-the-spot advice from our team of experts,

it was also a place for you to tell us the issues that annoy you most,

in our specially built "gripe box".

I've come here to complain about pensions.

I think that vets charge too much.

The cost of petrol, the actual high cost of the petrol.

Hospital car park charges. I think it's a disgrace that we have to pay.

But some complaints are much better put down on paper.

When it comes to challenging a rip-off,

a well-written letter of complaint can very often make all the difference in the world.

So, with the help of Which? magazine, our colleagues from the BBC Skillswise website

have put together a template letter that you can use to complain as effectively as possible.

It makes clear the key points and information that you need to include.

Essentially a form to enable you to just order your thoughts

and the facts before you go ahead and write your letter of complaint.

So what have you got there, for instance?

What we've got here is who the letter is to.

Don't just write to the company.

Try and get a name of someone if you can.

Once you've done that, then you need to get the evidence together

about why it is you're complaining.

For example, any telephone calls you may have made and any costs incurred

making those calls, any letters that they may have sent to you.

Then a paragraph or two about what you'd like them to do,

how you'd like your problem to be redressed.

And don't be rude!

Never be rude. Be firm, but polite.

And you can find that template letter our website.

Still to come,

the family who've been battling their insurers for six years.

Can WE finally bring their problems to an end?

I get very upset. I get very emotional.

I'm crying a lot. It's my life that has been suspended.

And the war of the windows.

We'll meet the businesswoman determined to defy the town hall.

If I put single-glazing in, my business will be completely gone.

No tenants will stay in these flats.

I've got no option but to carry on fighting.

A high-speed internet connection is something that millions of us have become dependent on,

and would find it difficult to imagine life without.

But, as we've reported before,

there are plenty of parts of the country that don't have to imagine that -

the Lincolnshire villages of Habrough and Stallingborough for example,

where residents say broadband speeds are cripplingly slow.

But the price they pay doesn't reflect that,

so the locals have decided enough is enough and they're taking a stand.

Habrough and Stallingborough in north-east Lincolnshire

are peaceful villages with a slow pace of life.

Though, recently, their younger residents decided to speed things up a bit

by building a new skate park nearby.

Young people have been absolutely instrumental throughout the whole thing.

They helped to choose the people that would build the skate park,

they helped with funding, they even chose the name.

19-year-old Tom Horton was a key player in that campaign.

But now he's putting his efforts into a much bigger challenge -

trying to improve the village's broadband speeds.

'The internet in the village is extremely slow.'

People really struggle just to go onto the internet.

Simple things like sending an e-mail, going on YouTube,

take a very long time. It's terrible.

The villagers typically get speeds of less than one megabit per second

and, in many cases, much less.

That's a lot slower than the national average,

which is close to eight.

And that's particularly frustrating

because some of the fastest broadband speeds available in the UK

can be found just two miles away in the neighbouring town of Immingham,

where Virgin has installed high-speed fibre-optic cables.

In Immingham, the internet is delivered by fibre-optic cables,

so they have the capacity to deliver superfast broadband.

Unfortunately, in the villages, they only have copper cables

and they're further away from the exchange,

so that means that the internet is very, very slow.

We've reported before on the slower broadband speeds in many rural parts of the UK.

And what can make that especially irritating is that most locals

will still have to pay the same amount for their broadband package

as they would if they lived in an area where the internet speeds are much faster.

A-level student Matthew Crowe is one of the Stallingborough residents

who say this is a real problem.

I use the internet for revising a lot in my subjects,

particularly with film studies where you might need clips of films to revise with,

which is difficult, cos if you want a three-minute clip from a film,

it could take half an hour, maybe even an hour, to load.

Even something as simple as sending an e-mail can become complicated for Matthew.

For some subjects they might say, "Can you please e-mail us your coursework,"

which can be a problem if your internet doesn't work,

cos your excuse kind of looks like, "Oh, the dog ate it."

I have to travel round the place, like in the pub or go to my friend's house,

so I have to drive, which can be irritating.

I think I've got past the point of being angry. I think...

I just get frustrated, cos every time you see the logo saying

it's not worked, you just go, "Oh, not again!"

And it's not just Matthew suffering, it seems most of the locals are up in arms.

I'm pretty disgusted by the speed of my internet connection.

Every time it's windy, also, I don't get any connection hardly,

and it can take five minutes, up to, to actually get online, to be honest.

All it does is it keeps stopping, so I can't watch it.

We're trying to encourage people to order their prescriptions over the internet

which is going to be virtually impossible if they haven't got the speeds.

Last month, somebody had to leave the hotel unfortunately,

because they couldn't get through to anyone on Skype

because the internet was so slow.

But Tom is determined to speed things up

so he's put together a petition which residents hope

will win them a share of the £530 million

the Government's committed to improving rural broadband speeds.

The local council will decide which parts of their patch

will have most need of the funds allocated to their area

and these villagers desperately hope it will be theirs.

So far, over 400 people have signed it to say they're really not happy

with their broadband and they don't think that they should be

receiving poor speeds yet paying the same.

The residents also contacted BT,

who own and operate the copper cabling network through which

most of the area's broadband is currently supplied.

The company's already upgrading those copper cables,

but the locals asked them to bring in faster fibre-optic cable instead.

In response, BT told them

it wouldn't be economically viable to do so.

And the company told us

that they recognise the frustration these locals feel, but urge them

to continue lobbying the council for a share of those Government funds.

They say they would seek to bid for any broadband improvement contract

tendered using this money, but, in the meantime,

reiterated what they've told us in the past about broadband pricing.

The cost of the packages is based on other features than just speed.

We're certainly not going to give up and it just makes us more determined

to continue this campaign.

As they should, because, though BT was the obvious first port of call,

it's not just down to them.

Any internet provider can introduce faster cabling in this area

if they wanted to, so Tom and the other locals contacted Virgin.

We are very pleased with their response.

They have promised to carry out a feasibility survey

and a costing exercise to see if it's viable for them

to bring fibre optics to the area.

So far their response has been that they are very keen to do so.

Since filming, Virgin have confirmed to us that they

DO hope to extend their fibre-optic network to Habrough

and Stallingborough and though they're still at the planning stage,

it's encouraging news for Tom and his friends.

But the problems they faced are just as bad in other rural parts

of the country and for every village that

does manage to get faster broadband in the near future,

there are others, it's feared, will still be left behind.

In our last series, we helped a family whose problems

with their insurers had been rumbling on for years.

Serious cracks had been appearing in their house,

but it was only after a little push from us

that things started moving in the right direction.

Or so we thought, because this year the family wrote to us again

telling us about another snag that, as far as they're concerned,

seemed to take them almost back to square one.

So, we've been round for another visit.

When we last met the Malone family, Lola, Jasmine, Claudia and Marcus,

they'd been battling their insurers for five years.

They'd struggled to convince the company that the damage

to their flat was caused by subsidence,

and that damage was more than just the odd crack.

So this is the girls' bedroom

and it was about nine o'clock in the morning, I heard this really, really

big rumble and I came into the room

and the ceiling had just fallen down.

Everything was covered in debris and whatever.

Lola, at the time, had slept at the top,

but she had just gotten out of bed maybe 15 minutes before.

If she'd been hit by it, she would have been hurt.

Marcus and Claudia, like the owners of the building's other flats,

had insurance cover for subsidence underwritten by Lloyds of London.

But when problems had first surfaced,

the insurers hadn't been convinced that subsidence was the cause.

So the residents had to pay for initial repairs themselves

as well as forking out to get tests done.

Eventually, their insurers accepted subsidence was to blame

but only at the back of the house

so they offered money to repair only part of the building.

I thought it would be crazy to accept this offer.

We had a consultant, what they call a loss assessor,

and we also had an engineer, who both said that we should not

take the offer because it would not cover the entire problem.

Last summer, we organised tests that showed subsidence WAS

the problem on both sides of the house.

And the residents put in a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service

who ruled that the insurer should pay to put the problems right.

It looked like the family's troubles were finally coming to an end.

We were over the moon.

We thought that hopefully Lloyds would throw up their hands

and say, "Well, let's fix this and get them out of there

"and fix it and get on with it."

The planned works are so extensive that the family have to move out.

We knew we had to move out.

We found out we had to move out approximately for six months.

It could be six to eight months, whilst the works are taking place.

And that's what's causing the latest problem.

Although the insurance company is now promising do to the work

the building so urgently needs,

they've said the policy doesn't cover the costs of moving

the family into alternative accommodation - around £1,300 a month.

I was devastated because we're paying our mortgage for this place.

We put all our finances into this place, and into the struggle

and having this dispute resolved, and now we were asked to

basically find another £1,300 or whatever for renting a place.

And with none of this their fault,

they don't see why they should have to.

The financial ombudsman service has said that it's likely

that the insurers' delay in resolving this case contributed to further deterioration

in the house. And as a result,

Marcus and Claudia should receive substantial compensation.

But that's turned out to be just £300, plus the cost of two month's

accommodation, leaving them struggling to come up with the rest.

I can understand when people say, "Oh, you know,

"at least you've got two months, that's something".

But, where am I going to get the money from for the other six months

that potentially I have to be somewhere else that's not my home?

I get very, I get very upset, I get very emotional and I'm crying a lot.

It's my life that has been suspended.

And while they can't afford to move out,

with the house as it is, they can't afford to stay put either.

The couple's younger daughter, Lola, has never known what

it's like to live in a house without such problems.

The cracks in my bedroom... Some are, like, really small that you can't see

and some are like really gigantic and you're, like, waiting to fix that.

I think here's loads of cracks in our house that we haven't

even managed to count.

And it's all getting to her older sister Jasmine, too.

It would be nice to just enjoy the house and there'll be

no arguing about the house and my mum

won't be worried about it any more.

We can just chill and not have to worry about the ceiling

dropping on me while I sleep.

When we put in the claim in 2006,

if the insurance company had undertaken the works necessary

to stop subsidence, we would never be in this situation.

It would never have come to the fact that the ceilings are falling down,

and we wouldn't have had to move out for that amount of time.

I'm sure. I'm pretty certain of that.

We contacted the Lloyds of London insurers dealing with the case.

And although they reiterate that the policy doesn't include

accommodation cover and say the family find themselves in this

situation due to their decision not to take out the appropriate cover,

there was some very good news indeed.

They told us that to bring matters to a close,

they've now offered the family £7,500 as compensation.

Which means repairs to the house can finally get under way.

Fingers crossed that this time, the whole saga really has come to an end.

Here at Rip-Off Britain,

we believe that every penny that goes out should be money well spent.

But you've been letting us know that that is not always the case.

When you get a raw deal, it can be hard to know what to do

or where to turn.

So to help, we've put together a booklet of tips and advice.

You can find a link to the free guide on our website.

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

to the address that we'll give you at the end of the programme.

As you know, it takes a lot of effort to keep Britain's

most attractive towns looking their best, which is why in one

of our most loved seaside resorts, there are tough rules about what

the residents can or cannot do with the outside of their homes or indeed

their businesses.

As a result, some locals fear they'll be forced to remove

something that most homeowners take for granted at a cost likely

to run into thousands of pounds.

So, depending which side you are on,

this is either a story about following the letter of the law,

or, about a David and Goliath battle against authority.

It's the biggest seaside resort in Wales,

but Llandudno has something else to boast about.

It's been voted the happiest place to live in the principality

and these visitors are certainly impressed.

We've been coming here a long time,

we just like the atmosphere.

We've been at Llandudno the last three years,

and why we like it is because it's quiet.

What I like is the mix of new and old.

I like the buildings and the structure of the buildings.

To preserve the town's architectural heritage, in 1974,

Conwy County Borough Council

established a conservation area in Llandudno.

Now few people would argue with that,

but over the years since then, a number of local businesses

have added UPVC modern windows and doors to their properties,

which the council say have eroded the town's special character.

So, some owners are worried they're going to be forced to take them out.

Restaurant owner Cindy has already been issued

with an enforcement notice to remove her windows.

It is going to cost people thousands and thousands,

tens of thousands of pounds, to actually change these windows.

And I think it's wrong.

Cindy bought the property from her landlord six years ago,

but it was in such a dilapidated state that she spent more than

£200,000 on some major restoration work.

Now that included refurbishing five flats above the restaurant

and replacing the original windows with UPVC

and it was that which was the start of her battle with the council.

On the last day of the windows actually being put in,

somebody from the council came into the restaurant and said

to a member of the staff that the windows all had to be taken out.

A couple of days later, I get a letter saying that

they all had to be taken out.

By fitting those £35,000 Windows, she had broken a local planning law.

Her building is listed,

so the double glazing was therefore an unauthorised alteration.

I didn't realise I was doing anything wrong.

Most of Llandudno is double-glazed.

Everybody has double glazing.

She applied for retrospective planning permission,

but was turned down because the windows were deemed damaging

to the building's historic interest.

In 2009, the council asked Cindy to replace them

with single-glazed wooden sash windows and she's been

fighting that decision ever since with various appeals,

negotiations and enforcement orders along the way.

She feels the council has not taken a consistent approach

and also that her flats need double glazing to keep the elements out.

It's a seaside town.

It gets extremely windy in this area.

To just put single glazing in, you might as well as open your window

and let the heat out.

As far as noise is concerned, on a street like this, again you

might as well just open your windows and let the noise come in.

If I put single glazing in, my business will be completely gone.

No tenants will stay in these flats with all this noise. I know that.

I've been told that by all of them.

If I'm going to replace these windows into single glazing

it's going to cost me approximately 35,000 and that's the minimum.

So far, Cindy is the only resident to have received an enforcement letter.

But with the council also investigating other properties,

there are plenty of locals who fear that they could be next.

And while they all agree that the town's unspoilt

Victorian charm is key to its appeal,

they don't think their windows are spoiling that.

A few streets away hotelier Ian Evans decided to install double glazing

after buying his property in July 2011.

He assumed that because other properties already had it,

he'd be OK.

We took a look around us and saw the majority of Llandudno

did have uPVC windows.

Our next-door neighbour was fully double-glazed and we thought

it'd be a finishing touch to smarten the front of the building up.

But on the day of installation, Ian received a visit from two

council officers ordering him to stop work straight away.

He did and as a result, ever since,

a bedroom in his house has looked like this.

At the moment I have £5,000 worth of windows waiting to be fitted.

We've got all these windows here ready-made, waiting to go in

and hopefully if we can get permission from Conwy County Council

we can get them fitted

and make the front of the house look even nicer than it is now.

But that seems unlikely.

When we contacted Conwy County Borough Council

they stressed that the primary duty of conservation areas is to

preserve their special character

and that without clear and consistent action,

the cumulative effect of these windows

could be extremely damaging.

They say in the vast majority of cases, they've been installed

without the necessary consent

and that Cindy's case was a serious infringement

which caused significant damage to a listed building.

They suggest the money she spent on legal costs may well have been

better spent on replacing the unauthorised windows.

They confirmed other cases are being investigated and action taken

and while the factor when looking at each case would be

the expense of replacing the windows, the main consideration must be

the impact those windows have on the area's character.

But this is clearly an issue that has divided opinion.

You'd think Conwy County Council would have better things to do

than to chase us for windows.

Why it's such a big issue, I don't know.

I mean, for me, uPVC double glazing is... Well, a lot better.

It keeps warmth in, it's green.

Other hoteliers point out that their glazing may have been

put in anything up to 30 years ago or indeed by previous owners.

So what happens later this month

when Cindy will appeal her enforcement notice

is something they'll all be watching very carefully.

It's been really, really hard.

Many, many sleepless nights worrying about the council

because I'm not going to lose my business.

What am I going to do with no tenants in the flats?

I've got a massive mortgage. How am I supposed to pay that?

I've got no option but to carry on fighting.

Here at Rip-Off Britain, we're always ready to investigate

more of your stories.

Confused over your bills?

Trying to wade through never-ending small print

that leaves you totally confused?

We should read it, but it's not in plain English.

It should be simple, you know, A-B-C, very basic stuff.

Unsure what to do when you discover you've lost out

and that "great deal" has ended up costing you money?

You get home and get your bill and it's £70 when it's meant to be £35.

Basically, you get ripped off, don't you?

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

the mistakes you've made with us, so that others don't do the same.

I'm really, truly gutted. I feel embarrassed.

You can write to us at:

Or send us an e-mail:

The Rip-Off team is ready and waiting to investigate your stories.

So as we've been hearing,

when you're trying to get a problem resolved, you have to be persistent.

If it seems you're not getting anywhere

the message is don't give up.

In fact that's what we say every single time.

Just follow the lead of those locals we saw earlier in the programme

who were campaigning for faster broadband.

Don't just complain, complain effectively, and make absolutely

the best case you can and that way, you're more likely to get a result.

-Isn't that true?

-It's a bit like our mantra really, isn't it?

I'm afraid that's where we have to leave it for today.

Obviously we look forward to your company again very soon

when we'll be looking into more of your letters and e-mails.

In the meantime, thank you very much for being with us

and from all of us, bye-bye.

ALL: Goodbye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd