Episode 12 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, email...

even stopping us on the street.

And the message could not be clearer.

It feels to me that I'm fighting a battle that I can't win.

Costs you a fortune.

And when you actually get through, you get fobbed off.

You told us, with money tighter than ever,

you need to be sure that every pound counts.

We ploughed thousands into it

and we had nowhere to turn.

So whether it's a deliberate rip-off,

a simple mistake or a catch in the small print,

we'll find out why you're out of pocket

and what you can do about it.

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

Hello. It's good to have you with us, because on Rip-Off Britain today,

we're going to be investigating problems with something that,

is this day and age, should be pretty fundamental,

and that is heating your home and keeping warm.

Not too much to ask, you might think.

But for some of you, it has proved surprisingly tricky.

You're absolutely right. Now, whether that's down to equipment not working the way it should

or bills much higher than you could ever, ever have imagined,

the situations some of you have told us about

are not ones that you want to find yourself in next winter.

Although, in some cases, they've rumbled on for years

without anybody ever being able to sort them out.

And what's especially frustrating about that

is that some of the heating systems we'll be talking about

are real state-of-the-art stuff -

clever devices that are supposed to be energy-efficient too.

So as well as finding out why that's not always been the case,

we'll see what we can do to help put things right.

Coming up on today's programme...

Why homeowners across dozens of estates

blame the same supposedly energy-efficient heating system

for pushing them into debt.

I won't be able to afford to heat my house for my children.

Now, how can you stand there and say this is an OK situation?

Plus, how a more traditional way of heating their home

has left this couple out in the cold.

This thing weighs half a tonne. We had to take doors off

and all sorts of things to get it in to the cottage.

And...it's just half a tonne of scrap at the moment.

During our last series of Rip-Off Britain,

we revealed an apparently energy-efficient heating system

that, for many of you, turned out to be anything but.

In fact, quite a lot of you wrote to us saying that having had the system fitted,

your electricity bills turned out to be four times more

than you were expecting.

Well, exactly the same system has been fitted into thousands of homes across the country

and while the manufacturer is absolutely adamant

that there is nothing wrong with it,

we do keep hearing from people who are having exactly the same problems.

So, I went to one of the estates that's affected,

where, for some residents, things really have reached a crisis point.

These housing association homes here in Coventry

look really nice, don't they?

And as an added bonus, they're supposed to be eco-friendly and affordable.

Trouble is, some of the residents I've been talking to

tell me that they've turned out to be anything but.

Tell me what you were told about the heating system in the house.

They said that it would only cost us no more than £30 to £35 a month

to run the whole system.

But it hasn't worked out that way.

My first ever bill... I'd only been in the house for four months

and it was for £2,700.

It's an absolute nightmare.

It really is.

-I'm never going to be out of debt.

-What would you ideally like to happen?

I'd ideally like them to rip it out and smash it up.

So what is it that's causing Deborah and other residents

such grief?

Deborah's home, like most of them on the estate,

is fitted with this heating system,

which is made by the Swedish company Nibe.

Rip-Off Britain first became aware of problems with these heating systems last year,

after we'd been round hearing from people who were receiving astronomical electricity bills.

What they all had in common was the same Nibe system fitted into their homes.

Called an exhaust air-source heat pump,

it replaces the need for a gas boiler,

but performs the same function using electricity.

It works by taking the heat from the waste air leaving your house

and then pumping it back into your home

to help provide heating and hot water.

All very clever.

And, all being well, as friendly to your pocket as it is to the environment.

Sounds like a really practical solution, doesn't it?

And when it works properly, it really should be energy-efficient.

Sadly, many of the people living on this estate have told us

that that is not the case.

That in fact they've been saddled with horrendous electricity bills

that have left them in serious debt.

At this moment in time, I'm paying £351 a month with my direct debit.

Over the past three years, it has increased.

We moved in in August and the bill we received in December

was over £1,000.

The thing is, this isn't just an isolated incident

restricted to this one estate.

We've heard of exactly the same problems happening where this system has been installed

in hundreds of homes across the country.

The high bills occur when the system's emergency, but expensive,

backup immersion heater kicks in.

So what is it that's making these systems work less effectively than they're supposed to

and sending families who are expecting to save money into debt?

Samantha Clawson has lived on this estate in Cambridgeshire

since 2010.

When we filmed with her last year,

she was struggling to make ends meet after receiving energy bills

far higher than she'd anticipated.

We were told we had a great heating system

that was going to be economical and it was going to be green,

which was perfect.

We have a report telling us it was going to be around £500 a year

for our heating and our hot water.

It couldn't have been better, really.

The energy performance certificate that came with the house

had been very clear about how much Sam could expect to pay for her electricity.

But when the bill arrived two months after she moved in,

it said something quite different.

When our first electricity bill came through,

for £252 - that was for just under two months -

we were horrified.

And with subsequent bills equally high,

Sam was facing some tough decisions.

We owed in the region of £1,500.

Our only choice was to pay half of that or go on a key meter.

Once we were put on to a key meter, it became absolutely clear

that this system was far from economical

and was in fact costing us a fortune to run.

Over Christmas,

it very quickly became £10 a day.

And I was horrified.

In fact, when I realised this,

I turned our heating off

and the choice was we eat...

or we keep warm.

We'd already heard of similar experiences,

but after highlighting Sam's case,

more of you in the same position got in touch,

dozens of households having now told us that instead of saving them money,

their Nibe system was actually costing them more.

Lorraine Pommells moved onto this estate in July 2011.

The estate was marketed as

one of the most eco-friendly and energy-efficient developments in the country.

Like all the residents, Lorraine was delighted at the prospect

of saving money on heating bills.

When we moved in here,

they said that it cost half of an average normal four-bedroom house

per year.

Indeed, the paperwork she was given when she moved in

showed that she could expect electricity bills

as low as £426 a year.

But when her first bill arrived in August of 2011,

Lorraine was horrified to find

that it was three times more than predicted.

And things only got worse.

Every month during the winter she was getting bills that added up

to over half of what she thought she would spend across the whole year.

When the second bill arrived, it just went up.

The third bill came, it went up.

And the more bills that came, it went up, up, up.

We was promised

that they were going to be cheap to run.

And this is showing quite the opposite.

Some of Lorraine's neighbours have had exactly the same trouble.

And since the estate is classed as affordable housing,

it's a serious problem for many on the street.

Lorraine's next-door-neighbour, Chrissie,

has been struggling with the system since she moved in,

although the housing association has tried to help where it can.

Tell them you've no heating, you've got young children. OK?

Somebody will bring heaters out to you.

If you want, the heaters I've got, I'll let you have some of them.

As well as generating high bills,

Chrissie's Nibe system has also sometimes broken down

and with four children to keep clean and warm,

that's a problem.

At the beginning of the year, I was without hot water and heating

and I had to go stay in a Travelodge for five full days.

I'm getting slightly worried now about next winter coming

and how much the bills are going to be again.

I have actually got somebody coming this week to see if I can move somewhere else,

because I'm just that stressed out,

worried about all the bills all the time.

On this estate,

rather than chat over the garden fence,

neighbours often meet in each other's boiler cupboard -

a scene that's been replicated in other neighbourhoods

where the Nibe system has not worked as expected.

In total, we've now heard from people

living on 30 different housing estates up and down the UK,

who say they've been hit with bills much higher than expected.

And it's not always been simple to get things resolved.

You get tired and depressed

and upset.

You know, and you don't feel like you're being listened to

and it's been two years now,

coming up to two years.

We shouldn't be having this much pressure on us.

Well, Nibe are adamant that there's nothing wrong with their systems,

so later in the programme, we'll hear their explanation

for what's gone wrong.

It could be the installation, it could be the sizing of the unit,

it could be how the unit's being used.

And as some residents in Coventry reach breaking point...

I won't be able to heat my house for my children.

Now, how can you stand there and say this is an OK situation?

We'll also see how the housing association responsible for that estate

is promising drastic action to resolve the situation.

I can give a commitment today

that we will replace those systems, because clearly they're not performing as they should do.

Next, a way of heating your home that has the added bonus of looking good in the kitchen.

And on top of that, it'll cook your dinner as well.

It's a souped-up version of a traditional cooking range,

but as you might expect, a device that works as a boiler

and as an oven doesn't come cheap.

So if you've splashed out to have one fitted,

obviously you're going to hope that it does the job.

But here's a couple who say they've had nothing but trouble

since theirs was installed.

Alison and Bob Taylor's country cottage

dates back to when the first Queen Elizabeth was on the throne.

Nestled in the heart of Kent, it looked as if all should be perfect.

But the couple have had a problem for most of the last five years

which they say has made living here very difficult.

The cooker hasn't worked properly for five years.

It's a ridiculous situation.

We've had more takeaways than we care to think of,

we've had ruined meals,

we're freezing cold in winter,

we've got no hot water.

It's just a disaster.

Their problems stem from this -

the heavyweight of the cooking world,

a £5,500 Redfyre range cooker.

It's an investment purchase which the couple thought would last them for many years.

But most of the time they've had it,

it hasn't worked the way it should.

At the time of speaking, of course,

we've been seven months without water and heating.

If the oven's working, the heating is not,

and if the heating's working, the oven's not working.

So, whatever happens, it's never actually all working together.

Bob and Alison have lived in the cottage for 12 years.

For the first few, they were happy using the previous range cooker that came with the property.

When we arrived at the cottage,

it was lovely, because we had the Rayburn cooker

and it was such a lovely thing to have in the kitchen

and I'd always wanted one.

That's part of the reason why we bought the cottage.

It really enticed us in.

It was like the heart of the cottage, and we loved this thing.

Eventually, after about five or six years,

-this thing died.

-So we decided

to push the boat out and really invest in a really nice cooker, which was great.

I was thrilled to bits.

In April 2008,

they bought a Redfyre gas central heating cooker

from the local firm Woodstock Fires Ltd.

The hefty price tag meant that it wasn't a purchase they made lightly,

but as it was going to heat their home as well as cooking their food,

they felt the spend was justified.

We went along to the showroom.

The Redfyre just ticked all the boxes.

It works independently - you can cook without having the heater and water on.

Water and heating work perfectly without the cooker being on.

And that was the choice we made.

And we hadn't heard anything bad about it. We looked on the internet

and there wasn't any bad press or anything,

so we thought, "Well, this has got to be it".

The cooker looked resplendent in its new home,

but Bob and Alison's delight was very short-lived.

We had to cancel Christmas that year,

because the cooker wasn't working.

And it just got from bad to worse.

It was cutting out four, five times during cooking time.

I threw away legs of lamb that were half-cooked.

If we went out for a walk, we'd come home and the oven had turned itself off.

It's no fun cooking on the barbecue in the middle of winter with the snow on the ground.

So the couple got in touch with the company that sold them the cooker,

Woodstock Fires Ltd.

They came out to the cottage, they did a site visit.

We trusted what we thought were experts.

As they had just parted with thousands of pounds,

Bob and Alison were hoping that the shop could fix their problem.

But as no-one from the shop is a registered gas engineer,

they couldn't, and referred them on to the manufacturers, Redfyre.

Engineers approved by Redfyre tried lots of different things,

but none seemed to do the trick.

We had replacement burners, we had the cut-out switch dropped off,

so that was replaced.

We had new gas-air equalising tubes.

They changed the top of the hotplate round.

We had rods stuck down the top of it,

testing the temperature.

And eventually they said, "Well, it's the flue".

But that didn't work either

and Bob and Alison say they spent the next two years

to-ing and fro-ing between the manufacturer,

the shop and even independent engineers,

trying to get things resolved,

all to no avail.

Finally, after two years,

Redfyre send up their engineer.

He turns up with one of the guys who had previously visited.

After about an hour, discovers that the thermostat

has fallen out of its housing, it's laying against the oven wall,

the oven's warming up, then tripping the thermostat.

So the oven is cutting out.

A very simple thing.

So, a fix at last...or so it seemed.

But then after two years of all being well,

another problem arose in January.

Our son lives in Majorca and he sent us tickets for Christmas,

so we went over to Majorca for Christmas,

had a wonderful time, so relaxing.

We were looking forward to getting home in the new year

to our lovely cosy cottage.

And sure enough, we arrived home in the middle of winter

and the cottage was so lovely. It was so warm, wasn't it?

Yeah, it was lovely.

It was lovely for about four days.

Just as the couple were thinking they were home and dry,

winter seemed to get too much for their Redfyre

and this time, it was the heating side of the oven that packed in.

If it was a car and we could actually drive it away

and take it back to the manufacturer or the garage,

and just leave it with them, we would.

But this things weighs half a tonne.

We had to take doors off and all sorts of things to get it in to the cottage.

And it's just half a tonne of scrap at the moment.

The manufacturers, Redfyre, have now been sold to the biggest name in the range ovens - Aga.

But despite sending out various parts,

they haven't been able to fix the temperamental cooker either.

Eventually, in May, they sent the parts through.

Unfortunately, when the parts arrived,

they were for an oil-fired cooker and not for gas-fired.

So there we were again.

Gone through the coldest part of the winter

with no heating and no hot water.

And after seven months, we're pretty exhausted with it.

Bob and Alison firmly believe that they've ended up

with a cooker that just isn't fit for purpose.

According to the Sale of Goods Act,

all products sold must be in good working order.

But as their cooker hasn't worked properly most of the time they've had it,

they don't feel that this has been the case.

The law puts the responsibility

not on the manufacturer but on the retailer where you bought your goods from.

In this case, Woodstock Fires.

So we asked the shop whether they had any plans to replace the cooker

or refund what the couple had spent on it.

They told us that at no stage had they refused to deal with this complaint,

reiterating that they are not gas engineers

and have not been involved in the repairs.

They say when they learned of the problems,

they contacted the manufacturer...

..that the issue was being resolved.

Now, after hearing this year that the couple...

..they have asked to see it again with a qualified gas engineer...

We also contacted Aga, who bought the Redfyre brand back in 2011.

They said this particular cooker is no longer available,

so while they've...

They're now talking to the couple...

But with another winter looming,

Bob and Alison just want this finally sorted out.

They didn't shell out so many thousands of pounds for a system

that doesn't do what it's supposed to.

I still look forward to the day when we have a nice warm cottage again

and food comes out

and I know it's going to come out cooked.

Our one-stop consumer advice shop is back.

This time, we visited Liverpool

with experts tackling your problems inside and outside

with workshops on the street.

Fantastic to see you all here.

We heard you sound off.

I don't fill my car up. I can't afford to fill my car up.

We shared our top tips.

I'm going to talk to you guys today a little bit about broadband

and how you can save money by switching.

An tried our best to solve your consumer conundrums.

Natalie came to see financial expert Sarah Pennells

about the cost of her energy.

She has a pay-as-you-go meter,

so she knows exactly what she's used and can avoid surprise bills.

But when she recently moved to a new supplier,

her old one gave her quite a shock.

I received a bill a couple of days later

for £160.

So that's why I don't understand, really,

what's going on.

Well, I think this sounds completely illogical

that you pay for your gas or electricity before you use it,

and then get a bill.

Sarah can't be sure why the company billed her,

but suspects that it may be because they had failed to come and adjust the meter

to account for energy price rises.

Legally, if they are meant to be responsible for adjusting their meters

when prices go up and they don't do it, they've failed in their duty to do it,

so she's not liable, surely?

Well, I think it's a bit of a grey area.

Personally, I think it's quite shoddy.

The whole principle is you can budget, you know what you're paying and you pay as you go along,

and that helps you manage your money.

So I would definitely dispute it.

Ask them to show that you actually owe this money,

find out whether there's a mistake with the meter.

-Right.

-How does all that sound?

-Sounds brilliant.

We really enjoy meeting you at our pop-up shop.

But it's clear a lot of you aren't surprised when you end up feeling ripped-off.

I think there's a general feeling that as a consumer,

you expect to be taken for a ride,

and that if things go wrong,

you're going to have a devil of a job getting your money back.

And Bob's certainly had trouble with a company he used.

He spent £9,000 on a solar-powered hot water system

he saw advertised in a national newspaper.

But soon after it was installed,

the system developed some electrical faults.

The panels are generating power OK,

but part of the deal was

the excess electricity that you made through the day

was supposed to warm your old immersion heater up,

ie, you wouldn't have to use as much gas

for your hot water to wash and what-have-you.

Well, it never worked.

-Have they sent somebody out to have a look?

-No.

They just sent us a letter saying "get a local firm to remedy the electrics of it".

So that's what Bob did.

He got two different companies to come out to solve the problem,

but they were as baffled as he was.

They failed to figure out exactly what's going on with the electrics.

They tried to contact the firm

and they just blanked them as well,

which is not very good customer service.

It's no customer service.

Bob says he's tried again and again to contact the company, but to no avail.

So, after eight months, he'd had enough.

I said to my partner, "Right, this is no good, this.

"We're losing money, they won't speak to us."

I just decided to get the hot water system ripped out

and a combi boiler put in.

I think the problem is any company can advertise in the national press.

It's just a matter of paying money for an advertising slot.

It's a bit difficult, because you've already done something yourself.

If you are going to try and pursue the trader for compensation,

you'll have to have evidence there's something wrong with it.

I think it's a good idea to get a report from an expert.

-I've got a free-hand one.

-Get something on headed paper

with his experience, so he knows exactly what he's talking about.

Send a copy of that to the trader with a letter

saying that you're very unhappy it's taken them so long to sort it out,

and you therefore want to claim compensation from them.

The system never worked.

-It just didn't work, full stop.

-Very frustrating.

But don't give up hope.

As I say, there are things you can do,

and I hope you'll be able to get a system eventually that will do what you want it to do.

Still to come on Rip-Off Britain...

An energy system that relies on sunshine,

but, for this woman, was almost scuppered by fog.

The whole idea of getting the solar panels

is to make use of the electricity from the sun,

so it seems ironic that at the end of the day,

it's the weather that's caused all the problems

and cost me a lot of money.

Earlier in the programme, we heard about the affordable homes

that have become anything but for some of the people living in them,

thanks to a heating system that's sent their bills sky-high.

Made by the Swedish manufacturers Nibe,

it's supposed to result in lower energy costs,

but some estates, with bills and tensions mounting,

are taking drastic action in an attempt to solve the problem once and for all.

And on one of them,

things are about to get very lively.

We've now heard from residents on 30 estates across the country

who say the supposedly energy-efficient heating system installed in their homes

has done the opposite of what was promised.

Any everyone who's contacted us about this has a similar story.

Instead of providing low-cost heating and hot water,

their systems have led to bills four times higher than they should be.

On this estate in Coventry,

Deborah Hambridge has had problems with her Nibe system

ever since she moved in back in 2010.

It's an absolute nightmare.

It really is. I'm never going to be out of debt with it.

I can't afford to pay. At the moment, I'm paying £200 a month on a direct debit.

And I can't pay any more. There isn't any more to pay.

You must be angry and frustrated,

but can you see any solution to this at all?

No, because nobody will tell you that there's anything wrong.

They just, like...

It doesn't matter who you speak to. Nobody wants to know anything about it.

They're saying there isn't a problem,

although they have said they'll do some investigations in the next couple of weeks.

But this is three years on and we're still in the same boat.

And what do your neighbours say?

They can't do anything about it either. None of us can.

So if you were faced by somebody from Nibe,

and somebody from the housing association,

what would you say to them?

Do something about these boilers.

They can't say it's affordable housing

when we're paying out every penny to keep the house heated.

Well, today the housing association responsible for the estate

has agreed to come and meet me and listen to residents' frustrations.

Morning, Alan. Ladies, here's your man.

-That's been...

-You've known about this problem since 2010.

-We all moved in...

-What are you actually going to do?

The debts need to be sorted out. We're in huge amounts of debt

through no fault of our own.

We've come to you. You're the people that are supposed to be helping us.

And we've hit a brick wall.

Well, what we're going to do is meet with everybody

who's got a problem.

It's not all of the properties, but all the properties that have got a concern, we'll meet with you.

You say it's a minority. It's not a minority.

There's quite a large number of people on this estate.

Every time I ring up and complain, I get told I'm in the minority.

I'm not a minority. We know here today that there's at least 30-odd houses

in the same situation as us.

Obviously, the issue for us is that Nibe supplied these boilers.

We're not happy with what's happened here.

And clearly it's not a sustainable situation

if winter after winter, your bills are too high,

so what we're saying is we'll commit to cover the costs...

I'm a single parent.

And we're still having to pay our direct debit, otherwise we have to sit in that house with no heating.

-That's not acceptable, and we will...

-It is NOT acceptable.

No, it really isn't acceptable.

But why does it have to come to this extent?

For you to actually sit up and take some notice of us

and start listening? We have made phone calls after phone calls

to people that passed the buck to another person.

I've had to go, in my own time...

I've been in court three or four different Wednesday afternoons

that I've had to take off work, to go to court to argue

to not get pre-payment meters fitted in my house, because if they do,

I won't be able to afford to heat my house for my children.

Now, how can you stand there and say this is an OK situation?

Well, it's not an OK situation, which is exactly the reason why...

So why hasn't some notice been taken of us before?

Three years we've been living like this!

Well, we've now established a team of people

who'll be working with you

and we've got meetings that are booked for everybody.

We'll talk about your bills, we'll actually arrange

to make payments...

The whole thing is, we were told we were moving into affordable housing

with energy-efficient boilers, heating systems

that were going to cost us no more than between £60 and £80 a month

for all of our bills.

That has never happened.

Well, we've now established a team that will specifically work on this problem.

We will work with you to look back over the period you've been involved in living on this estate.

And we're here to commit to help you solve this problem.

The housing association has now decided that by the start of winter,

they'll have replaced the Nibe systems in all of the estate's larger homes

with what they call a highly efficient, more traditional gas-fired boiler.

And they'll do the same in the smaller houses if the residents want them to.

They'll also carry on making hardship payments to customers

who've had high bills in the past.

It's a similar story on some other estates across the country,

including all those we've heard about on this programme.

Those residents who've had months of sky-high bills

are also now having their Nibe systems removed.

As a result, people like Samantha Clawson,

one of the first to tell us about this problem,

have already seen their bills come down.

But here in Coventry, the housing association

regret making the decision to have these systems installed in the first place.

You've been very honest and straightforward with me

about what you intend to do.

How angry are you with Nibe?

Well, I'm pretty unhappy about this. They gave us that confidence.

Clearly, what's happening on the ground now is not the same.

It's a different story.

And I think there are particular issues where... This is electric heating

and where people can't pay their bills, some are being put on to pre-payment meters.

I've spoken to other housing associations with similar problems

and I wonder how many people there are out there,

how many tenants are struggling like some of the people we've got here today.

With the housing association taking the flak,

what do manufacturers Nibe have to say?

They insist there is no problem with the heating system itself

and any failures are entirely the result of poor installation or misuse.

We've got thousands of these units installed throughout the country,

from the Highlands of Scotland all the way down to the south coast,

the majority of them running very efficiently, very effectively.

I understand that we have systems on this estate here where we are today

that we're having no problems with at all

and the end users are extremely happy with the heating, hot water and ventilation the units produce.

Let me tell you that on this site,

the housing association feel, perhaps,

that you have mis-sold the boilers.

That's their view?

They're not up to the job that they need of them.

That's contrary to the meetings I've had with the housing association.

There's been no mention of that at all to us.

That comes as a...that comes as a big surprise.

Nibe went on to tell us that although they've had...

..it is inappropriate to hold them responsible

for the performance of a system if...

They say...

And that they've identified...

..generally because...

They say independent research shows their systems...

And although ultimately they consider these issues to be...

..they say that they have tried to rectify the problems

reported to them with visits and repairs at their own expense.

And have made it a condition of the guarantee that all installers are properly accredited and trained.

But the residents in Coventry and elsewhere who've had problems with their Nibe systems

aren't really bothered who's to blame.

They're just hoping that these measures put an end

to their heating problems once and for all.

Most companies you tell us about

haven't set out to rip you off.

So when you feel that's what's happened,

it may be that their terms and conditions just weren't clear enough,

or there's been a genuine mistake where they've been slow to put it right.

Whatever the explanation when things go wrong,

you need to know what to do and where to turn.

So we've put together a guide of tips and advice.

Now, you can find a link to this free guide on our website...

Or for a hard copy,

send a self-addressed, stamped A5 envelope

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

Now, we may live in an age of text, Twitter and instant communication,

but there's still something special about getting an old-fashioned letter through your door.

And sometimes you've no choice but to send items through the post -

for instance, if it's an important document that you can't send any other way.

If that's what you're doing, you may decide the safest thing to do

is to pay extra for it to get there on time.

Well, here's someone who did just that.

But for her, "guaranteed delivery"

didn't do what it said on the tin.

And as far as she's concerned, that's ended up costing her hundreds of pounds.

The great British weather is unpredictable at the best of times,

but Lyndon Watson's dreams of making money while the sun shines

were scuppered by freak fog.

In March 2012, she had solar panels installed on her home just outside Newcastle.

I was thinking of solar panels particularly because of electricity savings that you would make.

With the electricity going up all the time, it seemed like a good idea.

Her sister had recently had solar panels installed,

so Lyndon was keen to join her in being able to save some money,

because if your panels generate more electricity than you need,

you're able to sell the surplus back to the National Grid,

provided you've registered to do so.

The amount of money you'll get for that,

which usually comes off your next energy bill,

is called the Feed In Tariff.

But when Lyndon got an installer to come round to talk her through it,

he explained that the Government would soon be cutting the tariff you're paid in half,

so she was up against a deadline to get the system fitted

if she wanted to benefit from the higher rate.

He explained that if I got the higher tariff,

it would be around £1,500 a year

in savings, or if it was the lower tariff,

it would be round about £850 in savings per year,

which was over 25 years

and took into account the way that the house faced.

The installer had lots of other customers trying to get their panels installed before the rate dropped,

but if Lyndon took the first available date he could fit the system,

though it was tight, it seemed she could just make the deadline.

I got the solar panels installed on March 1 2012.

I got a 16-panel system installed

and it cost just under £8,000.

In order for Lyndon to qualify for the higher tariff,

she needed to get her application forms to her energy supplier,

EDF, by the 2nd of March,

just one day after the panels were installed.

Forms had to be sent by post,

but Lyndon was happy that she'd found a way to do that in time.

Because the deadline was coming up,

I had to go to the post office to make sure that I paid for the guaranteed next-day delivery,

so that it was delivered before one o'clock the next day,

which was the Friday the 2nd of March.

It was pay this extra amount so it was definitely a guaranteed delivery.

Forms posted off, over the next few days, Lyndon watched

as her new solar panels started to work

in the sunny Newcastle spring.

Every time the sun shone, she thought of the savings

she was confident they were already generating for her.

But a couple of weeks later,

she got an unexpected letter from EDF.

I got a letter from the energy company on the 17th of March,

which said they'd received my application

on the 3rd of March.

It started to ring alarm bells, because I was confident

that my letter would have been received by the energy supplier on the 2nd of March.

So I got straight on the phone to the energy supplier

and explained to them that it might not have got to their desk on the 2nd of March,

but it definitely would have been received in the building

on the 2nd of March, because I'd paid for

the guaranteed next-day delivery service with Royal Mail.

However, EDF's representative explained

that unfortunately that hadn't been the case.

They said there'd been a problem in Exeter with fog

that particular day

and they'd had a problem getting their post,

so unfortunately they hadn't received it until the 3rd of March.

In Newcastle, it had been beautiful weather

when I posted off the application,

so I had no idea that there would have been any problem.

The delay meant that Lyndon was only eligible for the new lower Feed In Tariff,

meaning that the potential savings she could earn from the panels

were slashed from around £1,500 a year

to £850, but there was nothing EDF could do.

They were very sympathetic about it all

and explained that usually Ofgem were quite lenient

about things like that, but on this particular occasion,

they wouldn't allow for any discrepancies with the date at all.

Lyndon was deeply frustrated.

As far as she was concerned, she'd done everything she could to get the documents to EDF on time.

I was so disappointed to find out that

potentially, I was going to get the lower tariff.

The whole reason for getting the solar panels in

in the March was because of getting the higher tariff

and potentially the difference in those few hours

is going to cost me.

Faced with the loss of around £16,000

over the lifetime of the solar panels,

Lyndon was determined not to give up.

She tried complaining to Royal Mail.

After all, though they weren't to blame for the bad weather,

she had paid for what she thought was a guaranteed delivery.

Like EDF, they were sympathetic,

but said there was nothing they could do either

because her complaint hadn't been made within 14 days of delivery,

although, at that point, she hadn't even known there was a problem.

They did, though, as a gesture of good will,

refund the £5.45 she'd spent on postage.

Lyndon then approached the Government department that sets the Feed In Tariffs.

She hoped that they would see if it hadn't been for the fluke weather,

her application would have arrived on time.

I really thought that eventually

they would accept that I'd made every effort to get the letter there in time for the 2nd of March.

But they didn't.

They told Lyndon that the tariffs were set by law

and EDF had to abide by the legislation.

I'm sure the organisations are doing everything by the book,

but I just find it totally frustrating

and totally unfair that they're not taking into account

these mitigating circumstances.

We asked the companies involved about Lyndon's case.

Royal Mail reiterated that...

Mail scheduled on the flight was transferred to their road network

and they apologise for the fact it was delayed.

EDF say the matter was out of their hands

as the Department of Energy and Climate Change instructed that...

And when we spoke to that Government department,

they told us that the relevant legislation

does not give them powers to alter the cut-off dates or...

They say they receive...

But point out that Lyndon...

..and the tariff available to her...

Despite Lyndon's frustration, it really does seem

that none of the bodies or organisations involved

have flexibility on this.

So though she couldn't have got the panels installed any sooner

because the installer was booked up,

was there any way she could have got her forms there faster?

Well, if you're up against a deadline for sending important documents,

it may be worth calling the organisation to see if there's any alternative way

of sending what they need - by email, for example.

That option is now included on the Feed In Tariff application forms,

though of course it wasn't when Lyndon filled hers in.

But if you're relying on the post,

Royal Mail recommends purchasing what's called "consequential loss cover",

which insures you for up to £10,000

if your item is lost, damaged or delayed.

But even then, you have to complain within 14 days of posting,

so it wouldn't have worked for Lyndon, who only discovered there'd been a delay after that time.

She's now questioning whether she should have had her solar panels fitted at all.

The whole idea of getting the solar panels

is to make use of the electricity from the sun,

so it seems ironic that at the end of the day,

it's the weather that's caused all the problems

and cost me a lot of money.

Here at Rip-Off Britain, we are always keen to hear more of your stories

and we're particularly interested in ones to do with food

for a new series next year.

Confused by all those different labels on the supermarket shelves?

Worried that products described as "healthy"

may be nothing of the kind?

Whatever's worrying you about the things we put on our plates,

you can write to us at...

Or send us an email to...

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

Well, with the sun shining, winter may seem a long way off at this moment,

but it really won't be too long before we all might need a little bit of help

keeping our homes as warm as we would like,

which means having a heating system that not only works, but is affordable.

Because as we've heard, when that doesn't happen,

it really can make life extremely difficult.

It really does, and the good news is

that so many of the people we've been meeting today are having their problems resolved,

so that they don't have to dread the day when the temperature starts to drop.

I think it's hard for us to imagine just how frustrating

their situation must have been, but it is great to see that things are being sorted out now.

Well, do let us know if, for whatever reason,

someone leaves you out in the cold next winter.

But in the meantime, we look forward to seeing you again the next time we investigate more of your stories.

-Thanks for joining us, and from all of us here, bye.

-Bye.

-Bye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd