Episode 15 Rip Off Britain

'We asked you to tell us who's 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 spent is worth it.'

We'd 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 and welcome to Rip-Off Britain,

where, as ever, we're very busy fighting your corner

any time you tell us you're not happy about the way you've been treated,

and you need someone to ask the tough questions

that you're not in a position to ask.

Every case we investigate comes directly from you,

and whatever has prompted you to get in touch,

often something very similar will have happened to someone else,

either in the past, or the same time that you're going through it.

So today, although we're investigating a real mix of stories,

what they all have in common is that they're topics

that a number of you have raised with us -

whether there's a group of you battling through it right now,

or perhaps lots of you have raised the very same issue

over a period of time.

In each case, you don't think that the situation that you've ended up in is fair.

Coming up, the couple taking desperate measures

to avoid a rising charge from the council.

I thought, "Right. We will make a stand."

And so I said, "Alan, this will be drastic action from us two."

Why cashback promises may not be the great deal they seem.

When we opened the cheques and saw they were only for £20

instead of the full amount, we were a little annoyed.

It was, like, "Why? What's wrong?"

And we put right more of your problems at our pop-up shop.

Now, when a company that you believe owes you money goes bust,

the chances are that you can say goodbye to getting your money back,

or at least all of it. But if, just days later,

a new business sprang up in the same premises as the old one,

with what appears to be exactly the same people running it

and even the same stock, you probably wouldn't be happy, to say the least.

Unfortunately that does happen a lot,

and I'm afraid there's not always much you can do about it.

When Colin Parsons was undergoing treatment for cancer in 2009,

he didn't want his wife and kids to miss out on family holidays,

so he came up with a solution - this motorhome.

I was diagnosed with cancer in late 2009.

And we've always loved our holidays.

I've worked in the teaching profession for a few years now,

which gives me plenty of holiday time,

and I just saw it as a perfect solution

for us to take holidays as a family together in this country,

as I was told not to travel too far, not to go abroad.

-So this was a perfect answer for you.

-It was an absolute perfect choice.

Everybody agreed that it was,

and, you know, I looked around for a little while,

saw that there was one for sale that suited our needs,

as I saw it at the time, and so we went for it.

So, now you've got your dream motorhome,

a great reason for you to be able to spend holidays with your family.

-So, what went wrong?

-The first time we used it, actually,

we noticed that, you know, as the British weather goes,

we had a little bit of rain.

My daughter was actually sleeping in the above...

-What, this compartment at the top?

-The over-cab area with the window,

as you can see, and she complained that it was a little bit damp.

'The family holiday that was supposed to give Colin some respite

'from his treatment quickly turned sour,

'thanks to the leaky motorhome.'

So, just show me roughly where the damp is.

The main area is in the corners of where the boarding stops,

and around the light fitting, which you can see is loose.

Which would be very dangerous, with the water coming in.

If anybody touched that, it could become live.

Um, the whole area is really damp.

I should just show you one of the cushions.

You can see that that's got extensively damaged.

-Would you like your child sleeping on something like that?

-Not nice.

It's just not healthy, is it?

'Colin took his leaking motorhome back to the original seller,

'caravan specialists Rivershore (Shropshire) Limited.

'They agreed to fix it free of charge,

'but within a couple of weeks, the leak had returned.'

I was assured that the leak had been detected

and that it had been repaired. It had been tested, as well.

'Rivershore say they offered further repairs, which Colin refused,

'but as their first attempt hadn't fixed the problem,

'Colin was keen to get a second opinion

'from a different caravan firm,

'and their detailed assessment was worse than he feared.'

What did they say about the condition of it?

Basically they said that it shouldn't be slept in,

and that it's unfit for habitation, you know?

And that the strength of the over-cab area was compromised,

because there may be damage to the timber structure.

'And worst of all was that the total repair cost

'could cost Colin over four and a half thousand pounds.'

When you took that report to the original company,

-what did they say?

-Well, they wouldn't accept it.

Their main argument was to be that the caravan was 16, 17 years old,

and that these are the sort of problems that can occur.

'So Colin felt he had no choice but to pursue Rivershore

'through the small-claims court,

'in the hope that he would win a bit of money

'that would take care of the repairs.'

But then something really unexpected happened,

because the very day before he was due in court,

his solicitor had a call from an insolvency company

to say that Rivershore had gone into liquidation.

And to Colin's surprise, a business with a different name

of Craig's Caravans has soon started trading from exactly the same site.

I believe that he's just changed the name. It's the same premises.

The phone was still the same. Everything looks the same

as I remember it the last time I was here.

There's nothing to say that Colin would have won the case

against Rivershore in the small-claims court.

Indeed, the company was defending it. But once they'd gone into liquidation

it meant that Colin had lost the chance to try and get his money back,

because his issue was with the old company,

not the one now trading instead.

So how is it that a company can cease trading one day,

leaving Colin in the lurch,

and then seemingly just start trading again

with little or no responsibility to their previous customers?

Well, Craig's Caravans could be what's known as a phoenix company.

Typically assets are sold from a failing firm to a new one,

which may operate from the same address, with the same directors.

This arrangement is perfectly legal, and not at all uncommon.

It allows the profitable elements of a failed business to survive,

offering some continuity for both suppliers and employees.

However, it's absolutely infuriating

for people who believe that they've been left out of pocket,

cos so often, the pot of assets that's left in a failed company

is so small that there's nothing for the creditors to claim back on.

Over 7,000 companies went into liquidation

in the first six months of 2013.

'I went to meet Liz Bingham, who's president of R3,

'the trade association for insolvency practitioners,

'to find out why, in cases like this,

'consumers can be left out of pocket.'

It is quite common,

particularly for entrepreneurs in this country,

to try something and if it doesn't succeed,

to then try again,

and in many respects, I think that's something to be encouraged.

However, then the entrepreneur wins,

and the customer, the consumer, actually loses.

And that's not fair.

Well, I can certainly empathise with the fairness point,

and, you know, yeah, you're right.

In many respects that isn't fair.

But it isn't illegal,

and until such time as individuals have shown

to not be worthy of being a company director,

then they can carry on doing this.

Is it worth Colin getting in touch with the insolvency company?

Colin should definitely get in touch with the insolvency practitioner

who is handling that case to set out his claim,

and to see if there is any kind of remedy

that the liquidator is considering

that will help bring more money back into the pot for Colin to share.

We contacted the owner of Craig's Caravans,

who made clear that he doesn't agree with what Colin had been told

about the state of his caravan,

considering the written report on that "unreliable",

and concluding, from the advice that he had received,

that "he was not liable for the damage" Colin claimed.

His solicitors say that, had Rivershore not gone into liquidation,

the company would have continued to defend the claim,

but they point out that liquidation was the only option

once it became clear the business was insolvent.

They also say that, as Rivershore had no assets,

and few other creditors apart from the owner himself...

'But with Rivershore ceasing to exist as a company,

'the court will never be able to decide if Colin had a case,

'or whether Rivershore acted in good faith,

'and in any event, Colin is now stuck with a motorhome he can't use,

'and can't afford to repair.'

It's just, you know, absolutely unbelievable

that people are allowed to do this so easily.

Now, with cash-strapped local councils

having to make tough decisions to balance their books,

not everything they come up with is going to be popular,

and that's especially true in the Suffolk seaside town of Felixstowe,

where a group of locals with common cause

have banded together against one particular move by the council,

and are really ready to fight them on the beaches.

Alan Sarfas, from Felixstowe, loves spending time by the sea -

so much so that he and his partner Barbara

bought their own slice of the coast,

and are among the 23,000 people in the UK who own a beach hut.

In some resorts, more elaborate huts can sell

for more than the average house, but the simpler ones here

are much loved and treasured by their owners,

and in some cases have been handed down through generations of families.

We've had this hut for ten years now,

and it's been an absolute joy.

My grandchildren have grown up down here,

and we've just had a wonderful time with the hut.

It's been absolutely superb.

Each year, Barbara, Alan and the rest of Felixstowe's hut owners

pay the local council a fee for a licence to occupy the land.

But this year, the fee has shot up by 12 percent,

and that's caused shockwaves among the licence holders.

This year when I opened the bill, I looked at it,

and I just couldn't believe it. I thought they'd made a mistake.

It's almost a hundred pounds more than it was last year,

which I just thought was just completely unacceptable.

Exactly how much each owner pays Suffolk Coastal District Council

for their licence depends on a number of factors,

including the hut's size and distance from amenities.

But as neither of these things has changed since they've owned it,

Barbara and Alan just can't understand

what's caused this year's bill to shoot up.

To be perfectly honest, the bill used to come in,

and we used to just pay it in April, and it was just a pleasure to do so.

We understand that everything goes up,

but this time was just absolutely way off the board.

So I thought, "Right. We will make a stand."

And so I said, "Alan, this will be drastic action from us two."

Faced with a bill of £769.66 for this year's fee,

an increase of 12 percent from the year before,

Alan decided to take matters into his own hands.

I went to the council, found out the exact figures, exact size,

and spoke to Barbara, my partner,

and we decided that we could save money

and stop giving it to the council by taking the 18 inches off the back.

So, in order to cut his costs,

Alan's cut his hut down to size.

In March this year, he was filmed chopping just enough off the back

to save him £150 a year.

It wasn't fun doing it, trust me,

because it was freezing cold at the time,

up on the roof, chopping bits off

just to make a stand against Suffolk Coastal.

To me it's ridiculous, because it's a waste of space

for the council anyway, cos they're not getting anything.

It's not usable as a space.

Although other hut owners haven't gone to such lengths,

some of them are just as cross,

and Barbara and Alan's hut is the meeting place

for them to air their concerns.

This is unsustainable for many families in Felixstowe

who own beach huts and have had them for a long time.

We've got young children and we feel,

in a recession that we've been going through for three or four years,

that we can't afford to keep on paying these sort of rates year in, year out.

Had a hut here about six years.

I can't see how the council can justify the increases every year.

I don't like the rent increase,

but at the same time I would like to see something back

for what I'm actually paying. No facilities, no toilet,

no access to the beach, no access for parking...

Water tap works when it feels like it.

So along this stretch of coastline,

beach-hut owners are joining forces to form an association

which they hope can prevent any future rent increases.

I would like it, when the association's up and running,

that we work with the council, not against them or them against us.

Let's get some truths out of where they get their figures,

and what we would like.

I know we won't get everything straight away

and maybe not this year, but maybe they could give us a promise

that they're not going to raise it by astronomical amounts next year.

But, faced with cuts to its own budget,

that's not a promise the council can easily make.

We've had to make very, very difficult choices.

We want to maintain our core services,

the rubbish collection, all the toilets,

all the regeneration, the economic development,

promoting our market towns.

And of course, the beach-hut licences go to contribute to that.

I can't guarantee the huts won't have an increase in licences next year.

We've brought them up to market rate,

so I hope the increases in the future will be more modest than this year.

And as for the cost-saving measures taken by Barbara and Alan...

They chose to have larger than the standard pitch,

and had a pay a little extra for that privilege.

By reducing their beach hut in size,

they're obviously reducing the cost to themselves,

and it is their choice.

It's not an easy situation for either side,

and you can understand the position of both parties,

but the hut owners hope that by banding together

they can send the council a clear message.

ALL: # Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside

# Oh, I do like to watch the world go by

# But the rate is just too much

# They're completely out of touch

# Beside the seaside, beside the sea #

'Liverpool -

'one weekend earlier this year,

'the location for our annual pop-up shop.

'We had a team of experts giving advice inside...'

Ask for everything in writing before you part with any money.

'..whilst outside we ran workshops for passersby,

'full of tips and advice.'

Over 90 percent of apps actually expose personal information.

'But wherever the information was given out,

'the aim was to leave you better protected.'

Amongst those calling in were Ann and Colin,

wanting help from financial expert Sarah Pennells

about a car deal where the finance didn't really add up.

We went along to purchase a car

because the car we had previously was quite a large car,

and we decided that we didn't need it. We needed something smaller.

The car showroom offered 0-percent finance

and displayed the cars on offer with the amount to pay per month.

The didn't show the actual price of the car without any finance deals.

-You never knew how much the car was?

-No.

We should then really have worked it out,

but we thought, "That's fine. We can afford that."

"That's just what we want to pay per month."

It was only months later that they realised

that the paperwork they'd signed included an extra fee.

We looked at this, where it says transfer fee

-of £1,990.

-£2,000, basically.

Yes. We couldn't understand what it was for.

We went back into the garage, and we asked him what it was.

And after much fluster and bluster, he couldn't tell us.

So we made a complaint to the head office.

The company wrote back saying the cost was part of the finance package

they'd signed up to. Nearly £2,000 out of pocket,

Ann and Colin wanted to know if there were any other avenues

they could pursue.

There's no reason why they should be getting away with it.

I have to say, I'm a bit flabbergasted by this,

because I've never seen a 0-percent finance deal

where you basically, it seems, by any other name

end up paying the interest that you're supposedly saving.

I've been doing a bit of research on this company online

since I found out about your details,

and there are quite a string of unhappy customers.

Sarah believes that the company should have put the price of the car

on display before Ann and Colin bought it.

She's confident that they have a case.

My recommendation would be to go back again

to the head office of the company,

and say that you are complaining on the grounds

of misrepresentation of the contract,

that this fee wasn't spelt out to you,

that you were told clearly it was 0-percent finance,

and then give them eight weeks to respond.

If they don't, take your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman.

-I hope that's been useful.

-Yes, extremely.

-Good.

-Thank you.

-You won't give up?

-Oh, no, no. No.

Hundreds of you came to see us over the weekend,

and we were keen to solve as many of your problems as we could fit in.

People walk along this street in the shopping centre,

they have a problem, but we can solve it on the spot

because of all of our experts, and that's what we like.

'Stan came to see us with another car problem.

'He'd bought one second-hand,

'and bought additional cover to give him extra peace of mind.

'But he realised he didn't have that

'when the car developed a major mechanical fault.'

I took a warranty out with it, and something went wrong with it.

And when I went to try and claim off the warranty,

they just said it was wear and tear,

so I think the garage mis-sell me a policy what was no good.

It's really common, on these sort of policies,

to find that there'll be a clause in there saying,

"We exclude anything that's general wear and tear."

But when you're buying a second-hand car,

and you've only had it for a few months,

you know, you'd expect that the garage that sold it to you

delivered it to you in a decent condition.

'The garage that sold Stan the car

'say his issue is with the insurance company,

'but the insurance company say it's simply down to the small print.'

It's got to be worth the paper it's written on. It's got to cover you.

It doesn't sound like it was, and having looked at the papers,

it says this company's regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority,

so your next step is to put in a formal letter of complaint,

in writing, to the company,

and say "I will take this to the Financial Ombudsman

if you don't give me a resolution I'm happy with,"

and hopefully you'll get your money back.

-What we always say on the programme is, "Never give up."

-Yeah.

You have to go right to the top. You have to pursue them and pursue them.

Stick to your guns, cos you believe you've got a really good case,

and James also believes you've got a good case.

-Good man! OK. I'm glad you came today.

-Thank you.

Still to come, broken promises

that have left these winners empty-handed.

The whole situation's made me feel very, very upset, to be honest.

Everybody we've spoke to has said, "We've received nothing at all."

A topic on which we've had lots of correspondence from you again

is something that sounds like it should be a great deal,

but can be unexpectedly complicated.

Cashback deals are when companies literally offer customers cash back

when you buy a product or service,

and these deals are becoming increasingly common.

They work with retailers charging you a full price for a product

or a service, then asking you to claim a portion of that money back,

often from the manufacturer.

It's easy to see why offers like this are tempting,

but some of you would say the companies behind cashback deals

can make quite a meal out of things

when you try and claim that promised money back.

Take David Billinghurst from London, for example.

Now, for him, a cashback deal meant double trouble.

Last Christmas, David wanted to buy his nine-year-old twins,

Harry and George, a tablet computer each.

We came across the deal PC World were offering.

They were offering a cashback on the tablets,

and that cashback made the price very reasonable for us,

so we went through with the deal from PC World.

The deal promised £50 cashback on each tablet and case

that were bought together, so the £167 price tag

would eventually come down to £117.

For two tablets and cases, that meant a total saving of £100.

The terms of the cashback deal were basically simple.

Once you buy equipment for the set price,

fill in the claim form, and then you receive the money back

after the set period of time.

And, I mean, we were expecting that to be as simple as that, really.

Unfortunately it wasn't that simple.

As is often the case with these deals,

David had to wait before he could claim the cashback,

so after the requisite 30 days, he filled in the form

and submitted it to PC World.

He got two emails back saying that the claim had been verified.

All he had to do was wait for the cheques to come through the post.

But when the cheques arrived,

they weren't quite what had been expected.

When we opened the cheques and found they were only for £20

instead of the full amount, we were a little annoyed.

And it was, like, "Why? What's wrong?"

Perplexed, David contacted PC World,

only to be told that he should have filled out two forms

for each tablet - one for PC World, who would pay £20 per tablet,

and the other for the manufacturer, Samsung,

who would pay the remaining £30.

When they said we should've done two forms,

it was disbelief, really, because it's, like,

"There's nowhere on your paperwork does it say two forms."

The validation email we got for each claim was clear and precise.

'It stated, "Your claim is now validated."

'"You will be paid within 42 days."'

And from our point of view, that is good notice,

saying the whole claim is validated, not just half of it.

David contacted Samsung, who also told him

that he should have filled out a separate application form.

But eventually they did agree to pay the second part of the cashback,

and sent David two more cheques,

bringing the total cashback to the £50

that he'd originally been promised per tablet.

When we asked Samsung about this case,

they told us that they were aware of some other customers

who'd experienced similar problems to David,

and in those cases they had extended the claim deadline

and paid the full cashback amount.

We also spoke to PC World, who said that they offer cashback

to give "better value to customers",

but they accept that, "on this occasion"

combining the two offers caused some difficulty

"for a small number of customers".

They say that they'll simplify future offers.

Now, what happened to David is typical of the cashback experiences

that you tell us about -

having to claim from two separate places

or within a specific period of time,

stores not making it clear how to claim,

and in some cases, even seeming unsure themselves

about how it's supposed to work -

all problems that you might well not consider

when you see the deal advertised in the shop.

There are three common problems with cashback.

First of all, it's not always clear who to claim from and how to claim.

Secondly, some of the claim processes are complicated

and have lots of obstacles in them,

and thirdly, there's often a time-limited offer,

so if you don't claim within that time, you won't get your money back.

A piece of advice would be, "Don't go for the biggest cashback,"

because that sometimes isn't the best deal on the market.

Secondly, check those terms and conditions.

Ask a salesperson how difficult it is.

If it looks too difficult, it probably is.

Finally, for a big purchase,

go online and see if other people are having problems.

Of course, some cashback deals work perfectly well,

but remember that they are not always as simple as they appear.

So before you sign up, do make sure that you know

exactly what it is that you're letting yourself in for.

If you're looking for some help or advice

on problems to do with money or just about anything else, really,

then, there is one place you really should start.

It's 74 years old. It's never been busier!

So, as the volunteers and the staff get ready to take on

a whole raft of new responsibilities to support consumers,

this is what goes on behind the scenes

at the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Citizens Advice Bureau.

The first Citizens Advice Bureau opened their doors

on the 4th of September 1939,

the day after World War II broke out.

Set up by the Government

to help civilians get through the daily problems

that war might throw up, volunteers running the service

dealt with issues ranging from rationing to clothing allowances.

-Can I help?

-We came about extra clothing coupons for my wife.

And debt quickly became an issue too,

as household incomes fell as men were called up for service.

Fast forward more than 70 years,

and the CAB is still going strong.

In fact it's estimated that nearly half of us will pay them a visit

-at some point in our lives.

-Morning!

The people working here may have changed,

but some of the issues have not.

If you'd like to come down this way.

It's nine o'clock in the morning at the Wolverhampton branch of the CAB,

and senior advice supervisor Ian arrives to start his shift.

Number six, and we'll shout the number

as soon as we've got somebody to see you.

Today they can expect up to 70 people

visiting their drop-in service, covering every issue

from debt to divorce.

Most of our clients that come through the door,

we are a last resort to them.

Number seven. We'll shout the number when we've got someone to see you.

They're normally full of tension,

and they're at the point where they just can't cope.

-Is this debt, or something else?

-Mortgage-related.

People's attitudes vary a lot,

from the "Why won't they give me my money?"

to the desperate,

to the very sad.

We do have people who walk in here in tears.

Have we got any rooms, Hetty? Oh, yes. That one's empty.

The advisors never know what problems they'll face daily,

but there are some that crop up again and again.

What change in your circumstances brings you back today?

-Bedroom tax.

-Bedroom tax.

Your first payment's not till the end of May.

Last year, Citizens Advice Bureaux across England and Wales

dealt with over 8,000 new debt-related problems

every working day.

That's why my arrears have gone up so high.

-Yeah. You can't afford it.

-Yeah.

-OK.

Good morning!

We've had clients who've been terrified to even come in!

One of the first clients I ever saw, she'd been sitting outside,

plucking up the courage, because she was in debt.

She felt she'd been stupid,

and she thought we were going to tell her she'd been stupid.

My never-ending bits of paper!

I think it's very, very rarely that I actually switch off.

It used to be easier to do before my wife started as a volunteer,

as well.

It's only chocolate biscuits when Hazel comes in.

As she reminds me, she's retired, and only does two days voluntary.

SHE LAUGHS

I think the very fact that we're a free service

is paramount to lots of individuals out there.

Maria has come to the Citizens Advice Bureau today

for another common problem, hoping Elaine can help with her grievance

about a previous employer, who hasn't paid her.

-How long did you work there for?

-Three weeks.

-Three weeks.

And she's not alone,

as last year, this Wolverhampton branch had over 1,300 people

seeking advice on employment issues.

Last month I have work in coffee shop in Walsall,

but, um, because I... not possible speak English very well,

-is finish my work.

-Did they give you a letter

explaining why they didn't want you to go back?

Only send message in Facebook. I... I have proofs.

Elaine is just one of 22,000 volunteers nationwide

who all have to keep abreast of policy changes and legislation

to ensure they they're giving out the most up-to-date advice.

Right. This lady, she's only worked for this company for three weeks...

-Yeah.

-..in a coffee shop.

They dismissed her because she didn't speak very good English,

and she had a contract to work, but she's got no copy of it.

All she's following is this one.

-"I worked for you for three weeks and I haven't been paid."

-Right.

And it's saying, "Can you set up a meeting to discuss this?",

-because the next stage is the tribunal.

-Yeah.

She's got to do this stage first, so the tribunal can see she's tried.

If she comes back in to us, we'll explain the next bit.

OK. Yeah, no problem.

Only a handful of people actually stay as advisors,

simply because, after so many hundreds,

thousands of people's problems you're dealing with,

it does do people's heads in.

-OK. All right.

-Thanks a lot.

-OK, no problem.

In fact, from next year,

the CAB is set to take on the work currently being done

by the Government-appointed body, Consumer Futures,

which means it'll be the main place to come

for all problems to do with energy, postal services,

and, in Scotland, water.

The aim is to make things simpler for consumers,

so that whatever the issue, they know that they can get help

from the same place.

Number 29?

And, as the day draws to a close in Wolverhampton,

the flow of people needing advice just keeps on coming,

and it's the same every day.

When I think about it,

I'm helping people resolve problems in their life.

If you can't talk openly

and help every person who comes through that door,

then, you shouldn't be here.

And there's more information about the Citizens Advice Bureau

and what help it can offer you on our website.

Sometimes when you feel ripped off,

it could be you that's made a mistake.

Perhaps you didn't read the small print or realise the consequences

of what you signed up to. Whoever's at fault,

when things go wrong, you need to know what to do about it,

so we've put together an online booklet of tips and advice.

You can find a link to download the free guide

on our website.

Or for a hard copy, send a self-addressed, stamped, A5 envelope

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

These days we all know that talent shows can be really big business,

and we're not just talking about television here.

And indeed, for the people who are taking part,

after months of hard work and dedicated practice,

well, it really all comes down to the performance on the day.

And if they get that right, the rewards can be absolutely enormous.

But you've been telling us

about a well established national talent competition for children

where the dreams didn't come true, and the reasons why

have absolutely nothing at all to do with the potential talent!

Apparently, after paying a fee to enter,

the big prizes that were promised have just not materialised,

leaving the families who had stars in their eyes

with a rather nasty taste in their mouths.

This was the final of the Festival For Stars Talent Search UK

held in North Wales last October.

Hundreds of young people had competed in regional heats

to get here, including dance duo Ryan and Connor.

MUSIC: "Sandstorm" by Darude

We are passionate about dancing.

When we're building up to a competition,

it pretty much takes over your life.

Also performing in the finals

were dance trio Hollie, Megan and Natasha, known as the Woo Hoos.

We thought we'd maybe won a certificate,

so we thought, "That'll be nice. At least we've got a title

and we can tell people and be so proud."

Festival 4 Stars was one of the best-loved talent contests

in the country. The first event was held in 2003.

But eight years later there was a change in management,

and a new company was running the show.

By the time of last year's final, the founder had stepped aside,

and a third company eventually stepped in to take charge.

The face of that company was a man called Nicholas Pamment,

and Connor's mum Annie noticed that he had a big presence at the final.

He stood up, introduced the acts, told us the running order.

He seemed to take charge of everything,

and that's when we realised that he was running the show.

When all the winners were announced,

he stood on stage and announced the prizes

to every single finalist.

And amongst the 2012 winners were the Woo Hoos,

who were awarded the top dance prize.

It was just amazing. We all jumped up onto our feet,

crying, screaming as loud as we could,

because to win was absolutely amazing.

We were all so shocked and just so happy.

And the Woo Hoos weren't the only ones to come off stage on a high.

Street-dance duo Ryan and Connor, who go to the same dance school in Blackpool as the girls,

were awarded the runners-up prize.

-You can't really describe it.

-Wanted to cry.

We both came off saying we wanted to cry, and we don't know why.

And things were about to get even better for the prizewinners.

Entrants had already been impressed

by the promise of a bigger prize fund than in previous years,

but on the night itself, some of the winners were also told

that they'd been awarded the opportunity to perform onstage

in theme parks.

On the day when the final results were announced,

as soon as he started talking about things like Euro Disney,

the kids were virtually hysterical,

cos this was the biggest thing that had ever happened to them.

The most we've ever won, I think we once got £100

for best costume.

Nobody expected prizes like that.

To their complete astonishment, dance trio the Woo Hoos were told

that they'd won a trip to Disneyland Paris

and the chance to perform in a Disney stage show.

'It just sounded amazing, really.'

When we heard it, it was a once-in- a-lifetime thing for us to get.

We weren't just going to go on the rides, to be there.

We were actually invited, basically, as an act.

Runners-up Ryan and Connor were told they'd won tickets to a theme park,

but when they didn't arrive and with the school holidays approaching,

Annie contacted the company in charge of the final,

Festival For Stars Talent Search UK Limited,

to find out what was going on.

We wanted to go in Easter, make a bit of a family day of it,

so I contacted Mr Pamment to say, "Would that be a possibility?"

"Would we be able to get the theme-park tickets?"

The only way of getting in touch with him was through his Facebook page

for Festival For Stars.

But that didn't get her any further, and then she was blocked

from contacting him that way again. Confused by the lack of response

and about why they hadn't received the prize

when, after all, they'd had to pay £15 to enter,

Annie got in touch with other winners

to see if any of them had received their prizes.

Unfortunately, to date, not one person has come forward

and said, "Yes, we have."

In fact, everybody has said, "We've received nothing at all."

And that meant that the Woo Hoos' dream trip to Disneyland, Paris

might never happen.

We heard absolutely nothing. My dance teacher tried to get in touch,

and we didn't know what was happening or what to expect.

We kept rehearsing the dance, making it cleaner,

making it more presentable.

When the winners have tried to find out what's going on,

they've been told it's all down to the change in management

of the competition. The company that ran the heats

says responsibility lies with the business

that took over from them to organise the final,

but that company says they only stepped in to help,

and it's not down to them either.

But the disappointed winners don't care who's to blame.

They just want someone to give them the prizes that they were promised.

The whole situation's made me feel very, very upset, to be honest.

'We entered this competition in good faith. We all paid our money.'

Our children rehearsed and put a vast amount of time and effort into it.

They did brilliantly. When your own children come to you and say,

"Where's my prize?", it's heartbreaking to say to them,

"Well, this man's not going to give us the prize."

Natasha, Megan and Hollie's parents have also tried to find out what's going on,

and contacted Disney to ask whether the chance

for the winners to dance onstage at Disneyland Paris had even existed.

They were told no such prize had ever been offered,

and there was no association between Disney

and Festival For Stars Talent Search UK Limited.

Other winners were told that they would take part in a video

by the group Little Mix, but record company Syco told us

they'd never offered such a prize.

When we contacted Nicholas Pamment,

the managing director of Festival For Stars Talent Search UK Limited

and the man who had announced the prizes at the final,

he told us he has no liability on this issue,

and no longer has anything to do with the company,

which is no longer trading. He says he's received offers

from parties interested in using the Festival For Stars name,

and has asked them to agree to pay some sort of recompense

to the winners who have a grievance "due to the confusion".

But his representatives insist that his only role in the event

was to act...

They reiterate their position

that responsibility for the advertised prizes

lies with the previous company, UK Festival 4 Stars Limited,

which had been in charge of the heats.

So we tried asking the director of that company for an explanation.

We had no response.

But, when previously asked about this,

they stressed that they had nothing to do with the final...

They pulled out...

So it looks like the only thing clear about all of this

is that the Woo Hoos, Ryan, Connor and all the other prizewinners

still haven't got what they were promised,

and they're convinced they won't ever see their prizes.

I feel so angry, so disappointed.

We wanted to dance in Disney.

He shouldn't have advertised us to be able to do that.

Here at Rip-Off Britain,

we're always ready to investigate more of your stories,

and we'd especially like to hear from you if you've had a problem on holiday

or while travelling at home or abroad.

So if you feel let down by your airline,

disappointed that the hotel looked very different

from the glossy pictures in the brochure,

or you're angry about hidden charges that weren't clear when you booked...

you can write to us at...

Or send us an email to...

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

Whether you're dealing with a big-name company

or a smaller business that's less familiar,

it's not always easy to get the answers

when things haven't gone to plan. And even when you do,

the explanation may not be one you like.

But don't give up. It really is worth persevering

and asking the questions, so that you can be absolutely confident

that your concerns really have been dealt with properly.

It may well turn out that you were actually not treated unfairly,

but while you believe that you are in the right,

keep on going, and don't be fobbed off

if you're not happy with what you've been told.

That really is good advice, and if you don't get anywhere,

do come to us. We're always keen to hear your experiences,

and we love hearing from you. So whether it's a one-off situation

or something much more common, if sharing it on the programme

can stop the same thing happening to somebody else, so much the better.

That's where we have to leave it for today,

but we'll be seeing you again very soon with more of your problems.

-So, until next time, from all the team, bye-bye.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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