0:00:02 > 0:00:06We asked you to tell us who's left you feeling ripped off
0:00:06 > 0:00:11and you contacted us in your thousands by post, email,
0:00:11 > 0:00:15even stopping us on the street. The message could not be clearer.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19It feels to me I'm fighting a battle I can't win.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23It costs you a fortune and then you get fobbed off.
0:00:23 > 0:00:28With money tighter than ever you need to be sure every pound counts.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32We had nowhere to turn.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37Whether it's a deliberate rip-off, a simple mistake or a catch in the small print,
0:00:37 > 0:00:41we'll find out why you're out of pocket and what you can do about it.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Your stories, your money. This is Rip-Off Britain.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49I'm glad you can join us again.
0:00:49 > 0:00:56Today we focus on something every one of us will have experienced, probably even in the last few weeks.
0:00:56 > 0:01:02It's a topic that is consistently said to be one of the biggest bugbears for UK consumers.
0:01:02 > 0:01:07We're talking about cold calling. We really have all been there.
0:01:07 > 0:01:12The phone rings and when you answer someone launches into a sales pitch about some deal or other.
0:01:12 > 0:01:18It's thought eight out of ten of us will have had that in the last month and not just at home.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23It can be on your mobile, too. I had one of those this morning!
0:01:23 > 0:01:27You may think the answer is to hang up, but it isn't that simple.
0:01:27 > 0:01:33As well as hearing about some of the problems they can cause, we'll look at whether enough is being done
0:01:33 > 0:01:37so cold calls only go to people who don't mind them.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42And we'll see what's being done to those parts of the industry who break the rules.
0:01:42 > 0:01:49On today's programme, how unwanted calls that keep on coming target those that find it hard to say no.
0:01:49 > 0:01:56I've had days when I just wanted to cry, my guts turning inside out, frustration, anger.
0:01:56 > 0:02:03The three letters most commonly heard in a cold call - PPI. Why is it so hard to get your money back?
0:02:03 > 0:02:07We've got to go through a world of battle again.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11As stressful as it is, I am willing to challenge them again.
0:02:14 > 0:02:19Too many of the stories we investigate start with a cold call
0:02:19 > 0:02:23and someone trying to sell you something you don't want.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28These calls can be more than just annoying. In some cases, they can cause real distress.
0:02:28 > 0:02:33The system to stop you getting them doesn't always work.
0:02:33 > 0:02:39While the law says if you've opted out of unsolicited calls, no one should ring you out of the blue,
0:02:39 > 0:02:46there's been a rise in the number of companies who simply ignore that and not much can stop them.
0:02:46 > 0:02:53They're often referred to as nuisance calls, but for Keith Brown "nuisance" doesn't begin to describe
0:02:53 > 0:02:57the emotional impact unwanted calls have had on his family.
0:02:57 > 0:03:03Keith's mother is in the early stages of dementia, so she doesn't like dealing with strangers.
0:03:03 > 0:03:09Keith says she'll often say yes to whatever they ask, just to make the conversation end,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13all of which makes her very easy prey for cold callers.
0:03:13 > 0:03:21Keith, what did you find that made you realise your mother had been targeted by cold calling?
0:03:21 > 0:03:24There were more and more vitamins and supplements arriving.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29Over a couple of weeks, it just grew, just like a mountain that grew.
0:03:29 > 0:03:35I spoke to Mum and said, "What's going on here?" and I stopped there and went through them all.
0:03:35 > 0:03:42There were 22 different vitamins or supplements. She walked me through into the bedroom, opened the drawers
0:03:42 > 0:03:45where she used to have all of her clothing.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49All the drawers were full of vitamins.
0:03:49 > 0:03:55Keith's mum had bought the vitamins after receiving a cold call from an online vitamin retailer.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00She'd seen some friends suffer from arthritis and didn't want it,
0:04:00 > 0:04:05so she thought the vitamins would help, but one purchase led to another sales call
0:04:05 > 0:04:08and soon the stock grew out of control.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13Have you any idea how much your mum has spent?
0:04:13 > 0:04:18Over the space of seven months, she's spent just over £2,200 with one company
0:04:18 > 0:04:25on vitamins and vitamin supplements. Really what was staggering was the scale.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30It wasn't £10 and £50 a time. It was £200 a time, £300 a time.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34People were just ringing up, cold calling, knowing that she'd buy,
0:04:34 > 0:04:40suggesting multiple orders of multiple things, more and more things,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42and she was giving her card details.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48So what did you do about it? I immediately rang the company concerned and said, "Please make sure
0:04:48 > 0:04:56"that you don't call any more. You cannot justify spending that amount of money for one elderly person."
0:04:56 > 0:05:03They agreed they would no longer call her or contact her. Have they upheld that? Well, it's been upheld now.
0:05:03 > 0:05:10And then just last week, when I came to see my mother, she said, "I don't understand. This has arrived."
0:05:10 > 0:05:13And this is from the company? Yes.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Offering to sell her more vitamins.
0:05:16 > 0:05:23The vitamins were the latest in a long line of cold call offers to which Keith's mum could not say no.
0:05:23 > 0:05:29In recent months, she's paid £1,300 to two tradesmen for cleaning her driveway
0:05:29 > 0:05:35and she's previously given hundreds to charities in response to appeal letters.
0:05:35 > 0:05:42I think in the last couple of years she has lost over £5,000 or £6,000 on various things.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46What effect has this had on your mum?
0:05:46 > 0:05:52Ironically enough, for people in that stage, the early stages of dementia,
0:05:52 > 0:05:59they don't actually know the scale of it. She doesn't really understand the significance of what she's lost.
0:05:59 > 0:06:05It's her savings. If push came to shove, I'd sort her out, so she's protected.
0:06:05 > 0:06:12But not everybody has a son or a daughter who can move in. And they're in terrible situations.
0:06:12 > 0:06:18If you've not got a really strong advocate, a really strong family friend or relative
0:06:18 > 0:06:23to stand up and do this for you, and I am here twice a week, every week,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26just screening all the mail.
0:06:26 > 0:06:32Keith is a professor in healthcare and social work and has worked with vulnerable old people,
0:06:32 > 0:06:37but it's so much worse when the issues are closer to home.
0:06:37 > 0:06:43When it's suddenly your mum... I've had days when I just, like, wanted to cry,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47I've had my guts turning inside out. Frustration, anger.
0:06:48 > 0:06:55My mum is a great woman. She's a great mother. I feel slightly emotional talking about it.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59And it's, "What is going on?! How can this happen to my mum?"
0:06:59 > 0:07:05When we contacted the vitamin company, they told us Keith's mother had bought "in varying amounts"
0:07:05 > 0:07:10since 2009, but in 2012, after a request from Keith,
0:07:10 > 0:07:16the account was marked "do not call". There was a further short call this year which they say was
0:07:16 > 0:07:21a "clear breach" of their policy, due to "an error on account of the sales agent",
0:07:21 > 0:07:28but they had no record of a request to no mailings, though they have now updated the account to that effect.
0:07:28 > 0:07:34They've also said since 2011 they've made "significant improvements" to their marketing and sales
0:07:34 > 0:07:38and introduced new systems allowing them to randomly review orders,
0:07:38 > 0:07:44so that they can spot unusually high volume sales. And they stress that all the people called by them
0:07:44 > 0:07:50are previous customers rung "at intervals that reflect their purchasing desires".
0:07:50 > 0:07:54They insist that "no cold calls are ever made".
0:07:54 > 0:07:58But this does highlight a rather uncertain grey area
0:07:58 > 0:08:02as to what exactly constitutes consent to repeated calls.
0:08:02 > 0:08:08Some businesses consider that an earlier purchase allows them to call again until you ask them to stop.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12Critics say each new approach technically constitutes a cold call.
0:08:12 > 0:08:17So our pop-up shop telecoms expert David McClelland explains some of the things you can do
0:08:17 > 0:08:20to avoid the calls you don't want.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23The first thing is to opt out.
0:08:23 > 0:08:30The Telephone Preference Service is a register of numbers that legitimate UK marketers cannot dial.
0:08:31 > 0:08:37Once you're registered with the Telephone Preference Service, you should get no unwanted calls.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41It's against the law for companies to call when you said you don't want them to,
0:08:41 > 0:08:48but, unfortunately, it does not stop them all. Keith signed his mum up to the Telephone Preference Service,
0:08:48 > 0:08:55but as the company pointed out that does not stop contact from businesses you've dealt with before,
0:08:55 > 0:09:02if you gave consent for future contact. In any case, research by consumer group Which this year
0:09:02 > 0:09:08found that people registered with the service still receive an average of 10 unsolicited calls a month.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12We asked the Telephone Preference Service why that was the case.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14They said signing up...
0:09:17 > 0:09:23..particularly from "reputable companies that abide by the regulations."
0:09:23 > 0:09:25But they also told us...
0:09:27 > 0:09:30And the Information Commissioner...
0:09:34 > 0:09:39So what should you do if you receive a cold call from a company that keeps on ringing?
0:09:39 > 0:09:46Be firm and hang up. Say something along the lines of, "Thank you. I'm not interested. I'm going to hang up.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51"Please remove me from your database." Then put it down. Screening calls is important.
0:09:51 > 0:09:57A lot of service providers offer caller ID so you can see the number of the person trying to call you.
0:09:57 > 0:10:03If you don't recognise it, don't answer the phone. Finally, if you're inundated,
0:10:03 > 0:10:07you can change your number. It's a little bit of a last resort.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12Ask for a brand-new number that hasn't been recycled from someone else.
0:10:12 > 0:10:18Meanwhile, though Keith believes he has done all he possibly can to stop companies cold calling,
0:10:18 > 0:10:23he thinks more needs to be done to prevent people being exploited.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28We have got to stop and have some system, legislative systems, to stop these things happening,
0:10:28 > 0:10:35to stop this mass marketing going on. And if it doesn't? We're just going to have it continuing, aren't we?
0:10:39 > 0:10:45Next, a cold calling scam that can very quickly leave you hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49And it's remarkably common, so much so that it's estimated
0:10:49 > 0:10:53that one in six people in Britain has already received a similar call.
0:10:53 > 0:10:58Here's everything you need to know about how to avoid being taken in.
0:10:59 > 0:11:06When Hilary Palmer picked up the phone in February, what she was told preyed on every computer user's
0:11:06 > 0:11:11worst nightmare. The caller, who claimed to be from computer operating system Windows,
0:11:11 > 0:11:19said she was at risk from viruses that could cripple her PC and let criminals access her details.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24My reaction when the cold caller said there were loads of viruses
0:11:24 > 0:11:28was, "How could this happen? I have got some anti-virus."
0:11:28 > 0:11:35This lady was insistent that the viruses were potentially dangerous and need to be sorted.
0:11:35 > 0:11:42Convinced that her computer was under threat, Hilary listened and followed technical instructions.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47I fired up my computer and she asked me to type in a few letters
0:11:47 > 0:11:52and that enabled a screen to come up which showed me
0:11:52 > 0:11:57that there were a lot of red warnings on the computer.
0:11:57 > 0:12:03The caller told Hilary that these red warnings were the proof that she had viruses on her computer.
0:12:03 > 0:12:09In fact, the screen she was seeing was a completely innocuous part of the operating system,
0:12:09 > 0:12:14but like most people who get this call, Hilary was not to know these were harmless.
0:12:14 > 0:12:20When I saw the red warning signs, I thought, "This is not good! There must be something wrong."
0:12:20 > 0:12:26She asked me to count them and said if there were more than 38, it was really dangerous.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29And there were many more than 38.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34I was worried that there were so many viruses on the computer
0:12:34 > 0:12:37and that this would destroy it.
0:12:37 > 0:12:45Hilary was told by the caller that she could help her get rid of the viruses, but she'd need access
0:12:45 > 0:12:51to Hilary's computer to do so. So Hilary agreed to let the caller take control of her computer
0:12:51 > 0:12:55over her internet connection. When she got remote access,
0:12:55 > 0:13:02she was able to control the mouse, which was weird. It would whizz around the screen on its own.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07And she was able to get rid of them. This took quite a long time.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12I was on the phone for an hour and a half. She kept talking me through it
0:13:12 > 0:13:18and she'd say, "There's some more." And she'd put up another file and more would come up.
0:13:18 > 0:13:25Of course, in reality, there were no viruses on her computer, but by this point Hilary trusted the caller
0:13:25 > 0:13:30so when offered the chance to buy extra virus protection,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34she was very interested.
0:13:34 > 0:13:39She offered me a package of either one, two or three years
0:13:39 > 0:13:43and I plumped for the two-year one.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47However, I was still a little bit worried about how much it would cost
0:13:47 > 0:13:52and she said she could do me a deal for £150.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56The caller said it was a huge discount on the price of £600,
0:13:56 > 0:14:01so Hilary agreed and the caller emailed over the paperwork.
0:14:01 > 0:14:07She sent a form to my computer which I had to fill in with my credit card details
0:14:07 > 0:14:14and my security information. The caller was still with me when I was filling out the forms.
0:14:14 > 0:14:19She obviously checked the form, said it was all right,
0:14:19 > 0:14:24and then that she would phone me in 10 minutes to confirm everything
0:14:24 > 0:14:27and then put the phone down.
0:14:27 > 0:14:33Hilary had handed all her credit card details over to the caller, including the security code.
0:14:33 > 0:14:3710 minutes pass, half an hour, an hour, and I didn't hear anything.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41I tried to get her number,
0:14:41 > 0:14:46but obviously it was blocked so I was unable to do that.
0:14:46 > 0:14:52Hilary checked her emails for any contact details for the caller, but the emails she had been sent
0:14:52 > 0:14:55had mysteriously disappeared.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58I contacted my son and told him.
0:14:58 > 0:15:03He immediately said, "That's a scam." That's when I felt really sick.
0:15:03 > 0:15:11Cos I'm not a person who would generally be, I don't think, likely to be scammed.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16But through distractions it just took me unawares.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19By the time Hilary realised she'd been scammed,
0:15:19 > 0:15:25she thought it was too late to call her credit card provider, the Post Office, to check on her account.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30When she did check her email the following morning,
0:15:30 > 0:15:37the fraudster had already transferred cash out of her account using Western Union.
0:15:37 > 0:15:42There was an email from Western Union which said "Pickup Notification".
0:15:42 > 0:15:48So I went in to it and it said that £150 had gone out of my account.
0:15:48 > 0:15:54Hilary knew she had to stop the fraudsters taking any more money from her credit card.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59I went to the Post Office to cancel the card as quickly as possible.
0:15:59 > 0:16:05I was worried that if they had access to my card, they'd take more money.
0:16:05 > 0:16:11With the card cancelled, Hilary wrote to the Post Office to ask if there was anything she could do
0:16:11 > 0:16:13to get back the money already taken.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18Unfortunately, there really wasn't anything the Post Office could do.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22As a third party had been used to transfer the lost money, Western Union,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26it's not possible to try to reclaim it through the credit card issuer,
0:16:26 > 0:16:33not least because although they'd been obtained fraudulently, the details were willingly provided.
0:16:33 > 0:16:40So Hilary is left not just £150 out of pocket, but also feeling rather foolish.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45I felt a bit...silly, a bit gullible.
0:16:46 > 0:16:52They'd left me feeling that how stupid was I that I was scammed.
0:16:52 > 0:16:59As in all such successful cold calls, whoever rang Hilary had used a mix of persuasive skills,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02lies and trickery to win her over.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05I think she gained my trust. She was very clever
0:17:05 > 0:17:09in that she talked me through every step of the way and said
0:17:09 > 0:17:14the viruses were bad, especially if there was a certain number,
0:17:14 > 0:17:20so she got me to count. Getting me to count was making me buy into what she was saying.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25When we asked money transfer service Western Union about Hilary's case,
0:17:25 > 0:17:30it said it "commits significant resources to combat consumer fraud",
0:17:30 > 0:17:36investing in monitoring and detecting systems and working closely with law enforcement.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38It added that...
0:17:43 > 0:17:45..stressing you should...
0:17:50 > 0:17:55That's advice reiterated by Microsoft, the business the callers claimed to be from,
0:17:55 > 0:17:58who told us the company...
0:18:02 > 0:18:05The company also warns...
0:18:11 > 0:18:16But this scam is surprisingly common. When Microsoft investigated,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20they discovered one in six of us have received a similar cold call
0:18:20 > 0:18:25and almost a quarter are so convinced it's genuine, they follow instructions.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30It's perhaps a surprise that in Hilary's case they only took £150
0:18:30 > 0:18:34when it would have been very easy to steal much more.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38If I could speak to these people, I would say it is despicable
0:18:38 > 0:18:46that they prey on vulnerable people, people who may not have very good computer knowledge,
0:18:46 > 0:18:50and were able to get money out of them.
0:18:56 > 0:19:02We're on the road again and this year we've brought our pop-up shop to Liverpool!
0:19:03 > 0:19:10We have taken over an empty shop, transformed it overnight, packed it full of experts
0:19:10 > 0:19:15and they're giving advice absolutely free.
0:19:15 > 0:19:20And as well as our shop we've got workshops in the street
0:19:20 > 0:19:26so that as many people as possible can take advantage, get advice and stop being ripped off.
0:19:26 > 0:19:32But back inside our shop, Joy called in for advice from Trading Standards Officer Sylvia Rook.
0:19:32 > 0:19:39She thought she'd been sold a holiday over the phone, but things were not as they first appeared.
0:19:39 > 0:19:46I was rang in November and they offered me a holiday in Malta. I was on my laptop at the time.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50They seemed to be a bona fide website and everything.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53How much were they charging? They wanted 399.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Joy still wasn't convinced, so they tried another tack.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01She said, "I tell you what, I'll throw in this loyalty card."
0:20:01 > 0:20:06She explained that this was something that you travel a lot, which I do,
0:20:06 > 0:20:11"So whenever you wanted a holiday, we would find you a better deal."
0:20:11 > 0:20:17Finally convinced by the salesperson, Joy signed up and paid using her credit card.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21What came initially was just this.
0:20:21 > 0:20:25Right. Saying that you've paid £399.59.
0:20:25 > 0:20:32And then after that this came... Which is congratulating you on securing your loyalty card.
0:20:32 > 0:20:37I said where is the holiday? I've got the loyalty card. Where's my holiday?
0:20:37 > 0:20:40And this is what I got after that.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43I recognised that as timeshare holidays.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48So it seems what Joy had paid for wasn't the week in Malta she wanted.
0:20:48 > 0:20:55Instead she'd bought membership of a holiday club. Feeling ripped off, Joy asked for her money back.
0:20:55 > 0:21:01I got a reply saying, "Our MD has said you can't have your money back." On what grounds?
0:21:01 > 0:21:05"You've signed a contract." You can make a claim against them.
0:21:05 > 0:21:12They will argue that you knew what you were entering into as a contract, but it was over the phone
0:21:12 > 0:21:18and you are adamant you were buying a holiday. That should be sufficient to pursue it through the courts.
0:21:18 > 0:21:24Under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, if you make a purchase that's more than £100
0:21:24 > 0:21:30and less than £30,000, if there is breach of contract or it is misdescribed
0:21:30 > 0:21:33the credit card company is equally liable.
0:21:33 > 0:21:39Basic rule of thumb, do not ever purchase anything as a result of a cold call
0:21:39 > 0:21:46unless you have made very extensive investigations into that company and even then be very cautious.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50You won't go that way again for your holiday, will you? No!
0:21:52 > 0:21:58Many visitors stopped off at our complaints corner to let off some consumer steam
0:21:58 > 0:22:00and I got some things off my chest.
0:22:00 > 0:22:05My biggest gripe is lack of loyalty and service.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09And the people of Liverpool weren't backward at coming forward, either.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14In this city of our, Liverpool, prices are becoming extortionate.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18You don't feel you're getting the best deal or good service.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22You're a grown man being talked to like you're 12.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26The experts at our shop have put together some free factsheets
0:22:26 > 0:22:34with key advice from our pop-up weekend. You can find all of them on our website:
0:22:39 > 0:22:45Still to come: two men who took on the cold callers who wouldn't take no for an answer.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50I pleaded with them to stop. I'd asked, begged. It didn't work.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54I said, "If you call me again, I'll charge you £10 a minute for my time."
0:22:54 > 0:22:59If I asked you if there's any type of cold call you've had recently,
0:22:59 > 0:23:04the chances are it will have been from someone telling you they want to help you claim hundreds of pounds
0:23:04 > 0:23:08in mis-sold PPI payments.
0:23:08 > 0:23:13Official figures show that most households typically get seven of these calls every month.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18Not only do they make up the biggest share of all unwanted calls that can be identified,
0:23:18 > 0:23:23they're also the ones that people say are the most annoying.
0:23:23 > 0:23:29Payment Protection Insurance. Three words heard more than any others in the unsolicited calls
0:23:29 > 0:23:31to our homes and mobile phones.
0:23:31 > 0:23:38Hello? PPI was designed to offer protection if you couldn't make the repayments on any borrowing,
0:23:38 > 0:23:44but how it was sold became, for consumers, the biggest banking scandal of recent times.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49A whole industry sprang up to help, offering their services to claim back
0:23:49 > 0:23:53mis-sold payments on your behalf.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58Sammy Morrison from Huddersfield received one of those calls in 2011
0:23:58 > 0:24:03from a company called We Fight Any Claim.com.
0:24:03 > 0:24:08They told me they were one of the first and best companies
0:24:08 > 0:24:13and had I had PPI? At the time, I didn't have a clue what PPI was.
0:24:13 > 0:24:20So they explained it to me, asked me if I had a mortgage, any loans or cards or anything like that.
0:24:20 > 0:24:27Sammy was told that in return for a fee they could get her back nearly £2,000 in mis-sold PPI.
0:24:27 > 0:24:34They said, "Oh, you've definitely had PPI. We can get you X amount of money,
0:24:34 > 0:24:39"but there is an up-front charge." And I was a bit hesitant,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43but they guaranteed - not maybe'd -
0:24:43 > 0:24:49guaranteed that I would have a good payout within a maximum of 12 weeks.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54Convinced by the company's confidence,
0:24:54 > 0:25:01Sammy agreed to the £490 up-front fee that We Fight Any Claim.com were asking for.
0:25:01 > 0:25:07Satisfied that they would then get on with pursuing the two lots of mis-sold PPI they said she was owed,
0:25:07 > 0:25:13Sammy sat back and waited for her cheque to arrive. They were very persuasive
0:25:13 > 0:25:18and extremely confident that the two companies I'd had PPI with
0:25:18 > 0:25:26were two of the best companies for paying out. They were paying out straight away.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30But things didn't move quite as swiftly as Sammy had hoped.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35About three months later, after I'd received all the initial paperwork,
0:25:35 > 0:25:40I received a form for me to sign and send back.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44I rang them up, asked them what this form was.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49They said it's for the company. We now give them 40 days legally
0:25:49 > 0:25:52to get back to us with a decision.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56She had hoped for a cheque, but all she'd got was more paperwork
0:25:56 > 0:26:00asking her to sign and give her consent to them pursuing her claim.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05Very frustrated, Sammy decided to try to find out more.
0:26:05 > 0:26:11I rang the Ministry of Justice and they said at that time it was too soon to do anything,
0:26:11 > 0:26:16legally, because it had only been about six months.
0:26:16 > 0:26:22It seemed that all Sammy could do was wait and see if the £490 she had paid to We Fight Any Claim.com
0:26:22 > 0:26:28would come to anything. But that 12-week wait she'd been promised soon turned into something longer.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33The weeks became months and, finally, years.
0:26:33 > 0:26:38Two years later of going round and round in circles again and tearing my hair out with them.
0:26:38 > 0:26:43In April this year I got back in touch with the Ministry of Justice
0:26:43 > 0:26:48and they told me to write to them, saying I'd been in touch with them
0:26:48 > 0:26:56and under the Freedom of Information Act ask them for copies of everything they've dealt with on my claims
0:26:56 > 0:27:02for the past two years. And that was April and I'm still waiting for a response.
0:27:02 > 0:27:09To see if we could help bring Sammy's wait to an end, we contacted We Fight Any Claim.com
0:27:09 > 0:27:13to find out if they were any closer to getting any of Sammy's PPI back
0:27:13 > 0:27:20and, if not, whether they'd be refunding the £490 up-front fee she'd paid them all that time ago.
0:27:20 > 0:27:28The company apologised for the fact that she has not received the level of service it would wish to provide
0:27:28 > 0:27:33and says "the reasons for the delays are numerous" and due to factors outside its control,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37for example, "delaying tactics" by the companies concerned.
0:27:37 > 0:27:43While that may make it seem as if nothing is being done, such tactics are all too common
0:27:43 > 0:27:46and take time to work through.
0:27:46 > 0:27:51But it says the charges were fully explained and agreed to
0:27:51 > 0:27:56and up-front fees "were fully allowable by the regulatory bodies at the time,"
0:27:56 > 0:28:01although the company stopped using them back in January, 2012
0:28:01 > 0:28:05and customers now only pay a fee as and when money is reclaimed.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09They also said they have fully refunded Sammy's fee.
0:28:09 > 0:28:1510,000 people a week are escalating their complaints to the Financial Ombudsman Service
0:28:15 > 0:28:19after trying and failing to get mis-sold PPI payments returned.
0:28:19 > 0:28:26Denise Barnaby from London is one. She's banked with the Halifax for 30 years,
0:28:26 > 0:28:32but for the last eight months she's fought to get back PPI added without her knowledge to a credit card
0:28:32 > 0:28:38that she's had with the bank since 1996. She didn't use a PPI company to help or respond to a cold call.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43Denise made the claim herself, which should be straightforward,
0:28:43 > 0:28:47but the Halifax denied she was entitled to any money.
0:28:47 > 0:28:53When I first got the letter saying I didn't have any PPI added to my credit card,
0:28:53 > 0:29:01I was very disappointed. I thought something's not quite right here. I need to investigate and research it.
0:29:01 > 0:29:07Determined not to give up, Denise continued to pursue her claim, but the bank refused to back down.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10It was like going round in circles,
0:29:10 > 0:29:15which was taking an immense amount of time and was quite stressful, to be quite honest,
0:29:15 > 0:29:17and sometimes quite depressing.
0:29:17 > 0:29:25Denise contacted the Financial Ombudsman Service and the Halifax eventually accepted her claim.
0:29:25 > 0:29:28However, Denise's relief was short-lived.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32The bank offered her the sum of £1,719.02 -
0:29:32 > 0:29:37much less than she felt she was entitled to. When the offer came,
0:29:37 > 0:29:42I was absolutely shocked because it wasn't right.
0:29:42 > 0:29:47From 1996, that offer just didn't add up.
0:29:47 > 0:29:55Denise refused to accept the cheque from the Halifax and continued to chase the bank for her money.
0:29:55 > 0:30:01I was very determined that they weren't going to get away with whatever they owed me.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05It's my money, so I wasn't going to stop until I got it back.
0:30:05 > 0:30:11Denise continued to fight the claim herself and a few weeks later they offered a revised settlement
0:30:11 > 0:30:18of £2,598.11. That's over £800 more than their original offer.
0:30:18 > 0:30:24And she's keen for other people to follow her example.
0:30:24 > 0:30:29My message to everybody would be once you know you're owed PPI
0:30:29 > 0:30:36don't give up, be persistent, don't go through any of these PPI companies. You don't need to.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39You can do it all yourself.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43Keep battling until you do get your money back.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47We contacted the Halifax, who told us:
0:30:52 > 0:30:58In light of Denise's concerns at the amount of redress, the bank rechecked the calculations
0:30:58 > 0:31:04and found "an automation error which resulted in an incorrect amount being calculated."
0:31:04 > 0:31:08The bank said it's "very sorry to have made a mistake".
0:31:08 > 0:31:12They have offered her £100 for the distress and inconvenience caused.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17But Denise's fight isn't over yet.
0:31:17 > 0:31:25She's now in the process of claiming back PPI she thinks she was mis-sold on loans from the same bank.
0:31:25 > 0:31:31I'm willing to go all the way for my loans PPI and if it means we go through a world of battle again
0:31:31 > 0:31:37as stressful as it is, I am willing to challenge them again.
0:31:37 > 0:31:42Although slower than expected, Denise did the right thing my making her claim herself.
0:31:42 > 0:31:48It's by far the best way to reclaim PPI you think you might be owed.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50You can do this absolutely free.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54You do not need to use a claims management company.
0:31:54 > 0:31:59Go to the Rip-Off Britain website or which.co.uk and you can find
0:31:59 > 0:32:07a pool of resources to help make your complaint. First, gather evidence. Pull together your old paperwork,
0:32:07 > 0:32:11policy numbers, when you took out the policy and who sold it to you.
0:32:11 > 0:32:17Once you gather all your evidence, use some of the template resources on those websites.
0:32:17 > 0:32:22You can fill out your details. They'll generate a template letter
0:32:22 > 0:32:25with all the information to make a valid complaint.
0:32:25 > 0:32:31Send it to your lender and after eight weeks you should get told if your claim has been accepted.
0:32:31 > 0:32:36An estimated 22% of all cold calls are about PPI claims.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39Using a claims management company may seem a tempting option,
0:32:39 > 0:32:45but making the claim yourself means you get to keep all of your money
0:32:45 > 0:32:53and you can find full details as to how to make your claim on our website:
0:32:56 > 0:33:02The thing about the cold calling industry is that those companies involved will claim
0:33:02 > 0:33:07that there are actually people who don't mind receiving an offer over the telephone,
0:33:07 > 0:33:14but the numbers of those who are not at all happy about unsolicited calls, nuisance calls,
0:33:14 > 0:33:21has been steadily rising. So if you've ever felt aggrieved at being called by a company
0:33:21 > 0:33:25that you have absolutely no interest in doing business with at all,
0:33:25 > 0:33:31you'll be particularly interested in our next story and how some people who are sick of cold calls
0:33:31 > 0:33:38have fought back and won. I'm about to meet one of them now and he'll tell you how he did it.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43Some people might consider Steve Higgins and Richard Herman consumer heroes.
0:33:43 > 0:33:49Both of them successfully took on the cold-calling companies who would not take no for an answer.
0:33:49 > 0:33:54Steve was being badgered to reclaim PPI that he knew he could never claim
0:33:54 > 0:34:00and Richard was being hounded daily by calls from the same call centre, one that is based overseas,
0:34:00 > 0:34:03but working for companies in the UK.
0:34:03 > 0:34:09Richard, how did you first become aware of the volume and nuisance value of these unsolicited calls?
0:34:09 > 0:34:15An occasional call, one wouldn't matter, but to get two calls a day
0:34:15 > 0:34:22and to receive calls with the same characteristics made me realise it was probably the same company
0:34:22 > 0:34:26over and over again. I realised I had to stop it.
0:34:26 > 0:34:33Richard figured that if he stayed on the phone, they'd eventually put him through to someone in the UK
0:34:33 > 0:34:37who, wanting him to sign up, would tell him who they were.
0:34:37 > 0:34:43I said, "You need to stop calling me. Take me off the list." I felt that would work, speaking to the UK,
0:34:43 > 0:34:48and I said, "If you call me again, I'll charge you £10 a minute for my time."
0:34:48 > 0:34:55What reaction did you get then? I don't think they took it on board, but I assumed that was the end of it.
0:34:55 > 0:35:01So what happened? About a week later, to my astonishment, they called me again,
0:35:01 > 0:35:06but I carried on until I got through to the same company in the UK.
0:35:06 > 0:35:10I said, "I've already told you not to call me."
0:35:10 > 0:35:13I said I'd be sending an invoice for my time.
0:35:13 > 0:35:20It had taken 19 minutes before the call centre put Richard through to the UK company, PPI Claimline.
0:35:20 > 0:35:25So, true to his word, Richard sent them an invoice for that time,
0:35:25 > 0:35:27asking them to pay him £195.
0:35:27 > 0:35:30Their reply was a little surprising.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34They wrote back to me to say they'd never ever called me,
0:35:34 > 0:35:38but I had recordings of all the calls they had made to me.
0:35:38 > 0:35:44But it was true. PPI Claimline had not made any of the calls themselves. They explained
0:35:44 > 0:35:50that they pay other companies to generate their leads and find people who might be interested
0:35:50 > 0:35:54and then put them through to someone who could seal the deal.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58So although it was PPI Claimline who wanted his business,
0:35:58 > 0:36:05the company actually making the calls was a marketing firm called AAC, based in Bishop's Stortford.
0:36:05 > 0:36:11Determined to prove his point, it was that firm Richard decided should pay for his wasted time.
0:36:11 > 0:36:17He started small claims proceedings against them, but before the case was heard, AAC sent him a cheque
0:36:17 > 0:36:21for £195 plus £25 to cover his court fees.
0:36:21 > 0:36:25I got paid and the cold calls stopped, so it was great.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28But then you started getting more.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33I had about two months with no cold calls, so about three months later
0:36:33 > 0:36:37I started to be cold called again. I played along with it again
0:36:37 > 0:36:40and said I'd charge for my time.
0:36:40 > 0:36:46And when he was called again by another company generating leads for someone else,
0:36:46 > 0:36:52Richard invoiced them, too, this time successfully claiming another £230.
0:36:52 > 0:36:57Certainly from my point of view it's changed the number of calls I get completely.
0:36:57 > 0:37:03Until recently, I had about four months without any. It's made me feel much better. I felt victimised before
0:37:03 > 0:37:11because there's nothing you can do to stop them. Most people who get a nuisance call put the phone down.
0:37:11 > 0:37:17You actually, as an individual, stood up against a very large organisation.
0:37:17 > 0:37:20That took knowledge, but also time and courage.
0:37:20 > 0:37:25I think I had to do it. I was fed up being victimised.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29The only way to get my equilibrium back was to do something about it.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33We wrote to the companies Richard invoiced to get their take on this.
0:37:33 > 0:37:38Most didn't reply, although PPI Claimline told us...
0:37:44 > 0:37:50They accept that the marketing company they used should not have called Richard again
0:37:50 > 0:37:54once he requested to be taken off the consent list. They say...
0:37:56 > 0:38:02Richard has now set up a website Say No To Cold Calls that offers help and advice
0:38:02 > 0:38:05on how to take cold callers to task,
0:38:05 > 0:38:09knowledge that he's used to claim back a considerable amount of money.
0:38:09 > 0:38:14And, impressive as that is, fellow cold call crusader Steve Higgins
0:38:14 > 0:38:21has also had some extraordinary results after getting fed up with unwanted calls in family time.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25We were getting around six, seven, eight phone calls a day.
0:38:25 > 0:38:32And I work away. When I come home, I like to spend quality time with my wife and kids.
0:38:32 > 0:38:38That was often being interrupted having to answer these calls, putting the phone calls down.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40It was just ridiculous.
0:38:40 > 0:38:46One company in particular kept calling, telling Steve he was entitled to a PPI refund.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49Steve knew this was not the case.
0:38:49 > 0:38:56I'd claimed PPI in the past, so I was well aware I'd no right to claim PPI despite them telling me I had.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00During two months in late 2012, Steve received 94 calls,
0:39:00 > 0:39:07of which he thinks the majority were from the same telemarketing company, working for Synergy Leads Ltd.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10However much he asked them to stop, they didn't.
0:39:10 > 0:39:15I'd pleaded with them to stop, I'd asked, I'd begged. It didn't work.
0:39:15 > 0:39:21It was a barrage of calls and I began to log them. That's how I know I had that many calls.
0:39:21 > 0:39:28Steve had had enough. He decided to take action. The next time they called, he again asked them to stop
0:39:28 > 0:39:32and told them he would invoice them £10 for every subsequent call.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36I spoke to their supervisor on the other end.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40I told him I'd asked them to stop and he said he couldn't do that.
0:39:40 > 0:39:46I then told him I would be charging him £10 for every call that they made. He put the phone down on me.
0:39:46 > 0:39:52I hit on a figure of £10 because I looked at how much time I was spending on each phone call
0:39:52 > 0:39:57and then I'd look at my line of work and my chargeable tab.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01But the threat of invoices did not work. The calls kept coming.
0:40:01 > 0:40:06I tried to complain by email, by writing, by phone. No response.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09It was then I decided to take this further.
0:40:09 > 0:40:14So Steve went to the government website Money Claim Online and filed a claim
0:40:14 > 0:40:20with the Small Claims Court. It cost him £60, after which Synergy Leads didn't offer a defence
0:40:20 > 0:40:25and the case was found in Steve's favour. The judgment was for £1,000.
0:40:25 > 0:40:32It was 94 phone calls at £10 a call, £940. And then I also got £60 court costs,
0:40:32 > 0:40:36which the company had to pay. So it was £1,000 in total.
0:40:36 > 0:40:42We wrote to Synergy Leads at their registered address and asked them to comment on Steve's case.
0:40:42 > 0:40:49They haven't responded. Steve has quite a track record in winning money through Small Claims.
0:40:49 > 0:40:55In the past 16 years, he's taken 150 companies through the courts for everything from unfair bank charges
0:40:55 > 0:41:01to mis-sold insurance. And he's been awarded a total of around £75,000 in refunds and costs.
0:41:01 > 0:41:06Since he wont his case, he hasn't had a single cold call.
0:41:06 > 0:41:11If just one person looks at what I did and follows the same path,
0:41:11 > 0:41:16because it's cheap and you don't have to see a solicitor, it's very easy.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20So if one person does it, I'm really quite pleased.
0:41:20 > 0:41:26The more people do it, the less these calls will happen. Companies will sit up and take notice
0:41:26 > 0:41:30and decide against phoning people who shouldn't be phoned.
0:41:35 > 0:41:41Here at Rip-Off Britain, we're always ready to investigate more of your stories.
0:41:41 > 0:41:47You might have a cautionary tale and want to share it with us so others don't do the same thing.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50You can write to us at:
0:41:57 > 0:42:00Or you can send us an email to:
0:42:03 > 0:42:08The Rip-Off team is ready and waiting to investigate your stories.
0:42:09 > 0:42:16It really does seem extraordinary that so many cold calls are still made to people who don't want them.
0:42:16 > 0:42:21They absolutely shouldn't be approaching you if that's the case.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26But remember there are other ways to reduce your unwanted calls.
0:42:26 > 0:42:31For example, do not put your number in the phone book and if asked to tick a box opting out
0:42:31 > 0:42:37of what they call "Carefully selected offers", don't tick the one opting in!
0:42:37 > 0:42:41And there's lots more advice on our website:
0:42:44 > 0:42:48That's where we have to leave you, but we will be back again very soon
0:42:48 > 0:42:52to look at even more situations that leave you feeling ripped off.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55Until then, bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd