0:00:02 > 0:00:05We asked you to tell us what's left you feeling totally ripped off,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07and you've contacted us in your thousands.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10You've told us about the companies that you think get it wrong
0:00:10 > 0:00:14and the customer service that simply is not up to scratch.
0:00:14 > 0:00:15If you're paying for a good service,
0:00:15 > 0:00:18you expect a good service and a good product, whatever it may be.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21At the end of the day, we expect value for money.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25You've asked us to track down the scammers who stole your money
0:00:25 > 0:00:28and investigate the extra charges you'd say are unfair.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30The wool's been pulled over our eyes,
0:00:30 > 0:00:31I don't think we get a fair price.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34I think they should always put the customer first.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37And when you've lost out but no-one else is to blame,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40you've come to us to stop others falling into the same trap.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44And no-one could sort that out for you over ten years? No-one has.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48So, whether it's a blatant rip-off or a genuine mistake, we're here
0:00:48 > 0:00:52to find out why you're out of pocket and what you can do about it.
0:00:55 > 0:00:58Your stories, your money. This is Rip-Off Britain.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Hello and thanks for joining us once again
0:01:03 > 0:01:07as we get our teeth into quite a mix of really shocking stories today
0:01:07 > 0:01:11that involve all those serious problems with everyday things,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13like phones, bills...
0:01:13 > 0:01:15All the issues that affect pretty much every one of us,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18but which, when something goes wrong,
0:01:18 > 0:01:22can have a really frustrating and soul-destroying impact on our lives.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24And that's certainly true
0:01:24 > 0:01:26with one of the cases we'll be investigating today.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29Imagine discovering you've been overcharged for something
0:01:29 > 0:01:34and not just for a few months or even a year, but for decades.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36You'd definitely want some of your money back, wouldn't you?
0:01:36 > 0:01:39But as we unravel not just that particular story,
0:01:39 > 0:01:41but other cases where people
0:01:41 > 0:01:43have been left feeling totally frustrated with the charges
0:01:43 > 0:01:46or problems they've been saddled with,
0:01:46 > 0:01:47we'll have unmissable tips
0:01:47 > 0:01:51to make sure that you don't find yourself in the same boat.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Coming up, the homeowners who, without knowing it,
0:01:54 > 0:01:57have been pouring money down the drain for the last three decades.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Could YOU be doing the same?
0:01:59 > 0:02:05Since at least the 1980s, we've been paying Severn Trent ?60-?70 a year.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08And this is for a service that we are not receiving.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12And why unexpected charges on one of Britain's bestselling phones
0:02:12 > 0:02:15left this family with not-so-smiley faces.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19It was like ?100 and I was like, "Jade, what have you done?"
0:02:23 > 0:02:24Well, I don't know about you,
0:02:24 > 0:02:26but whenever I've bought a new appliance -
0:02:26 > 0:02:29let's say a washing machine or a fridge -
0:02:29 > 0:02:31and I'm almost afraid to confess this,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34I often put all the paperwork to the one side
0:02:34 > 0:02:38and don't bother filling in the form asking me to register my product.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42But it turns out that could be a pretty serious mistake.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45When you buy a new electrical appliance,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48the chances are you too put to one side the forms
0:02:48 > 0:02:51to register your purchase with the manufacturer.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55But that paperwork can be far more important than it looks,
0:02:55 > 0:02:58as Lorraine Ward from Tamworth knows all too well.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Rewind to October 2012,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03and following the birth of Lorraine's second daughter, Lacey,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06she decided to treat herself to a brand-new tumble dryer
0:03:06 > 0:03:09to help with washing all those baby clothes.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12She came across one by the well-known brand Beko,
0:03:12 > 0:03:14who, over the last 25 years,
0:03:14 > 0:03:18have sold more than 20 million appliances in the UK.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19I'd heard of them before,
0:03:19 > 0:03:22but we'd never had any of their products before.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26But everything seemed to get really good feedback on various websites,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29so I felt trusting enough to buy it.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Once the tumble dryer arrived,
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Lorraine is quite sure that, as she normally would,
0:03:34 > 0:03:38she DID register her purchase with the manufacturer.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41I've always registered products before.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44The actual paperwork to sell it was just like a little card,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47and it was just a case of just fill your details on the back.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49You could do it online, but at the time it was easier for me
0:03:49 > 0:03:51to stick it in the post.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54After she thought she put the form into the post,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Lorraine forgot about it and settled into the luxury
0:03:57 > 0:03:59of having the new tumble dryer.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01The amount of clothes babies go through!
0:04:01 > 0:04:03To actually get them washed and then be able to put them
0:04:03 > 0:04:05straight into a tumble dryer and back in a drawer
0:04:05 > 0:04:07within a matter of hours was just fantastic.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10It made our lives so much easier.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14But after barely two and a half months' use,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18Lorraine's dream appliance turned into a nightmare.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Her husband was using the dryer one Sunday morning
0:04:20 > 0:04:23when there was a sudden and dramatic problem.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Initially, the electric went off,
0:04:25 > 0:04:30and then he could start smelling sort of burning.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34As Lorraine's husband entered the utility room,
0:04:34 > 0:04:38he was shocked to see flames shooting out of the tumble dryer
0:04:38 > 0:04:41into the rest of the room and straight through into the kitchen.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45He was screaming for me to wake up, and he was passing me the baby
0:04:45 > 0:04:48and trying to get the car seat and my car keys, saying,
0:04:48 > 0:04:50"Get out, get out, the house is on fire".
0:04:52 > 0:04:54The family scrambled to get out,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57as the fire tore through the utility room and kitchen,
0:04:57 > 0:04:59and waited for the fire brigade to arrive.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03When they came, they all sort of jumped out of their van
0:05:03 > 0:05:06and started getting the hoses and everything ready,
0:05:06 > 0:05:08and my husband said to them, "It's the tumble dryer.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11"There's two-foot flames coming out of it."
0:05:13 > 0:05:17The fire completely destroyed the utility room and kitchen,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20and the rest of the house had been filled with smoke
0:05:20 > 0:05:22that damaged most of the family's belongings.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Going in after, it just looked like something out of a horror movie,
0:05:25 > 0:05:27with completely black walls, ceilings...
0:05:27 > 0:05:30It was really horrible to see after.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Lorraine had no idea that shortly after she'd bought her dryer,
0:05:35 > 0:05:37that particular model had been recalled
0:05:37 > 0:05:40due to concerns over product safety.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43While she remains convinced that she HAD sent off the form to register
0:05:43 > 0:05:45her product with the manufacturer,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47she hadn't received any recall notice,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51as should normally happen if the company had received her details.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55And although a recall notice was published in the national press,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Lorraine hadn't seen it, so she simply hadn't known
0:05:57 > 0:06:00that the dryer was potentially dangerous
0:06:00 > 0:06:02and should have been returned.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03We believe it had been recalled
0:06:03 > 0:06:06only a few weeks after we purchased it,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09but we knew absolutely nothing about it at all.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13The impact of the fire was huge.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16With no home insurance for their rented property,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18they were left with nowhere to live.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20But family and friends rallied round to help.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24People were brilliant. They were bringing us bags of clothes.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28Someone brought us a Moses basket for the baby!
0:06:28 > 0:06:29Sorry...
0:06:31 > 0:06:33TEARFULLY: People were bringing bottles, everything,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35cos we'd lost everything.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39After two weeks, the manufacturers, Beko,
0:06:39 > 0:06:42paid for the family's temporary accommodation.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46The company has since paid out around ?20,000
0:06:46 > 0:06:48to cover the uninsured house contents,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51plus a further sum for stress and inconvenience.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52But for Lorraine, none of that
0:06:52 > 0:06:55lessens the impact all of this has had on the family.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00I don't think any amount of money, really, would...replace the fear.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04You know, it doesn't pay for that, it doesn't pay for the effects
0:07:04 > 0:07:07that you're left with after the event.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Lorraine says her nine-year-old daughter was particularly affected
0:07:11 > 0:07:13by what happened.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17Anything that sounded like an alarm or an unusual noise after that,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20she would panic, she would freeze on the spot.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23I'd always have to explain a new noise
0:07:23 > 0:07:26because it would genuinely frighten her.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30When we contacted Beko, the company told us
0:07:30 > 0:07:33it deeply regrets any incident caused by its appliances,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37all of which meet or exceed UK and European standards
0:07:37 > 0:07:41and that its highest priority is the safety of customers.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44It sincerely apologised to Lorraine,
0:07:44 > 0:07:47saying what happened was down to a third-party component
0:07:47 > 0:07:52used in a small batch of dryers made between May and October 2012.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Beko explained that when it became aware of the issue,
0:07:55 > 0:07:59it launched swift action, including taking out newspaper adverts
0:07:59 > 0:08:02and contacting customers who had registered their appliance.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06But it said it had no record of Lorraine registering hers.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09The company stress that no products currently on the market
0:08:09 > 0:08:10are affected,
0:08:10 > 0:08:15advising that information on product recalls is available on its website.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16It also pointed out that
0:08:16 > 0:08:19while many manufacturers have launched product recalls
0:08:19 > 0:08:21in recent years, in this case,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24it traced almost 90% of affected dryers,
0:08:24 > 0:08:28significantly better than the industry average of just 10% to 20%.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30But since Lorraine's case,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33millions of tumble dryers made by other manufacturers
0:08:33 > 0:08:35have been the subject of similar safety notices
0:08:35 > 0:08:39because of a risk that they too could catch fire.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41If one of the affected models is in YOUR home,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44that's something that you really do want to know about.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46But campaign group Electrical Safety First
0:08:46 > 0:08:48believes suppliers are not doing enough
0:08:48 > 0:08:50to get the message through.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54The current recall system in the UK is failing consumers.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58Typically, when a manufacturer needs to recall a product,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01they often get about 10% to 20% of those products back,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04which means there are hundreds of thousands of those affected products
0:09:04 > 0:09:06still in people's homes.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09But there are ways to quickly and easily check
0:09:09 > 0:09:12which major safety recalls might apply to you.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Electrical Safety First has put on its website
0:09:15 > 0:09:18a very handy database of every electrical product
0:09:18 > 0:09:21that's been recalled, back to 2007.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24All you have to do is type in a product name or details
0:09:24 > 0:09:28and it will instantly tell you if it's one that has been recalled.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32We, as consumers, all have a responsibility to take action
0:09:32 > 0:09:36amongst ourselves, which is why we've got a recall checker,
0:09:36 > 0:09:37where people can go to our website
0:09:37 > 0:09:41and simply put a few details in to see if any of the products
0:09:41 > 0:09:44that they have in their home are subject to a recall
0:09:44 > 0:09:48and then that will also tell them what they need to do about that.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51We're also encouraging consumers to register their appliance
0:09:51 > 0:09:55at the My Appliance website that the manufacturers have set up.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00And now, following concerns that the whole recall system is ineffective,
0:10:00 > 0:10:02the Retail Ombudsman has launched a scheme,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05which will register contact details at the point of sale
0:10:05 > 0:10:08when customers buy new appliances.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10So, hopefully, if a fault is discovered,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12you will be told about it
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and experiences like Lorraine's won't happen again.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18It's frightening, you don't buy these things ever expecting
0:10:18 > 0:10:22something like this to happen, and nobody should expect it to happen,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26but, unfortunately, I guess in the rarer cases, it does.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28It is really, really scary.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Now, until recently, we'd probably have said
0:10:35 > 0:10:39that it was the energy companies that had the most complicated bills,
0:10:39 > 0:10:42but with the regulator, Ofgem, now telling them
0:10:42 > 0:10:44to make their costs easier to understand,
0:10:44 > 0:10:49perhaps the rather dubious honour of having the most complex bills
0:10:49 > 0:10:52and impenetrable charges should pass to the providers
0:10:52 > 0:10:55of yet another essential utility.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59And, in the first instance, that would have to be water.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Now, if you've never really taken a close look at your water bill,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04well, it may be a very good idea to do it now
0:11:04 > 0:11:07because here's a story about a charge
0:11:07 > 0:11:10that was made by a water company which, in this case,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12turned out to be totally unnecessary.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17This is the village of Crick in Northamptonshire.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20It's a close community, where everyone looks out for one another.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Hi, Jean! Hi, Jean! All right?
0:11:23 > 0:11:25When there's news, it travels fast
0:11:25 > 0:11:30and currently, there is one topic of conversation on everyone's lips.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Do you think we shall hear any more about the water?
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Speaking to the Daventry councillor...
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Yeah. ..she seemed a bit optimistic about it.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41The problem started back in the autumn of 2014
0:11:41 > 0:11:44when rumours began that some residents may well have been
0:11:44 > 0:11:46paying unnecessarily for part of their water bill.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48It wasn't long before the whole village
0:11:48 > 0:11:50took an interest in the discussion.
0:11:50 > 0:11:51There should be a liaison
0:11:51 > 0:11:54between the council and the water authorities, really.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55Well, I would have thought so, yeah,
0:11:55 > 0:11:59because we're exhausting all our outlets, really, aren't we?
0:11:59 > 0:12:00We do seem to be, yes.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Jean Garner has lived in her home for 48 years
0:12:03 > 0:12:05and keeps a close eye on her finances.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07The hydrangeas have come on this week, haven't they?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09They have, yeah.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11I am quite meticulous with bills.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I check them, I check bank statements
0:12:14 > 0:12:19and I suppose it arises from the days when you had a young family
0:12:19 > 0:12:22and money was tight, and it's something that I've always done
0:12:22 > 0:12:26to make sure that all bills and accounts are correct.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29So Jean was surprised to learn from one of her neighbours
0:12:29 > 0:12:32that, for 30 years, she may have been wrongly billed
0:12:32 > 0:12:34by her provider Severn Trent Water
0:12:34 > 0:12:36for a service that she isn't getting.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40In this village, we pay two lots of water bill -
0:12:40 > 0:12:42we pay Anglia Water for the water supply
0:12:42 > 0:12:46and we pay Severn Trent for wastage,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50and the new neighbours that we were in conversation with
0:12:50 > 0:12:53said that they didn't pay Severn Trent.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55So when we looked into it further,
0:12:55 > 0:12:58we found out that the bill for Severn Trent
0:12:58 > 0:13:01was for stormwater collection.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Jean, along with 14 other residents on the estate,
0:13:05 > 0:13:10was paying around ?60 a year for this stormwater collection,
0:13:10 > 0:13:12which is a charge levied by water companies
0:13:12 > 0:13:15when their drains filter the rainwater into the sewers.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19But what worried Jean after she'd made further inquiries
0:13:19 > 0:13:22was that some of her neighbours weren't paying this charge at all,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24so she wanted to know why SHE was.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29The neighbours told me, "We don't pay Severn Trent any charges.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33"Our stormwater goes into a soakaway."
0:13:33 > 0:13:35So my neighbour and I,
0:13:35 > 0:13:38we got together and discussed this
0:13:38 > 0:13:41and decided that we shouldn't probably be paying, either.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46So Jean contacted Severn Trent Water and asked them to investigate.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51And an engineer came out and tested the water
0:13:51 > 0:13:55and found that it didn't go into the sewer, it went into a soakaway
0:13:55 > 0:13:59and he said, "You shouldn't be paying any bills to Severn Trent."
0:13:59 > 0:14:04The engineer discovered that when Jean's house was built in the 1960s,
0:14:04 > 0:14:07it had what's called a soakaway installed,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10which means rainwater soaks back into the garden.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12It also means that the water companies
0:14:12 > 0:14:14don't deal with the rainwater,
0:14:14 > 0:14:16so don't need to charge for it,
0:14:16 > 0:14:20which in turn means that Jean had been paying Severn Trent Water
0:14:20 > 0:14:23unnecessarily for the last 30 years.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Since at least the 1980s, we've been paying Severn Trent ?60-?70 a year.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31And this is for a service that we are not receiving.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Severn Trent Water explained to us
0:14:34 > 0:14:36that when the water industry was privatised,
0:14:36 > 0:14:38the local authority in Jean's area
0:14:38 > 0:14:41hadn't passed over any sewer records.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45So it simply hadn't known which houses had a soakaway system.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47The water company says it relies on customers themselves
0:14:47 > 0:14:51to pass on this information - a fact which, it points out,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53is included on its water bills.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55But even so, once the company DID know
0:14:55 > 0:14:58it had been overcharging Jean for three decades,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01she was horrified by their initial response.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04They told us that they were only going to refund us six months,
0:15:04 > 0:15:07then they sent us a cheque for ?31 something.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09We felt really aggrieved.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Severn Trent Water said the rebate was in line
0:15:12 > 0:15:15with guidance from the regulator Ofwat,
0:15:15 > 0:15:16who recommend that, as a minimum,
0:15:16 > 0:15:20rebates should go back to the start of the current year.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23But Jean and her neighbours were so frustrated by the situation,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26they contacted other households on the estate,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28to break it to them that they too could well be paying
0:15:28 > 0:15:31for rainwater drainage when they simply didn't have to.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35And very soon, there were plenty of people with a story to tell.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37It's ?60 a year, isn't it,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40the payment for the removal of surface water?
0:15:40 > 0:15:43What baffled the residents was the difference in the size
0:15:43 > 0:15:47of the refunds that Severn Trent Water was offering.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52They gave me a partial refund. 20-odd quid, I got back.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55Oh, I got more than you! It's not the amount, it's the principle.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59They've been charging us for a service that they have not provided.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Well, after we got involved in this situation,
0:16:02 > 0:16:03there was some very good news indeed.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Severn Trent Water have now agreed to backdate these refunds
0:16:07 > 0:16:10for many of the Crick residents to 2003,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13netting Jean a payment of more than ?500.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15And what's more, Ofwat have told us
0:16:15 > 0:16:17that all ten sewage companies in England and Wales
0:16:17 > 0:16:21have now agreed to backdate refund payments
0:16:21 > 0:16:24beyond the current financial year.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26So, it's well worth checking your water bills
0:16:26 > 0:16:30to see if you too have been charged for services you simply don't use.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Once again, we've opened up our Rip-Off Britain pop-up shop.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40This time it was in Nottingham,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43where our top team of experts was on hand to help with
0:16:43 > 0:16:47as many of your consumer problems as they possibly could.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50And students Josh Bore, Tom Giles and Lee Smith
0:16:50 > 0:16:54came to see legal expert Gary Rycroft about the problems
0:16:54 > 0:16:56they'd had with their rented accommodation.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02Our oven broke, our microwave broke, our fridge-freezer's broken,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06we had mould in the ceilings and on the walls, we needed extractor fans.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09I had loads of mould in my bathroom and they just painted over it.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11They did install an extractor fan eventually
0:17:11 > 0:17:14but the mess they left... It's just not really good enough,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16the solution they've provided, really.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18We've got pigeons living in the lounge.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20It doesn't sound much fun, does it? What could you recommend?
0:17:20 > 0:17:23What I do want to find out more about is this issue
0:17:23 > 0:17:26with the pigeons and the mould.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29There's a potential health issue there, I think.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31In terms of the kitchen mould, we had a lot over our ceiling
0:17:31 > 0:17:34that caused the ceiling roof to actually leak.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36The mould has leaked through the cupboards
0:17:36 > 0:17:37and it's caused them to sag.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40When we contacted them about the cupboards falling off the walls,
0:17:40 > 0:17:43she said it was because we've got too many tins in the cupboards.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46If you think the property's not safe to live in, you can ask
0:17:46 > 0:17:48the local authority to come and look at the property
0:17:48 > 0:17:52and just do an assessment of what's needed to bring it up to scratch.
0:17:52 > 0:17:55And that kind of thing will put pressure on the landlord.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59They have a legal duty to carry out any works of repair
0:17:59 > 0:18:01and maintenance that the local authority insist upon.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Have you got deposits with her?
0:18:04 > 0:18:06It's about ?300. ?300, yes.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Between you? ALL: Each.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10There's quite a lot of money at stake.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13The tenancy deposit situation is interesting
0:18:13 > 0:18:16because if she hasn't put it in an authorised
0:18:16 > 0:18:20tenancy deposit scheme, then she isn't entitled to sue you
0:18:20 > 0:18:22for unpaid rent.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26So you do need to find out what the situation is with the deposits
0:18:26 > 0:18:30because she could have shot herself in the foot by not
0:18:30 > 0:18:32following the correct procedure there.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35It means you could put some pressure on your landlord to get
0:18:35 > 0:18:38all of this sorted out. Do let us know how it's all worked out.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40We will, thank you. Thank you.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Well, thanks for coming in and good luck.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45After filming, the boys acted on Gary's advice and asked
0:18:45 > 0:18:48their landlord for information regarding the deposit scheme.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Since their enquiry, they've all received their deposit back in full
0:18:52 > 0:18:54and have moved out of the property to somewhere
0:18:54 > 0:18:56they're much happier in.
0:18:59 > 0:19:0461% of us in the UK own one of these - a smartphone.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Choosing one of them
0:19:06 > 0:19:09and getting yourself on the right tariff can seem pretty complicated.
0:19:09 > 0:19:14The people in our next story settled on a Samsung S4 but little did
0:19:14 > 0:19:17they know that a key setting on the handset would leave them
0:19:17 > 0:19:22with sky-high bills and worse still, both the manufacturer
0:19:22 > 0:19:25and the phone provider knew that the problem existed.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31We're often told that it's good to talk, but many of us
0:19:31 > 0:19:34prefer the convenience of sending a simple text message.
0:19:34 > 0:19:40In 2015, in the UK, we sent a staggering 101 billion of them.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43But some of the people texting on one of the world's most popular
0:19:43 > 0:19:46smartphones have found that those messages have ended up costing
0:19:46 > 0:19:49a lot more than they'd bargained for, thanks to the addition
0:19:49 > 0:19:52of a little extra touch to show how they're feeling.
0:19:53 > 0:19:58Samsung has sold more than 200 million of its Galaxy S phones
0:19:58 > 0:20:02since their launch in 2010 and the Galaxy S4 alone sold more
0:20:02 > 0:20:05than 10 million units in its first month of sale.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09One proud owner is 20-year-old Jade Cochrane.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13She switched to a Galaxy S4 when her old mobile phone contract came
0:20:13 > 0:20:17to an end and she decided she wanted something, well, a bit smarter.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20My phone battery was draining out,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23so I didn't want to be paying money for a phone
0:20:23 > 0:20:25that wasn't working right,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27so I thought it was due for an upgrade.
0:20:27 > 0:20:28All my friends were, like,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30showing me what they can do on their phones and stuff.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32I was like, "I want to do that."
0:20:33 > 0:20:37Jade took out a two-year contract with the provider EE.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40She got her dream phone, 600 minutes of calls
0:20:40 > 0:20:44and unlimited texts, all for ?30.99 a month.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Every time I go to get a mobile,
0:20:49 > 0:20:54I always make sure I get unlimited texts because I text all the time.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Luckily for Jade, it's her mum Paula who pays for the phone each month
0:20:58 > 0:21:00from her own bank account.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02I've always been quite happy to pay her bill.
0:21:02 > 0:21:08She's never abused the fact that I pay for it and I pay direct debit.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10She's usually very careful.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14So, it came as a nasty surprise in November 2014
0:21:14 > 0:21:18when Paula received a bill from EE for ?100.92.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21And I was like that. "Jade! What've you done?
0:21:21 > 0:21:25"You must've went over your minutes because it's unlimited texts,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27"so it couldn't have been your texting."
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Baffled as to why the bill was so high,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Paula called EE for an explanation.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34And she was horrified to be told that the next month's bill
0:21:34 > 0:21:36in December was going to be an even bigger one -
0:21:36 > 0:21:40a whopping ?448.97.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44I was really shocked because I thought, no way,
0:21:44 > 0:21:46for a mobile phone bill? That is absolutely ridiculous.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51EE told Paula that the reason the bills were so high was because
0:21:51 > 0:21:55of the number of picture messages being sent from Jade's phone.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57But Jade didn't think she was sending any.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00I already knew if you sent a picture it did cost money
0:22:00 > 0:22:03so that's why I didn't intend to do that,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06I never sent a picture through a text.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Paula couldn't understand what was going on.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13How could Jade keep on running up such vast bills
0:22:13 > 0:22:16when she swore blind she wasn't sending any pictures?
0:22:16 > 0:22:19Well, it turned out she was.
0:22:19 > 0:22:20These little things.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Emoticons.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23And although Jade didn't realise it,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26on the Galaxy S4, they came at a price.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31An emoticon is a little smiley face, or unhappy face.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33We use them in text speak, we use them in instant messaging,
0:22:33 > 0:22:35even in e-mails these days.
0:22:35 > 0:22:37And because we use them all over the place
0:22:37 > 0:22:40we just assume that they're going to be free to send.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44But the problem is when handsets have been turning these emoticons
0:22:44 > 0:22:45into pictures,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48these picture messages aren't included in people's bundles.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51They can cost up to 40 pence per message to send,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55and that's the problem that many people have been experiencing.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Other handset manufacturers have been implicated, too,
0:22:58 > 0:23:00but Samsung seems to be the main handset
0:23:00 > 0:23:02that people are having issues with.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06And of course it was a Samsung phone behind Jade's bills.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08So every time she sent an emoticon,
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Jade's mobile company would charge her 40 pence per message
0:23:12 > 0:23:14because the phone's default setting
0:23:14 > 0:23:17was to translate these text messages into picture messages.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22Now, Jade and Paula had no idea that these emoticons came at a cost,
0:23:22 > 0:23:23and by the time they found out,
0:23:23 > 0:23:28the Cochrans had already been charged ?943.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Paula rang EE again to protest,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35and the company offered her ?100 back as a goodwill gesture,
0:23:35 > 0:23:36but Paula refused
0:23:36 > 0:23:39because she wanted to get all the extra charges back.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43I says, "Well, I'm not accepting ?100," I says,
0:23:43 > 0:23:47"because that is a ridiculous," I says,
0:23:47 > 0:23:50"amount of money for a mobile phone bill."
0:23:50 > 0:23:52I know that my mum's obviously hurting by the fact
0:23:52 > 0:23:54that all this money's gone
0:23:54 > 0:23:57and it brought the whole family down, to be honest.
0:23:57 > 0:23:58ENGINE TURNS OVER
0:23:58 > 0:24:00The one piece of good news
0:24:00 > 0:24:03was that when Paula went to visit her local EE store,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06staff reset the phone so that sending emoticons would
0:24:06 > 0:24:08no longer show up as picture messages,
0:24:08 > 0:24:10and therefore preventing Jade from
0:24:10 > 0:24:12racking up more of those extra charges.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15It was a surprisingly simple fix,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18and one that plenty of other Galaxy S4 owners
0:24:18 > 0:24:20may wish they'd known about too,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24because if they'd sent an emoticon on any of these phones
0:24:24 > 0:24:26manufactured before April 2014,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28they'd most likely have been charged
0:24:28 > 0:24:31in exactly the same way as Jade and Paula.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32To stop that,
0:24:32 > 0:24:36all that was needed to be done was to go into the phone settings,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39then click on Input mode,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42and then finally select the Unicode option.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46But for Jade and Paula, that solution came too late,
0:24:46 > 0:24:48and although the problem was now solved,
0:24:48 > 0:24:51because bills are backdated, by the end of the month,
0:24:51 > 0:24:55one final huge bill - this time for over ?253 -
0:24:55 > 0:24:56hit the doormat.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58It shouldn't be allowed,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01and I feel quite...
0:25:01 > 0:25:03I feel as though I've been robbed of my money.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06But when we contacted EE,
0:25:06 > 0:25:09the company pointed out that Paula's monthly itemised bills
0:25:09 > 0:25:12DID highlight the extra charges, making it clear
0:25:12 > 0:25:15they were messages not included in her mobile phone plan.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21EE also told us they'd sent a series of text messages to the phone
0:25:21 > 0:25:23warning the phone usage was higher than usual,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26which could result in higher than normal charges,
0:25:26 > 0:25:31and they stressed it's the handset, not mobile networks like them,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34which converts emoticons into picture messages.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36So they're working with the phone manufacturer Samsung
0:25:36 > 0:25:40to ensure this won't happen automatically in the future.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42And it seems that's been successful,
0:25:42 > 0:25:46because while Samsung reiterated that only phones
0:25:46 > 0:25:49made before April 2014 had been affected by this,
0:25:49 > 0:25:53it also told us that this issue has been fully resolved
0:25:53 > 0:25:59and that now all Samsung smartphones classify emoticons as SMS messages.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03But Jade and Paula remain frustrated
0:26:03 > 0:26:06that they've had to stump up nearly ?1,200
0:26:06 > 0:26:08that, if the phone had been set up differently,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10they would never have had to pay,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13so they hope their story will serve as a cautionary tale,
0:26:13 > 0:26:17to prevent others being caught out by phone charges they didn't expect.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Read up on your technology.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21If you're going to buy a device, nowadays,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24the technology is getting so advanced,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27make sure you do research on it before you buy it.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Well, you can't help sympathising with Jade and Paula
0:26:32 > 0:26:34about the money they've lost,
0:26:34 > 0:26:35and if you've got a different phone,
0:26:35 > 0:26:39don't think you don't need to worry about unexpected extra charges.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42There's a whole raft of ways that some smartphones can be...
0:26:42 > 0:26:43shall we say,
0:26:43 > 0:26:46a little too smart for their own good?
0:26:51 > 0:26:53If you have a story that you'd like us to investigate,
0:26:53 > 0:26:59then do get in touch with us via our Facebook page, BBC Rip Off Britain.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Our website is bbc.co.uk/ripoff Britain.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Or you can e-mail us at ripoffbritain@bbc.co.uk.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13Or indeed if you want to send us a letter, then our address is...
0:27:24 > 0:27:27It's clear that we can end up feeling short-changed,
0:27:27 > 0:27:31or treated truly unfairly in every aspect of our lives,
0:27:31 > 0:27:32and I must admit,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35I'm really astonished by some of the stories we've heard about today.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38It's actually hard to see how some of the people we heard from
0:27:38 > 0:27:39could have acted any differently.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41I know, it is quite extraordinary, isn't it?
0:27:41 > 0:27:44And yet, they have been stuck paying the price,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48when as far as they were concerned that really should not be the case.
0:27:48 > 0:27:50And the problems that eventually occurred
0:27:50 > 0:27:52really should have been flagged up an awful lot sooner.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55But hopefully, what has happened today is you have picked up
0:27:55 > 0:27:58some really useful advice in case any of the same things
0:27:58 > 0:27:59ever happen to you,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02and if you do find yourself losing out as a result,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05then please do let us know, because maybe it's something
0:28:05 > 0:28:08that we can look into on one of our upcoming programmes.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11And we have plenty of those coming up over the next few months.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14In fact, I'm happy to say our food and holiday series
0:28:14 > 0:28:15will be returning,
0:28:15 > 0:28:17so let us know if there's something on those topics
0:28:17 > 0:28:19that we can look into on your behalf.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22But in the meantime, that's all we've got time for for today.
0:28:22 > 0:28:24Thanks to everyone who shared their stories with us,
0:28:24 > 0:28:27and we'll see you back here very soon to investigate some more.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Til then, from all of the team, bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.