0:00:03 > 0:00:04We asked you to tell us what's left you feeling ripped off,
0:00:04 > 0:00:08and you contacted us in your thousands.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11You've told us about the companies you think get it wrong and the customer
0:00:11 > 0:00:14service that simply is not up to scratch.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Well, we are all just numbers, aren't we, at the end of the day?
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Profit comes before anything else, and that's all that matters.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23You've asked us to track down the scammers who stole your money and
0:00:23 > 0:00:26investigate the extra charges you say are unfair.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Why can't they all just give it to you at the price it should be?
0:00:29 > 0:00:32They don't. They just try and charge as much as they can.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35And when you've lost out but no-one else is to blame,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38you've come to us to stop others falling into the same trap.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42When it comes to actual customer service, it's dreadful.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45So, whether it's a blatant rip-off or a genuine mistake...
0:00:45 > 0:00:48We're here to find out why you are out of pocket and what you can do
0:00:48 > 0:00:49about it.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Your stories, your money.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54This is Rip-Off Britain.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Hello, and welcome to Rip-Off Britain,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03the series that really is on your side just when it might feel that
0:01:03 > 0:01:05absolutely nobody else is.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Also, we are here to ask the questions which, so far,
0:01:08 > 0:01:10you just have not been able to get an answer to.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14So, today, we are investigating what appeared to be opportunities for
0:01:14 > 0:01:18making some extra cash, but are they all they are cracked up to be?
0:01:18 > 0:01:22That's the question, you see, because you probably won't be surprised to hear that,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25as far as we can see, some of them really are not.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Now, whether they are offering just a little extra money in your
0:01:27 > 0:01:30pocket, you know, that extra cash,
0:01:30 > 0:01:32or they represent a much more serious investment,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36such opportunities rarely come with cast-iron guarantees.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40But as you'll see, the impression given by the companies concerned
0:01:40 > 0:01:43can be very, very different from the reality.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45And certainly, in the case that I've been looking at,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48there is something really uncomfortable going on because a man who's been
0:01:48 > 0:01:53persuaded to invest thousands of pounds has ended up with very little
0:01:53 > 0:01:54to show for it.
0:01:54 > 0:01:59Coming up, the cold-calling art sellers with very creative ideas on how you could
0:01:59 > 0:02:01spend your life savings.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04I don't actually have a clue how much he's spent.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07This one in the box was tens of thousands.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10And the apps that promise easy ways to end up quids in.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13These two have saved a small fortune.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16We are claiming a pound back, making all eight bottles that we've got
0:02:16 > 0:02:18between us free.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20But some feel far less happy.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22I felt let down.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24I felt that we'd been misled.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28Now, several times over the years,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32you've told us about the consequences of being talked into investing your
0:02:32 > 0:02:34money in things like gold or diamonds,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37fine wines or even the production of a film.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Well, these ventures rarely worked out as expected or promised and,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45while we can't go quite as far as saying all such schemes should be
0:02:45 > 0:02:48avoided, it's true that we haven't come across a single person who's
0:02:48 > 0:02:50told us they are glad they did it.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52What's more, once they've drawn you in,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56some of the companies that trade in these so-called alternative
0:02:56 > 0:02:58investments just won't leave you alone.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01And this next story is a real example of that.
0:03:01 > 0:03:02$160 million.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05When Pablo Picasso's
0:03:05 > 0:03:10Les Femmes d'Alger sold for over ?100 million in 2015,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13it broke all records and sent jaws dropping.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16For the lucky few, the potential gains from buying and selling art can be
0:03:16 > 0:03:20huge, but most of us don't have the expertise to spot the difference
0:03:20 > 0:03:24between a masterpiece worth a fortune and a copy worth pennies,
0:03:24 > 0:03:26at least without help.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28And that's where these companies come in.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30They will contact people out of the blue,
0:03:30 > 0:03:34offering art as a sure-fire investment opportunity.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39And it seems that's what they did with 76-year-old Lance Edmonds from
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Essex. He is currently recovering from a major stroke that's affected
0:03:43 > 0:03:46not just his mobility but his memory as well.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50Hi, Lance. Hi. Hello, I'm Julia.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54'So he can't quite remember how he was first talked into buying artworks by
0:03:54 > 0:03:58'some particularly famous artists or recall the total amount he's been
0:03:58 > 0:04:01'persuaded to hand over since then.'
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Can I ask you, it's a bit of a personal question,
0:04:03 > 0:04:05but how much have you spent on this?
0:04:05 > 0:04:09Good question. I don't know. About 8,000, something like that.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Do you think you've got value for money?
0:04:11 > 0:04:14I know nothing about it, but I don't think so.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19'In fact, Lance's family believes he's paid out an awful lot more than that
0:04:19 > 0:04:23'to a variety of companies who have all somehow decided art is his thing
0:04:23 > 0:04:25'and are keen to get him to buy more.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29But, as he's never had a particular interest in art, when his daughter,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33'Cherie, started noticing pieces arriving at the house,
0:04:33 > 0:04:35'she became not just worried but suspicious, too.'
0:04:39 > 0:04:41This one was delivered in the box.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Apparently, it's Salvador Dali.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49These ones were just wrapped in bubble wrap with brown paper on the outside.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Cherie's fears worsened as she tried to get to the bottom of what had gone on
0:04:53 > 0:04:57and it became clear that, trying to recover from his stroke,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01Lance wasn't entirely sure what he'd bought or from whom.
0:05:02 > 0:05:08I think we are looking at tens of thousands rather than just a few.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11It was just such a shock when we were told about this one in the box,
0:05:11 > 0:05:13it was tens of thousands.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16Cherie's brother, Steve,
0:05:16 > 0:05:20has also tried piecing together what their father has spent and how he even
0:05:20 > 0:05:23came to be involved with buying art in the first place.
0:05:23 > 0:05:28I believe that someone phoned him up and asked him if he was interested
0:05:28 > 0:05:30in any investment opportunities.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33What, out of the blue? As far as I'm aware, yes.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36And so, they were saying, "Why don't you invest in art?"
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Was that the basic pitch?
0:05:38 > 0:05:41Yes, this was just before the Brexit vote and they were saying things
0:05:41 > 0:05:44like, "If you invest in these,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47"it will safeguard you if Brexit happens because the value of the pound
0:05:47 > 0:05:49"will drop but the value of the artwork won't."
0:05:49 > 0:05:54So they were presenting art as being the kind of rock-solid investment in
0:05:54 > 0:05:57times of uncertainty, ie Brexit?
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Yes.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01Whichever company first phoned Lance,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05no less than three have contacted him in the 12 months since,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08and each of them has managed to sell him some art.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13Steve's in no doubt that they've done so by taking advantage of his ill health.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17He had a stroke about 18 months ago.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21His memory's not quite what it was and he's not quite as sharp as he was beforehand
0:06:21 > 0:06:22so he's quite frail now.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25So this makes him vulnerable and an ideal target?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27He doesn't really worry about
0:06:27 > 0:06:30what happens with his money or what happens with him.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Only some of the art Lance has bought has actually been delivered to the
0:06:33 > 0:06:36house. The rest is being stored for him.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42He's got five paintings here and we believe he's got two or three in a
0:06:42 > 0:06:45warehouse somewhere. And who are these paintings by?
0:06:45 > 0:06:48We've got a Dali lithograph,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52I believe there's a Picasso in a warehouse and I'm not sure of the names
0:06:52 > 0:06:55of the others. They're not well-known artists.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58But Dali and Picasso are, you know, top,
0:06:58 > 0:07:02top people and cost a lot of money.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05'Though it's been difficult for Steve to unravel it all,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08''it seems these two pieces alone, bought from different companies,
0:07:08 > 0:07:11'cost his father over ?10,000,
0:07:11 > 0:07:14'and Steve reckons that's just the tip of the iceberg.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19'He believes Lance may have been persuaded to invest his entire life savings in art.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22'That's over ?50,000.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25'And though Steve and Cherie have asked the companies involved not to get in
0:07:25 > 0:07:28'touch with Lance again, they say, if anything,
0:07:28 > 0:07:31'the number of calls seems to have increased.'
0:07:32 > 0:07:36And what's been the reaction of the family at large,
0:07:36 > 0:07:37knowing that this has happened to their father?
0:07:37 > 0:07:39It must be devastating.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43Yeah, we are all quite angry about it because he's never been into art
0:07:43 > 0:07:45and he was never frivolous with his money.
0:07:45 > 0:07:47Growing up,
0:07:47 > 0:07:50we really had to have something before it would be bought.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52It just seems like throwing his money away now.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56We don't mind him investing in things, it's his money,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58but we don't like him being ripped off.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Steve's tried encouraging his father to just hang up when the various
0:08:02 > 0:08:06companies call but, it seems, things aren't quite so straightforward.
0:08:08 > 0:08:09What is it they talk about?
0:08:09 > 0:08:11What is it they ask you when they call you?
0:08:11 > 0:08:14No idea. I don't listen.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16It goes in one ear and out the other.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19No, I can't recall. Do they know that you don't want any more?
0:08:19 > 0:08:22I think they're getting the message!
0:08:22 > 0:08:23HE LAUGHS
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Yes, I think they've got the message.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29Well, we had a taste of how these calls can go during our filming
0:08:29 > 0:08:32when one of the companies rang Lance again.
0:08:32 > 0:08:33We listened in on most of it and,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37while we couldn't tell exactly which company he was speaking to,
0:08:37 > 0:08:40it was clear they really want him to feel confident in his investment.
0:08:59 > 0:09:00No, no.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09The salesman says he will be sending Lance a list of the artworks he's
0:09:09 > 0:09:12already bought from that particular company, but
0:09:12 > 0:09:14rather than deliver the artwork on,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18he stresses the benefit of having the company keep hold of it instead.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29I'm happy with you looking after them for me.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33All right. Bye.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Now, that could seem a perfectly innocent, even friendly, call,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42but Steve suspects there's another reason why the company is so keen to
0:09:42 > 0:09:44store the art on Lance's behalf.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47They've got artwork of yours,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50they are happy to send it to you if you want them to,
0:09:50 > 0:09:52or do you want them to keep it?
0:09:52 > 0:09:56If they keep it for more than a year, they will start charging you for the storage.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59How did you know that?
0:09:59 > 0:10:02Because it's in the contract. I've just read the contract.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Whatever the company's motives on that storage point,
0:10:05 > 0:10:09the big question is whether all the art Lance has ended up buying is worth
0:10:09 > 0:10:14anything like the estimated ?50,000 it seems to have cost him.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17'We've arranged for Andrea Ginastera, a local art auctioneer,
0:10:17 > 0:10:20'to inspect the paintings and prints that Lance has received
0:10:20 > 0:10:23'to put an estimate on their value.'
0:10:23 > 0:10:24Tell us a bit about this one.
0:10:24 > 0:10:29So this painting is signed by an artist named Wiseman.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32He's a British artist of the second half of the 20th century.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37His works are being sold in provincial auction houses
0:10:37 > 0:10:39and in Bonhams in-between
0:10:39 > 0:10:40200 and ?400.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45There was one painting sold in Bonhams at ?600, which is a bit higher.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48But Lance bought this painting from a Kent-based company
0:10:48 > 0:10:53called Imperial Collectables for ?2,300.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57That's clearly overpriced and, if you were to sell that,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01you will not get that money back at the moment with the price at market.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Next, Andrea looks at a print that Lance purchased from a different company
0:11:05 > 0:11:06called Treasury Asset.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09'It's by an artist whose originals have sold for millions,
0:11:09 > 0:11:12'so is this print of any value?'
0:11:12 > 0:11:16The famous name on the table is that one, Dali,
0:11:16 > 0:11:17so could you tell us about that?
0:11:17 > 0:11:20Looking at the certificate you've got with it,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24some of the essential information that you need to have when you're buying
0:11:24 > 0:11:27prints and, more specially, when you are buying Dali prints,
0:11:27 > 0:11:30it is that you should be told who's the publisher,
0:11:30 > 0:11:33when was this issue printed?
0:11:33 > 0:11:35And in your certificate,
0:11:35 > 0:11:40all what you have is that that's a good block print and that that's signed.
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Can you give us an estimate of how much it would be worth if the
0:11:44 > 0:11:47certification was all there?
0:11:47 > 0:11:49They are only worth a few hundred.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51What did he pay for that?
0:11:51 > 0:11:53We believe it was 8,700. Wow.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57'There are plenty of other paintings Steve believes his father has
0:11:57 > 0:12:01'paid handsomely for from other companies who have also called him out of
0:12:01 > 0:12:03'the blue but, in Andrea's opinion,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07because they are either by unknown artists or lack correct certificates of
0:12:07 > 0:12:12'authenticity, they'd only fetch around ?20-40 at auction.'
0:12:12 > 0:12:16If you've got an oil on canvas, it's unsigned and you don't know who the artist is,
0:12:16 > 0:12:20so it's got no value, basically.
0:12:20 > 0:12:21'For Steve and Cherie,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24'everything Andrea have said only confirms the view that their father
0:12:24 > 0:12:29'is being relentlessly targeted by companies whose only interest is to squeeze
0:12:29 > 0:12:31'money out of him but, unsurprisingly,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34'when we contacted the companies involved,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38'one of them painted a very different picture of the contact with Lance.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42'Imperial Collectables, from which he's purchased four artworks,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44'disputed the total amount he paid for them,
0:12:44 > 0:12:50'insisting it was ?10,000 and not the ?20,000 on the invoice we've seen.'
0:12:50 > 0:12:54It also questioned the credentials and opinions of our art auctioneer,
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Andrea, going on to say that it is a responsible supplier to art
0:12:58 > 0:13:02collectors who do their due diligence and stressing that it's had no
0:13:02 > 0:13:04recent contact with Lance or, indeed,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07any communication to suggest he was unhappy.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12It also said it only contacts people for whom it's purchased legitimate
0:13:12 > 0:13:17leads and doesn't cold call and suggested any concerns here must be to do
0:13:17 > 0:13:20with the other companies that have been contacting him.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25We also contacted Treasury Asset from whom he bought the Dali picture for
0:13:25 > 0:13:31?8,772, the one without any certificate of authenticity.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33It has yet to reply.
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Meanwhile, the Financial Conduct Authority has set up an initiative called
0:13:38 > 0:13:42ScamSmart to warn against exactly these kind of investments,
0:13:42 > 0:13:46which aren't regulated and certainly, for those who aren't an expert,
0:13:46 > 0:13:48rarely turn out to have the benefits that were promised.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55Well, all that's welcome, but it's too late to help people like Lance and,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58as his children continue to try to understand the full extent of what
0:13:58 > 0:14:01their father has become caught up in,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04they want to raise general awareness about these so-called investment
0:14:04 > 0:14:09opportunities so that other people understand they are not the best way to make money.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11'And, of course, closer to home,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14'they want to find a way to stop whichever company is ringing their father
0:14:14 > 0:14:20'from making further calls so he isn't talked into spending even more money.'
0:14:20 > 0:14:22So it's a relentless pursuit, isn't it?
0:14:22 > 0:14:25Yes. And how does that make you feel?
0:14:25 > 0:14:30Quite angry. It's just trying to work out how do we get them to stop.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Because that's all we care about, really, at the moment.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Anyone with a smartphone has become used to the fact that,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45as the ads used to say, there really is an app for everything,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48but among those that seem especially worth having are the ones that
0:14:48 > 0:14:53promise to earn you cash, vouchers or some other reward in return,
0:14:53 > 0:14:55very often, for not very much at all.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59But many of you found that the promises of some of these apps simply did
0:14:59 > 0:15:02not lead to the results for which you'd hoped and,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05instead of making money, you found yourself losing it,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09which got us wondering just how many of the apps that promised to leave
0:15:09 > 0:15:16you quids-in genuinely will end up putting any extra cash in your pocket at all.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Who says you can't get something for nothing?
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Mother and daughter Karen and Charlotte Stevenson from Teesside
0:15:21 > 0:15:23are masters at that.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26They are planning their weekly shop but, unlike most of us,
0:15:26 > 0:15:31they have a system that means they'll pay next to nothing for everything they buy.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33They do it by using cashback apps,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37programmes on their phone that keep track of what they are spending and give
0:15:37 > 0:15:41them rewards in the form of money off their next shop.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44With cashback apps, I was seeing that people were making these huge
0:15:44 > 0:15:48savings. They were buying something and it was only costing them maybe 20p
0:15:48 > 0:15:50or 50p, and you're thinking,
0:15:50 > 0:15:52"How are they doing this?"
0:15:52 > 0:15:55So, the more you probed,
0:15:55 > 0:15:57you discovered you had to download this app.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02I can tell you, on one app alone, how much I've had back off them.
0:16:04 > 0:16:11?471.50 and, at the minute, my balance is ?23.17.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17But shopping this way, though very lucrative, can be time-consuming.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Normally, we spend Wednesday night.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Charlotte will take so many of the apps, and I'll take so many,
0:16:22 > 0:16:26and I take a notepad and I write the name of the app and I write down each offer,
0:16:26 > 0:16:29I check the supermarkets and I'll work through.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32It does take a few hours on a Wednesday night.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34Thursday night, we go out and do our big shop.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38I do a big round of about four or five supermarkets,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40and I collect everything then.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42To qualify for cashback,
0:16:42 > 0:16:46they have to buy the exact offers specified by each app.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48This often means buying things they don't need,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and every nook and cranny of Karen and Charlotte's house is filled with
0:16:51 > 0:16:53the results of their efforts.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59Most of the herbs and spices would have ended up costing us ?1 for six.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01Now, these,
0:17:01 > 0:17:06we had about double of this, and we've slowly gone through them.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Free with cashback app.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18Now, of course, not every app that gives rewards do so in such a dramatic
0:17:18 > 0:17:20way or even offers you cash,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24but you will find plenty of them offering all sorts of benefits in return
0:17:24 > 0:17:26for what sometimes feels very little.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32Apps have sprung up offering anything from free bagels to birthday gifts,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36but not everyone who signed up for one always feels that they've had quite
0:17:36 > 0:17:37the benefits they were expecting.
0:17:40 > 0:17:41In January last year,
0:17:41 > 0:17:46Jo Butler from Derbyshire signed up to a fitness app called Bounts,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49which promised rewards for just doing exercise.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53Already a keen runner, it seemed a perfect way to profit from keeping fit.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56The more exercise she did, the more points she'd earn,
0:17:56 > 0:18:01which could then be converted into vouchers to use at a wide range of high-street stores.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06When I first downloaded the app, I thought it was great.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11It encouraged me to do more walking, do more running
0:18:11 > 0:18:16and, you know, everybody was raving about it.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21You could go on, you could see that you could get vouchers for various
0:18:21 > 0:18:26shops. Marks Spencers, Next, Morrisons, they were all there,
0:18:26 > 0:18:28already available for you,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32once you'd got the amount of points you needed,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35to just download and they were yours.
0:18:35 > 0:18:36To get the benefits of the app,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40users either had to sign up for an entirely free basic membership,
0:18:40 > 0:18:43or pay a fee to get premium membership,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47which would earn you four times as many points and though Jo originally
0:18:47 > 0:18:50plumped for the free option, keen to get as many points as possible,
0:18:50 > 0:18:53she soon upgraded and paid for the premium option.
0:18:54 > 0:18:59With a free membership you got five points for every activity.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01For a premium membership you got 20 points.
0:19:01 > 0:19:06So in a day I could accumulate 180 points.
0:19:06 > 0:19:11If I got over 21,000 steps a day, that would accumulate me 60 points,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13and then for three different walks or runs,
0:19:13 > 0:19:18I got another 60 points and for gym check-ins you got 20 points.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22So it made me more active, made me walk more, made me run more.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25And at first, just like Jo, it seemed to be working out,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28but she wasn't the only one who'd spotted the potential wins of the Bounts
0:19:28 > 0:19:30app, so had thousands of others.
0:19:30 > 0:19:36As subscriptions to the service increased, so did demand for the vouchers.
0:19:36 > 0:19:37It became very frustrating.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42You used to be going on the app four or five times a day and looking and,
0:19:42 > 0:19:45you know, you would hear about other people that had been lucky to get
0:19:45 > 0:19:49them and if you e-mailed Bounts about it,
0:19:49 > 0:19:53they just said we only release so many a day and if you're lucky enough to
0:19:53 > 0:19:55get them, you're lucky enough to get them.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00I didn't think about stopping using the app because I had all these points
0:20:00 > 0:20:04and, you know, I wanted my rewards that I was promised.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08And then Jo received an e-mail from the company explaining that the terms
0:20:08 > 0:20:10of the scheme had changed.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Rather than giving vouchers in exchange for points,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16it was now offering something that, as far as Jo was concerned,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18was very different.
0:20:18 > 0:20:23They were changing the terms and conditions and it wouldn't be a reward
0:20:23 > 0:20:24scheme any more.
0:20:24 > 0:20:30Now we would get personal challenges to earn days out at theme parks and
0:20:30 > 0:20:35spas and hotel breaks and things like that,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38which wasn't what I'd originally signed up for.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40Since she got that e-mail several months ago,
0:20:40 > 0:20:45Jo claims that there are less and less offers available and when we
0:20:45 > 0:20:49filmed with her, there didn't appear to be much left on the website at all.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51If you go into the offers screen,
0:20:51 > 0:20:55this is where you used to be able to see all the rewards that they were
0:20:55 > 0:20:59offering. If you now click on All Rewards,
0:20:59 > 0:21:01I don't think there is anything there.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Oh, yes, there is. There's a fleece that you can buy with "Bounts"
0:21:04 > 0:21:11on the sleeve, which you have to pay 2,500 points for and ?35.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16I don't think I want a fleece with "Bounts" on the sleeve.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Jo says that with the current deal so different from those offered when
0:21:19 > 0:21:21she joined the scheme,
0:21:21 > 0:21:26she wants a refund of the ?14.99 that she'd spent on her membership.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29If I'd have seen the app when the new terms and conditions came into
0:21:29 > 0:21:32place, I wouldn't have signed up to it.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35What they are offering are things I don't want.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38I don't want a membership to a cookery club,
0:21:38 > 0:21:43I don't want to go to an activity centre and I don't particularly want a spa break.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48When we contacted Bounts, the company stressed that despite inaccurate
0:21:48 > 0:21:50perceptions that some may have had...
0:21:56 > 0:21:59It told us that the use of the app as an incentive for
0:21:59 > 0:22:02exercise has been its only goal,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06but it grew too fast for the business model in place and had to change in
0:22:06 > 0:22:11order to survive. While accepting there have been clumsy communications
0:22:11 > 0:22:14around this, it made clear that at no time did it breach its terms and
0:22:14 > 0:22:18conditions, or deliberately mislead anyone,
0:22:18 > 0:22:22and it's still committed to ...
0:22:22 > 0:22:26And though it did refund most of those who signed up to the premium
0:22:26 > 0:22:30service, Jo hadn't been a member long enough to qualify,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33and nor did she apply within the necessary time.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36She has, however, received other offers instead.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Our tech expert David McLelland,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41who himself encouraged people to sign up to Bounts,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44is sympathetic to the company.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46Perhaps Bounts was a victim of its own success.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49It became too popular, too quickly.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52Too many people were using it and demanding rewards from it that it wasn't
0:22:52 > 0:22:57able to fulfil. And as a result of that, Bounts had to do something,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01and unfortunately for the users of the Bounts app and service,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05that has resulted in fewer people getting fewer rewards.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09And while David completely understands why you might be tempted to milk
0:23:09 > 0:23:11any reward scheme or app for all it's worth,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15he says it's important to remember they can have limitations and some will
0:23:15 > 0:23:17prove more lucrative than others.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Some of them will ask you to scan in receipts from your shopping every
0:23:20 > 0:23:23week. Others might ask you to go and do a little task,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26like photographing a display in a store.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Work out what is best for you,
0:23:28 > 0:23:32what works best around your lifestyle because some of them require an
0:23:32 > 0:23:35awful lot of effort to get any sort of reward out.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39Well, certainly mother and daughter Karen and Charlotte do put that effort in.
0:23:39 > 0:23:44Using apps like CheckoutSmart, ClickSnap and Shopmium,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47they're about to demonstrate exactly how much they can knock off the
0:23:47 > 0:23:49cost of their weekly shop.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52It's the anticipation, the excitement.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57"Will I do it? Can I get it? Will they have the thing in stock?"
0:23:57 > 0:24:02And sure enough, it seems that the time and effort has been rewarded.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04We picked up
0:24:04 > 0:24:07four each of these drinks.
0:24:08 > 0:24:12They're on two for a pound and we're claiming a pound back,
0:24:12 > 0:24:17making all eight bottles that we've got between us free.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20The small baby milk and the large baby milk, these,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22we don't have a baby ourselves,
0:24:22 > 0:24:25but they will be donated to a food bank and they are absolutely free.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Have you got my bag? Yeah, I've got your bag.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Though all the time they spent planning their shop wouldn't appeal to everyone,
0:24:30 > 0:24:35for Karen and Charlotte the savings do make it all worthwhile.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38We could've got four of these, but we've got two, and they're free.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39I used a coupon with these,
0:24:39 > 0:24:43meaning I'm going to make, after cashback, 50p profit.
0:24:43 > 0:24:44So, not a bad little shop.
0:24:44 > 0:24:45No.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50Once back home, Karen and Charlotte upload the receipts from the shopping
0:24:50 > 0:24:54onto the apps of the various cashback companies they use.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56and the results are in.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59For what should've been ?50-worth of products,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03the final price that Charlotte and Karen reckon they'll have paid...
0:25:03 > 0:25:05?5.09.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09There you are, there's breakfast for a week.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Still to come on Rip-Off Britain: A budding author who paid to get his
0:25:20 > 0:25:23book published tells his own sorry tale.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Time is running out.
0:25:25 > 0:25:30I'm not a youngster any more, so I was upset that nothing was happening.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Our annual Rip-Off Britain pop-up shop is open again for business.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44This time around we had several new faces joining the more familiar
0:25:44 > 0:25:46members of our team of experts,
0:25:46 > 0:25:50and we even got the chance to offer some expert guidance ourselves.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53I really don't know how to do a selfie.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Go to camera. Ah!
0:25:55 > 0:25:57There you are. Very good.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59My pleasure. Nice to have met you.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00Bye-bye.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02ANGELA LAUGHS
0:26:02 > 0:26:05But when things got serious, we were ready for action,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08with consumers queueing up to get free professional advice.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12You're in the middle of it, it's bad,
0:26:12 > 0:26:14but the only way is to go through and out.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20'Kate Alloway travelled from Shrewsbury to tell us about the missing set of
0:26:20 > 0:26:24'photographs that she'd taken with her 11-year-old daughter last summer
0:26:24 > 0:26:28after spotting a special offer on a deals website.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Now, Kate, you've made a very, very big effort to come here today,
0:26:30 > 0:26:34a two-hour drive. So why were you so keen to come?
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Well, something that's quite close to my heart.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40I paid for a mother-and-daughter photography makeover session last year
0:26:40 > 0:26:43and had some wonderful photographs taken,
0:26:43 > 0:26:47which I had to go back to view a couple of days later and still haven't
0:26:47 > 0:26:50had the photographs and still haven't had my money back.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52It's such a lovely idea.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55It was just to capture her going from a child,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57turning into a young lady, really.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Did you buy the photography session directly from the studio, or...?
0:27:00 > 0:27:04No, I bought a discount voucher and I actually had a look on the website
0:27:04 > 0:27:10and they appeared to be affiliated with various films and film stars,
0:27:10 > 0:27:11so I presumed that, you know,
0:27:11 > 0:27:13that would be quite a good place to go really.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16And how much money did you handover?
0:27:16 > 0:27:1890, ?90.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21'Well, Kate's tried many, many times to chase up the photographs.'
0:27:21 > 0:27:23What effort have you made to get them?
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Numerous e-mails, telephone calls.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31I did make a trip over to Birmingham to the studios, but no reply.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Nobody was there? Nobody was there.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36'But personal finance expert Sarah Pennells is on the case.'
0:27:36 > 0:27:38So, what do you make of it, Sarah?
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Well, it's interesting because these sort of website discount deals are
0:27:42 > 0:27:45really popular and part of the reason is because you can get something
0:27:45 > 0:27:48that would normally be quite expensive for a bargain.
0:27:48 > 0:27:54I have actually made some contact with the website company and told them
0:27:54 > 0:27:57what happened and they told me as a gesture of goodwill,
0:27:57 > 0:28:01they'd refund the money that you paid for the photographs,
0:28:01 > 0:28:02so at least you had the money back.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04OK.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07But I did also contact the person who set up the studio,
0:28:07 > 0:28:09or the photographer behind it.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12They said that they would track down the order and make sure you have the
0:28:12 > 0:28:15photographs within 14 days.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17That's really great. I'm really pleased about that.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19Does that make you feel a lot better?
0:28:19 > 0:28:22That's lovely. I didn't expect that today at all.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25It's not about the money, it was about the photographs.
0:28:25 > 0:28:27Thank you so much for joining us, and making the journey.
0:28:27 > 0:28:29Thank you. Thank you very much.
0:28:29 > 0:28:30'Well, since filming,
0:28:30 > 0:28:33'although Kate has yet to receive the money for the photos back, she has,
0:28:33 > 0:28:36'I'm very pleased to say, received the actual photos,
0:28:36 > 0:28:41'which Kate says meant all the effort she made in coming to see us worth it.'
0:28:42 > 0:28:45When we're out and about, we like to give as much help as possible,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48so as well as our pop-up shop,
0:28:48 > 0:28:51we've got our teams of experts going all over the centre,
0:28:51 > 0:28:53offering top tips and advice.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58One of the new experts joining us this year was Gareth Shaw,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00head of Which? Money Online.
0:29:00 > 0:29:05He took time out from the pop-up shop to see how clued up people were
0:29:05 > 0:29:08on what sort of pension they might expect in the future.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10Do you know what a state pension is?
0:29:10 > 0:29:13No, not really. I'm not quite sure about the details with that.
0:29:13 > 0:29:17The state pension is a weekly amount of money that you get given by the
0:29:17 > 0:29:20Government when you reach a certain age.
0:29:20 > 0:29:26At the moment, that's age 65 for men and around 63 for women.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28I thought it was older than that, to be honest. I thought it was going up.
0:29:28 > 0:29:31It's going up to 66 for men in a few years' time
0:29:31 > 0:29:34and then it will keep rising for people in their 30s.
0:29:34 > 0:29:38So you might be looking at 68, maybe 69.
0:29:38 > 0:29:40It makes me think,
0:29:40 > 0:29:43the timeframe that you've got to obviously keep working till,
0:29:43 > 0:29:45makes it quite interesting.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48Now, you need to have 35 years' worth of
0:29:48 > 0:29:49National Insurance contributions,
0:29:49 > 0:29:53in order to qualify for the full state pension,
0:29:53 > 0:29:55and a minimum of ten to get anything at all.
0:29:55 > 0:30:02What that will qualify you for is an amount that today is around ?155 a
0:30:02 > 0:30:07week. So that turns out to about ?8,000 a year.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09I don't think you'd be able to survive on that,
0:30:09 > 0:30:12unless you put some kind of savings away or somewhere.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16No, that's not quite realistic, is it? For ?8,000 a year...
0:30:16 > 0:30:18No, I don't think that is realistic.
0:30:18 > 0:30:20That's something that's made it hit home, now you've said it,
0:30:20 > 0:30:23because obviously as we're growing older, the family's getting bigger,
0:30:23 > 0:30:27you think about those things and obviously how you're going to save for the future.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32Well, pensions may be something young people don't often think about,
0:30:32 > 0:30:35but there were plenty of other consumer issues they did want to share with
0:30:35 > 0:30:38us when they took centre stage in our gripe corner.
0:30:39 > 0:30:44I was shopping online and there was a hoodie for ?25,
0:30:44 > 0:30:48and then I walked into the shop and it was ?45,
0:30:48 > 0:30:50so I got ripped off by ?20.
0:30:50 > 0:30:54Something that really gets on my nerves is jeans from high-street
0:30:54 > 0:30:57retailers that rip really easily.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59What we find is annoying is our mobile phones,
0:30:59 > 0:31:00the batteries run out really fast.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02We have to charge them all the time.
0:31:02 > 0:31:03Oh, it's so annoying!
0:31:07 > 0:31:12Now, I'm sure you've all heard the phrase "everyone has got a book inside them", but actually
0:31:12 > 0:31:16getting anybody to publish that book you've written is another thing
0:31:16 > 0:31:20altogether. So for aspiring authors determined to get themselves in print,
0:31:20 > 0:31:24self-publishing can be a way of getting your work out there.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27And whilst a bestseller is far from guaranteed,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30just holding a copy of something that you've put so much effort into
0:31:30 > 0:31:33really can be hugely satisfying.
0:31:33 > 0:31:38Unfortunately, however, despite the people we're about to hear from handing over thousands of pounds
0:31:38 > 0:31:41in order to get their life's work finally printed,
0:31:41 > 0:31:43copies of their books haven't yet materialised.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47And with the companies involved proving very difficult to track down,
0:31:47 > 0:31:51their stories, I'm afraid, haven't had the happy ending they'd hoped for.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56A sure sign that spring is on its way,
0:31:56 > 0:32:02the simple beauty of the daffodil has inspired artists and writers from Van Gogh to Wordsworth,
0:32:02 > 0:32:07and Michael Salmon from Somerset has long been equally captivated,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10dedicating much of his working life to growing the flowers, and,
0:32:10 > 0:32:13in the process, becoming something of an expert.
0:32:14 > 0:32:15It's all I ever wanted to do.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20It was really anything that had a bulb on the bottom of the stem that
0:32:20 > 0:32:23interested me. And there's a certain,
0:32:23 > 0:32:27I suppose skill, required in growing a lot of them.
0:32:27 > 0:32:32Over the years, Michael has travelled 280,000 miles around the world,
0:32:32 > 0:32:34searching out new varieties.
0:32:34 > 0:32:39These are the maps I carried with me when I was driving around,
0:32:39 > 0:32:44and every time I found a daffodil growing anywhere,
0:32:44 > 0:32:48I marked it with these yellow circles, and as you can see,
0:32:48 > 0:32:52they're all numbered and it tells you what they all are.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56The aim was to collect plants that were potentially commercially viable.
0:32:56 > 0:33:04The whole idea was to grow them, propagate them from seed, or whatever, for sale.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08Fortunately, a lot of the stuff we collected was fairly rare,
0:33:08 > 0:33:10so it commanded good prices.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16Now, at the age of 82, Michael's days of growing have come to an end.
0:33:16 > 0:33:21The vast greenhouses in his garden that were once full of flowers are
0:33:21 > 0:33:23now empty and overgrown.
0:33:23 > 0:33:25And while he may be too poorly to garden,
0:33:25 > 0:33:29he still wants to share his vast, and some would say unparalleled,
0:33:29 > 0:33:30knowledge of daffodils.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37I thought, well, "I'll do a complete book on them as the last word,"
0:33:37 > 0:33:40as far as I was concerned it was the last word, yeah.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43But pulling together his vast collection of notes,
0:33:43 > 0:33:48drawings and maps into a single book was a mammoth task.
0:33:48 > 0:33:53I don't have much in the way of computer skills, I'm afraid.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56So, to a point, it was very slow, initially.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01So when his son Mark said he would help type up his dad's notes,
0:34:01 > 0:34:05the huge job of working through half a century of in-depth knowledge began
0:34:05 > 0:34:06in earnest.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10I'd visit regularly, usually once a month,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13and stay for the entire weekend and then transpose everything that he'd
0:34:13 > 0:34:15written down
0:34:15 > 0:34:19into the computer, but also do all the drawings that he's
0:34:19 > 0:34:23created, as well as the maps have all been hand-drawn.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28And these visits, where they sat together and wrote Michael's book,
0:34:28 > 0:34:30lasted for six years.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33A real labour of love for them both.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35It's been great, yeah, it really has been, yeah.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39I've learned a lot, I think he's probably learned a lot as well.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42When they finally finished, Michael needed a publisher,
0:34:42 > 0:34:46and like a lot of aspiring authors he decided to self publish and pay
0:34:46 > 0:34:48for his book to be printed himself.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52So Mark took charge of finding the right company to print it for them.
0:34:54 > 0:34:59The key thing with the book is quality, so we did research.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02We pulled the numbers together,
0:35:02 > 0:35:07and we did what I thought at the time was reasonable due diligence.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11We approached several publishers, got the figures.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15Mark agreed a deal with a London-based company called
0:35:15 > 0:35:19UK Print Ltd, not to be confused with businesses with a similar name,
0:35:19 > 0:35:21and initially all seemed very positive.
0:35:21 > 0:35:27Father and son agreed a deal to print 500 copies of the book for just under ?4,700.
0:35:27 > 0:35:29This would be paid in instalments,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32and Mark said he was told that the books would be delivered in no more
0:35:32 > 0:35:34than three weeks.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38They seemed to be very keen to help us, were bending over backwards,
0:35:38 > 0:35:41nothing was too much trouble.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Happy with the deal, they went ahead and made the first payment of just
0:35:44 > 0:35:47over ?2,300.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50But then things started to go wrong.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54After sending UK Print Ltd the final text and images for the book,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57that was in early October 2016,
0:35:57 > 0:35:59it should have been ready in a matter of weeks,
0:35:59 > 0:36:03but as the delivery date came and went with no sign of the book,
0:36:03 > 0:36:06Michael and Mark began to get concerned.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08And Mark says that whenever he chased the company,
0:36:08 > 0:36:13both by e-mail and telephone, he was simply told the book wasn't ready.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16But then, about a month after the expected delivery date,
0:36:16 > 0:36:18Michael's book finally arrived,
0:36:18 > 0:36:24but the sample material that had been sent left them far from impressed.
0:36:24 > 0:36:29We had some loose-leafed proofs back, which were wrong paper type,
0:36:29 > 0:36:32wrong colour, just about wrong in every way, shape and form,
0:36:32 > 0:36:33unfortunately.
0:36:33 > 0:36:38By this point, and unhappy with both the delays and the quality of what UK Print was
0:36:38 > 0:36:42offering, Mark says he tried to get in touch with the company to ask for
0:36:42 > 0:36:45an update on the progress of the printing,
0:36:45 > 0:36:48but says he didn't receive a response.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51However, it seems his e-mails did get through to someone,
0:36:51 > 0:36:55as the next letter he received from UK Print was from their solicitors.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00I think I realised that something was up after the third time the delivery
0:37:00 > 0:37:05had slipped, and I actually received a letter from their solicitors,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08which was completely out of the blue and made no sense,
0:37:08 > 0:37:13and I thought there was a communication breakdown or something.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18Although their solicitors' letter did apologise for the delays,
0:37:18 > 0:37:22it also made it very clear that under the terms of the contract all
0:37:22 > 0:37:24promised timescales were approximate.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27It stated that the company wasn't liable for any delay,
0:37:27 > 0:37:29however it was caused, and what's more...
0:37:33 > 0:37:37Though there were promises of at least part-delivery in December,
0:37:37 > 0:37:40Mark and Michael were left particularly frustrated because with Michael's
0:37:40 > 0:37:44failing health, time WAS of the essence to them.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47I was upset, partly because
0:37:47 > 0:37:49time is running out.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52I'm not a youngster any more, and as you can see,
0:37:52 > 0:37:53I've got breathing problems,
0:37:53 > 0:37:57which are getting worse fairly rapidly
0:37:57 > 0:38:00and I really wanted to see it done
0:38:00 > 0:38:02while I was still here, as you might say.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06That was it. So I was upset that nothing was happening.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12Knowing how much the situation was upsetting his dad,
0:38:12 > 0:38:15Mark became very concerned about his health,
0:38:15 > 0:38:18and Michael's neighbour Paul was also worried.
0:38:18 > 0:38:19So, tell me how Dad's been now.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23I noticed if we talk about it, he gets very tense and when he gets tense,
0:38:23 > 0:38:25his breathing gets worse.
0:38:25 > 0:38:26I think the difficulty is,
0:38:26 > 0:38:29it's something that you can't control with medication.
0:38:29 > 0:38:31It's a stress-induced problem.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33When he's relaxed, his breathing is,
0:38:33 > 0:38:35is difficult for a man in his condition,
0:38:35 > 0:38:39but when things cause him anxiety and he gets stressed,
0:38:39 > 0:38:43it's fairly obvious, you know, breathing gets a lot worse.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46With the delays causing Michael so much anxiety,
0:38:46 > 0:38:50they hoped that UK Print would follow through on its promise to deliver
0:38:50 > 0:38:53part of the order by the start of December, but it didn't.
0:38:53 > 0:38:57The company blamed problems with its suppliers and gave yet another
0:38:57 > 0:39:00delivery date, this time in mid-January.
0:39:00 > 0:39:03But really tired of the unanswered phone calls and what they saw as
0:39:03 > 0:39:05excuses from the company,
0:39:05 > 0:39:09and believing that the company had not fulfilled its end of the contract,
0:39:09 > 0:39:15Mark had just had enough and once again demanded a refund of the ?2,327
0:39:15 > 0:39:16that he'd already paid.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19But he was left feeling guilty for failing to get his dad's book
0:39:19 > 0:39:21published.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24There's the elements of actually wanting to get the book completed,
0:39:24 > 0:39:28you know, because none of us live forever.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31I wanted that to be his objective and his goal and I wanted to help
0:39:31 > 0:39:36him accomplish that, and it's a long, drawn-out process.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38But to have it more drawn out,
0:39:38 > 0:39:41it's immeasurable, the stress.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Mark and Michael's story is by no means the only one we've received about
0:39:44 > 0:39:48self-publishing companies that may not always offer quite the service
0:39:48 > 0:39:51that budding authors might have hoped for.
0:39:51 > 0:39:54We've also heard from another aspiring author called Aaron McMillan,
0:39:54 > 0:39:59who paid another completely separate company ?200 to get his poems into
0:39:59 > 0:40:03print. But four months after the expected delivery date,
0:40:03 > 0:40:07he's heard nothing from his publisher, let alone received his books,
0:40:07 > 0:40:10and despite countless e-mails requesting a refund,
0:40:10 > 0:40:14he's still ?200 out of pocket, with absolutely nothing to show for it.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16As for Michael's case,
0:40:16 > 0:40:19well, it seems that UK Print Limited is no longer trading.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21But when we contacted its owners,
0:40:21 > 0:40:25they told us that Michael has now been given a full refund,
0:40:25 > 0:40:30as well as a further ?250 compensation to donate to a charity of his choice.
0:40:30 > 0:40:34After hearing plenty of similar experiences, Alison Owen,
0:40:34 > 0:40:36who edits The Writers' and Artists' Yearbook,
0:40:36 > 0:40:40has this advice for anyone considering taking this route to get into print.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43I think it's always important,
0:40:43 > 0:40:47even when you're contacting organisations by e-mail,
0:40:47 > 0:40:48is to phone up.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51Is there somebody you can actually talk to and have a conversation?
0:40:51 > 0:40:53I think that's very important.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56Look at the professional nature of a website.
0:40:56 > 0:41:00Sometimes the first few pages can seem very professional -
0:41:00 > 0:41:03look beyond that. How much detail do they actually provide about the
0:41:03 > 0:41:07services they offer? Can they give you good examples of work they've
0:41:07 > 0:41:09worked on?
0:41:09 > 0:41:13Well, after all the effort put into preparing Michael's book,
0:41:13 > 0:41:15he and Mark were determined to see it published,
0:41:15 > 0:41:19so they found another publisher and I'm so pleased to say that today
0:41:19 > 0:41:23Michael will be seeing the book for the very first time.
0:41:23 > 0:41:24Here we are, Dad.
0:41:27 > 0:41:29I thought it was never going to happen.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32That's lovely to see.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36We are really, really pleased to see it,
0:41:36 > 0:41:40and got something for Oscar to learn now and be proud about with his
0:41:40 > 0:41:41grandad. It's fantastic.
0:41:44 > 0:41:45I'm getting emotional about it.
0:41:45 > 0:41:48It's a special thing, it's something that I'm really glad that we've achieved.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51I said, there's been a lot of effort gone into it.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56Well, there you are, that's terrific, isn't it?
0:41:56 > 0:41:59It was something I set out to do, and I've done it, that's it.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01I'm glad it's finished!
0:42:11 > 0:42:14If you've got a story and you'd like us to investigate it,
0:42:14 > 0:42:19then get in touch with us via our Facebook page, BBC Rip Off Britain,
0:42:19 > 0:42:23our website, which is bbc.co.uk/ ripoffbritain,
0:42:23 > 0:42:25or you can e-mail us...
0:42:29 > 0:42:33If you want to send us a letter, then our address is...
0:42:39 > 0:42:42The Rip-Off team is ready and waiting to
0:42:42 > 0:42:44investigate your stories.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47Well, of course not all of the opportunities that we've been looking into
0:42:47 > 0:42:50today are purely about making money.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53Sometimes the money has gone into things that have a very different
0:42:53 > 0:42:56and perhaps even personal value, but either way,
0:42:56 > 0:43:00you really do need whatever time and money you've invested to end up
0:43:00 > 0:43:02feeling that it was worth it.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06I think clearly the people that we spoke to haven't always felt that that was the case.
0:43:06 > 0:43:12However, wasn't it just fantastic to see all the hard work that father and son
0:43:12 > 0:43:14Michael and Mark had put into writing their book,
0:43:14 > 0:43:16and finally to watch it pay off?
0:43:16 > 0:43:19I must say, I was genuinely delighted for them both when they managed to
0:43:19 > 0:43:23get their hands on that blissful, finished copy at long last.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28I know, but what a shame the whole situation caused so much stress.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31Well, we hope you've picked up some pointers to make sure that whatever
0:43:31 > 0:43:35you put your money into will give you the return you expected,
0:43:35 > 0:43:37and of course, if it doesn't, you know what to do.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Get in touch with us.
0:43:39 > 0:43:41We'll be back to investigate more of your stories very soon,
0:43:41 > 0:43:44so until then, from all of us here, bye-bye.
0:43:44 > 0:43:45Goodbye. Goodbye.
0:44:16 > 0:44:18What do our pets need to be healthy?
0:44:18 > 0:44:20They can't tell you,
0:44:20 > 0:44:21but science can.
0:44:21 > 0:44:24Our crack team of experts use pioneering research
0:44:24 > 0:44:26to bring you the very best advice -
0:44:26 > 0:44:28from the best way to treat fleas...
0:44:29 > 0:44:31..to how to help your pet lose weight.
0:44:36 > 0:44:38Happy New Year!