0:00:02 > 0:00:04We asked you to tell us what's left you feeling ripped off,
0:00:04 > 0:00:06and you've contacted us in your thousands.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10You've told us about the companies you think get it wrong
0:00:10 > 0:00:13and the customer service that simply isn't up to scratch.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16They just want to take money from people.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18That's what it's all about.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21You've asked us to track down the scammers who stole your money
0:00:21 > 0:00:24and investigate the extra charges you say are unfair.
0:00:24 > 0:00:29What kind of people could do this to an innocent human being?
0:00:29 > 0:00:32And when you've lost out but nobody else is to blame,
0:00:32 > 0:00:35you've come to us to stop others falling into the same trap.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38You have to go through various levels of authority
0:00:38 > 0:00:40and push your way through.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44So, whether it's a blatant rip-off or a genuine mistake,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47we're here to find out why you're out of pocket
0:00:47 > 0:00:49and what you can do about it.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Your stories, your money, this is Rip-Off Britain.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Hello, and thank you so much for joining us for another
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Rip-Off Britain, tackling more of the stories that you've asked us
0:01:01 > 0:01:04to investigate on your behalf. And today, we're going to be
0:01:04 > 0:01:08getting to grips with some really big questions around the subject
0:01:08 > 0:01:12of customer service, because while most of us know what we expect
0:01:12 > 0:01:14from the companies we do business with,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17I'm sorry to say we don't always get it.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20Now, when there's been a problem and you're battling to get a result,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23the way that you're dealt with really can make all the difference.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26In fact, it sometimes ends up being an even bigger issue than the one
0:01:26 > 0:01:28you were originally complaining about.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32So, why is it that some companies get the whole business of
0:01:32 > 0:01:34handling complaints so badly wrong?
0:01:34 > 0:01:38And why is it that we're always having to ask that question?
0:01:38 > 0:01:41So, to try and answer it, we're going to be bringing you not just
0:01:41 > 0:01:45a real mix of examples of customer service, but also plenty of advice
0:01:45 > 0:01:48to ensure that you really do know the best way to get
0:01:48 > 0:01:52your voice heard, because while it's true that big companies may not
0:01:52 > 0:01:56always want to listen, even on some pretty major topics, there are
0:01:56 > 0:02:00particularly effective ways that you can get your message across.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03So, get ready to find out exactly what they are.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08Coming up - are Britain's new homes not being built properly?
0:02:08 > 0:02:11This woman has still got serious fault with hers
0:02:11 > 0:02:13well over a year after she moved in.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16I can't see when this is going to end.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19I really can't. I cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24And we meet the woman whose dodgy mobile phone signal drove her
0:02:24 > 0:02:26to taking drastic action.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32That was when I just saw red and just went to, said to my husband,
0:02:32 > 0:02:34"I'm going to chain myself to the store
0:02:34 > 0:02:36"until they do something about this."
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Now, one of the attractions of buying a brand-new home is that you
0:02:43 > 0:02:46don't have to worry about some of the risks associated with buying
0:02:46 > 0:02:50an older property, like damp, subsidence, problems with the roof,
0:02:50 > 0:02:54you know the kind of thing. But, as the people we're about to hear from
0:02:54 > 0:02:57found out after they'd signed the contracts and moved in,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00that's by no means always the case.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03So, as demand for new homes across the country increases,
0:03:03 > 0:03:06can developers really keep up with the pace,
0:03:06 > 0:03:10or are corners being cut to meet targets and schedules,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14leaving homeowners with costly and potentially even dangerous mistakes
0:03:14 > 0:03:16to fix?
0:03:17 > 0:03:21Wendy Howell from Reading moved into her four-bedroom dream home in
0:03:21 > 0:03:26December 2015, together with her partner and teenage daughter.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28I fell in love with the design of this house.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33It was beautiful. I spent days wandering around the show home,
0:03:33 > 0:03:36waiting for my house to be completed.
0:03:39 > 0:03:44But 15 months after getting the keys to her almost £600,000 property,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48the builders are still here, because ever since Wendy moved in,
0:03:48 > 0:03:50the property has been beset with problems,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53or snags, as they're called in the business.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56And not just one or two - there were dozens.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00We weren't complaining about minor little snags,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04these were things like the back garden's flooding,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08the air bricks are below the ground level and we've got water coming out
0:04:08 > 0:04:11of the air bricks.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13And that was just outside the house.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17There was also an unfortunate problem with the acoustics.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19If you're sat in the study, you can hear someone on the toilet
0:04:19 > 0:04:22next door, and that's because there was no sound proofing there.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27In fact, there was so much for the developer to put right
0:04:27 > 0:04:29that Wendy hired an independent surveyor
0:04:29 > 0:04:31to provide her with a report,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34including an investigation into why her daughter's bedroom
0:04:34 > 0:04:36was so chilly.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39We had the surveyor, and we'd lowered the camera down.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Areas where there should have been insolation,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44what we actually had was empty carrier bags.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48The surveyor's report found 19 different problems with the house
0:04:48 > 0:04:52which Wendy took straight to the developer, Taylor Wimpey.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55It wasn't until we actually got the surveyor's report and bashed them
0:04:55 > 0:04:59over the head with it that they admitted that,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02"OK, we'll resolve this for you."
0:05:03 > 0:05:07So, work began to do just that, but now, five months later,
0:05:07 > 0:05:08the builders are still here.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13There wasn't a single room where there wasn't either a wall
0:05:13 > 0:05:16taken down or a floor lifted up,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19and we've still got the exterior of the property to get sorted out -
0:05:19 > 0:05:23the flooding, which has been my issue from day one.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27It's horrifying to open up your garage door and find
0:05:27 > 0:05:29there's a huge puddle of water there.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33In a desperate attempt to get the developers to complete the work
0:05:33 > 0:05:37on her home, Wendy attached a protest banner to her balcony,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39spelling out her feelings.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43I can't see when this is going to end, I really can't.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46I cannot see any light at the end of the tunnel. I really can't.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49When we contacted Taylor Wimpey,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53the company apologised for the problems and disruption that Wendy's
0:05:53 > 0:05:56experienced, adding that it's "working hard to put things right,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58"and to fix any outstanding issues."
0:06:01 > 0:06:05But, according to reports from housing charity Shelter,
0:06:05 > 0:06:09over half of the people who move into brand-new houses report finding
0:06:09 > 0:06:13major faults, a figure which doesn't surprise our legal expert,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15solicitor Gary Rycroft.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17There are no official rules about snagging,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19and there's no law relating to snagging as such.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21In many ways, as a consumer,
0:06:21 > 0:06:25you have more rights if you buy a tin of beans than you do if you buy
0:06:25 > 0:06:29a house, because with a tin of beans, you can take it back,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32whereas with a house, it's very difficult to reject the goods
0:06:32 > 0:06:37and take it back afterwards, so really, the practical advice is -
0:06:37 > 0:06:41get snagging dealt with whilst the builder still has something that
0:06:41 > 0:06:44he wants from you, which is, frankly, your money.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47I would recommend that you get an independent snagging company
0:06:47 > 0:06:49to do that for you.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Who knew such businesses existed?
0:06:53 > 0:06:56But Tim Fee, a former quantity surveyor,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58now works as a professional snagger.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02He's called in by new-build buyers who'd like his help identifying
0:07:02 > 0:07:03the faults with their home.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05You can see the gap,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08how out of level it is between the bottom and top.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13You never know what you're going to find, so in some,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17it may be the standard of decoration is abysmal.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21Others, it can be quality of workmanship on joinery,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24so doors that don't fit properly.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Today, Tim is in the Yorkshire village of Eggborough,
0:07:26 > 0:07:30taking a look around the home of Andy Greenwood and his wife.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34They paid a quarter of a million pounds for this brand-new house
0:07:34 > 0:07:36in 2016, but now rather wish they hadn't.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40When you spend £200,000-plus on a house, even if it was
0:07:40 > 0:07:47a £100,000 house, you shouldn't have to fix a new house.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52On the long list of problems is their sloping floors.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55I'm just looking at the flooring here, and at the moment,
0:07:55 > 0:08:00it's clear that the floor is falling away, so if I put the level here,
0:08:00 > 0:08:04if I put it between, there's obviously a gap underneath.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09As I bring the level round this way, here, you can probably see,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12there's a substantial gap appearing where the floor is
0:08:12 > 0:08:16falling quite substantially towards the patio door.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20The property was built by Harron Homes,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23who Tim has had dealings with in the past,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25when his own daughter was left disappointed with a property
0:08:25 > 0:08:29the company had built. And though the company's website said Andy's
0:08:29 > 0:08:34development showcases the very best that new homes have to offer,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37in fact, independent snagging specialists have identified
0:08:37 > 0:08:41234 separate faults with his new-build home,
0:08:41 > 0:08:46from guttering to paintwork. And Andy is not impressed.
0:08:47 > 0:08:54We were drawn in by the adverts promising us the best of the best,
0:08:54 > 0:08:59and we looked at the show homes, which were the best of the best,
0:08:59 > 0:09:02so we assumed that we would be getting the standard
0:09:02 > 0:09:04that we were being offered.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Well, Harron Homes told us it's evident that this house didn't
0:09:07 > 0:09:10meet the high standards that customers expect,
0:09:10 > 0:09:15and it apologises unreservedly for any inconvenience caused.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18It goes on to say that after being initially told about three snagging
0:09:18 > 0:09:21issues when Andy and his family first moved in,
0:09:21 > 0:09:25it has since seen a copy of the independent report and says 40%
0:09:25 > 0:09:29of the points identified are covered by the homeowner's warranty,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33and it immediately put plans in place to address them.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36It tells us the ongoing remedial work will be dealt with
0:09:36 > 0:09:39"appropriately and in a timely manner,"
0:09:39 > 0:09:42and it appreciates Andy's family's patience in this matter.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Meanwhile, in Pontefract,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50there's another family living in a new house they're now having
0:09:50 > 0:09:54second thoughts about. Ann is a midwife and works shifts,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57and her husband Barry also works unsociable hours.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02But Ann says getting any shut-eye is made impossible by the property's
0:10:02 > 0:10:04noisy floorboards keeping them awake.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12You walk on the floor, and there's a horrific click.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17It echoes down into the kitchen, it transmits throughout the house,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19to the point that if somebody's in bed,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22nobody dare walk around the house because it wakes people up.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Ann says they've had ongoing building work to sort out the issue
0:10:25 > 0:10:28ever since they moved in two years ago.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32So, this is the kitchen where the main of the clicking
0:10:32 > 0:10:33were first identified.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38In the ceiling, we've had two lots of screws put into the ceiling,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41so they've re-plastered the ceiling twice following that.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44They've taken the ceiling down last August.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46That were down for six weeks.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50And because of all the work, they've still not properly unpacked.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53There's no flooring in here because we're waiting for the rest of the
0:10:53 > 0:10:55works to be done for us to move back in here.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59This is the first floor that they've replaced.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01So, we are waiting at the minute for them to come and refit
0:11:01 > 0:11:05our wardrobes, re-carpet it, so we can move our bed back in here, and
0:11:05 > 0:11:08move out of the big bedroom so they can start working on the upstairs.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13The developer of Ann's house, Strata, told us it
0:11:13 > 0:11:17acknowledges that there have been some ongoing issues with repairs
0:11:17 > 0:11:19which could have been handled more swiftly.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23It's apologised unreservedly for that, and has now agreed
0:11:23 > 0:11:25and begun a programme of work.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31But I'm afraid here at Rip-Off Britain, we keep hearing of
0:11:31 > 0:11:35situations where snagging has taken months, if not years, to resolve.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39So, solicitor Gary Rycroft says the best way to minimise the chances of
0:11:39 > 0:11:41that happening is to do your research
0:11:41 > 0:11:44when choosing your new home.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Go and look at some of the building sites.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49If they are tidy and organised, then it's more likely that your
0:11:49 > 0:11:52house will be built properly than if it's chaotic.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55If you're buying the second or third phase of a development, go and
0:11:55 > 0:11:59talk to the people who've already moved in and bought phase one.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01Go and knock on their doors and ask them,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04"What was their experience of the building?"
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Meanwhile, in Reading, Wendy hopes her banner might
0:12:07 > 0:12:12bring forward the day when she can finally consider her home snag-free.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14My dreams have been shattered.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15This was going to be my forever home.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17It's just been a nightmare.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25There are very few things in life that we genuinely
0:12:25 > 0:12:29cannot live without, and while our survival could hardly be said
0:12:29 > 0:12:32to depend on it, one item most of us would probably include on the list
0:12:32 > 0:12:36would be our mobile phone. And I bet, even as you're watching this,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38yours won't be very far away.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42But the fact that so many people own a mobile phone doesn't mean that
0:12:42 > 0:12:46we're always able to use them quite as effectively as we'd like.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49Patchy signals can leave the best of us utterly exasperated,
0:12:49 > 0:12:53so we've been finding out exactly why that is, and more importantly,
0:12:53 > 0:12:55what is being done about it.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Now, there are many things we can be very proud of in the UK,
0:13:00 > 0:13:05but one thing we certainly don't seem to have got sorted out
0:13:05 > 0:13:08is our mobile phone signals,
0:13:08 > 0:13:10as many of you are all too aware.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Do you think that the mobile phone companies are doing enough
0:13:15 > 0:13:18- to improve...? - No. They're definitely not.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Do you ever get into a situation where you've got no reception at all
0:13:21 > 0:13:23- on your mobile phone? - Yes, I do, yes.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26- How frustrating is that? - It's very frustrating.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30I could throttle them when they tell me that we can get a signal.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32We can't, we can't!
0:13:37 > 0:13:39You've just got to warm the bath up, Edmund.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43Diane Cartwright runs a dog grooming parlour in the coastal town
0:13:43 > 0:13:44of Porthmadog in North Wales,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and as Diane is often out and about with her job,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49a fixed landline isn't an option for her,
0:13:49 > 0:13:53so she really relies on her mobile phone to keep her business going.
0:13:53 > 0:13:58I groom dogs. They get bathed and clipped and styled,
0:13:58 > 0:14:01and people come in and have their nails, their dog's nails, done,
0:14:01 > 0:14:06and they'll phone for advice, and I'm really quite a busy little shop.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09All done here. You're going to have a bath now, aren't you?
0:14:09 > 0:14:13But problems with her mobile phone reception means that Diane can have
0:14:13 > 0:14:15real difficulties keeping in touch with customers.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22When I'm, like, phoning them to say, "Can you come and collect your dog?"
0:14:22 > 0:14:25I can't get in touch with them, so it might be hours later,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28and I've got this dog waiting to go home and I can't get in touch
0:14:28 > 0:14:32with anybody. And if people can't get through,
0:14:32 > 0:14:34are they going to come into my shop to book again?
0:14:35 > 0:14:39And in 2016, things really reached a head.
0:14:40 > 0:14:45It got to a point where I couldn't receive any calls,
0:14:45 > 0:14:48couldn't make any calls, nothing at all.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52So, determined to get something done, Diane, an Orange customer
0:14:52 > 0:14:55at the time, went to her local branch to get some advice.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58The staff told her that if she moved over to the EE network,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02she would be more likely to get a better signal, as EE was rapidly
0:15:02 > 0:15:04improving its coverage in Wales.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Hoping this would solve her telephone problems,
0:15:08 > 0:15:13Diane signed a new 24-month contract with EE.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18It did work for about two hours, and then after that when I got home,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21it was exactly the same. I wasn't getting incoming calls,
0:15:21 > 0:15:23couldn't make any calls going out.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26No texts, no messages, nothing at all.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32As Diane was still within the cooling off period for her
0:15:32 > 0:15:35new contract, she took herself back to the mobile phone shop
0:15:35 > 0:15:39with the intention of moving to a different company altogether.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42But she also wanted to keep her mobile phone number because it was
0:15:42 > 0:15:44the one she used for her business,
0:15:44 > 0:15:49and to do that she needed a special nine-digit code called a PAC code.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51However, there was a misunderstanding
0:15:51 > 0:15:53over how quickly she'd get it.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56That was when I just saw red.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59I said to my husband,
0:15:59 > 0:16:02"I'm going to EE and I'm going to chain myself to the store until they
0:16:02 > 0:16:04"do something about this."
0:16:04 > 0:16:09And it was the only thing I could think of to do to get noticed,
0:16:09 > 0:16:12to get them to stand up and listen to me, really.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15And I needed it sorted today.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17I couldn't let it go on for any longer.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21And the whole incident was caught on film.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24And it was after a minute or two it registered what I had done with one
0:16:24 > 0:16:28of the staff. And he came over to me and asked if he could help me.
0:16:34 > 0:16:35The police came.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38They couldn't do anything at the time because I was just sitting
0:16:38 > 0:16:41peacefully. It would have been worthwhile getting arrested for.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46Well, when we spoke to EE,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49they disagreed with various elements of Diane's story,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53making it clear that its staff had tried to help and stressing that she
0:16:53 > 0:16:55would have received the PAC code quicker than she realised.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02Even so, the company added it understands how frustrating it is
0:17:02 > 0:17:05when people can't get a signal in the places they need it,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07but pointed out that in Diane's postcode,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10EE provides some of the best coverage in the area.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16And while most people who can't get a good signal wouldn't go quite
0:17:16 > 0:17:20as far as Diane, plenty of her fellow Porthmadog residents find
0:17:20 > 0:17:24the situation equally maddening, learning through bitter experiences
0:17:24 > 0:17:26the places where they can make a call.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32I can only use it out the front or in my front room.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35I used to be able to get a signal in the house, not much,
0:17:35 > 0:17:36just one or two bars in the house.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39"Oh, we've increased the coverage nationwide."
0:17:39 > 0:17:41- I can't get a darn thing!- Right.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43I can get a signal, but it's upstairs in the bathroom.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45- In the toilet?- Yeah.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49It's ludicrous! And we're in an area of the country that neither
0:17:49 > 0:17:53the government nor the companies feel is economic for them to give us
0:17:53 > 0:17:55- a better service.- You know what you all have to do?
0:17:55 > 0:17:59You all have to go down to your phone shops and chain yourself up
0:17:59 > 0:18:00and make a stand.
0:18:03 > 0:18:04Not so sure about that one.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08But anyway, a recent government report concluded that here
0:18:08 > 0:18:11in the UK, when we get a new mobile phone contract,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13we're all very focused on getting the right price,
0:18:13 > 0:18:17the right tariff or handset, but may not even think to check whether
0:18:17 > 0:18:20the coverage we're likely to get is going to be good enough.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24So perhaps it's no surprise that more than six out of ten people
0:18:24 > 0:18:30report a patchy signal indoors and experts estimate that 10% of the UK
0:18:30 > 0:18:32still doesn't have any voice coverage at all.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37To overcome patchy signals in much of the rest of Europe,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41mobile phone companies let you roam between or share networks,
0:18:41 > 0:18:45so that if you lose a signal in one town, another network will kick in,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48so that you can still make and receive calls.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51However, the UK phone providers don't currently do this.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57In fact, the main companies in the UK have openly opposed
0:18:57 > 0:19:00working together to allow network sharing,
0:19:00 > 0:19:05putting the cost of doing so at anything from £64-£128 million.
0:19:07 > 0:19:10Now, our technology expert, David McLellan, says all of this,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13coupled with the fact that the masts that we rely on to send and receive
0:19:13 > 0:19:18mobile phone signals, are in short supply and expensive to install,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22means that UK customers are left with very hit and miss coverage.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27Cell towers are one of the keys to getting better mobile coverage
0:19:27 > 0:19:31all around, but there are obstacles between your phone and the
0:19:31 > 0:19:36cell tower that provides the mobile coverage that can make it
0:19:36 > 0:19:39more difficult for you to get a good service on your phone.
0:19:39 > 0:19:44But not everyone wants a cell tower in their back garden and there are
0:19:44 > 0:19:48a number of cases where mobile phone providers have tried to erect
0:19:48 > 0:19:52a cell tower and local groups have said, "We don't want that here".
0:19:53 > 0:19:56But there are things you can do to boost your chances of getting
0:19:56 > 0:19:57the best coverage on your phone.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01The communications regulator, Ofcom, released an app.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06It gives you a map and you can check for a particular postcode.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08It can even work out where you are.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11And it will tell you for every major mobile phone provider,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14whether you get good coverage in that location.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19But some of the people we've spoken to, including Diane,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23say that this map doesn't always reflect the true signal, and that
0:20:23 > 0:20:25when the app is showing good coverage in their area,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27the reality may be very different.
0:20:29 > 0:20:30When we put that to Ofcom,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34they told us that its maps are based on coverage predictions
0:20:34 > 0:20:36from the mobile operators,
0:20:36 > 0:20:40and made with computer programmes that simulate the way signals travel
0:20:40 > 0:20:43from mobile masts and are blocked by obstructions such as
0:20:43 > 0:20:46hills, trees and buildings.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49The regulator added that its own measurements have shown this
0:20:49 > 0:20:53methodology is usually accurate, but can sometimes be wrong,
0:20:53 > 0:20:57which is because signal loss can vary significantly,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00depending on factors such as the device you're using,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03the materials used to construct whatever building you're in,
0:21:03 > 0:21:04or congestion on the network.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09It went on to say that it's continuing to conduct extensive
0:21:09 > 0:21:13field testing, to confirm its maps accurately reflect the usage of
0:21:13 > 0:21:16mobile devices in different locations and is collecting
0:21:16 > 0:21:20crowdsourced data, using a mobile research app,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23to help improve the accuracy of the information it provides.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27But it may also be worth checking out some of the other apps
0:21:27 > 0:21:32out there, designed to do the same thing, like this one by OpenSignal.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36It's a company that maps phone and data signals using the experiences
0:21:36 > 0:21:38and data provided by users.
0:21:38 > 0:21:42Indeed, when we checked out Diane's postcode on THIS map,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45it paints a very different picture of what mobile phone signal
0:21:45 > 0:21:49she can expect, suggesting only limited coverage is available.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54And if you're already tied into a phone network that just doesn't have
0:21:54 > 0:21:58a good signal where you live, David says you should usually be able to
0:21:58 > 0:22:02try one of the apps that lets you make calls through Wi-Fi instead.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05So let's see you are living in a home where you don't get
0:22:05 > 0:22:07great coverage from your service providers.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11Many of them will let you download an app onto your phone and enable
0:22:11 > 0:22:15Wi-Fi calling. That essentially uses your broadband connection to help
0:22:15 > 0:22:18you receive phone calls, make phone calls and text messages,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21as if you had really good coverage in your home.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Well, if all else fails and you remain unhappy with the coverage
0:22:26 > 0:22:30provided by your mobile phone company but don't fancy going as far
0:22:30 > 0:22:34as chaining yourself to the shop, you can make a complaint
0:22:34 > 0:22:36under the Consumer Rights Act of 2015,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40suggesting that as they haven't been able to provide the service you paid
0:22:40 > 0:22:44for, you would like to terminate your contract without being liable
0:22:44 > 0:22:46for any cancellation fee.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50But David says in the first instance, you should always clarify
0:22:50 > 0:22:54your provider's policy before you sign the contract.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58At the point of purchase, be very, very clear with the shop,
0:22:58 > 0:23:01if you're buying it in store, about what happens if when you
0:23:01 > 0:23:04get your phone home you find you don't have any service.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Do you have the right to go back into the shop and cancel the
0:23:07 > 0:23:09contract there and then saying,
0:23:09 > 0:23:12"I've had the phone for two or three days," or a week, or however long,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14"It's not working. I don't get coverage.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17"I'm not going to continue with this contract." Be very clear
0:23:17 > 0:23:21what the returns policy is in the case of poor coverage.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Meanwhile, back in Porthmadog,
0:23:23 > 0:23:27Diane is now with a different phone network, and at long last,
0:23:27 > 0:23:29she can get a reliable signal.
0:23:29 > 0:23:31That's quite a good network for me now.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34It's all right for what I need now at home and at work.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Scout, give me five!
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Good boy!
0:23:45 > 0:23:46Still to come on Rip-Off Britain -
0:23:46 > 0:23:50how a simple trip to the shops can prove deeply traumatic for
0:23:50 > 0:23:52anyone living with dementia.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56There are so many places that people have been unkind,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59and that's very difficult to come to terms with.
0:24:06 > 0:24:10We're in Manchester at one of the biggest shopping centres in the UK
0:24:10 > 0:24:13for our annual Rip-Off Britain pop-up shop.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17It's our opportunity to meet you face-to-face and for our lovely team
0:24:17 > 0:24:21of experts to help sort out all the consumer problems that have left you
0:24:21 > 0:24:23feeling completely ripped off.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Well, I think we're all raring to go, aren't we, girls?
0:24:25 > 0:24:28So, let's declare this pop-up shop open!
0:24:38 > 0:24:41We've already heard on today's programme how stressful buying
0:24:41 > 0:24:45a home can be, but for Russ George, who's come to see Gary Rycroft,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48his Manchester apartment has become a living nightmare.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Russ, you have a catalogue of woes with your apartment.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Briefly, tell me what the problem is.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Briefly, I bought a penthouse apartment in 2012.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03In 2013, having had leaks for 18 months, I found water has poured
0:25:03 > 0:25:06into my apartment whilst I was away on holiday.
0:25:06 > 0:25:07When we look at the root cause,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10it comes from the original construction of the building.
0:25:10 > 0:25:15So, the windows had an inch to a half a foot gap around them.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19There are bits of the floor where construction workers have cut
0:25:19 > 0:25:22through to take pipes up and then realised they don't need to.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27We've got air gaps between the interior and exterior.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29- You've got cracks?- We've got cracks.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34We've got a concrete top roof with concealed drains,
0:25:34 > 0:25:37with no drain maintenance plan with the management company.
0:25:37 > 0:25:39What sort of damage has this done?
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Massive floods. It's totally destroyed the apartment.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43It's left me effectively homeless.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45You're not living in it?
0:25:45 > 0:25:49I'm camping in it at the minute, because I have nowhere else to live.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53With his insurers and the freeholder arguing about who was liable to
0:25:53 > 0:25:57repair the damage, Russ just didn't know where to turn to next.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01It's a very complicated legal situation, isn't it, Russ?
0:26:01 > 0:26:05Because there's lots of different things going on here.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08There's the initial purchase transaction.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11- Yeah.- And there are at least two issues there.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- One is your survey.- Yeah.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18And did that reveal anything, do you have a claim against your surveyor?
0:26:18 > 0:26:21And in terms of the vendor, Russ,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25when you sell any kind of property, you have to provide information
0:26:25 > 0:26:28to the buyer and you have to make honest disclosure.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31So if there had been floods in the past,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33and if that wasn't disclosed to you,
0:26:33 > 0:26:36then you could argue that was a misrepresentation.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Now that's three possible paths for Russ to explore,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41but there may yet be another.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43Presumably, there are other people in the building.
0:26:43 > 0:26:44Are they having the same problems?
0:26:44 > 0:26:47I know there are other neighbours who have been flooded.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Angela is going down the right route here.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53So, if you had some kind of class action, if you all got together,
0:26:53 > 0:26:55it will spread the risk of the litigation
0:26:55 > 0:26:58in terms of strength in numbers.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02You need to say to all the owners, "Unless we get this sorted,
0:27:02 > 0:27:05"we're going to have flats here that we can't sell,
0:27:05 > 0:27:08"that are going down in value, so come and join me and my crusade."
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Well, it's already got to a point of no return.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15I've got to get resolution.
0:27:15 > 0:27:19Well, since coming to our pop-up shop, Russ has taken Gary's advice,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22and along with fellow residents, they're looking into starting
0:27:22 > 0:27:25a class action against the property developers.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Meanwhile, plenty of shoppers joined the queue for our Gripe Corner,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34where you told us in no uncertain terms what really gets your goat.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37We're the same age, we've got the exact same car, we're with the same
0:27:37 > 0:27:40insurance company, and I pay twice as much as she does.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44What really gets on my nerves is when you get the leaflets through
0:27:44 > 0:27:49the door, half-price special offers, etc, etc, for new customers only.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52And they don't give it to me when I've been with them 20 years.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59I think we all know what a difference good customer service
0:27:59 > 0:28:02makes, and by "good," I mean staff that are prepared to go
0:28:02 > 0:28:05that extra mile to make things just a little bit easier for you,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09and, of course, those who don't just see you as another sale.
0:28:09 > 0:28:11Well, I'm sure I'm not the only one who would say that when you do get
0:28:11 > 0:28:15that kind of treatment in a shop, it makes you want to go back
0:28:15 > 0:28:19again and again. And that level of care and attention becomes
0:28:19 > 0:28:22even more important when you're dealing with someone
0:28:22 > 0:28:23who has dementia.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Over 800,000 people in the UK live with some form of the disease.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30Now, that's an awful lot of customers who may need just that
0:28:30 > 0:28:33little extra bit of help, but how likely are they to get it?
0:28:33 > 0:28:37Well, I accompanied one woman who has been diagnosed with the disease
0:28:37 > 0:28:41to find out and to ask whether customer service really is as good
0:28:41 > 0:28:44as it could be for those who have the same condition.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Come. Come, come.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51Joy and Tony Watson from Eccles in Salford have been married for
0:28:51 > 0:28:5541 years, but it's during the last six years that their marriage vow
0:28:55 > 0:28:59of "in sickness and in health" has really been put to the test.
0:28:59 > 0:29:04I was diagnosed with early onset dementia when I was about 55,
0:29:04 > 0:29:09but I did have symptoms way before then, when I was about 49.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16It's a disease that hasn't left Joy housebound or confined to a chair,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19but it does mean that she suffers from confusion,
0:29:19 > 0:29:23anxiety, and panic in new or unfamiliar situations.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27So simply going to the shops can be very challenging.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Stay.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32'I have had some really horrible experiences.'
0:29:32 > 0:29:37Some that I just haven't known how to cope with.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42They've got me to the point of
0:29:42 > 0:29:45just falling apart and being in tears.
0:29:45 > 0:29:50Sometimes at the bank if I can't remember my PIN number
0:29:50 > 0:29:55or at that supermarket, or at the petrol station, railway stations,
0:29:55 > 0:29:58there's so many places that people have been unkind.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02And that's very difficult to come to terms with.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08Joy has Alzheimer's, a form of dementia which means that she
0:30:08 > 0:30:10can get very confused and stressed
0:30:10 > 0:30:14because her brain simply cannot process what is going on around her.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17And though she does where a badge to make it clear that she is living
0:30:17 > 0:30:21with Alzheimer's, she's found that unfortunately the staff in shops,
0:30:21 > 0:30:25cafes, and other places that she visits may not spot it or even
0:30:25 > 0:30:28realise that it means that she might sometimes need
0:30:28 > 0:30:30a bit of extra assistance. And, of course,
0:30:30 > 0:30:34it may be that there aren't any staff immediately on hand to help,
0:30:34 > 0:30:38as was the case on a recent journey with one of the UK's biggest
0:30:38 > 0:30:40rail companies, Virgin.
0:30:40 > 0:30:48Having settled down into the journey, I was dozing a bit.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50And to my surprise,
0:30:50 > 0:30:56four gentlemen got on and they were very rowdy and very loud.
0:30:56 > 0:31:03They were swearing and being very vulgar, so I felt very intimidated.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07Now, whilst many of us may have just moved to another carriage,
0:31:07 > 0:31:11Joy's illness meant that she became rooted with fear to her spot,
0:31:11 > 0:31:13unable to attract the attention of train staff.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16So, instead, she texted her husband, Tony.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21When I initially got the text, the very first text,
0:31:21 > 0:31:24to say that Joy was in trouble and she was frightened,
0:31:24 > 0:31:27I felt really worried for her.
0:31:27 > 0:31:31Tony then spent two hours trying to get through to someone who might be
0:31:31 > 0:31:33able to assist Joy but was eventually told that there was
0:31:33 > 0:31:36no way of speaking to someone on board the train,
0:31:36 > 0:31:38due to the poor phone signal.
0:31:38 > 0:31:43I find it difficult to explain how I felt when they said they couldn't
0:31:43 > 0:31:46contact the train manager because of a poor signal.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48I know that I could text Joy.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51We were texting several times during that journey,
0:31:51 > 0:31:55so I know that the phone signal was working.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58So, why couldn't someone just pick up a phone and say to the manager,
0:31:58 > 0:32:00"There is a problem in Coach A, the quiet coach.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03"Can you please go down and help?"
0:32:03 > 0:32:05By the time Joy arrived in Manchester,
0:32:05 > 0:32:07she was deeply distressed.
0:32:07 > 0:32:09When I got off of the train,
0:32:09 > 0:32:14I was still in a state of panic and I just fell into Tony's arms and
0:32:14 > 0:32:17just burst into tears.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19I was just so relieved to be off that train.
0:32:21 > 0:32:24But sadly for Joy, such difficulties are not uncommon.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27She's determined to keep her independence,
0:32:27 > 0:32:28but in order to do that,
0:32:28 > 0:32:32passionately believes that companies such as Virgin should be doing more
0:32:32 > 0:32:35to look out for customers with dementia.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37When we put that to Virgin Trains,
0:32:37 > 0:32:40it said it was sorry to hear of Joy's experience and while stressing
0:32:40 > 0:32:44instances of anti-social behaviour are rare, it outlined a variety
0:32:44 > 0:32:47of ways of dealing with such situations if the train manager
0:32:47 > 0:32:49isn't immediately on hand,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52including getting in touch with the company through social media,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55or contacting the British Transport Police,
0:32:55 > 0:32:59which you can do by texting 61016.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03Virgin also told us that customers with dementia can use its
0:33:03 > 0:33:07JourneyCare service to request any additional assistance,
0:33:07 > 0:33:11whether that be help collecting tickets, boarding and disembarking,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14or someone to speak to on board.
0:33:14 > 0:33:16But though Joy welcomes initiatives like this,
0:33:16 > 0:33:19she feels that in general, the help that she and others
0:33:19 > 0:33:23with dementia may need, is still too often hard to find.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26And that is something that I find especially disturbing,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30because not only have I had personal experience of coping with dementia
0:33:30 > 0:33:33with my late mother when she was diagnosed with it,
0:33:33 > 0:33:37but I'm also the co-chair of a Prime Ministerial Committee that was
0:33:37 > 0:33:41specifically set up to make communities up and down the country
0:33:41 > 0:33:45more dementia friendly. And it's through that role that Joy and I
0:33:45 > 0:33:48have met before when she won an award for the work that she's done
0:33:48 > 0:33:52improving dementia awareness in her home town of Eccles.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55As part of that, she keeps a close check on the sort of services she
0:33:55 > 0:33:59gets while shopping or out and about and she's keen to give me a sense
0:33:59 > 0:34:04of the difficulties that even now she can regularly come across.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06So what sort of problems have you had,
0:34:06 > 0:34:08particularly when you're shopping?
0:34:08 > 0:34:14I get very frustrated if I can't pack my bags or if the person
0:34:14 > 0:34:19doesn't offer to help me pack my bags, and then it just escalates.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23I get uptight and then I drop my money.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27And it just goes a slippery slope from there on in.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31To demonstrate exactly what she means,
0:34:31 > 0:34:34Joy wants to show me what can happen when she tries to do things that,
0:34:34 > 0:34:37in the past, would not have caused her any problems.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40First, she's going shopping in a neighbouring town, where things
0:34:40 > 0:34:43aren't so familiar, and I'm giving her a list of what to get.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46I want you to buy a loaf of bread.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49- OK.- Some milk.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51- OK.- Some eggs.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55And some butter. So bread and butter, egg and milk.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57- OK.- Yeah? You're shaking a bit now.
0:34:57 > 0:34:58- A bit nervous?- A bit, yeah.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02- Yeah, it's a new place.- All right. - Go for it.- OK, off you go.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05- OK.- We'll see you when you come out. All right?
0:35:05 > 0:35:07'As Joy heads off to the supermarket,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10'it's the start of an anxious wait for husband Tony,
0:35:10 > 0:35:12'who's also his wife's carer.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15'He knows how quickly she can become distressed.'
0:35:15 > 0:35:17I think she'll be OK.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20It very much depends on the staff at the checkout.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24Some supermarkets, they work on speed and they just chuck the stuff
0:35:24 > 0:35:26down faster than Joy can cope with.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31Here she comes. '15 minutes later, and Joy is back.'
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Well, you've got a smile on your face, anyway!
0:35:35 > 0:35:38If I am completely honest, it was a bit of a nightmare.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42- Was it? Why? - Well, there were lots of things...
0:35:42 > 0:35:45I think the biggest thing was obstacles.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47What's one of them things with...?
0:35:47 > 0:35:49Forklift. That it was poking out.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53- Yeah.- And then there was a jolly...
0:35:53 > 0:35:55cage blocking most of one of the aisles.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59- So I just sort of didn't know quite how to negotiate that.- Yeah.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04'The obstacles that Joy had to navigate clearly unsettled her
0:36:04 > 0:36:07'and that made concentrating on her shopping list even trickier.
0:36:07 > 0:36:11'She only managed to buy two of the four items on her list.'
0:36:12 > 0:36:14And how did you get on at the checkout?
0:36:14 > 0:36:15Did they notice your badge?
0:36:15 > 0:36:18Yes. And she took a lot longer.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23She did put the receipt, which really confuses me.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26She put the receipt and then the money on top of the receipt.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28And then I sort of think, "Ah, I don't know how to..."
0:36:30 > 0:36:32- But...- You're all right? - Yeah. I managed.
0:36:32 > 0:36:35And the good thing, the positive thing,
0:36:35 > 0:36:39the mat going into the store isn't black.
0:36:39 > 0:36:40How good is that?
0:36:40 > 0:36:42What difference does that make, then?
0:36:42 > 0:36:46If I negotiate a store with a black mat, to me,
0:36:46 > 0:36:48it looks like a black hole.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53Now, who would have imagined that the mat by a shop's front door
0:36:53 > 0:36:56could cause someone with dementia of this kind of problem?
0:36:56 > 0:37:00Which, of course, is exactly why Joy is so keen for others to understand
0:37:00 > 0:37:03the kinds of issues that can arise.
0:37:03 > 0:37:05And she's not finished yet.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08Next, she wants to try something a little more complicated,
0:37:08 > 0:37:10so I'm sending her to a different shop
0:37:10 > 0:37:12to exchange an item of clothing.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15How do you feel? Are you comfortable to take it back and ask them
0:37:15 > 0:37:16- to change it?- Yeah, I think I will.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18All right. Have you got the receipt, Tony?
0:37:18 > 0:37:22- I have the receipt.- Right. 'Joy's symptoms are so subtle,
0:37:22 > 0:37:25'they can go unnoticed or be misunderstood and are often
0:37:25 > 0:37:28'a question of confidence and fear of the unknown,
0:37:28 > 0:37:30'rather than a complete loss of memory.'
0:37:30 > 0:37:34She seems quite nervous about asking people for help and directions,
0:37:34 > 0:37:36- doesn't she? - She's always afraid of rejection.
0:37:36 > 0:37:39Always afraid that someone is going to say, "No,"
0:37:39 > 0:37:40or give her strange looks.
0:37:40 > 0:37:45Because you look at Joy and you can't see that she has Alzheimer's.
0:37:45 > 0:37:47No, it's one of those invisible...
0:37:47 > 0:37:49That's it, yeah.
0:37:49 > 0:37:54So people will often say to her, "You're OK. You're healthy.
0:37:54 > 0:37:56"Why do you need my help?"
0:37:56 > 0:37:57And that does make her nervous.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00'But it's not long before a very relieved Joy emerges
0:38:00 > 0:38:02'from the clothes shop.'
0:38:02 > 0:38:05I managed to change it, yeah.
0:38:05 > 0:38:06I felt a bit rushed.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09Really? But were they helpful and understanding?
0:38:09 > 0:38:11Yeah, they were helpful. They just rushed me a bit.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15Sort of, "Oh, well, go and find another one."
0:38:15 > 0:38:18And I said, "Well, I don't know where to find another one."
0:38:18 > 0:38:23But I think that was up until the point she'd read my badge.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27And then when she read my badge, the whole demeanour changed.
0:38:27 > 0:38:32She said, "Would you like me to come and find it with you?"
0:38:32 > 0:38:35But it proves what a difference it makes when people understand,
0:38:35 > 0:38:37- doesn't it? - It certainly does, yeah.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43And that is a message that this cafe in Eccles has definitely taken
0:38:43 > 0:38:47on board. After Joy passed on her concerns, it made some changes,
0:38:47 > 0:38:51and now proudly displays a sign saying it's dementia friendly.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53So, I asked the owner what that actually means.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58What have you done particularly to make your cafe dementia friendly,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00- Gordon?- We've tried to make the signs easy to read.
0:39:00 > 0:39:04We've got a menu on each table now, and just trying to make it so it's
0:39:04 > 0:39:08really simple for people to see what we do sell.
0:39:08 > 0:39:09Clearer signs,
0:39:09 > 0:39:13easy to read menus, and wide spaces have all helped create a feeling
0:39:13 > 0:39:19of calm. Too much noise or din can lead to anxiety and confusion.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23Well, Gordon's clearly made an effort to make this place
0:39:23 > 0:39:26dementia friendly. Do you find that it is?
0:39:26 > 0:39:28Yes. Yeah.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31And I bring a lot of my friends here,
0:39:31 > 0:39:34who are living with dementia, and they just love it.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40Joy has campaigned tirelessly for many of her local businesses to
0:39:40 > 0:39:44- become dementia friendly...- Just going to bring this across, Joy.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47..and a mobile phone app has been developed for the wider area
0:39:47 > 0:39:48of Salford to take that further.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Tony, what's that app you've got there?
0:39:51 > 0:39:53It's called the Salford Way.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56If someone, say someone living with dementia or their carers or family
0:39:56 > 0:39:59members wants to find somewhere that is dementia friendly,
0:39:59 > 0:40:04this app can show them, whether it's a restaurant, a supermarket,
0:40:04 > 0:40:06a garage business or anything of that nature.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09So you can be guaranteed of getting decent service as someone with
0:40:09 > 0:40:12- dementia and a carer once you get there?- That's right, yes.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17What's more, if someone living with dementia is out and about and simply
0:40:17 > 0:40:21forgets which cafe or shop they want to go to, the app can help
0:40:21 > 0:40:24remind them, as well as point them in the direction of new places where
0:40:24 > 0:40:27they can be sure they'll get the sort of service
0:40:27 > 0:40:28that will make them feel welcome.
0:40:30 > 0:40:35And not only that, the more dementia friendly a bank, a hairdresser's,
0:40:35 > 0:40:38a cafe, a theatre, a shop, whatever is,
0:40:38 > 0:40:41the more likely it is that those customers, be they someone
0:40:41 > 0:40:45with dementia and their carers, are likely to come back.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48Think about it - that means you're talking potentially about, what,
0:40:48 > 0:40:50million and a half customers?
0:40:50 > 0:40:54So it has to be good business sense to adjust your customer
0:40:54 > 0:40:57relations and support so that you are there
0:40:57 > 0:40:58for people who have dementia.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Some very big names are making an effort in this area.
0:41:04 > 0:41:08For example, a Sainsbury's store in Gosforth in the north-east has
0:41:08 > 0:41:12introduced slow shopping hours every Tuesday afternoon,
0:41:12 > 0:41:15and the East of England Co-op has embarked on a training programme
0:41:15 > 0:41:18so that all of its staff are dementia friends.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21But Joy thinks there is much more to be done to help people living with
0:41:21 > 0:41:25the condition, not just through simple changes like these,
0:41:25 > 0:41:29but also to protect and avoid them being ripped off in other ways.
0:41:29 > 0:41:36I want to continue to be able to visit my bank, visit the hair salon,
0:41:36 > 0:41:39just do the things that I've always enjoyed doing,
0:41:39 > 0:41:41I want to continue to do that.
0:41:41 > 0:41:46That helps me to stay as independent as I can, for as long as I can.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58If you've got a story that you'd like us to investigate,
0:41:58 > 0:42:01then do get in touch with us via our Facebook page,
0:42:01 > 0:42:08BBC Rip Off Britain, or our website, bbc.co.uk/ripoffbritain,
0:42:08 > 0:42:09or you can always e-mail us...
0:42:12 > 0:42:17But you'd prefer to send us a letter, then our address is...
0:42:28 > 0:42:31Well, I don't know about you, but I was fascinated to hear why it is
0:42:31 > 0:42:35that so often I simply can't get a phone signal.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38I have to say, it is so frustrating, and I really do think that
0:42:38 > 0:42:42mobile companies could do a lot, lot better. But then, I suppose,
0:42:42 > 0:42:45the same could be said for customer service in general.
0:42:45 > 0:42:49Yes. I personally love that recorded voice that tells me my call is
0:42:49 > 0:42:53so important to them(!) I find it really reassures me, don't you(?)
0:42:53 > 0:42:57But wasn't it inspiring to see the way Joy, despite her Alzheimer's,
0:42:57 > 0:43:00is doing more than her bit to improve things?
0:43:00 > 0:43:03Clearly she was finding some of the situations she went into
0:43:03 > 0:43:06incredibly difficult, but she was determined to prove the point
0:43:06 > 0:43:10- in order to help other people.- Yes, she really is a remarkable woman.
0:43:10 > 0:43:13And I think we should never forget that what's good customer service
0:43:13 > 0:43:16for people with Alzheimer's and dementia is pretty good for the
0:43:16 > 0:43:20rest of us, too. So if you know of someone who, for whatever reason,
0:43:20 > 0:43:22is something of a consumer champion,
0:43:22 > 0:43:24then please do let us know who they are.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28We have got plenty more programmes coming up over the next few months,
0:43:28 > 0:43:32so we'd love to see if we can include them in those programmes.
0:43:32 > 0:43:35But in the meantime, thanks for all the stories and suggestions you've
0:43:35 > 0:43:38already sent us, and we will be back to follow up even more of them
0:43:38 > 0:43:41very soon. But until then, from all of us, bye-bye.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43- Bye-bye.- Goodbye.