:00:30. > :00:34.Hello and welcome to Watchdog Daily. We are with you live for the next
:00:34. > :00:37.45 minutes. This morning, buying gift vouchers for Christmas? We but
:00:37. > :00:40.some of the most popular to the test of find out what they already
:00:40. > :00:44.worth. See him, steaks, big penalties. How
:00:45. > :00:49.some airlines are penalising customers for the smallest booking
:00:49. > :00:52.errors. And why Boots can no longer say
:00:52. > :01:02.these pills help cut the carbohydrates.
:01:02. > :01:04.
:01:04. > :01:09.Also today... You owe me 700 -- �3,700!
:01:09. > :01:14.The Consumer Cops to track down those accused dealing in debt
:01:14. > :01:17.collection and violence. First, gift vouchers, one of the
:01:17. > :01:23.most popular Christmas presents and a perfect option when you cannot
:01:23. > :01:26.think what to buy. Or are they? Judging by your complaints and Anna
:01:26. > :01:31.instigation by mystery shoppers from us, it seems some vouchers
:01:31. > :01:41.could be a better present for the companies than for your family and
:01:41. > :01:44.
:01:44. > :01:48.friends. We will spend an estimated �4.4
:01:48. > :01:56.billion on gift vouchers this year, so a family and friends can
:01:56. > :02:00.exchange them for clothes, of books, music. But 6% of the money, that is
:02:00. > :02:04.�264 million, will go on spend. We lose them and forget to exchange
:02:04. > :02:08.them before they expire. And then a rather vouchers so riddled with
:02:08. > :02:13.restrictions they are hardly worth using. Some can even end up costing
:02:13. > :02:18.us more. When I retired from work last year my colleagues gave me
:02:18. > :02:21.about us to spend. �50 worth of Jet2 vouchers. They knew I would
:02:21. > :02:27.spend a year travelling and they thought that would come in useful
:02:27. > :02:31.in some of my plans. When I came in May this year to book for flights
:02:31. > :02:38.online and I looked at the small print, it said you had to phone
:02:38. > :02:45.their customer service desk on a number. Yes, Jet2 would not let
:02:45. > :02:49.Rosie redeem the voucher online. She had to call them. The flight
:02:49. > :02:57.prices had approach in our increased. The bottom line, without
:02:57. > :03:02.a voucher, she could have booked through the website for... �219.96.
:03:02. > :03:08.Whatever was I had �50 worth of vouchers I would have to spent --
:03:08. > :03:14.and I would have to spend �180 in order to get �50, so when net loss
:03:14. > :03:17.to me of �130 for having to book through the help desk. I know my
:03:17. > :03:20.friend but a lot of effort into having a collection for me and
:03:20. > :03:23.thought into what would be good but unfortunately I have not been able
:03:24. > :03:29.to use them so I feel they have been let down. You would expect you
:03:29. > :03:32.could redeem them online given they are an online company. So if one
:03:32. > :03:37.company can put expensive restrictions on, what about the
:03:37. > :03:41.others? Time to find out. Over two days, our mystery shopper has
:03:41. > :03:45.studied the terms and conditions on several of the most popular gift
:03:45. > :03:51.vouchers and cards. Unlike cash, they can have a very limited life
:03:51. > :03:55.span. In the industry, the expiry date is in fact part of the way the
:03:55. > :04:02.business works and if they have an expiry date innings after a certain
:04:02. > :04:07.length of time, that money can go into their account. -- it means.
:04:07. > :04:11.Otherwise they have to keep it in case you turn up 12 years later.
:04:11. > :04:17.Some companies are prepared -- prepared to do this. Like John
:04:17. > :04:21.Lewis and BhS. But others have time limit. The most popular period is
:04:21. > :04:26.24 months but look carefully. one from Dorothy Perkins is another
:04:26. > :04:29.good example because this expires 24 months from the date of purchase.
:04:29. > :04:39.That is used for mind it is not 24 months after you open your
:04:39. > :04:43.
:04:43. > :04:52.Christmas present. - -- that is used for because. The cards you get
:04:52. > :04:57.now usually do have an expiry date. Some companies have uneven it shot
:04:57. > :05:01.-- even short expiry time. With Selfridges, it is only 12 months.
:05:01. > :05:07.Can I ask why it has this time limit? I think it is the shop
:05:07. > :05:10.policy. Selfridges also restrict your choice of how to spend the
:05:10. > :05:16.money. The store stocks thousands of products but if you want to use
:05:16. > :05:20.your card to buy these they will not let you. And why are they these
:05:20. > :05:30.restrictions? I don't know, it doesn't even make sense, to be
:05:30. > :05:42.
:05:42. > :05:46.We also found restrictions on the House of Fraser gift voucher. You
:05:46. > :05:51.are unable to use this to buy a large kitchen appliances or
:05:51. > :05:55.Montgomerie made-to-measure curtains, accessories and fabrics.
:05:55. > :05:59.The gift card sort of says, you know you like computer games or
:05:59. > :06:02.clothing or a particular retailer, so they give you the gift card. It
:06:02. > :06:07.is better for the giver but not necessarily for the receiver,
:06:07. > :06:12.because what the recipient wants his flexibility and nothing is as
:06:12. > :06:16.flexible as cash. But in some cases, a gift card is not such a good deal
:06:16. > :06:20.for the giver either. Take the one from Ticketmaster. If you are
:06:20. > :06:25.buying one to give to somebody else, you could be charged �2.50 on top
:06:25. > :06:29.of the value of the card. Ryanair also slapped on an additional
:06:29. > :06:35.purchase fee of �6. And be careful if you are buying tolled vouchers
:06:35. > :06:45.because they will charge that �6 for every badger. -- buying
:06:45. > :06:54.
:06:54. > :06:59.So given all of those findings, what should you give to the person
:06:59. > :07:07.who is so difficult to buy for? Introducing the limit this gift
:07:07. > :07:10.solution... Expiry? Never! Project choice -- product choice? None. It
:07:10. > :07:15.is the one universally accepted gift voucher. No wonder they say
:07:15. > :07:19.cash is king! A lot of responses to that report
:07:19. > :07:29.but the most succinct a ball is from Michael O'Leary's Ryanair,
:07:29. > :07:36.
:07:36. > :07:42.So now you know. Festival, Jet2 said they are sorry
:07:42. > :07:49.Rosie Healey had problems making her booking. -- first of all. They
:07:49. > :07:54.said their terms and conditions make sure everything is exactly the
:07:54. > :07:59.same on the website. Ticketmaster told us that �2.50 fee is not
:07:59. > :08:02.specific to the gift card. It is a standard fee online and they can
:08:02. > :08:08.see the details before they make the payment. It also runs promotion
:08:08. > :08:13.where delivery is free. And finally, Selfridges. They say they always on
:08:13. > :08:16.a gift cards even after their expiry. It no longer sells paper
:08:16. > :08:20.vouchers but any old ones still in circulation will also still be
:08:20. > :08:24.honoured in store. Moving on to the restrictions and what you can buy
:08:24. > :08:28.with the card. Selfridges has removed them except for the Wedding
:08:28. > :08:32.Shop, where customers can renew redeem them in store. The company
:08:32. > :08:35.has updated the website and is briefing all staff on the gift card
:08:35. > :08:43.policy. If you would like to comment on that or any of today's
:08:43. > :08:49.stories, here's a reminder. This is that email address or you can send
:08:49. > :08:53.us a text. If you want to join the discussion on Twitter, this is the
:08:53. > :08:57.address and hash track. Since the credit crunch struck four
:08:57. > :09:01.years ago, getting a loan from a bank has become hard if not
:09:01. > :09:04.impossible for many. It has helped fuel an explosion in pay-day
:09:04. > :09:08.lending - short-term loans offered at huge rates of interest. Even
:09:08. > :09:12.worse, some have turned to unlicensed lenders who demand
:09:12. > :09:15.extortionate repayments, often with threats and violence. Loan sharks
:09:15. > :09:19.have become such a big problem that there are now specially-trained
:09:19. > :09:23.Consumer Cops who track down the illegal lenders and, where possible,
:09:23. > :09:27.prosecute. A Louise Hulland is in Liverpool.
:09:27. > :09:32.Yes, it may be hard to believe but the number of UK households using
:09:32. > :09:36.loan sharks is believed to be upwards of 300,000 was up here on
:09:36. > :09:39.Merseyside they have their fair share of lenders and a little later
:09:39. > :09:43.I will show you what happened when the Illegal Money Lending Team
:09:43. > :09:48.Tocher Didier suspect in a dawn raid. But first we have been
:09:49. > :09:57.finding out how ruthless loan sharks can be. -- tracked down a
:09:57. > :10:07.suspect. You have nine saved messages. First
:10:07. > :10:12.
:10:12. > :10:17.save message... I am just about Menacing and intimidating. The
:10:17. > :10:20.voice of a loan shark demanding payment for one of his victims. And
:10:20. > :10:26.an operating outside the law, charging eye-watering levels of
:10:26. > :10:31.interest. Alone shock technically it is somebody who does not have a
:10:31. > :10:35.credit -- consumer credit licence but actually they are a criminal
:10:35. > :10:39.who fundamentally goes out to which people off and make their lives a
:10:39. > :10:43.misery. Loan sharks are in it purely for the money. They are not
:10:43. > :10:47.there to provide any community service or lend money responsibly.
:10:47. > :10:52.They are not there to help anybody out. It is purely greed and
:10:52. > :10:56.criminal activity linked to greed. Jackie Kennedy oversees the work of
:10:56. > :11:04.the National Illegal Money Lending Team. Over the last eight years she
:11:04. > :11:08.has witnessed the tactics of the shocks up close. -- the loan sharks.
:11:08. > :11:18.They will regularly leave threatening voice mails. It is
:11:18. > :11:22.
:11:22. > :11:25.typical - the bad language, the Complete power relationship.
:11:25. > :11:33.Completely trying to frighten the person who has picked up a
:11:34. > :11:38.voicemail. That is, I'm afraid, typical of how many of them operate.
:11:38. > :11:42.We have had kidnapped on the streets, threats to kill, children
:11:42. > :11:50.taken from school, animals kidnapped. We have had people raped
:11:50. > :11:54.associated to loans. The impact is this -- disproportionate because it
:11:54. > :11:59.is massive to a family and community. They must be stopped.
:11:59. > :12:05.this is not easy. Officers rely on victims but in their fears aside
:12:05. > :12:12.and coming forward with information. Victims like Mike. It started when
:12:12. > :12:20.I had just turned 17. I bought a car. And he was known to everybody
:12:20. > :12:27.in the area. A friend of the family as well. We went to school with him.
:12:27. > :12:34.So obviously been a friend, the best people to go to, you would
:12:34. > :12:40.think. I bought a car for �250 and started paying �8 a week. After a
:12:40. > :12:45.couple of weeks, the payments increased and he wanted more. And
:12:45. > :12:50.then it went from 30 to 50 to 70. And then obviously because I was
:12:50. > :12:55.using money to pay him instead of buying through Gas and Electric,
:12:55. > :13:01.paying the rent, I had to borrow more money off him to cover them
:13:01. > :13:07.and he put interest on top. I couldn't pay you one week and he
:13:07. > :13:11.would double what I owed. His spiralled out of control. -- pay
:13:11. > :13:14.him one week. So many people are embarrassed they have got into debt
:13:14. > :13:19.with a loan shark and so many people are intimidated and
:13:19. > :13:23.frightened as well. Mike is not a typical. They don't come to the
:13:24. > :13:29.team until they're absolutely at the end of their tether. He was
:13:29. > :13:38.going to hit me, start taking stuff out of the house, which she did do.
:13:38. > :13:43.The PlayStations, he took the car, and one occasion where I was ill
:13:43. > :13:49.and I was on the sofa... He just started laying into me in front of
:13:49. > :13:54.the kids. He borrowed �250 and think he repaid Simon Danczuk
:13:54. > :14:03.�90,000 after seven years. An astounding amount of money! -- I
:14:03. > :14:09.think he repaid a total of �90,000. I was living on my arm up -- on
:14:09. > :14:13.Mars bars just to repay him. Me and my wife, obviously because we lost
:14:13. > :14:20.the house, we were arguing and splitting up. Then I had a heart
:14:20. > :14:24.attack. Because of all the stress because I couldn't pay him. I lost
:14:24. > :14:30.two jobs at the same time. Everything was a result of... The
:14:30. > :14:35.loan shark. It just wasn't a life. And think Mike had just come to the
:14:35. > :14:40.end of the road. He had considered committing suicide several times.
:14:40. > :14:45.He knew his family, he couldn't give them holidays. And he suddenly
:14:45. > :14:48.realised that, you know, this cannot go on. It came tour point
:14:48. > :14:52.where you wasn't just threatening me, he was threatening my wife,
:14:52. > :14:58.threatening my kids and that was the final straw. What was amazing
:14:58. > :15:03.is just how brave and courageous he was. To finally, after all that
:15:03. > :15:07.time, 17, 18 years, to think, enough is enough. And I have got
:15:07. > :15:11.nothing but praise for Mike. And the other victims who have come
:15:11. > :15:15.forward and given evidence against people who are basically bullies.
:15:15. > :15:22.They operate through power and control and fundamentally they are
:15:22. > :15:30.criminals. Once I had sat down with the team I have repaid �90,000 over
:15:30. > :15:34.the period of 17 years. 17 years of sheer hell! Jackie and her
:15:34. > :15:38.colleagues did track down the man who terrorised Mike and although he
:15:38. > :15:44.was later prosecuted and jailed, there are plenty of others just
:15:44. > :15:48.like him and they are still out there. I think it is a big problem
:15:48. > :15:52.and a big problem nationally. I think we are really starting to
:15:52. > :15:57.make an impact and we have prosecuted over 200 loan sharks.
:15:57. > :16:03.That is fantastic. We have secured custodial sentences of about 134
:16:03. > :16:06.years. And �40 million of debt has been written off. So it is is
:16:06. > :16:10.typical problem. But we are trying to raise awareness and get
:16:10. > :16:18.communities more empowered to avoid them falling into the hands of loan
:16:18. > :16:23.Later, we will see how the Illegal Money-lending Team helped bring
:16:23. > :16:26.this loan shark to justice after terrorising one set of victims in
:16:26. > :16:30.Manchester. A criminal so ruthless he took charge of their benefit
:16:30. > :16:38.groups -- benefit books to make sure they met as a man's. Before
:16:38. > :16:42.that, news about Boots. -- met his demands. The company has been
:16:42. > :16:48.advertising this product, pharmaceutical car control.
:16:48. > :16:54.According to the information, it can cut the amount of carbohydrate
:16:54. > :17:01.so absorbed by up to 66% the company claimed their claim --
:17:01. > :17:05.claim was based on two studies. But it was discovered the results of
:17:05. > :17:10.the second study was inappropriate and inconclusive. Boots argued that
:17:10. > :17:13.the studies backed up their claims but the ASA disagreed, describing
:17:13. > :17:17.the at as misleading and said it must not run again in its current
:17:17. > :17:20.form. Boots have since told us that the ruling applied to the previous
:17:20. > :17:24.version of the product and they had already taken the decision to
:17:24. > :17:27.change the competition -- composition and their claims.
:17:27. > :17:32.Winter holidays are approaching and the travel companies are attempting
:17:32. > :17:35.us with flights to the sun. But if you are about to book, be careful.
:17:36. > :17:39.Some airlines are hitting passengers with penalty charges for
:17:39. > :17:45.making the simplest mistake on their booking forms.
:17:45. > :17:49.Flying, stressful enough, but along with the queues, delays and
:17:49. > :17:59.surcharges, passengers complain to us about a new problem. The sky-
:17:59. > :17:59.
:17:59. > :18:09.high cost of making a... Graham booked two flights from Paris to
:18:09. > :18:10.
:18:10. > :18:15.4th -- to Paris through Air France. They need to have the name the same
:18:15. > :18:20.as what is printed on the passport, which is Andrew. I had an e-mail to
:18:20. > :18:25.remind me that there was a mistake. One small error that led to a very
:18:25. > :18:29.large bill. I phoned up a helpline and spoke to lastminute .com and
:18:29. > :18:36.they insisted I had to pay �85 to change the letter. Frankly, it was
:18:36. > :18:43.out rages. Graham had to pay �40.20 Air France and �45 to lastminute
:18:43. > :18:46..com. Why so much? The airline says it is really important that we put
:18:46. > :18:53.pay penalties on two people who want to change the name. That is
:18:53. > :18:57.because otherwise what would happen is that Simon Calder would book a
:18:57. > :19:01.flight one year ahead for a Christmas trip, pay �1,000, and
:19:01. > :19:05.then three days beforehand, sell it to someone else, change the name
:19:05. > :19:10.and charge them �2,000, therefore doubling his money. But the vast
:19:10. > :19:13.majority of cases are nothing to do with that, just simple mistakes.
:19:13. > :19:17.Simple mistakes there can be expensive. Even more so when you
:19:17. > :19:20.book your trip using a third party. It is bad enough if you make a
:19:20. > :19:23.mistake on a name and you have gone direct to the airline, but if you
:19:23. > :19:28.have gone through an agent, the complications can be much more
:19:28. > :19:32.extreme. The airline and the agent are passing from one to another,
:19:32. > :19:37.and neither of them want to do anything except charge you hundreds
:19:37. > :19:41.of pounds for an innocent mistake. Caroline booked flights to South
:19:41. > :19:46.Africa through the online charnel agent -- travel agent, Expedia, in
:19:46. > :19:52.May, but then she realised her passport was in her maiden name.
:19:52. > :19:56.Simple and straightforward to put right? No. I contacted Expedia and
:19:56. > :20:03.they explained to me that I would need to discuss this with EMI, the
:20:03. > :20:07.airline. -- BMI. I called the EMI and they said it was completely
:20:07. > :20:11.fine and I could go to the check-in desk and they said that would be
:20:11. > :20:17.fine. Except it wasn't. When the itinerary arrived, she found she
:20:17. > :20:20.was not travelling with BMI but with a South African Airways. They
:20:20. > :20:27.have an entirely different policy when it comes to correcting such a
:20:27. > :20:33.simple mistakes. Six days before I flew, Expedia advised that the only
:20:33. > :20:38.way to rectify my booking was to cancel the booking in my married
:20:38. > :20:40.name and book again in my maiden name. Because South African Airways
:20:40. > :20:45.insist that your ticket must match your passport, Caroline had no
:20:45. > :20:53.option but to buy any flight. With one week to go before departure,
:20:53. > :20:58.that flight now cost �3,100. If for any reason someone had indicated to
:20:58. > :21:02.me that South African Airlines was the airline, I would have rung them
:21:02. > :21:06.and clarified that issue as soon as possible for stop so far, we have
:21:06. > :21:11.heard from passengers penalised because of mistakes they themselves
:21:11. > :21:18.have made, but what if he believed the error is not down to you?
:21:18. > :21:23.you have booked with Ryanair, like Melanie, then apparently, tough.
:21:23. > :21:27.were travelling to see my grandparents and it was just a
:21:27. > :21:31.week's holiday, which was also a relaxation for me because I was
:21:31. > :21:41.recovering from brain surgery. We were printed out boarding passes
:21:41. > :21:46.
:21:46. > :21:51.and the name read a series of random letters. I call them one by
:21:51. > :21:55.a realised -- when I realised and because it was out of hours, it was
:21:55. > :22:00.�1 a minute. We spent the next two days explaining the problem and
:22:00. > :22:04.making them understand that it was not to change a name, it was to
:22:04. > :22:09.correct a mistake that they had made. They were saying that we have
:22:09. > :22:15.made the mistake. The family were quoted an additional �110 each way
:22:15. > :22:19.to change their boarding names. That was a total of �440. �212 more
:22:19. > :22:23.than the original flight cost. Melanie and her mother could simply
:22:24. > :22:27.not afford it and so had to cancel the trip. It was frustrating
:22:27. > :22:32.because we only get to see our grandparents once a year. Now we
:22:32. > :22:37.have to wait until next summer. Most of us would be reasonable
:22:37. > :22:42.enough to say, well, made a mistake, silly me, I will have to pay �40
:22:42. > :22:46.for that. But I am detecting that many airlines are using this as a
:22:46. > :22:50.revenue-raising opportunity, and absolutely squeezing the traveller.
:22:50. > :22:53.It is simply not fair for a start I am sure the airlines would not say
:22:53. > :22:57.that. What do they say?
:22:57. > :23:00.Firstly, they say they make their policy clear to passengers and
:23:00. > :23:06.recommend that people check their details carefully. Ryanair has told
:23:06. > :23:09.us that the website does not load or -- preload or amend any details
:23:09. > :23:13.entered by passengers during a booking. They say that having
:23:13. > :23:19.looked at the family's case, they believe they applied the charge
:23:19. > :23:24.correctly. As for the �85 for Graham's colleague's tickets,
:23:24. > :23:28.lastminute .com say they clearly stipulate their fees. It is
:23:28. > :23:32.entirely at the mercy of their line, therefore they cannot make changes
:23:32. > :23:36.to a booking without authorisation. Meanwhile, Air France have told us
:23:36. > :23:41.they only apply an administration fee to tickets when purchased by a
:23:41. > :23:46.travel agent to cover the extra processing costs. Tickets purchased
:23:46. > :23:48.direct to the airline have no fee. South African Airlines has
:23:48. > :23:51.apologised to the problems -- for the problems that Caroline
:23:52. > :23:56.experience but say that in this heightened time of security, they
:23:56. > :24:04.cannot accept tickets in which a passenger's name does not match
:24:04. > :24:07.that on that the passport. -- that on the passport. Finally, Expedia
:24:07. > :24:13.say they abide by airline Postle -- airline policies that will
:24:13. > :24:16.intervene on a passenger's behalf. They say the flight was a code-
:24:16. > :24:20.share agreement between EMI and South African Airways. They say
:24:21. > :24:25.that a Expedia did not profit from Earlier, we heard that a loan shark
:24:25. > :24:30.using intimidation and violence extracted around �90,000 from a man
:24:30. > :24:33.who started out owing just to London for �2. That illegal lender
:24:33. > :24:37.was later prosecuted but while taking action against the Sharks is
:24:37. > :24:43.Krishan, stopping people getting involved in the first place is even
:24:43. > :24:46.more important. -- taking action against the Sharks is crucial.
:24:46. > :24:52.That is what the consumer or cops are trying to do.
:24:52. > :24:55.Runcorn, home to 61,000 people. An industrial town with high
:24:55. > :25:00.unemployment and a known haunt of on licensed moneylenders, which is
:25:00. > :25:05.why today officers are leaflet in these estates.
:25:05. > :25:10.-- Lisa 10. It has been targeted in the past. We're trying to make sure
:25:10. > :25:13.the people do not use loan sharks in the future. It tends to be
:25:13. > :25:16.close-knit communities that borrow from loan sharks, which is a
:25:16. > :25:20.problem in terms of enforcement because people do not want to come
:25:20. > :25:23.forward and talk about it. It gives the loan shark a in -- and in
:25:23. > :25:27.because they are part of the community. The leaflets warn
:25:27. > :25:32.residents of the dangers, and ask those of information about them --
:25:33. > :25:37.about loan sharks to come forward. There is a massive fear factor in
:25:37. > :25:41.being seen as a grass. People have no idea this is an illegal activity.
:25:41. > :25:44.They have no idea that Brian who is lending everybody money on the
:25:44. > :25:49.estate needs a licence to do so. Sometimes a leaflet through the
:25:49. > :25:54.door is what it takes for people to think, hang on, this sounds like me.
:25:54. > :25:57.We offer a 247 service. Quite often, my team are dealing with calls in
:25:57. > :26:01.the evening and weekend, because they are scared, because they have
:26:01. > :26:05.concerns about court and they think they have seen a car following them
:26:05. > :26:09.than the street. Most of the time, they have not and it is just that
:26:09. > :26:15.they had been living in fear for that long. Any member of the public
:26:15. > :26:18.that has come forward and stood up and be counted is very brave and
:26:18. > :26:21.courageous. They are the people that are making the difference.
:26:21. > :26:26.When we launched this project, everybody said that people would
:26:26. > :26:29.not come to court but they do. They know when enough is enough and they
:26:29. > :26:33.stand up and be counted. That is fantastic. We could not do it
:26:33. > :26:37.without them. It was a tip-off from a brave member of the public that
:26:37. > :26:41.leads to Jackie and her team for tracking down this loan shark.
:26:41. > :26:49.Winston Mills, who four or five years terrorise those who owed him
:26:50. > :26:56.money. -- a four or five years. would take their Post Office card
:26:56. > :27:00.and intimidate them into repayment. A one group targeted were
:27:00. > :27:02.vulnerable adults living in a block of flats in Manchester. One of the
:27:02. > :27:06.relatives brought in to our attention and told us how he
:27:06. > :27:10.operated. Armed with this information, trading standards
:27:10. > :27:15.officers were able to track his movements, gathering evidence of
:27:15. > :27:20.how he collected his payments. You can see from the CCTV footage
:27:20. > :27:25.that clearly the loan shark is in complete control. That woman has
:27:25. > :27:31.gone, collected her benefits, her and her mother's benefits, and he
:27:31. > :27:35.has taken all the money and given her one note back. Clearly, the
:27:35. > :27:40.evidence was presented, including the CCTV, resulted in the judge
:27:40. > :27:44.saying that this was ruthless exploitation of a vulnerable person.
:27:44. > :27:50.We share his view. Winston Mills was sentenced to 14 months in
:27:50. > :27:55.prison. A loan shark no longer able to bully and intimidate the
:27:55. > :27:58.vulnerable. Back to those gift cards and
:27:58. > :28:02.vouchers that millions of us will be buying as Christmas presents
:28:02. > :28:05.this year. Earlier, are a mystery shopper has put a few of the most
:28:05. > :28:09.popular under the microscope, finding expiry periods of just 12
:28:09. > :28:13.months and some of them coming with restrictions on how they could be
:28:13. > :28:18.redeemed. All in all, a good case for giving cash rather than cards
:28:18. > :28:22.and vouchers. Andrew Johnson from the UK Gift Card & Voucher
:28:22. > :28:26.Association joins me. Good morning. Cash is simple. At least it doesn't
:28:26. > :28:30.have an expiry date. Giving cash shows that you have put no thought
:28:30. > :28:35.into the gift. If you buy the right voucher from the right store,
:28:35. > :28:39.you're on a winner. But it might be cold, but at least it runs -- it
:28:39. > :28:43.does not run out. Why the expiry dates? It is down to accounting.
:28:43. > :28:47.The retailer may not take revenue from a gift card at the time that
:28:47. > :28:52.you buy it. It is only seen when you redeem the voucher.
:28:52. > :28:55.Consequently, it stays on their books as a liability and that
:28:55. > :28:59.liability for good accountancy practice needs to be cleared.
:29:00. > :29:06.some stories do not have one. John Lewis, be a chance. Why do some
:29:06. > :29:11.need them? It might be down to their accountant. -- BhS. It might
:29:11. > :29:14.be down to young customers, so that it can be taken off their
:29:14. > :29:19.liabilities. There is a lot of money wasted by the people buying
:29:19. > :29:24.these vouchers. Something like �264 million goes unused. Would it not
:29:24. > :29:26.be simpler if it was streamlined? What is really important is that
:29:27. > :29:32.you were deemed gift cards and vouchers as soon as possible when
:29:32. > :29:36.you get them. Research shows that on average you will redeem within
:29:36. > :29:41.the first three months. If you do not, you may never do it. Retailers
:29:41. > :29:45.want you in the stories. On average, we will spend 40% of the value that
:29:45. > :29:51.we have on Get Carter vouchers. And you may buy a gift card or voucher
:29:51. > :29:55.for a friend, and that friend may not like the store. Retailers see
:29:55. > :29:58.it as a way of getting new customers. We have found out that
:29:58. > :30:03.the most important thing is reading the small print because that can
:30:03. > :30:07.make a difference. You do need to read the small print. It is usually
:30:07. > :30:11.on the card and will also be on the retailer's website. The bottom line,
:30:12. > :30:16.using vouchers are better than cash? Are absolutely. If you give
:30:16. > :30:22.cash, it might be wasted on your electricity bill. By a gift card,
:30:22. > :30:26.so the person can buy something they really want. And make sure to
:30:26. > :30:36.readers of print. Time for a quick update on your e-
:30:36. > :30:41.
:30:41. > :30:46.Back to the gift cards and vouchers. My sister saw a weekend dinner date
:30:46. > :30:55.online for a very good price. But she could not redeem the match as I
:30:55. > :31:02.gave her online. Cash from now on! David says his airline told him he
:31:02. > :31:10.had to put "Mr" at the start of his name and his wife had to Brit "Mrs"
:31:10. > :31:14.at the start of her name. -- had to put. All for �200!
:31:14. > :31:24.Many companies on the High Street have gone into administration and
:31:24. > :31:31.
:31:31. > :31:35.they could be more next year. Where When a company is insolvent and
:31:35. > :31:43.eventually goes bust, the call or usually appoint an administrator to
:31:44. > :31:49.handle the company's affairs. -- the court will usually a point. The
:31:49. > :31:52.account will stay open and the shot was stay open in the next few weeks
:31:52. > :31:57.to sell off stock. There are some great -- great clearance bargains
:31:57. > :32:02.to be had but the whole process leaves many consumers high and dry.
:32:02. > :32:08.A sci-fi border a product online from a company that has gone bust
:32:08. > :32:12.will I still receive my product? -- so if I bought? For if you placed
:32:12. > :32:16.an order with a company that has gone into liquidation you should
:32:16. > :32:20.contact the retailer to find out the status of your order. If they
:32:20. > :32:24.say your purchase is completed and packaged and ready to be dispatched,
:32:24. > :32:27.they should be able to complete your order. But if they say your
:32:27. > :32:30.goods are not ready for despatch you should contact the
:32:30. > :32:34.administrator. Details of that should be readily available from
:32:34. > :32:41.the retailer's website or in the press. But if you have trouble
:32:41. > :32:45.finding out the information, contact the Companies House. Write
:32:45. > :32:50.to the administrator giving him all of the information about your order.
:32:50. > :32:53.But unfortunately, if he -- even if you have done all of that there is
:32:53. > :32:57.no guarantee you will get all or even any of your money back because
:32:58. > :33:01.it will depend how much money the company has and how many people are
:33:01. > :33:05.making a claim. It is likely you will be at the bottom of a very
:33:05. > :33:10.long list. What harm my rights to get my money back on my credit
:33:10. > :33:16.card? -- what are my rights? will depend how much you have spent.
:33:16. > :33:24.If you have spent between �100.30 �1,000 there is a good chance
:33:24. > :33:30.you'll get your money back. -- between �100.30 �1,000 or stop if I
:33:31. > :33:34.have bought something that needs returning, what can I do?
:33:34. > :33:38.policy is unlikely to be upheld once the company has gone into
:33:38. > :33:42.administration but if the shop is still open it is worth going in to
:33:42. > :33:45.speak to staff about having a replacement. If they cannot give
:33:45. > :33:51.you a replacement or if the store is closed you will have to place
:33:51. > :33:56.the claim with the administrator. If I had a gift card or voucher
:33:56. > :34:01.from a store that has gone bust, is the voucher now useless? This is
:34:01. > :34:05.similar to where you have placed an order. You have parted with your
:34:05. > :34:11.money but you don't yet have any goods. If the shop has been taken
:34:11. > :34:16.over by another company the voucher may not be valid. And before you go,
:34:16. > :34:20.remember, it is not just shops that can go under. If your bank were to
:34:20. > :34:26.go under, do not worry. Your savings will be protected under
:34:26. > :34:31.financial services compensation scheme up to �85,000.
:34:31. > :34:35.Venky's. If you have had problems with a company and would like tips
:34:35. > :34:42.on writing and effective letter of complaint, go to the website. --
:34:42. > :34:45.Venky's. Back to the north-west and a
:34:45. > :34:49.crackdown on illegal lending. Trading Standards Officers are
:34:49. > :34:56.cracking down and closing in on Ali gone under they believe is
:34:56. > :35:01.operating in the Merseyside region. 6am and it is an early start for
:35:01. > :35:05.Tony from the National Illegal Money Lending Team. This morning we
:35:05. > :35:09.are going to a property in Merseyside where we have a warrant.
:35:09. > :35:14.We have information of a potential illegal moneylender who has been
:35:14. > :35:21.operating. It's a big operation than usual, with nine members of
:35:21. > :35:26.the team onside, along with police back-up. We will have offices who
:35:26. > :35:33.will be there to secure the initial entry. -- officers. And then search
:35:33. > :35:37.teams who will be there to assist. We no evidence with illegal money
:35:37. > :35:40.lenders can be obscured in the most unlikely places and they will be
:35:40. > :35:47.experienced to know the sort of places where information like this
:35:47. > :35:51.can be hidden. We never know how the records are being kept for
:35:51. > :35:56.loans. It can be anything from a scrap of paper to a well documented
:35:56. > :36:00.books. Any suspicious items will be removed of further investigation.
:36:00. > :36:05.Any evidence of loan-sharking will almost certainly result in arrest
:36:05. > :36:14.and later, prosecution. Loan- sharking is right up there with
:36:14. > :36:20.some of the most hideous forms of criminality because the people they
:36:20. > :36:25.target are particularly vulnerable and I don't care what anybody says.
:36:25. > :36:29.When people say, it is just a community service, it isn't. These
:36:29. > :36:34.people all about profiteering and extortion, and that is what we see
:36:34. > :36:43.day-in, day-out. Some of the stories we hear of the way people
:36:43. > :36:47.have been taken advantage of, it is really sad. It is a sad indictment
:36:47. > :36:52.of what... This activity is all about. It is all about control,
:36:52. > :36:58.powerful stop it is all about bullying. And it is all about
:36:58. > :37:02.profiteering on the backs of people who can least afford it. When the
:37:02. > :37:11.team is in position, two police officers Abridge the suspect's
:37:11. > :37:17.property. -- approach. At the moment, no answers are potentially
:37:17. > :37:24.we are considering whether to enter the property by force. One of the
:37:24. > :37:30.officers' heads around the back of the house. After 10 minutes, still
:37:30. > :37:36.no answer. Either nobody is in... Or somebody is inside and doesn't
:37:36. > :37:46.want to answer. In accordance with the warrant, the team decides to
:37:46. > :37:47.
:37:47. > :37:51.enter by force. The house is, in fact, occupied, and the suspect
:37:51. > :37:59.claims not to have heard the offices at the door. It is now time
:37:59. > :38:03.for Tony's team to get to work. have got a suspect in the house at
:38:03. > :38:10.the moment and we are going to see whether or not we find any evidence
:38:10. > :38:20.of what has been going on and then potentially, if any evidence is
:38:20. > :38:22.
:38:22. > :38:27.found, then perhaps an arrest later After an hour of searching the
:38:27. > :38:33.property, the subject is taken away for questioning. -- the suspect.
:38:33. > :38:37.For the next two hours, the team conducts a search of the house.
:38:37. > :38:42.search is very methodical. We searched each room, one by one and
:38:42. > :38:50.each potential evidence -- the potential evidence is back and tact.
:38:50. > :39:00.There are some interesting bits get and seized. It will be getting
:39:00. > :39:01.
:39:01. > :39:04.taken away. The suspect's car is also searched. And after three
:39:04. > :39:08.hours of meticulous investigation, Tony and the team emerge with
:39:08. > :39:14.evidence including paperwork and various electronic items such as
:39:14. > :39:18.mobile phones. Normally the evidence will shine
:39:18. > :39:22.through, if they have been carrying on illegal activity. From our
:39:22. > :39:28.perspective, it has gone really well today. But it is going to be a
:39:28. > :39:31.long day. There will be tired officers at the end of it. This is
:39:31. > :39:36.just the beginning of the investigation, one of many
:39:36. > :39:42.operations to rid the streets of loan sharks. I am with Tony quickly
:39:42. > :39:48.he Wysall leading the operation. Have you got any updates? -- Tony
:39:48. > :39:51.quickly who you saw. The subjects are -- the suspects are taking out
:39:51. > :39:54.further it -- we're taking a further inquiries. We will not make
:39:54. > :39:59.a decision until we have all the information in front of us. And
:39:59. > :40:03.then we will decide, making a full choice as to the most appropriate
:40:03. > :40:09.action for stomp we have seen that a lot of your job is building
:40:10. > :40:14.awareness that loan sharks are operating. How can we spot one?
:40:15. > :40:19.of the main attributes is the fact that it is normally through word of
:40:19. > :40:24.mouth. Then there is no paperwork. Also, they keep full control of
:40:24. > :40:29.what is happening, so we have seen loan sharks that can charge
:40:29. > :40:35.hundreds of thousands of% -- hundreds of thousands of % on a
:40:35. > :40:39.small pill that get out of control very quickly. -- small bill. If you
:40:39. > :40:46.currently have a debt to somebody and you are unsure as to whether or
:40:46. > :40:50.not they are a loan shark, contact the team. Debts to loan sharks are
:40:50. > :40:54.enforceable, and we have seen occasions were loan sharks will
:40:54. > :40:59.cause fear and intimidation to enforce it. If someone is in debt
:40:59. > :41:03.to a loan shark, how can they get help? Run the team. Speak to an
:41:03. > :41:07.investigator. We will support you through the process. That is what
:41:08. > :41:11.we're here for. -- ring the team. We need the help from the public,
:41:11. > :41:16.and we need them to be brave enough to pick up the phone and speak to
:41:16. > :41:20.one of our officers. We will help them through that process. It is
:41:20. > :41:27.important because loan for charts profiteer on the backs of some of
:41:27. > :41:32.the Most Honourable Members of Our community. -- loan sharks. -- most
:41:32. > :41:35.vulnerable members of our community. Give us a ring. If you were in debt
:41:35. > :41:42.to a loan shark and you need some help, the information will be on
:41:42. > :41:44.screen now. Another busy day in the mail room.
:41:44. > :41:48.What are people saying? Loss of you getting in touch about
:41:48. > :41:53.gift vouchers and complaining about expiry dates. One viewer says he
:41:53. > :41:59.was given a voucher that was only valid for four months. Many of you
:41:59. > :42:05.were clearly moved by that report on the loan shark victim who paid
:42:05. > :42:15.�90,000 for �250. And that is all we have time for
:42:15. > :42:22.this morning. Tomorrow, Esure, and Liverpool Victoria, changing
:42:23. > :42:26.details on your policy could cost you. And mortgages, credit cards,