Episode 19 Watchdog Daily

Hello, and welcome to Watchdog Daily. We're with you live for the

next 45 minutes. This morning: Drives and homeowners - changing an

address on your insurance policy? That tiny detail could cost you

dear. Travellers beware! The websites that charge for free

information. And mortgages, credit cards and current accounts - we

reveal the top five financial products - at least when it comes

to complaints. Also on today's programme: Found in a bag of salad

- the live lizard among the leaves. First: Getting married? Moving

home? Trading in your car? If you are, make sure to check your

various insurance policies. Because as our Mystery Shoppers have

discovered, changing just one tiny personal detail could lead to a

nasty surprise. Whether it is paying �4..50 for a credit card

transaction, for �5 to print a statement, we have become used to

the demands of admin fees. Budgeting airlines and ticketing

fees have a bad name for it, but what about the insurance companies?

I traded my car in for another car. I rang up the insurance company to

get cover. One Call told me that the admin fee would be �55 to

change it. I asked what for? They said it was admin fee to change the

car on the system. I said that was ridiculous! When I moved address. I

phoned MCE to tell them I had to change my address. The lady told me

it would cost � 62.55. I am annoyed it costs so much to change when the

policy itself was �209, but �62.55, is about a third of what the policy

costs! Yes, if you change house, vehicle, job or even marital status,

you are often hit with a fee on top of the revised premium for updating

the details. Who charges the fees? What are they really for? Our team

trawled through the small print of ten leading motorand ten leading

home insurance companies. Of the car insers, only four of the ten

specified the exact admin charges in the terms and the conditions.

Ageas had the cheapest at �15. Aviva was �18, but customers can

update details online for free. AXA customers can do this, although it

costs �30 to do it by phone. With the AA it is �25 to update details

whichever way you do it. As for the other six, they were not as up

front. The terms and conditions say that they charge admin fees, but

don't specify how much. You would only find out the cost of the fees

after you had taken out the policy, but we are not interested in

getting that information after, we want it know. -- now.

I wanted to find if there are admin charges when changing address?

thing we asksed, -- asked, the costs range �10 with Liverpool

victory, to a whopping � 26 with sure sure? It is -- there is no

reason for them not to tell you upfront. It is part of what you

need to know if you are shopping around.

So what about the home insurers? We found three of the ten stated exact

admin fees online. The Co-op charging �12.50. Aviva, �12 and AXA

�30. Although the last two let you update online for free, but the

green ipbgz company don't let you know -- the green insurance company

don't let you knowline. If you make changes mid-term, there

is an admin fee between �5 and �25. Up to �25 for a simple policy

amendment, why? The reason this is unfair is that the charge you are

hit with is out of proportion to the cost of the company of making

that minor change. If they can do it for nothing for

some online, why can't they do it for a very small cost for people

who want to do it over the phone. Here is another inconsistency we

discovered. You oft have been to pay more to amend the vehicle

policy than the home one. Co-op charges �15 for updating the car

insurance details but �12.50 for home. Aviva and More Than let you

change both online for free, but on the phone, Aviva charge �18 for the

car, and �12 for the home. More Than charge �22.50 for car, and

nothing for the home. It seems hard to justify why it

costs a company to charge more for a car insurance than it does for

the home insurance. It does not seem consistent.

But now, four of the ten leading home insurers we tested don't

charge anything to alter details, that includes, Direct Line who have

been charging customers, but told us that this is changing.

They have to pay the staff that they have to do something and there

is paperwork. We are waiving it at the moment.

The worst performer was Zurich Insurance. They failed to mention

the amendment fee in the terms and conditions. At �20, it is not the

most expensive, but we own found out when asking.

Only if you make an alteration after the policy is enforce.

We checked the terms and the conditions again, no mention of it.

There was a reference tucked away in the asked question section. Here

is question from us... What is for administration? Yes, just

administration. If you bought a suit and took it to the alters,

they would charge you for doing it. It is unacceptable for the insurers

to hide this detail away. It should be upfront, easily understood that

this is what it may cost to make changes that many of us have to

make. As for the viewers' complaints in the film. Kevin

Wright's insurer, One Call says it makes charges simple and clear and

bring it is to the customer's attention ats the point of sale or

making changes. MCE said that the charges incured by Alan Bailes were

a culmination of the additional premium and administration fee, but

offered a refund. 7 Any more responses, Rani? Yes, all those

featured say they make their fees clear in their policy documents.

They're to cover costs associated with making changes, and if they

didn't apply individual fees, premiums would increase for all.

Those that charge more to alter details on car policy than a home

one? Most say it's because car policy changes are more frequent.

And More Than says it's because it uses separate IT systems but it's

in the process of moving the policies, which will ensure there

are no discrepancies and all fees are consistent. Allianz Your Cover

told us it's never charged for admin changes and has no plans to.

It says there was an error in its terms and conditions and that's now

been corrected. And Liverpool Victoria say they waive all charges

for customers who've been with them for more than two years. Full

responses from all the companies with more detail about the

different charges are on our website. Later I'm speaking to the

Association of British Insurers to ask them how it justifies those

fees. Meanwhile if you would like to comment, e-mail us on: Now,

imagine there is lots of Christmas shopping to do? The chances are you

do some of it online. You can get almost anything on the internet.

This month it is expected we will spend up to �5 billion online

buying stuff. Sadly, unscrupulous internet traders can fake almost

anything. Louise Hulland has been finding out.

Hello and welcome to Cheshire, where I've been meeting the trading

standards officers, fighting the war against criminals peddling

counterfeit goods online. From clothes and electrical goods, to

toys, mobile phones and computer games, you name it, they can fake

The rise in online purchases has been matched by the rise in online

counterfeiting. For the officers tracking down those behind the

trade, the task is becoming more time consuming.

The battle to combat counterfeit goods is difficult. It is easy for

somebody to set up on the internet. Sell the products, source them from

another country and supply them. Team leader Andrew, has put a crack

team on the case in Cheshire. Meet former police officer, Chris Jeffs

and financial investigator, John Pearce.

We have a team dedicated to looking into the supplies of the goods.

They are looking at auction sites, social media sites and any other

forms of trading on the internet. The team has been tracking a

business based in Cheshire. The owner has been tiding iPhone covers

on the internet that they suspect are fake.

This individual is selling iPhone covers on eBay. There is a link to

the website. We established it is based in Cheshire.

-- Chester. Straight away, the website is

advertising the Apple logo and wording within the website saying

that they only used genuine Apple parts.

John and Chris were suspicious of the claim, but what they needed was

proof. The next stage is to set up a test

purchase. To do that we would purchase an

item. That item is sent off to the

trademark holder. So in this particular case it was sent off to

Apple in London. Apple has confirmed that the iPhone

covers are counterfeit. But, as the seller operates from a

private address, they cannot seize the stock without a warrant.

Fortunately, the courts have agreed to provide them with one.

So, they now have the powers to enter and to search the seller's

premises. With the help of the police, they will be able to make

arrests under the Trademark Act. We join Chris and his team on the

morning of the operation. Morning, everyone. Thank you for attending

and thank you for assisting us this morning with this job. The

intention this morning is to visit the premises and to execute the

warrant. There is always a sense of the unknown.

We don't always know what we are going to be confronted against. We

don't know who will be at the location.

With stab vests on and Chester's finest in tow, it is time to head

out of the door. Do you want the battering ram?!

Good thing they didn't have to travel far. Not only is the trader

prepared to sell sell fake products as genuine parts. He is brazen

enough to do it from an address near the police station! Look

through the window... It is the police, can you buzz us in? We have

a warrant to search the premises under the Trademark Act. I am from

Trading Standards and these are my colleagues.

The individual we were arresting appeared to be shocked we were

there. I'm arresting you on suspicion of

offences against the Trademark Act, 1994. Do you understand. I do.

He was arrested at the scene, handcuffed and transported away to

the police facility. Then we were able to conduct our search of the

business premises to look for the counterfeit goods.

Initially, the team did not find much to concern them.

But just as they were about to leave... I moved away from the desk

I was searching. I went to the other side of the room where there

was a cupboard. Look at this in here... There is loads. It was an

Aladdin's cave, really. I'll show you this one. I haven't

seen anything like that before, but it looks like they have put made in

China marks covering the Apple and the iPhone logo. If it has come

from China it will help to get it through customs. Hoping that they

will not spot it. Oft no-one the counterfeit goods

cases, the persons involved try to disguise the goods. So it is

important to examine them thoroughly. We are finding this

morning a number of examples. We see that at a glance you would not

know there is a trademark on that item, but it is disguised to reveal

the Apple logo. Chris and John found 198 fake Apple

phone covers. A potential �5,940 worth of lost revenue for Apple in

one sizure, but the investigation does not end there.

We have been left with the task of going through the items that we

seized from the individual. We have had to open each bag, count the

items present in the bag and take samples that will be sent off to

the trademark holder. In this particular case, because of the

stickers that were present on the iPhone covers, we have had to do a

check of all of them to ensure that they contain the tray marks.

We will have more from Louise later. Now we are returning to tax. Our

good to check if you are paying too much. It was a short film, but

after we showed it last week it led to a big response. Viewers wrote in

to say that it saved them up to �1,000. Some continued to get in

touch like a retired policeman, Steve Pailes.

When I saw the piece about the tax codes. I thought I would check mine.

I found a letter from HMRC. It showed a tax code of 810L, but

looking at my police pension pay cheque it showed a code of 756L. I

rang HMRC. They confirmed that the code 810L was correct. So I got in

touch with my police payroll office, they said that they corrected the

tax code and overpayment would be paid to me in my January 2013 pay

slip. And you have not only been telling

us about the savings you made, lots have asked to see it again. We have

made it available on the website. If you want to find out if HMRC

owes you money and how to go about reclaiming it, you have the chance

to see the guide again. If you have been on a holiday in

the EU or been to America recently, or if you are about to sit a

driving test, you will almost certainly recognise some of these.

They are applications to be filled in beforehand. They are official

websites to do it either free of charge, or for a small fee, but be

vigilant when searching for them. You could click on to a site that

is more expensive. The internet. A fantastic tool for

shopping around. Comparing prices and for getting the top deals, but

beware. When using a search engine, the names that come up first are

not necessarily the best. At least, when it comes to value.

This is certainly true if you are looking for one of these. The

European Health Insurance Card. It covers you for medical

treatments when travelling in Europe. You can apply for one

through this Government website for free.

But, do a search for EHIC and it is another site that appears at the

top of the list like this one. It looks good. It gives all of the

medical cover you expect. The applications checked and verified

and it says that there is an option express service available, but

there is is a catch. They want you to pay a fee. �19.99 for a new card.

They also charge �9.99 for renewing a card. Something that this viewer

realised all too late. We were going on holiday.

The first thing I Googled EHIC. The one at the top of the list looked

official to me. I thought that the fact of being charged was part of

the new Government cutbacks and that they were charging.

I did check later on and found that I could have gone on to the

official website and I could have gotten it free. What annoyed me is

that I had been caught. I never thought I would be.

But that is life. So, how do the companies like this

obtain such a prominent position when searching? Answer: They pay

Google to ensure that their links get to the top. Google say it is

allows it if a company can accurately represent the added

value that they are charging for. So, what was the value that Ian was

paying for? The application was checked and verified.

Hang on, surely they only check against the information that is

provided for? The service accepts applications 365 days a year.

OK, but only the NHS site can fully process the documents and what

about the other feature: The optional express service? We

checked with the Department of Health. It says that it is the same

process for everyone. There is no way that the company

can put your application through the NHS system quicker.

The apply EHIC site displays a link to the official NHS site, but it

only made it clear that the NHS service is free, after we wrote to

them. At least that website is not

designed to look like an official Government site, like this one was.

Terrorist terrorist terrorist -- Direct Driving Tests. They book the

theory test for �51 and the practical driving test for �82, but

they should both cost �20 less. The driving instructor said I was

ready to book the test. I Googled driving tests and how to book. It

was the first one that came up. I clicked on it, it looked like the

Government's website. With the orange banner. The arrow. It was

how to book the driving test. It was called Direct Driving Tests.

Most of them are called directgov.co.uk. I booked that one.

It was �20 extra! What do get for the extras? Hassle free booking,

secure payments and same-day confirmation. The same as the

official Driving Standards Agency told us that they offer. As for the

24/7 service, well, they can take the booking, but own the official

Government agency can process it. So where is the added value there,

Google? British travellers heading to the United States can do with

value. The ESTA visas used to be free, but the US Government now

charges. Scott Robinson booked to go to New York with his girlfriend

in January. Nearer the time of departure they

applied for the visas. I booked the holiday with Expedia. As they gave

me a good del, I thought I would use them to direct me to get the

visa. He found a visa site called Visa Central it charged �40 per

application, but going to the official US Government ESTA site,

those would have been just $14 each, which is about �9. Being the first

time to apply for a visa, I believed that the website was the

right place to be. Obviously I was wrong.

The Expedia scythe tells the customers that Visa Central charge

as fee. Visa Central say it is offers a range of benefits, such as

live telephone and e-mail assistance by experts, but after

Scott Robinson complained about the charges they refunded him. So,

websites that charge for services when you can get it for free.

Websites designed to look like the official ones and websites

recommended to you by trusted brands, even though they charge you

more than you have to pay. The next time you click for one of these

services, beware! So, we have since contacted all of companies featured.

Google confirmed it si -- allows the promotion of sites that charge

for official services if they represent added value, but clearly

mention that the service is also available free of charge and

provide a working link to the source. It does add that it will be

removing Direct Driving Tests from the paid for ad word section.

Direct Driving Tests themselves say that the website clearly says that

they are not associated with the DSA or the DVLA. That there is a

button directing people to the website. It says that the design

does not breach copy write and the service is beneficial to customers,

those not able to apply during the day. They say that the fee is

reasonable, the customers can change the test date as many times

that they wish and search for cancellations. As for Expedia, well,

the website and the booking confirmation forms tell customers

that ESTAs can be obtained for a lower fee. It says that ESTAs are

directly obtainable from the US Government. Finally, Visa Central,

they say that they are disappointed that Scott Robinson was

dissatisfied with the services. They claim that the website

delivers reliability and customers can apply for an'sa at any time.

Back to the Consumer Cops, fighting the trade in online counterfeit

goods in the run-up to Christmas. We have seen the officers in

chesser, targeting a retailer selling fake Apple products. They

were successful, but the operations can be high. The officers must be

confident that the intelligence is reliable and the preparation

perfect. Louise Hulland now reports on another operation, just over the

Welsh border. It is early morning in Wrexham. The

officers here are planning a counterfeit raid at a local car-

boot sale. After test purchases identified two traders on the site

selling fake goods. We did a walk around, looking for

the target stalls identified, but this morning, none of the targets

have turned up. But one of the traders does make an

appearance. It is the target selling counterfeit shoes. So it is

time for the team to get going. So, I'm going to lead. You are

going to back and tag. -- bag and tag.

Grab your partner by the hand! team move quickly, but by the time

they move on to the site, the trader has disappeared.

She is not here. Hold back a sec. Wait for her to come back and see

what happens, but her van is still there. It is full of counterfeit

shoes. There is stuff in there. We need

her to come back. Seize the vehicle? If that is -- if

she doesn't come back, we can take the car.

The philosophy behind the brand is when you buy a pair of shoes, there

is another pair donated to a Third World country. That was a selling

point with the lady saying that the shoes when you buy a pair somebody

else in another country gets a pair. Obviously if you are buying

counterfeit shoes it does not happen with the TOMS shoes, it does

not happen.though, the brand loses out and the child in the other

country does too. The woman returns.

We have sent these off to confirm that these are counterfeit. These

are counterfeit goods. All of it? Yes. I have checked the bar codes

on it. We will have to interview and

caution you about the stock. We are going to seize the stock you have

got and take it to the police station and interview you.

She was a little bit shocked. Not expecting to see us there. She did

open up the van. Looking at the van it did not look like a lot of stock

was there, but once the van was open, we started to seize the goods,

there was a substantial amount of shoes.

What we have to do is make sure it is bagged and tagged so it is saled

in -- sealed in evidence. So in court we can say what we took from

the vehicle is bagged and tagged. So it is continuity of evidence.

After it has all been seized and the people have been taken into

custody. The next part of the day is ensuring that the evidence is

transferred to our secure store. Obviously it is a big battle to

prevent counterfeit goods sold, eeth ner car-boot sales or on the

internet, but we are prepareded to fight it.

And in this case that fight was definitely worth it. The team

seized 130 pairs of TOM shoes and seven pairs of Vans trainers, all

counterfeit. Plus other suspect items still being checked. The

trader was bailed and interview. The investigate is ongoing, but a

New Labour new challenge is just ahead for the leagues over the

border in Chester. Now, we are returning to home and

car insurers. The fees that they charge you for updating details on

the policies. Our Mystery Shoppers found they had been hit with bills

of up to �22.50 for something as simple as changing a name. They

found that some companies did not make fees clear before customers

take out their policies. Joining me now is Malcolm Tarling from the

Association of British Insurers. Good morning. What is going on with

the admin fees? Tiny changes and a lot of money to do it? When a

company makes a charge for admin fee it reflects the charge that

they face. It this is not a question of insurers ripping off

customers, but purely to cover the admin costs. So, if you move home,

if your postcode changes and you have a motorpolicy. It is not just

a question of changing the policy documentation, the insurers have to

reassess the risk, and if you add a person to the motorpolicy, then the

certificate must be changed and the insurers have to send out fresh

details. So the charges mount up. But some of these are doing it for

free online. So why is it costing so much more for a phone call? If

you do it online for free, why pay for a phone call? We have staffing

the people that are making the changes. That costs for the company.

Online, the costs can be kept to a minimum. If the insurers absorbed

the additional costs they would have to spread the cost amongst all

customers, regardless of whether or not the people have made changes.

But some is disproportionate? No, it is not. Every company makes a

charge based on the costs they incur. The insurers are not looking

to exploit the existing policyholders, they are trying to

keep the costs down for all customers. Where they do incur

charges and cannot absorb them, they have to pass them on to

customers. When you change your address, when

getting a new car it is more expensive with some insurers than

it is for changing address if you move house. How is that justified?

It depends on the risk that the insurers take into account. If you

change your car or change address, then the risk may change. So

insurers have to take that into account. With motorinsurance, the

insurers have to send a certificate, that incurs additional costs as

well. Malcolm Tarling, thank you very

much. Now, time for an update on your

messages. We are getting responses from your story where things have

been found in food. We have had flies in crisps, caterpillars in

peace peas. We thought we are seen it all. Until we were contacted by

Kelly Kemp. She went to her local supermarket, she bought a Florette

salad. Later she found this inside. Yes, a live lizard. Kelly spotted

it halfway through eater her lunch. She sent it off to the supermarket,

who sent it off to Florette for analysis. They were shocked and

given her a cheque for �100 and apologised for the stress caused.

They say that they bag 60 million bags of salad a year. They ensure

that the leaves are clean and safe to eat with all of their technology.

They are sorry for not being able to detect this lizard lurking in

the salad, but one such incident is one too many. They apologise.

Now, we have heard a lot about insurance, but where is it on your

list of bug bares? The Financial Ombudsman put together a roll call

of the five products is gets the most complaints about. The list

could be familiar if you have been watching this programme for the

last few weeks. So, which financial products came out the worst. If you

are stuck with one, what can you do So, here are the top five most

complained about financial products: It is overdrafts and

loans. People complained about inflexible repayments, not being

able to choose how fast you repay the loan and how much. People were

upset about high interest rates. Some banks charging fees that

equate to hundreds of percent a year in interest. If you are having

problems with debts, try taking advice from the Consumer Credit

Counselling service. Then it is mortgages. People plaining about

administrative errors and how they were treated if oning into arrears.

If you are falling behind on payments, ensure that you contact

the lender as soon as possible. They are obliged to get you back on

track. At three it is credit cards.

A big source of bother here is section 75 claims. Under this

section of the consumer credit act, you can make a claim to the credit

card company if you buy a good that is faulty, does not turn up at all

or does not meet the description. But the credit card companies are

not so good about knowing the rouxs. So make it clear that you want it

make a claim under section 75 of the Consumer Credit card Act.

Then, current aaccounts and fee paying accounts. I hear complaints

from people who think that they were covered by insurance that came

with the packaged account, when it was not. The other one is the high

fees for going over agreed overdraft limits, the best way to

avoid fees is to keep the account in the black, but if you do bust

the limit, talk to the bank. They may waive the chances.

And running away with a massive 65% of complaints in the Financial

Ombudsman Service it is payment protection insurance. Over the last

few years, Baby P misselling has been dominating with the banks

putting aside an astonishing �10 billion to compensate those who

bought it. If you were sold a credit card loan, check back to see

if you were sold PPI. There is no need to use a claims management

company. They can take up to 40% of compensation you are owed. Just

write a letter of complaint to the earned that sold you PPI if that

does not work, take it to the Financial Ombudsman service, but

then it does not stop there. Financial products are riddled with

exclusions and hidden charges so always read the small print. If you

do have to make a complaint. The Financial Ombudsman service is free

and independent. You can be confident you will get a fair

hearing. James Daley. That is Which?'s money

expert. For more information on how to complain if you have been sold a

financial product you are not happy with, go to the website at:

Now, we return to Chester, where the Consumer Cops are fighting hard

to keep counterfeit goods from being sold online.

Let's join Louise again. Trading standards officers, Chris

and John are on the trail of another internet traders from whom

they have bought a number of fake goods, but this operation is

proving to be more challenging than most.

I'm concerned about the premises being so big. We need to ask him to

take to us the goods specifically. Otherwise we could thereby hours.

The two officers meet with colleagues who have been sent ahead

to carry out surveillance. Where did they go? That side door.

We'll go in and call you in. The owner of the property has been

arrested by the local police under the Trademarks Act. Inside the

property it is stacked to the roof with all sorts of boxes, containing

hundreds of different items. We have identified some Hello Kitty

watchs that we know are counterfeit. There are about 500 of those in a

couple of boxes. So we are happy that we have got some sort of

success. It is now going to ab slow process

of going through everything in the building behind me.

The team have to find, identify and verify the identity of branded

items in the church, but this may beicallyicated.

We are in a difficult position with some of the trainers we have come

across. Inside the premises there are several hundreds of box s. It

is difficult to establish if these are the genuine or counterfeit

products. We are trying to speak to the company to see if there is

guidance that they can give us. There is a lot here.

If we are unable to get a response today. We are going to seize all of

the Ed Hardy items to get them analysed to see if they are

counterfeit or genuine items. It is never-ending.

There could be 300 pairs here. Maybe 400 pairs.

Don't film that bit! It is a difficult decision for the team.

If they seize the stock and it proves to be genuine, they will

have to return it back to the trader. They must be sure they are

dealing with fakes before investing the resources. Thanks to quick work,

John gets the news he had been hoping for.

Based on the information provided this morning. -- there are a couple

of things to look for with the trainers, one of the first markers

is a letter on the shoe. The letter P. So we are satisfied that these

items are real. So we have made the decision to

leave these items here. I think it is fair to say that

everyone with us today is relieved that is the outcome of this.

Obviously if they are counterfeit that is great, but if they were

begin win and we seize them. We would have a responsibility then to

ensure that they are back to the trader in a few days. So it saves

us lot of work, that phone call. The team ended up seizing 499 Hello

Kitty watches. 69 boxes of Hello Kitty rings and 12 pairs of Calvin

Klein socks. All of which confirmed as fakes by the registered

trademark holders. The team covers a big area. There

are many traders out there. There is a lot of counterfeit goods out

there. We are moving from one case to the next to the next. We just

can't stop. We have to make sure that we follow the process through.

Seizing the goods, taking them out of circulation. Then quickly moving

on to the next cake, so we are certainly very busy.

-- next case. The Consumer Cops heart at work

there! Now, a busy day in the Mail Room, wr what are people saying?

Well, the fees for admin have gotten you go. Laura says she was

charged �30 when she got married and reaction to the salad and the

lizard, lots of you rushing to check the contents of your fridge.

Send us a picture if you find anything and we will show it

tomorrow. That's all we have time for this morning.

Now, On tomorrow's programme: Fancy a new car? If you don't think you

can afford it, see how we got up to �3,000 off - with one simple phone

call. Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrison's - they've just signed up to new a

agreement to ditch the confusing labelling. Will they stick to it?

And the rogue tree surgeon who ripped off his customers, put

himself in danger, and had trouble controlling his temper - he's now