:00:32. > :00:37.Welcome to Watchdog Daily. We're with you, live, for the next 45
:00:37. > :00:40.minutes, taking on the companies, big and small, whose service, value
:00:40. > :00:47.and promises fail to measure up. This morning: the deliveries that
:00:47. > :00:52.don't arrive and the ones that do. But like this, thanks yodel. Plus,
:00:52. > :00:59.the Post Office, Thomas Cooke, different post codes, different
:00:59. > :01:04.exchange rates for holiday cash and easyJet baggage charges, same
:01:04. > :01:09.airport, same destination, four different prices. Also on the
:01:09. > :01:15.programme: on patrol with the Consumer Cops as they bring down a
:01:15. > :01:20.counterfeit trading ring. You are under arrest.
:01:20. > :01:23.First, yodel, one of the UK's biggest curiour companies, if you
:01:23. > :01:27.have ordered a product online, chances are they have brought it to
:01:27. > :01:31.your door, or maybe they haven't. We've had complaints about non-
:01:31. > :01:36.deliveries and when parcels have turned up, you've been amazed at
:01:36. > :01:39.the way they're sometimes handled. Yodel make big claims about their
:01:39. > :01:45.service. Rani Price has been putting these to the test. Ushering
:01:45. > :01:48.in a delivery revolution a detailed understanding of customer needs.
:01:49. > :01:53.With most delivery services stubbornly refusing to change their
:01:53. > :01:57.ways, we saw an opportunity to do things differently.
:01:57. > :02:02.Nice quotes, Yodel, far nices than the ones we've been hearing about
:02:02. > :02:10.your service. From customers like jor jet, the teaching assistant who
:02:10. > :02:14.ordered a jacket on Sports Direct by Amazon Payments. She paid the
:02:14. > :02:19.money. Received the delivery instructions. But Never received
:02:19. > :02:27.the coat. She wasn't at home and nor was anyone else, so who had
:02:27. > :02:32.signed for it? According to Yodel's online tracking information someone
:02:32. > :02:37.called Floyd. She is adamant she doesn't know anyone called Floyd.
:02:37. > :02:43.don't know anyone called floit. I was disappointed never to receive
:02:43. > :02:47.the coat. -- employed. contacted the delivery company who
:02:48. > :02:51.refused to believe her. When I rang Yodel, they said there was nothing
:02:51. > :02:55.they could do. I was annoyed they weren't listening and didn't want
:02:55. > :03:02.to answer questions. Luckily Am zn Payments did believe her and give
:03:02. > :03:06.her a refund. -- Amazon. For zap yodel it was a case of her word
:03:06. > :03:14.against theirs. But what if you could prove they were not telling
:03:14. > :03:20.the truth. -- Yodel. Angela could, she oordered two pay stations from
:03:20. > :03:25.ACE for her twin daughter's birthdays. I ordered them, we
:03:25. > :03:30.decided to order them well in advance to give us enough time for
:03:30. > :03:36.their birthdays. The delivery day came and went but still no sign of
:03:36. > :03:40.the Nintendos. So Angela turned detective. I checked my e-mails to
:03:40. > :03:45.see where the deliveries were, because I hadn't heard anything.
:03:45. > :03:49.And when I checked one apparently had been delivered and signed for
:03:49. > :03:55.and the other one was still stuck in warehouse somewhere. I checked
:03:55. > :03:59.online on Yodel's tracking website. It said it was delivered at 11.00am
:03:59. > :04:05.on 119 October. Luckily, Angela had a secret weapon.
:04:05. > :04:11.Yes, a CCTV camera. It monitors all comings and goings throughout the
:04:11. > :04:15.day. And it was clear, no delivery van, no delivery man, and no
:04:15. > :04:21.Nintendo. When I checked and discovered that
:04:21. > :04:26.we were obviously having a problem, with them being delivered, my heart
:04:26. > :04:31.sank because they are not cheap. And then it was a case of - well
:04:31. > :04:36.their birthday is just a few days away and what are we going to do
:04:36. > :04:40.with presents I've already paid for and how am I going to get
:04:40. > :04:45.substitutes? As Angela could prove that she didn't receive the parcel,
:04:45. > :04:48.ACE have since refunded her but once again, no thanks to Yodel. So
:04:48. > :04:54.that's non-delivery. But what if your parcel does actually arrive?
:04:54. > :04:57.Well one viewer has caught that on camera, too. Rob is a man who loves
:04:57. > :05:02.lenses. He works with them, holidays with them and even has
:05:02. > :05:05.them on the side of his house. reason we have CCTV is for the
:05:05. > :05:11.safety of the property and with the job I do, we've go the equipment
:05:11. > :05:15.here and it's come in useful with the incident we've had with Yodel
:05:15. > :05:20.recently. Rob ordered a new router from Virgin media in March. The
:05:20. > :05:24.good news, it arrived early. The bad news... When we returned home
:05:24. > :05:29.we came to the front door to find a note through the letterbox with
:05:29. > :05:32.Yodel on it. So we assumed we'd missed the parcel. But when we
:05:32. > :05:36.actually read it, it said the parcel had been left in a safe
:05:36. > :05:41.place. So where was the safe place where they'd left this fragile
:05:41. > :05:46.piece of technical equipment? Here, over the fence and on top of the
:05:46. > :05:50.bin. Yodel later apologised, admitting this wasn't the way the
:05:50. > :05:57.parcel should have been delivered but four weeks later, Rob ordered
:05:57. > :06:00.another piece of fragile kit, this time from Amazon. I ordered 3 D
:06:00. > :06:06.video cameras. As somebody who relies on these tools for my living,
:06:06. > :06:10.I obviously take care of my goods. You are but it turns out Amazon
:06:10. > :06:14.also used Yodel as their courier, which despite their earlier apoll
:06:14. > :06:18.r ji, delivered his video camera like this -- apology.
:06:18. > :06:24.Ye, over the fence on to the bin and on to the concrete floor.
:06:24. > :06:28.sent this film to Yodel. They once again apologised. With this
:06:28. > :06:32.incident happening twice within a month and despite promises of the
:06:32. > :06:37.fact that this wouldn't happen, it leaves me to believe that this
:06:37. > :06:43.problem runs deeper than just, you know, a single courier that it not
:06:43. > :06:49.doing his job properly. As to whether it'll happen again, I don't
:06:49. > :06:55.no. The suppliers we used that delivered the products with Yodel I
:06:55. > :06:58.hadn't used since. Well Rani is up in the mailroom looking through
:06:58. > :07:02.phonecalls and texts. What did Yodel say? They say they
:07:02. > :07:06.investigate complaints and do not tolerate poor service. They
:07:06. > :07:10.delivered more than 170 million packages last year and as with any
:07:10. > :07:15.operation with that size they are occasional issues. They apologise
:07:15. > :07:19.for these and promise appropriate and robust action to prevent any
:07:19. > :07:22.repetition. They say they're committed to training and have
:07:22. > :07:26.undergone reorganisation and restructure to ensure customer
:07:26. > :07:31.service standards. Stkpwhraipbt retailers who are featured -- and
:07:31. > :07:37.the retailers who use, Yodel, what do they say? We have spoken to
:07:38. > :07:41.Virgin and Express Deliveries o who run the ACE website. They apologise
:07:41. > :07:45.for concern they say they take customer service and feedback
:07:45. > :07:55.seriously. If you would like to comment, here is a reminder of how
:07:55. > :07:59.
:07:59. > :08:04.Or you can join the discussion on twitter. The address and hashtag
:08:04. > :08:07.are on the screen. All this week our cameras are following the work
:08:07. > :08:13.of Trading Standards officers in the Midlands. Yesterday we saw how
:08:13. > :08:22.the team prevented one elderly couple from handing over �2,6thound
:08:22. > :08:28.lottery skaerms. Today we are back with the so-called Consumer Cops. -
:08:28. > :08:31.- �2,600 to Lottery scammers. The UK economy may have had a tough
:08:31. > :08:36.time in the last few years but one section that has been booming is
:08:36. > :08:41.the counterfeit industry from. Bogus perfumes and cosmetics to
:08:41. > :08:45.DVDs and clothes, there are plenty of goods being knocked-off and sold
:08:45. > :08:48.to unsuspected customers but counterfeiting has a more sinister
:08:48. > :08:55.side. Experts believe some of the proceeds can be used to fund
:08:55. > :08:58.organised crime, which makes it a top priority for Sandwell Trading
:08:58. > :09:03.Standards working behind the scenes to seek out the goods and remove
:09:03. > :09:11.them from sale. It is market day here in Sandwell. From tracksuits
:09:11. > :09:17.to toys, a huge variety of products are on sale. Trading Standards
:09:17. > :09:24.officers Tone, and Samantha only have eyes for some and within
:09:24. > :09:33.moments, they spot some Trading Standards, doing a quick inspection.
:09:33. > :09:37.That's counterfeit. Seize them. It's a registered
:09:37. > :09:41.trademark. You haven't got permission to use this, have you?.
:09:41. > :09:44.You can't put them in the bin I will seize them. At first glance
:09:44. > :09:50.this Superman lighter could be authentic but the officers don't
:09:50. > :09:54.believe it is. Using the branged of a well-known company without
:09:54. > :10:00.permission is illegal. -- branding. If a trader is caught doing it,
:10:00. > :10:05.they could end newspaper prison for up to ten years and or face an
:10:05. > :10:12.unlimited fine. -- could end up in prison.
:10:12. > :10:16.I'll have to seize these, OK. What we have got here is a mobile phone
:10:16. > :10:22.case beg the Jack Daniels logo which is a registered trademark.
:10:22. > :10:28.Again, this would be in breach of the Trade Marks Act. I have to have
:10:28. > :10:33.this one as well. This one? need a licence to replicate any of
:10:33. > :10:37.the brands and he just said to me that he doesn't have a licence. I'm
:10:37. > :10:41.going to go back and submit them to the appropriate registered trade
:10:41. > :10:46.marks and get it confirmed whether they are counterfeit or no. I know
:10:46. > :10:49.from personal experience they will be. Tone has been trained to
:10:49. > :10:52.recognise counterfeit goods. He looks out for what price the
:10:52. > :10:56.product is being sold for. Fakes are cheaper than the real thing. He
:10:56. > :11:00.looks at the product being sold and its quality. Does it look like the
:11:00. > :11:04.type of product the brand would be endorsing? And finally, is he
:11:04. > :11:08.surprised by the type of shop and stall the goods are being sold from.
:11:08. > :11:14.In this case he is certain the litters and phone cases are fake.
:11:15. > :11:18.-- the lighters. They were quite frightened, as you can see from the
:11:18. > :11:23.reaction. According to the stall holder, that stall belonged to his
:11:23. > :11:28.brother. His brother is on holiday and he is helping out. He is not
:11:28. > :11:32.happy with his brother. It is quite a small amount compared it other
:11:32. > :11:36.seizures we have done but npbls we caused disruption to the
:11:36. > :11:42.counterfeiters. -- but nonetheless. They are about to cause trouble
:11:42. > :11:46.elsewhere as they spotted another stall selling suspect fakes.
:11:46. > :11:50.Unfortunately for Tone and Samantha, this market trading isn't quite so
:11:50. > :11:56.willing to co-operate. I'm going to take them away now, seize them off
:11:56. > :12:06.yourself. It doesn't matter, it is against
:12:06. > :12:10.
:12:10. > :12:15.It is a mistake but we need to seize them. That's the law, I'm
:12:15. > :12:19.afraid. The trader is desperate to persuade Tone not to remove his
:12:19. > :12:26.products but he has a job to do. Whether it is a mistake or not we
:12:26. > :12:30.have to seize them. I'm not going to get into a debate with you. I
:12:30. > :12:34.don't what you pay to the council. We are going to take it off you.
:12:34. > :12:41.Are you going to stop us? Are you going to stop me taking the
:12:41. > :12:46.items off you? OK, that's fair enough. Tone, and
:12:47. > :12:51.Samantha hand the trader a list of what they have seized. They tell
:12:51. > :12:55.him they can use this when trying to get the money back from the
:12:55. > :12:59.supplier. That was quite a hostile environment. Thankfully we don't
:12:59. > :13:03.usually get it. I'm not really sure what more you can do, really, to
:13:03. > :13:08.try to make the situation better. Considering it is a fairly small
:13:08. > :13:12.amount, the chances are we will advise caution but it depends what
:13:12. > :13:18.else comes out of any investigation. Next time, you know what to do.
:13:18. > :13:21.have to go back and do a search on the two traders. Now if they have
:13:21. > :13:25.been advised before and this is the second time we will be looking to
:13:25. > :13:30.take the matter further. If it is the first offence, it is likely
:13:30. > :13:34.we'll offer advice on this occasion. Well, following that seizure all
:13:34. > :13:38.the goods were confirmed as fakes. The team are currently trying to
:13:38. > :13:42.identify the suppliers of one of the branded lighters and
:13:42. > :13:46.investigations are continuing. A successful sting, then, but for
:13:46. > :13:49.officers in neighbouring Birmingham, things aren't often as
:13:49. > :13:57.straightforward as savally reports later on.
:13:57. > :14:01.-- sav alley. Before that anup date from Rani. A reaction to our story
:14:01. > :14:06.on Yodel. Many of you e-mailing in with your experiences. We will
:14:06. > :14:10.check them out but Dan from Blackpool has told us he went into
:14:10. > :14:14.his bank to cancel a regular payment for online subscription
:14:14. > :14:17.service but was told it couldn't be cancelled. The - he was told he had
:14:17. > :14:22.to cancel it with the company direct. Dan said it was only
:14:22. > :14:27.because he got angry that they finally agreed to cancel it.
:14:27. > :14:32.Another viewer emailed in to say he was told by his bank, that the only
:14:32. > :14:36.way to cancel his regular payment was to cancel his card and order a
:14:36. > :14:40.new one. They are responses from yesterday's stories. Remember,
:14:40. > :14:46.banks are obliged by law to cancel a payment if you request it. Don't
:14:46. > :14:51.take no for an answer. Think being going abroad at Christmas? What
:14:51. > :14:55.about holiday cash? With the likes of Post Office, Travelex and IEC
:14:55. > :14:58.offering attractive rates, it's hard to work out where is best to
:14:58. > :15:02.exchange your pound sterling for foreign currency. Even more
:15:02. > :15:05.confusingly, some of those companies even offer different
:15:05. > :15:15.rates at different branches as our mystery shoppers have been finding
:15:15. > :15:21.
:15:21. > :15:28.The foreign currency exchange market is a volatile and fast
:15:28. > :15:32.moving world when no two seconds are the same. Rates change
:15:32. > :15:38.constantly as does the growing number of outlets available. If you
:15:38. > :15:42.want to avoid the worst deals, plan ahead. If you have to much money
:15:42. > :15:48.and you do not know quite what to do with it, here is an easy
:15:49. > :15:54.solution. Take it to and airport bureau de change. They will help
:15:54. > :15:59.themselves to your wallet. You will get an atrocious rate. That is the
:15:59. > :16:04.worst thing you can do. The best thing to do is to shop around.
:16:04. > :16:13.Buying currency outside the airport has its problems. Donald went to
:16:13. > :16:22.buy �400 worth of euros from his local High Street. I went to the
:16:22. > :16:32.post office and saw an exchange rate of 1.23 euros. I thought that
:16:32. > :16:39.looked good and exchanged my �400. The woman at the counter gave me
:16:39. > :16:44.just 460 euros, approximately, which was less than the exchange
:16:44. > :16:48.rate on the outside. I thought they had short changed me a little bit.
:16:48. > :16:55.I went and checked and saw that on the board it noted there was a
:16:55. > :16:59.minimum exchange of �1,000 to get you �1.23. The more money you
:16:59. > :17:03.exchange, the better the rate. That is true of the Post Office and most
:17:03. > :17:09.high street rivals. You need to look out for that when converting
:17:09. > :17:14.your sterling. Our team compared the rates of seven of the biggest
:17:14. > :17:18.currency exchange providers in the UK. Because rates fluctuate
:17:19. > :17:24.constantly, they had to do this on one single day. Each asked the same
:17:25. > :17:34.question. Can you help me with an exchange rate? I have �500 sterling
:17:35. > :17:38.
:17:38. > :17:48.and need to convert it euros. Corp gave me 605 euros. Thomas Cook
:17:48. > :17:55.gave me 598 euros. Thomson will give me 560 euros. The best offer
:17:55. > :18:00.was a ICE. The worst was Travelex. That is a difference of up to 39
:18:00. > :18:04.euros, depending on which company you choose to buy it from.
:18:04. > :18:08.Different exchange rates from different companies are to be
:18:08. > :18:16.expected. What about various branches of the same company?
:18:16. > :18:26.Thomson ING Glasgow offered 613 euros. In London, they offered 600
:18:26. > :18:28.
:18:28. > :18:38.euros - 13 euros less in London. The same wave ICE. -- with. Thomas
:18:38. > :18:45.Coke in Birmingham and Cardiff, 607.50 euros. They only our third
:18:45. > :18:50.573 in Manchester, 33 euros less. It is a bit like petrol. In a
:18:50. > :18:53.competitor and you will find that prices are very good. If you go
:18:53. > :19:01.somewhere there Rab one or two petrol stations, they will probably
:19:01. > :19:08.charge more. How do you explain differences within the same cities?
:19:09. > :19:16.Take Thomas Cook. In Marble Arch in London, we were offered 600 euros
:19:16. > :19:22.for �500 sterling. In Islington, it was 590 euros. And ICE, in
:19:22. > :19:28.Shepherd's Bridge, they offered 600 euros. At Earls Court, they offered
:19:28. > :19:31.13 euros more. I think there are still some people around who
:19:31. > :19:38.believed the exchange rate is handed down by God or government
:19:38. > :19:42.and that is the bait and it applies everywhere. It does not. -- the
:19:42. > :19:48.rate. You have to be in good consume and make sure you stretch
:19:48. > :19:54.fallible holiday cash as far as you can. There are vast discrepancies.
:19:54. > :19:59.-- valuable holiday cash. Among the most confusing of the providers was
:19:59. > :20:08.at the Post Office. One recalled the central number to find a debate
:20:08. > :20:13.in Manchester and sub Hanton that day, we were told... 118. --
:20:13. > :20:21.Southampton. When speaking to the branches, we be given a different
:20:21. > :20:24.rate. 120. We sent our shoppers on a whirlwind trip around the UK.
:20:24. > :20:30.Actually, they would have been better off staying where they were.
:20:30. > :20:39.They went as far afield as Edinburgh as -- and Southampton but
:20:39. > :20:46.the best rate was in Camden in London. They got 603 euros for �500.
:20:46. > :20:56.The worst deal was a few miles down the road in Auld which, whether
:20:56. > :20:57.
:20:57. > :21:02.Post Office offered just 590 euros. It depends on many things -
:21:02. > :21:06.including your own local post code. Interesting stuff there. And some
:21:06. > :21:09.interesting responses, too. Travelex now say one of their
:21:09. > :21:13.branches in London got their information wrong when talking to
:21:13. > :21:22.our mystery shoppers. When trying to change our �500,we should have
:21:22. > :21:26.been quoted 577 euros - not 573. They may offer a price match
:21:26. > :21:29.Senna's if you find a better deal elsewhere. Most companies accept
:21:29. > :21:32.that they offer better rates to customers ordering online. And say
:21:32. > :21:35.the varying rates on offer in branches are due to local
:21:35. > :21:38.competition and operational costs. The Post Office say they do offer
:21:38. > :21:41.different exchange rates depending on the amount of money purchased
:21:41. > :21:49.but they make this clear on all their ads. Staff are also trained
:21:49. > :21:57.to advise customers of the best rates available. Joining me now,
:21:57. > :22:01.Richard Lloyd from Which? Were you surprised? Most people are shocked
:22:01. > :22:06.to learn that if you go to the same outlet you can be charged a
:22:06. > :22:12.different amount. It is a postcode lottery. It is unfair on busy
:22:12. > :22:19.people trying to get ready for their holidays. We do not have much
:22:19. > :22:24.time to shop around. It is really confusing, isn't it? Not only
:22:24. > :22:28.differences between outlets in different parts of the country that
:22:28. > :22:33.differences between online and in store purchases. We have found a
:22:33. > :22:37.great difference of 5% on foreign currency by buying online or buying
:22:37. > :22:41.it in a different part of the country. We gave our shoppers quite
:22:41. > :22:47.a bit of time to check out the deals. What is the quickest way to
:22:47. > :22:53.find out the best deals? Do not leave it to the airport, till the
:22:53. > :22:57.last minute. Go online and check the rates on a price comparison
:22:57. > :23:02.site and find out the best deal available. Use that when you go in
:23:02. > :23:06.store and challenge the supplier and get a better deal. You say do
:23:06. > :23:10.not leave it to you get to the airport. Lots of people leave it
:23:10. > :23:16.later than that and take their credit cards and debit cards. Is
:23:16. > :23:20.that more expensive? It is easy to get money out from a cash machine
:23:20. > :23:25.overseas. You will be hit with a fee and a less good exchange rate
:23:25. > :23:30.by doing it that way. You need to check the small print with your
:23:30. > :23:40.card provider before doing that. Just shop around and try to get the
:23:40. > :23:42.
:23:42. > :23:47.best deal before you head for the airport. We are talking petrol
:23:47. > :23:57.prices. The average amount we pay for petrol and diesel still falls
:23:57. > :24:02.within 4p of the record prices. It is currently 138.9 pence for
:24:02. > :24:12.unleaded. It is no wonder that fuel prices have risen a fan to beat the
:24:12. > :24:14.
:24:14. > :24:20.number one consumer concern right now. -- -- have risen again to beat
:24:20. > :24:30.the number one consumer concern. There have been hints that the
:24:30. > :24:36.Chancellor is reconsidering his plans for raising the fuel duty.
:24:36. > :24:41.Diesel is selling in some parts for 156.9 pence a litre pulls that they
:24:41. > :24:49.are the most expensive prices we have heard about. -- a litre. Biddy
:24:49. > :24:51.tells of how to do that are on your screens now. -- at the details.
:24:51. > :24:54.are returning to Birmingham now, where Trading Standards officers
:24:54. > :24:57.are trying to stem the tide of fake goods coming in to the UK.
:24:57. > :25:00.Birmingham, like most cities, has long been a counterfeiting hot-spot.
:25:00. > :25:08.But those who take part in the trade are increasingly coming under
:25:08. > :25:12.surveillance and can expect their goods to be seized. It is 11am in
:25:12. > :25:17.the second largest city in Britain. Trading standards investigators
:25:17. > :25:24.have a market trader in their sights - a dealer who is known to
:25:24. > :25:29.them. We have spotted the guy before in the past. That case is
:25:29. > :25:34.ongoing. It has come to our attention again - allegedly selling
:25:34. > :25:39.counterfeit goods again. We are visiting again. If it is
:25:39. > :25:44.counterfeit, we will seize it and do with it as a criminal matter.
:25:44. > :25:52.Adam is leading today's team. They need to do some surveillance before
:25:52. > :25:57.they move in. They have gone past the store and there are three white
:25:57. > :26:02.males around it. The dealers are suspicious. This group seems to
:26:02. > :26:07.know it is being watched. As we passed, they began to pack away. It
:26:08. > :26:13.does not give us the opportunity to arrange any police assistance. We
:26:13. > :26:18.will have to deal with it ourselves was de a female officer goes on
:26:18. > :26:28.ahead. By the time Adam arrives, she has identified a number of
:26:28. > :26:34.suspect items. I have got the seats for these. It will be the usual
:26:34. > :26:44.sort of visit. -- receipts. The book goes through your stock and
:26:44. > :26:45.
:26:45. > :26:49.have a look. Anything we think is counterfeit, we will advise you.
:26:49. > :26:57.Trading standards believe there could be more goods inside a van
:26:57. > :27:05.which is just about to be driven off by one of the suspected
:27:05. > :27:10.accomplices. Pull over! The ban has gone. The other than was associated
:27:10. > :27:17.with the stall. My colleagues tried to block the vehicle. The parking
:27:17. > :27:24.was not the best and he did manage to get it out and away. There is
:27:24. > :27:30.still a pile of suspected fakes on the stall. These include big brand
:27:30. > :27:33.names. We are sending off samples for examination. If they are
:27:33. > :27:40.counterfeit, you will be interviewed and able to give your
:27:40. > :27:47.side of the story. Just what is his side of the story? I was trying to
:27:47. > :27:57.pay my bills. I am not a Mastermind criminal, or anything like that. I
:27:57. > :27:57.
:27:57. > :28:03.have got bills to pay. I am just taking no money. It is ridiculous.
:28:03. > :28:07.I appreciate your co-operation. Later examination confirmed that
:28:07. > :28:12.Giggs seized were all fake. The officers will take investigations
:28:12. > :28:17.forward to the interview stage. Trading standards officers may be
:28:17. > :28:25.the first line of defence against counterfeiters but they also rely
:28:25. > :28:34.on the play's full back-up, especially when arrests are to be
:28:34. > :28:43.made. -- at the police for back-up. How much I your headphones? �10.
:28:43. > :28:48.�10, thank you. Nick is with two undercover police officers. He
:28:48. > :28:58.comes across suspect designer Audere beer. Let go back and buy
:28:58. > :29:00.
:29:00. > :29:05.some headphones. -- Road audio ear. They are labelled as Beats. The
:29:05. > :29:14.low-price here means they are almost certainly break. It is time
:29:14. > :29:24.to break cover. -- fake. We are from trading standards and we will
:29:24. > :29:35.
:29:35. > :29:42.He has been arrested and he is bailed for that. He will have to
:29:42. > :29:51.come back at a date in the future. Rather than taking him into custody.
:29:51. > :29:54.We still have inquiries to make as to the legitimacy of the headphones.
:29:54. > :29:57.We have since learned from the manufacturer, Beats, that the
:29:57. > :30:00.headphones you saw there are counterfeit. The suspect is on bail
:30:00. > :30:04.and due to be interviewed later this week. We'll have more on those
:30:04. > :30:07.counterfeit seizures later in the programme. Now, if you saw our item
:30:07. > :30:09.on budget airlines yesterday, where we revealed that flying with them
:30:09. > :30:13.can sometimes work out more expensive than with a mainstream
:30:13. > :30:17.carrier, then you'll be interested in this - easyJet baggage charges.
:30:17. > :30:19.We checked the price of checking in a bag on ten return flights to
:30:19. > :30:23.Malaga. Same bag. Same weight. Departing from the same airport -
:30:23. > :30:27.London Gatwick. At the same times. And on the same day of the week.
:30:27. > :30:37.But the cost of checking in the bag was different. Why? Because of the
:30:37. > :30:38.
:30:38. > :30:43.dates we wanted to fly. Just look We started on invest 3, checking in
:30:43. > :30:48.a bag would cost �29. A we can later, the same flight, it goes up
:30:48. > :30:52.to �30. Then we monitored it to December 8th. It drops down to �28
:30:52. > :30:57.and then what would happen if you want to check in the bag on a flit
:30:57. > :31:04.to malgo in the run-up to Christmas, well easyJet rack up their prices
:31:04. > :31:09.to a whopping �32, per bag, each way. I understand why the flights
:31:09. > :31:14.go up, more people want to travel before Christmas.
:31:14. > :31:18.But the weight is the same of the bag. They said prices vary because
:31:18. > :31:22.of the seasonality. They didn't explain why but said their charges
:31:22. > :31:26.are competitive and passengers can take their baggage on it the cabin
:31:26. > :31:30.for free, that's of course if it fits into the luggage gauge. Thank
:31:30. > :31:35.you very much. If you spot any other strange and confusing airline
:31:35. > :31:42.charges, please let us know. We'd love to hear from you. Earlier we
:31:42. > :31:47.saw how the delifry company -- delivery company Yodel has
:31:47. > :31:57.frustrated people with services, but what do you do if they fail to
:31:57. > :31:58.
:31:58. > :32:06.deliver. Today's professor expert, Margaret Griffiths has the answers.
:32:06. > :32:10.The delivery arrives but it's not quite what I wanted.
:32:10. > :32:14.Never fear, there is something called a Distance Selling
:32:14. > :32:18.reregulation and because I bought this online, I can cancel my order
:32:18. > :32:22.any time from the time I placed the order until seven working days
:32:22. > :32:26.after the goods have arrived. So I can get my money back. I can even
:32:26. > :32:30.take the goods out of the packaging and examine them closely, just like
:32:30. > :32:33.I would in the shop and still get my money back.
:32:33. > :32:38.But I need to be careful because there are a couple of items to
:32:38. > :32:41.which the regulations don't apply. They don't apply to CDs, DVDs and
:32:41. > :32:47.software, where the seal on the packaging has been broken and they
:32:47. > :32:54.don't apply to perishable gods such as food or anything which has been
:32:54. > :32:59.tailor-made or personalised. Now what if your product turns up but,
:32:59. > :33:05.oh, it's broken? Well, never fear because under a different piece of
:33:05. > :33:08.legislation called the Sale of Gods Act the goods are supposed to be of
:33:08. > :33:12.satisfactory quality and fit for purpose which clearly this isn't.
:33:12. > :33:16.Who do I contact? The delivery company or the retailer? Even if
:33:16. > :33:20.you think it might be the delivery company that has broken the item,
:33:20. > :33:23.your contract is with the retailer. You should contact them. It's their
:33:23. > :33:26.responsibility to make sure the goods have arrived safely and in
:33:27. > :33:30.one piece. If they don't, it's up to them to replace them or give you
:33:30. > :33:34.a refund. Then it's up to the retailer to pay for the goods to be
:33:34. > :33:38.returned. Next, what if the goods you have
:33:38. > :33:43.ordered don't arrive at all? Yes, frustrating. Now if you have made
:33:43. > :33:48.an agreement that the goods are going to be delivered between say
:33:48. > :33:50.3-5 and they don't turn up, nothing, then the retailer has breached the
:33:50. > :33:54.contract because you had made time of the essence the contract and
:33:54. > :33:59.they have failed to deliver on time. But don't forget, your contract is
:33:59. > :34:03.with the retailer and not with the delivery company. So it's the
:34:03. > :34:07.retailer you should contact. Now you have, of course, going to need
:34:07. > :34:10.it make an alternative delivery time and it's not unreasonable for
:34:10. > :34:14.you to expect the retailer to deliver the goods at a time that's
:34:14. > :34:17.suitable to you and if, by any chance, you are going to be out of
:34:17. > :34:21.pocket because, for example, you are going to have to take ub un-
:34:21. > :34:26.paid time off work, then -- un-paid time off work, it is reasonable to
:34:26. > :34:31.expect the retailer will refund you for your losses, and that's what is
:34:31. > :34:35.known as consequential loss. It is fair to say it may be more hassle
:34:35. > :34:39.than the worth of it. This has caused inconvenience. One more
:34:39. > :34:44.thing, if you have ordered the goods online and you are fed up of
:34:44. > :34:47.waiting for them, you can of course cancel them under distance selling
:34:47. > :34:52.regulations. Couldn't be clearer, could it? Now if you want more
:34:52. > :34:57.nfrgs on that story, including help -- more information, including
:34:57. > :34:59.writing effective letters of complaint, go to our website:
:34:59. > :35:03.Back now to the Consumer Cops trying to combat counterfeiting
:35:03. > :35:08.rings in the West Midlands. So far they've seized clothes and audio
:35:08. > :35:16.equipment all being sold under fake designer names. But the big money
:35:16. > :35:18.often lies in other products. In Staffordshire, police and
:35:18. > :35:26.Trading Standards officers are preparing for a joint operation at
:35:26. > :35:31.a local car boot sale. ! Nick is going to be in a plain
:35:31. > :35:38.van with the specials. If the van is in line of sight I'll raise my
:35:38. > :35:43.hands in the air so you can see me, Nick can shout, "Go, go, go", you
:35:43. > :35:48.can burst out and we will be stood adjacent to the stalls so we can
:35:48. > :35:56.grab hold of a few bodies. This is the car boot sale in Staffordshire,
:35:56. > :35:59.home to around 100 sellers, more than 1,000 buyers and on previous
:35:59. > :36:03.experience, a number of counterfeit dealers.
:36:03. > :36:08.The police are in charge but relying on Trading Standards
:36:08. > :36:13.investigatorings to feed back intelligence. Very soon they do.
:36:13. > :36:20.The trading standers officers have recognised somebody selling from a
:36:20. > :36:24.small hold all. He has been followed back to a white van and he
:36:24. > :36:31.has been seen to re-stock from that white van. So we're going to call a
:36:31. > :36:36.strike in the next minute or two. Sean waits to hear from the team on
:36:36. > :36:44.the grounds confirm more stock is being loaded from the van. As soon
:36:44. > :36:49.as they do, they give the order to strike. You sunshine are under
:36:49. > :36:55.arrest. Snuer under arrest on suspicion of selling counterfeit
:36:55. > :37:01.DVDs. You do not have to saying anything, when questioned but what
:37:01. > :37:06.you d say may be given in evidence. Have Have a walk over here,
:37:07. > :37:11.sunshine. Is it your van? Yeah. What happened we called the strike.
:37:11. > :37:15.The specials got here earlier than we managed, unfortunately giving
:37:15. > :37:19.them an opportunity to run away them. Didn't get very far. PC Smith
:37:19. > :37:22.and myself managed to detain him. The others are being detained. We
:37:22. > :37:26.believe they're connected to the same stall. They have set up with
:37:26. > :37:32.the strike it. Looks like we have got about four arrested and a lot
:37:32. > :37:36.of stock, so a good hit. They are all the latest Hollywood
:37:36. > :37:39.blockbuster releases. So just what we thought we were going to get, to
:37:39. > :37:47.be honest, the usual stuff. A lot of them are still in the cinemas
:37:47. > :37:55.now, not been released on DVD form at. It also looks like we've got
:37:55. > :38:00.headphones. -- form at. The DVDs are 100% counterfeit. We've had
:38:00. > :38:03.training and it is hard to tell. We have to send it off for testing for
:38:03. > :38:08.fullness of continuity and evidence but we know it is counterfeit.
:38:08. > :38:11.there is also an expected bonus for the investigation team. As well as
:38:11. > :38:20.DVDs, there is this. Tobacco, which is non-duty paid tobacco. Whale
:38:20. > :38:25.pass this on to our colleagues at HM Revenue and Customs to deal with.
:38:25. > :38:29.Duncan has done a search of the van and we've uncovered a lot more non-
:38:29. > :38:35.duty paid tobacco being sold. Counterfeiting can be a lucrative
:38:35. > :38:38.business. After an hour or two on site these dealers seem to be doing
:38:38. > :38:43.very well. All the money out of your pocket. Potentially there is
:38:43. > :38:46.up to �1,000 which why that has been seized under a PACE.
:38:46. > :38:50.Potentially proceeds of crime, in relation it the fact we believe he
:38:50. > :38:53.is involved in the selling of the counterfeit DVDs and other
:38:53. > :38:57.counterfeit items we've recovered from the van. Seven men are
:38:57. > :39:00.arrested as a result of today's raids. While such operations don't
:39:00. > :39:05.always work out so well, this has proved to be a satisfying day's
:39:05. > :39:09.work. We've managed to secure the maximum
:39:09. > :39:13.amount of stock we could. On a personal level it was a really good
:39:13. > :39:18.job. It's always good working with Staffordshire police. As a rough
:39:18. > :39:24.estimate I would say we've got �80,000 worth of disks and then we
:39:24. > :39:27.have a large cardboard box full of cigarettes and lots of hand-rolling
:39:27. > :39:33.tobacco pouches. We are in the region and over �100,000 worth of
:39:33. > :39:36.stock we've seized this morning. Well, here is all of the stock,
:39:36. > :39:40.locked away in the Trading Standards evidence room. With me is
:39:40. > :39:44.Nick who we saw in the film there. Bring us up-to-dit with the
:39:44. > :39:49.investigation and where it is at? - - up-to-date. All the people arrest
:39:49. > :39:53.ready still on bail. We've sent the DVDs off for analysis with the
:39:53. > :39:56.trademark holders and they have come back as counterfeit. The
:39:56. > :39:59.tobacco wasn't counterfeit but it was non-duty paid. So at the
:39:59. > :40:04.conclusion of our investigation we'll send it off to our colleagues
:40:04. > :40:07.at Customs and Excise. As you have said the suspects are on bill and
:40:07. > :40:12.awaiting investigation. We won't know what happens to them for
:40:12. > :40:16.sometime. -- on bail. But what are the penalties for people trading in
:40:16. > :40:19.counterfeit goods? There is a range of penalties, we can just have
:40:19. > :40:25.forfeit tour of the items where we take the items off and any cash.
:40:25. > :40:29.They can be issued with cautions. They can be given community orders
:40:29. > :40:33.or community service. And then, major cases, they can actually
:40:33. > :40:35.receive custodial sentences. suppose most of us can see why
:40:35. > :40:39.trading fakes would be bad for the manufacturers of the genuine
:40:39. > :40:46.products because of the loss financially but what are the issues
:40:46. > :40:52.for consumers? Why should we avoid the temp taifgs bagging a bargain-
:40:52. > :40:56.price product if we think it is fake -- temptation. Obviously they
:40:56. > :41:00.haven't gone through rigorous safety testing and there is the
:41:00. > :41:03.implications that purchasing items like this goes on to fund criminal
:41:03. > :41:08.gangs and criminal activities and you cannot take your item back if
:41:08. > :41:11.there is fault or if you no longer want it. You can't go through
:41:11. > :41:16.legitimate channels. A lot of people go to car boot sales this
:41:16. > :41:21.weekend and no doubt they'll be going this weekend. Do you have
:41:21. > :41:27.tips as to how they can spot a fake? Look for the pricing. If it
:41:27. > :41:32.is massively under-priced for what you would expect. Also look at the
:41:32. > :41:35.text in the packaging, if there is spelling mistakes and grammatical
:41:35. > :41:38.errors, that would indicate it is counterfeit. A dead give-away.
:41:38. > :41:43.Thank you very much. Lots of you getting in touch with us this
:41:43. > :41:49.morning. Thank you very much. Let's go to Rani. Thank you. Some more e-
:41:49. > :41:53.mails on Yodel. A few of you saying you have CCTshr. V. We will be
:41:53. > :41:56.looking at some. -- CCTV. Lots getting in touch about exchange
:41:56. > :42:01.rates. James says it is shocking that different branches of the same
:42:01. > :42:08.company offer you different rates especially when they are a few
:42:08. > :42:12.miles apart. Another viewer told us she went to Turkey. The rates for
:42:12. > :42:17.Turkish liria here were terrible. She took the sterling with her and
:42:17. > :42:21.got a better reaction in court and a lot of unhappy diesel drivers out
:42:21. > :42:24.there. Why is it more expensive than petrol? It used to be the
:42:24. > :42:28.other way around and it is still cheaper in many other countries.
:42:28. > :42:33.Thank you so much for getting in touch. Please keep them coming in.
:42:33. > :42:36.That's all we have time for this morning. Tomorrow: beware of the
:42:36. > :42:41.energy company's bearing gifts. The special deals that could cost you
:42:41. > :42:47.more. Boots, Tesco, could you and gate,
:42:47. > :42:51.easy to join their marketing schemes. -- Cow & Gate. For some,
:42:51. > :42:56.seemingly impossible to leave. And the perils of booking a holiday