:00:36. > :00:42.Hello and welcome to Watchdog Daily. We are with you live for the next
:00:42. > :00:45.40 minutes, taking on businesses big and small. This morning, beware
:00:45. > :00:53.of energy companies bearing gifts. The special deals that could cost
:00:53. > :00:58.you even more. Boots, Tesco, Cow & Gate, the bereaved mums who have
:00:58. > :01:04.tried to leave their mailing lists. Why won't they let them? Getting
:01:05. > :01:11.texts like these? Don't believe all the promises. It's disgusting and
:01:11. > :01:15.I'm not overexaggerating. There's sewage. The smell is awful.
:01:15. > :01:24.perils of booking a holiday with an unlicenced agent. We join the
:01:24. > :01:27.consumer cops taking on the cowboys of the travel trade. First, gas and
:01:27. > :01:31.electricity prices, as winter closes in and we start turning up
:01:31. > :01:36.the heat, five of the six biggest energy providers have decided to
:01:36. > :01:40.raise their prices by up to 10%. The good news, the regulator has
:01:40. > :01:47.stepped in to help the consumer. The bad news, it's unlikely to stop
:01:47. > :01:50.those soaring fuel bills. What sort of action are the Government and
:01:50. > :01:53.Ofgem promising? They say they'll force suppliers to simplify tariffs
:01:53. > :01:58.and tell customers about their cheapest deals, but that won't
:01:58. > :02:02.happen until next summer at the earliest. Until then, we have been
:02:02. > :02:06.advised yet again to shop around for the best deal. It's certainly
:02:06. > :02:10.true you can cut your bills by switching suppliers, but watch out
:02:10. > :02:20.for some of those eye-catching deals, because although they do
:02:20. > :02:31.
:02:31. > :02:36.look tempting, they could leave you paying more. It's the age-old trick
:02:36. > :02:40.of the sales trade and almost energy supplier has cottoned on.
:02:40. > :02:44.Throw in something special to make us think we're getting a great deal.
:02:44. > :02:48.What do customers think? Are they tempted by the added extras? If it
:02:48. > :02:53.was a case of choosing between two that were the same price and one
:02:53. > :02:58.offered you a perk, yeah, you'll go for that, because everyone's trying
:02:58. > :03:03.to get a bargain and save money where they can. So, yes, you would.
:03:03. > :03:08.I get confused about what is the best deal and what's not. I think
:03:08. > :03:13.there's some kind of catch. Why are they offering a perk? Some of the
:03:13. > :03:18.offers are tempting, but you could end up paying more with a tariff
:03:18. > :03:23.with perks, than if you were to get the cheapest deal and pay exactly
:03:23. > :03:30.the same extras. How much more? Our teams have been dog the sums. Offer
:03:30. > :03:34.the course -- doing the sums. Offer over the course of one day we
:03:34. > :03:41.checked all the tariffs for one address in west London. They found
:03:41. > :03:48.the cheapest overall tariff on the day and that was firstewe tillity.
:03:48. > :03:54.-- first utility. Then donations to charity, or fee vouchers, then they
:03:54. > :03:58.took to the street to ask the public what they thought of the
:03:58. > :04:04.various offers. Looking at all of this on the table, what would you
:04:04. > :04:11.go for? Not the I save one. They don't offer anything. What about
:04:11. > :04:15.that one? I with probably go for the cancer research one, because
:04:15. > :04:21.everyone's affected by it and it's obviously a great way to donate
:04:22. > :04:25.money. Tesco club card vouchers. first glance, the offers were
:04:25. > :04:34.attractive, but would anyone change their mind after they found out
:04:34. > :04:38.what each tariff actually cost? Let's take a look. Firstutility,
:04:38. > :04:43.the cheapest tariff was �1 account 054 for the year, as long as you
:04:43. > :04:47.didn't want to switch within the first three months and it came with
:04:47. > :04:51.no perks. Would any of the other tariffs work out to be better value
:04:51. > :04:57.when you took their perks into account? To find out, we worked out
:04:57. > :05:02.the monetary value of each reward. For npower, they were �45 worth of
:05:02. > :05:07.football vouchers. For Scottish Power, it was a �15 charity
:05:07. > :05:10.donation. E.On offered �94 worth of Tesco clubcard points and as for
:05:10. > :05:15.the energy monitors from British Gas and Southern Electric, they can
:05:15. > :05:19.be bought for �30 each. With detucted the monetary value of the
:05:19. > :05:23.reward -- deducted the monetary value of the ward from the annual
:05:23. > :05:33.costs. Would any of them work out to be better value than the
:05:33. > :05:34.
:05:34. > :05:38.cheapest available tariff? First up, npower, this tariff would have left
:05:38. > :05:41.us �51-62 worse off, even taking the vouchers into account. It was a
:05:41. > :05:47.similar story with Scottish Power. They'll make a �15 donation to
:05:47. > :05:55.charity, but opting for that tariff over the firstutility, would have
:05:55. > :06:05.left us �55.55 worse off, even with the charity donation. You would be
:06:05. > :06:12.worse off. �55.55 per year. What do you think? That's quite a lot.
:06:12. > :06:15.Quite a lot. Yeah. I would probably go for the cheapest and give up the
:06:15. > :06:19.�15 myself. The others tried to encourage to sign up with the
:06:19. > :06:29.promise of free energy monitors, but they are only worth �30, so the
:06:29. > :06:30.
:06:30. > :06:38.British Gas deal would have left us �41 poorer. You would be worse off
:06:38. > :06:40.taking into account the energy monitors. We would have been a
:06:41. > :06:49.massive �186.56 worse or with Southern Electric, but there is one
:06:49. > :06:54.deal that did work out to be better. E.On's tariff comes with Tesco
:06:54. > :07:02.vouchers and worked out to be �7.01 better value. Great, as long as you
:07:03. > :07:05.like shopping in Tesco. While some tariffs with added extras might
:07:05. > :07:08.seem tempting, it's always worth checking how much the rewards are
:07:08. > :07:15.worth, because the chances are you'll get a better deal without
:07:15. > :07:22.them. Worth doing the maths for. Rani Price is in the mail room.
:07:22. > :07:26.What do the companies have to say? Five energy suppliers, four
:07:26. > :07:29.responses. Npower haven't provided us with one. British Gas say they
:07:29. > :07:33.strive to offer the best deals and they can assist customers with
:07:33. > :07:38.cutting bills and energy monitors can save the average household �125
:07:38. > :07:45.a year. E.On say they believe in complete clarity and are doing all
:07:45. > :07:49.they can to make choosing the best tariff, simple fair and transparent.
:07:49. > :07:54.Southern Electric they are dramatically simplifying tariffs
:07:54. > :07:59.and offer three. Anyone choosing an optional extra won't pay further
:07:59. > :08:05.costs. Customers will get support and advice to cut their energy use.
:08:05. > :08:10.Finally, Scottish Power, they say unlike the firstutility product,
:08:10. > :08:13.theirs comes with a small discount for standard prices. They say it's
:08:13. > :08:17.good value, comes with no termination fee and has the
:08:17. > :08:21.donation to a good cause. All the companies say that the price rises
:08:21. > :08:23.are down to the extra costs associated with fuel efficiency and
:08:23. > :08:28.transporting and buying energy. Meanwhile, if you would like to
:08:28. > :08:38.comment on any of that, or any of today's other stories, he's a
:08:38. > :08:39.
:08:39. > :08:44.reminder of how to do so. Send an e-mail: Or text us: start your
:08:44. > :08:48.message with the letters WD. If you want to join the discussion on
:08:48. > :08:55.Twitter, the address and hash tag is on the screen. Have you booked
:08:55. > :09:01.next summer's holiday yet? If so, you're probably recognising this
:09:01. > :09:03.sign. At ol stands for Air Travel Organiers' Licensing. By law --
:09:03. > :09:08.ATOL stands for Air Travel Organiers' Licensing by law, all
:09:08. > :09:11.companies must be bound by this, so you are not left out of pocket. It
:09:11. > :09:15.means that the Civil Aviation Authority has inspected the company
:09:15. > :09:20.to make sure its business is sound, but how much operators are flouting
:09:20. > :09:24.the law and putting tourists at risk by operating outside the
:09:24. > :09:28.scheme? Let's join Shefali Oza, who is following Trading Standards
:09:28. > :09:32.officers in the West Midlands for us this week. Welcome to Birmingham.
:09:32. > :09:35.Home to an international airport that handles around nine million
:09:35. > :09:38.passengers every year. The overwhelming majority of
:09:38. > :09:43.holidaymakers who depart from here will enjoy the peace of mind you
:09:43. > :09:46.get when booking with an ATOL- registered company, but as we've
:09:46. > :09:53.discovered, there are rogue operators in this part of the
:09:53. > :09:57.country who show a disregard for the travelling public. The ATOL
:09:57. > :10:00.scheme was set up in the 70s when foreign, package holidays were
:10:00. > :10:04.relatively new. Some tour companies collapsed, leaving customers, when
:10:04. > :10:08.had paid their money, little or no comeback, prompting the Government
:10:08. > :10:16.of the day to give holidaymakers greater protection. The scheme's
:10:16. > :10:26.been a big success. But companies who don't add deer can expect to be
:10:26. > :10:30.
:10:30. > :10:34.pun -- adeer, can expect to be punished. You may not display ATOL
:10:34. > :10:39.logos when you do not hold a licence. That is a criminal offence.
:10:39. > :10:43.We can bring prosecutions against firms who do do that. Recently, the
:10:43. > :10:49.officers who help police the scheme in Birmingham have been busy. The
:10:49. > :10:59.city is among the most ledgically diverse in the UK and each year
:10:59. > :11:00.
:11:00. > :11:03.thousands of local Muslims take part in the pilgrimage to Mecca.
:11:03. > :11:07.Lots of companies have recently strung up. The hard package, what
:11:07. > :11:11.they should have, is where they're staying, flight details, where
:11:11. > :11:15.their flying from. The price, and what tends to happen, they are
:11:15. > :11:20.promised all these verbally and when they get there it's often that
:11:20. > :11:23.they are actually squatting other people in one room and they don't
:11:23. > :11:27.get the hotel they were promised. Sometimes when they are promised
:11:27. > :11:32.direct flights that's not often the case. Some of the companies
:11:32. > :11:42.response are not ATOL registered when they should be. Today, in the
:11:42. > :11:43.
:11:43. > :11:47.run-up to the hath, trading standard officer Mohammed is on an
:11:47. > :11:51.intelligence-gathering exercise. will go into some supermarkets and
:11:51. > :11:56.other places where they've been advertising and pick up a leaflet
:11:56. > :11:59.and see what they're claiming. keeping an eye out for any
:11:59. > :12:08.suspicious-looking billboard ads, like this one, which doesn't
:12:08. > :12:13.display the ATOL sign. Next, he goes in search of leaflet at the
:12:13. > :12:19.local mosque. He finds one, but it has no logo. He calls the number
:12:19. > :12:25.posing as a potential customer. just saw your advert in the local
:12:25. > :12:29.mosque. And food and direct flight and everything included? OK. Are
:12:29. > :12:35.you ATOL protected so if there's a problem I'm not going to get any
:12:35. > :12:41.hassle or nothing? Are you ATOL protected? It's not a problem then?
:12:41. > :12:46.OK, then, brother, thank you very much. I asked him on two occasions
:12:46. > :12:51.if he's ATOL protected, but erefused to answer that question.
:12:51. > :12:54.With that company added to his list, he moves on to supermarkets and
:12:54. > :12:57.other stores where hath tour companies advertise. By the end of
:12:57. > :13:07.the trip he's picked up ten leaflets. Now, it's back to the
:13:07. > :13:08.
:13:08. > :13:13.office to make more inquiries about them all. -- first of all, this
:13:13. > :13:17.company that displays the ATOL logo wrongly, which he soon establishes.
:13:17. > :13:25.This company does not hold a licence, so therefore the leaflet
:13:25. > :13:29.breaches the trademark, but breaches other protections.
:13:29. > :13:33.Although test possible for a company to act on behalf of another
:13:33. > :13:37.company who is ATOL registered and still display the logo, it needs to
:13:37. > :13:42.be made clear who that ATOL licenced operator is, otherwise
:13:42. > :13:48.it's misleading. Next, a company whose leaflets have no logos at all.
:13:49. > :13:53.Is the owner operating legally? I've just asked mim straight out
:13:53. > :13:57.are you ATOL registered? -- him straight out, are you ATOL
:13:57. > :14:02.registered. First he didn't answered, then he said, "Yeah, we
:14:02. > :14:12.are all ATOL registered. You can't go to Mecca without being ATOL
:14:12. > :14:15.ledge terd." Time for a quick check -- reg terd." Time for a quick
:14:15. > :14:23.check: There's nothing on the database, contrary to what he just
:14:23. > :14:29.told me over the phone. Tariq and his team can now planning
:14:29. > :14:34.enforcement action. We have a few offences today which we'll have to
:14:34. > :14:37.put together and start visiting the traders in the next few days.
:14:37. > :14:43.find out what happens when he goes to visit them later, but if you
:14:43. > :14:46.want to know what happens if you do book with a non-ATOL-registered
:14:46. > :14:56.company, this is the so-called four-star trip that cost one family
:14:56. > :15:10.
:15:10. > :15:13.Bucks macro, Tesco, Cow & Gate, all keen to sign you up to their
:15:13. > :15:16.mailing lists and membership schemes. The more they know about
:15:17. > :15:20.your shopping habits and lifestyle, the more they can target you with
:15:21. > :15:26.offers you are likely to buy. But what if you want to leave their
:15:26. > :15:31.schemes? It can be difficult, and for one group of customers,
:15:31. > :15:34.extremely distressing. Junk mail, and wanted texts and
:15:34. > :15:38.spam e-mail. They are the marketing message has none of us want to
:15:38. > :15:41.receive. Then there are those we do want to hear about. A half-price
:15:41. > :15:46.special offers, latest product releases and up-to-date information
:15:46. > :15:52.on what is hard and what is not. To get these come many of us willingly
:15:52. > :15:55.subscribed to company mailing lists. I signed up after my 12 week it
:15:55. > :15:58.scanned to Boots and other companies, hoping to take advantage
:15:58. > :16:02.of their two-for-one offers, and to learn about breast feeding and get
:16:03. > :16:07.money off vouchers for the future. I also wanted about us and advice
:16:07. > :16:13.on everything, down to mattresses, bottles and sterilises and what
:16:13. > :16:16.formula to feed him. I was just after freebies, really! Direct
:16:16. > :16:20.mailings from trusted companies such as Boots and Tesco are
:16:20. > :16:29.extremely helpful for new mums. But for these women they became
:16:29. > :16:34.incredibly Anbar come and upsetting. I went into labour at 23 weeks and
:16:34. > :16:38.four days prematurely. I had an infection. The infection was all
:16:38. > :16:43.within Siena as well. A mother would do anything to save her child
:16:43. > :16:51.but there was nothing I could do. My son was diagnosed at birth with
:16:51. > :16:54.a very rare and severe heart defect. Sadly, he only lived for 29 days.
:16:55. > :16:58.When Lisa and Tanya lost their babies they were members of the
:16:58. > :17:03.Boots parenting club, both receiving monthly e-mails and
:17:03. > :17:07.leaflets from the company. I was inundated with various e-mails,
:17:07. > :17:11.from weekly updates of how big she would have been was I still
:17:11. > :17:14.pregnant, they just carried on and on. I just wanted them to stop.
:17:14. > :17:18.This should have been straightforward because according
:17:18. > :17:22.to the e-mails, if you wish to unsubscribe from the parenting Club
:17:22. > :17:27.newsletter, you just need to click on a link within it. Doing so takes
:17:27. > :17:32.you to a web page with ask you to confirm the decision. Both Laysan
:17:32. > :17:36.and Tanya are adamant they did this, get the message has kept coming.
:17:36. > :17:40.husband called the call centres between October and 5th May times
:17:40. > :17:43.in total, to ask them to unsubscribe and stop sending me
:17:43. > :17:48.these updates. Each time they said they would stop them but they kept
:17:48. > :17:53.on coming. I tried several times, about eight times, to unsubscribe
:17:53. > :17:57.through them -- to them through the e-mail system. I also sent an e-
:17:57. > :18:00.mail to the customer-service department asking if I could be
:18:00. > :18:06.removed from their mailing list. Still be post and e-mails kept
:18:06. > :18:11.coming. It took six months but the e-mails to Tanya finally stopped. A
:18:11. > :18:18.relief... But only a temporary one. In May this year I suddenly
:18:18. > :18:26.received an e-mail from Boots again saying, your baby is 17 months old.
:18:26. > :18:29.The company had obviously kept my details. Lisa finally lost
:18:29. > :18:35.confidence in their ability to handle her complaint properly and
:18:35. > :18:38.has since gone to the head of the company. I found the Co emo and I
:18:38. > :18:42.e-mailed personally, appealing to him as a human being to help stop
:18:42. > :18:47.this. I asked him to acknowledge my e-mail. I've never heard anything
:18:47. > :18:51.from him since. She also wrote to the chief executive. But while the
:18:51. > :18:56.mailings from that company have now stopped, she still receives
:18:56. > :19:04.leaflets from Tesco. With Tesco, I tried to unsubscribe about five
:19:04. > :19:07.times. My mother phoned the customer-service line after giving
:19:07. > :19:11.them... That's still didn't help, so she went into the local store
:19:12. > :19:17.and spoke to the manager. But two years later, I'm now getting tabla
:19:17. > :19:22.magazines. For Samantha, whose baby was stillborn, it is Cow & Gate who
:19:22. > :19:28.won't leave her alone. She tried to unsubscribe from the mailing list
:19:28. > :19:31.in September 2011. A year on, the e-mails keep coming. Every Mumbai
:19:31. > :19:37.receive an e-mail through from Cow & Gate. I've tried to unsubscribe
:19:37. > :19:40.many times. I've done it through the e-mail link. When that hasn't
:19:41. > :19:45.work, I've tried going on to their main website and e-mailing them
:19:45. > :19:49.through their contact us button. It hasn't worked. Companies like these
:19:49. > :19:53.spent millions on direct marketing every year, in a bid to reach
:19:53. > :19:56.potential customers and get them on to their mailing lists. But
:19:56. > :20:02.shouldn't they be putting at least some of that effort into making
:20:02. > :20:06.sure - - into making sure their systems work? Individuals have a
:20:06. > :20:10.right to object to receiving marketing communications. They have
:20:10. > :20:15.a right to object to processing where that would cause them
:20:15. > :20:18.unwarranted damage and distress. They also can be protected against
:20:18. > :20:22.unfair processing. The Information Commission office is there to help
:20:22. > :20:25.where it has been contravened. If people have asked an organisation
:20:25. > :20:29.to stop sending these communications and they haven't
:20:29. > :20:32.done it, contact the information Commission office. Life as a
:20:33. > :20:36.bereaved mother is so hard on a day-to-day basis anyway, let alone
:20:36. > :20:41.when you are getting the constant reminders through the post and e-
:20:41. > :20:45.mails. We don't need that constant reminder. We know, we don't need a
:20:45. > :20:48.written in black and white. Heartbreaking. One thing to lose
:20:48. > :20:53.the baby but to be reminded of it week after week by these marketing
:20:53. > :20:56.e-mails. They just couldn't get them to stop. It is not something
:20:56. > :21:00.you'd imagine when you sign up to these e-mails, but they were so
:21:00. > :21:04.brave to share their stories. hope it does stop now. What have
:21:04. > :21:09.the company said? All three have expressed their deepest apologies
:21:09. > :21:12.and say they are truly sorry to those families. Cow & Gate say
:21:12. > :21:15.there are systems in place for people who want to unsubscribe.
:21:15. > :21:18.They clearly didn't work for Samantha Kirby and they are
:21:18. > :21:24.investigating why. They are looking at all additional measures they
:21:24. > :21:27.should take. Tesco say they've made should Tanya perjure -- Tanya
:21:27. > :21:32.Pledger won't receive any more e- mails and have taken steps to
:21:32. > :21:36.prevent this happening again to any of their customers. Tanya was also
:21:36. > :21:39.a customer of Boots, which has blamed the system upgrade resulting
:21:39. > :21:42.in a technical error which led to some unsubscribe customers
:21:42. > :21:46.receiving unwanted e-mails. They are confident his has been
:21:46. > :21:49.rectified but are continuing to review this process. If you have
:21:49. > :21:54.been affected by this issue and would like details of organisations
:21:54. > :22:02.which offer advice and support, called the BBC Action Line to hear
:22:02. > :22:06.a recorded information. The number is on screen. Lines are open 24
:22:06. > :22:09.hours and are free from a land like Auster mobile operators will charge.
:22:09. > :22:13.We are heading back to Birmingham where the consumer cops are
:22:13. > :22:17.clamping down on travel companies operating without proper licences.
:22:17. > :22:23.It's a big problem in the Midlands, especially among those companies
:22:23. > :22:28.serving the regions large Muslim population.
:22:28. > :22:32.In recent days, the officer has been gathering intelligence on
:22:32. > :22:36.businesses he suspects false to claim to be part of the UK tour
:22:36. > :22:40.operator's ATOL scheme. There's nothing on the Civil Aviation
:22:40. > :22:45.database to say that they are ATOL registered, contrary to what he
:22:46. > :22:49.just told me on the phone. The ATOL scheme ensures protection for
:22:49. > :22:53.travellers and companies providing flight based holidays overseas must
:22:53. > :22:56.by law be part of it. Although it only protects you have a company
:22:56. > :23:01.goes bust or if you are stranded abroad, it should give you the
:23:01. > :23:05.peace of mind that they are doing things by the book. So booking but
:23:05. > :23:10.then none ATOL protect said to operator is fraught with problems.
:23:10. > :23:17.In 2009, Mohammed bought a trip to Saudi Arabia where he and his
:23:17. > :23:23.family were taking part in an Islamic pilgrimage. The company had
:23:23. > :23:27.Kellett -- had claimed to be at -- ATOL registered. We were assured we
:23:27. > :23:33.would have a good experience, forsake journey and would stay
:23:33. > :23:37.comfortable. The reality could not have been more different. Despite
:23:37. > :23:43.paying �10,000, the trip was a disaster. A disaster his daughter
:23:43. > :23:53.has captured on camera. The area we are staying in has got a sanitation
:23:53. > :23:53.
:23:53. > :23:59.problem. It is actually disgusting. There is sewage. The smell of
:23:59. > :24:05.sewage. It is worlds apart from the area we were meant to be staying at.
:24:05. > :24:10.Rubbish everywhere, dirt, stray cats, anything you can think of is
:24:10. > :24:14.here. The company had made a series of false promises to the family.
:24:14. > :24:19.The hotel wasn't four-star and there weren't separate rooms for
:24:19. > :24:24.parents and children. This is the room we are staying in for four
:24:24. > :24:32.people. It is me, my sister, my mum and dad that are staying in the
:24:32. > :24:38.same room. It isn't ideal. It is a small room, very, very basic.
:24:38. > :24:44.There's no natural light. You can see where the curtains are, that's
:24:44. > :24:52.the window but it doesn't open so there's no natural light. There is
:24:52. > :24:59.a fridge in here but every time you open the fridge there is a
:24:59. > :25:07.cockroach which runs out of the fridge. The worst is the bathroom.
:25:07. > :25:13.Bathroom nightmare! The shower is basically on top of the toilet, it
:25:13. > :25:18.is disgusting. There is one tiny window which doesn't open. It is
:25:18. > :25:21.just really awful, awful conditions to living. The family asked the
:25:21. > :25:25.company to move them, even offering to pay extra. But with the
:25:25. > :25:32.pilgrimage on, everywhere else was booked so they have to stay here
:25:32. > :25:38.for almost three weeks. We've just had a delivery of dinner. This is
:25:38. > :25:42.how it is delivered every day in carrier bags. Obviously there is a
:25:42. > :25:46.hygiene problem again. We have the same food every single day, we
:25:46. > :25:51.haven't got a choice. The travel agent promised that the food would
:25:51. > :25:57.be all-inclusive. But when we got here the food was not included. The
:25:57. > :26:01.complaint and then now we get a delivery of basically street food.
:26:01. > :26:10.There is oar macro of us in this tiny room and we have to eat on the
:26:10. > :26:14.floor. On arriving home, the family showed their evidence to trading
:26:14. > :26:21.standards who agreed to investigate. 21 months later, the boss of the
:26:21. > :26:27.travel agency appeared in court charged with fraud, along with a
:26:27. > :26:33.number of other offences including unauthorised use of the ATOL logo.
:26:33. > :26:36.In December 2011, he was jailed for 15 months. Birmingham Trading
:26:36. > :26:41.Standards is at the forefront of the enforcement. We will continue
:26:41. > :26:46.doing what we do best, which is protect the consumers of Birmingham
:26:46. > :26:51.and prosecute where appropriate. is now well weeks since Tariq
:26:51. > :26:56.started collecting intelligence on suspect travel agencies. Today, he
:26:56. > :27:01.and his team are ready to confront the traders. We've had a few
:27:01. > :27:05.complaints about certain individuals. We will make sure they
:27:06. > :27:09.are complying with consumer protection and regulations, and the
:27:09. > :27:12.package travel rates as well. Should you come across any
:27:12. > :27:16.documentation or evidence that breaches this legislation, sees
:27:16. > :27:20.them, back them, tag them and we'll be discussing the matter further
:27:20. > :27:23.with the operator concerned. first visit is to a company that's
:27:23. > :27:28.been circulating advertising leaflets saying they are ATOL
:27:28. > :27:30.registered, even though the company isn't. And from Birmingham trading
:27:30. > :27:38.standards. We've come here to do a routine inspection. You are
:27:38. > :27:45.claiming to be ATOL. We've got statements, you are not licensed.
:27:45. > :27:51.What is your comment on that? What relationship are you with the
:27:51. > :27:54.owner? You are his son. We will issue a notice. We are going to
:27:54. > :27:58.carry out an inspection. Anything that is infringing, we are going to
:27:58. > :28:02.take it and then we'll have a chat with your dad when he gets back.
:28:02. > :28:08.You are giving out leaflets and are saying that you are ATOL registered.
:28:08. > :28:12.That is fraud. We will discuss it with your dad. Carrick speaks to
:28:12. > :28:15.the owner of the business on the phone. He claims the business is
:28:15. > :28:20.ATOL registered but through a different company. As that is not
:28:20. > :28:25.what is written on the leaflet, further enquiries are needed.
:28:25. > :28:29.are going to have a look around, we've got the powers to do that. If
:28:29. > :28:34.you abstract as it is an offence to obstruct an officer. We will take
:28:34. > :28:44.your computer. We can do that. We will take it and get it examined.
:28:44. > :28:46.
:28:46. > :28:51.We will get it back to you. Put that back. Put it back. It doesn't
:28:51. > :28:56.matter, it was in the computer. Put it back. Thank you very much.
:28:56. > :29:00.officers leave. Computer and now memory stick in hand. They also
:29:00. > :29:04.plan to question the owner of the business when he returns.
:29:04. > :29:09.Find out what happens later on. How many of you have had a text or
:29:10. > :29:12.phone call recently offering to get to compensation from the banks or
:29:12. > :29:16.missold payment protection insurance? If you have, you are not
:29:16. > :29:20.alone. A new report from the Citizen's Advice Bureau says nine
:29:20. > :29:24.out of 10 of us are sick of being pestered by claims management
:29:24. > :29:28.companies. What is more, if you are tempted to use such companies,
:29:28. > :29:31.watch out because you can end up far worse off than if you'd handle
:29:31. > :29:41.the claim yourself. Look at what happened to one viewer, Linda
:29:41. > :29:46.
:29:46. > :29:53.The company cold called me and they persuaded me had -- I had enough
:29:53. > :29:56.money back. I was charged �750 and I had one successful claim and it
:29:56. > :30:02.was �795. After paying the company the High Commission fees and VAT I
:30:02. > :30:07.was left with just over �500 and I still have two outstanding claims
:30:07. > :30:11.which I'm waiting to hear from and they are ignoring my calls. I'm
:30:11. > :30:17.over �200 out of pocket. It's been two years and they told me it would
:30:17. > :30:20.take six months maximum to get any many back. I have paid more money
:30:20. > :30:23.to the claims company than what I have received back from the one PPI
:30:23. > :30:33.claim I did have. Basically, I should never have trusted them in
:30:33. > :30:36.the beginning. What they did was unfair. I'm joined by Gillian guy,
:30:36. > :30:42.Chief Executive of the Citizens Advice Bureau. She is �200 out of
:30:42. > :30:46.pocket and she was persuaded to do this? It's not untypical. We have
:30:46. > :30:50.had 5,000 calls to our helpline since April about claims management
:30:50. > :30:54.companies. The way that people get persuaded is that it comes to them
:30:54. > :30:58.direct on their mobile phone or on their land line at home and tells
:30:58. > :31:02.them they have a claim without investigating whether they do. It's
:31:02. > :31:10.quite tempting to go for it. Then they have to pay upfront fees. They
:31:10. > :31:13.may have to pay a Fiat the end and never get compensation, so it's not
:31:13. > :31:18.-- Fiat the end and never get compensation, so it's not unusual.
:31:18. > :31:21.Nine out of ten people? Massive numbers. It won't be unfamiliar to
:31:21. > :31:25.people, because I haven't met anyone who hasn't been conducted. I
:31:25. > :31:30.get daily complaints asking what we're doing about it. When you
:31:30. > :31:35.think the banks have set aside �10 billion to deal with this, the
:31:35. > :31:40.companies are making huge amounts of money? Potentially, a quarter of
:31:40. > :31:44.that. They often charge 25% upfront. They sometimes take money from the
:31:44. > :31:51.compensation too. How are they allowed to get away with it? Thraif
:31:51. > :31:56.been allowed because originally, observe -- They've been allowed to
:31:56. > :32:00.get away with it, because originally the banks weren't quick
:32:00. > :32:04.enough. There was a gap in the market to come into this and then
:32:04. > :32:09.are now burdening the banks with about 50% of bogus claims, so the
:32:09. > :32:14.banks have an excuse for not having dealt with them. If you think you
:32:14. > :32:18.really have a genuine claim. You don't have to go through the
:32:18. > :32:21.companies. The most important thing is that it's free to make a claim.
:32:21. > :32:26.The compensation should be all yours and not saird. The easy way
:32:26. > :32:30.to do that is to -- shared. The easy way to do that is to write to
:32:30. > :32:33.your bank. We have template letters on the website. You send it off and
:32:33. > :32:39.you will be told whether you have a claim and you get to keep the
:32:39. > :32:43.compensation. Thank you very much. Over now to Rani Price. Lots of you
:32:43. > :32:46.have been emailing in, but I should point out that the Claims Standards
:32:46. > :32:51.Council have told us they recognise there are options to make PPI
:32:51. > :32:56.claims for free. They say if people choose a management company they
:32:56. > :33:01.can make sure it's signed up to an industry Code of Conduct and they
:33:01. > :33:03.along with professionals say they support a call for a ban on upfront
:33:03. > :33:08.fees and while non-compliant companies should be penalised,
:33:08. > :33:11.there are a lot that operate within the rules. They say they are
:33:11. > :33:16.committed to increasing professionalism and level of
:33:16. > :33:20.services by regulated claims management companies. Also, a big
:33:20. > :33:30.reaction to our story about the bereaved mothers and those
:33:30. > :33:31.
:33:31. > :33:36.marketing e-mails. Now, we have some e-mails here. People are
:33:36. > :33:40.unable to unsubscribe to emailing lists. Lorna says she is still
:33:40. > :33:44.getting company e-mails after losing her baby son eight months
:33:44. > :33:48.ago. Despite trying to unsubscribe many times, that is. Helen says
:33:48. > :33:52.that this happens to her seven months after losing her baby son.
:33:52. > :33:56.It's appalling, she says, a really sensitive topic. Thank you for
:33:56. > :34:01.getting in touch. Back now to Birmingham, where rogue travel
:34:01. > :34:04.agents have been operating without proper licences. Earlier, we saw a
:34:04. > :34:09.raid on the offices of one company, who had falsely claimed to be part
:34:09. > :34:15.of the travel industry's ATOL scheme and as Shefali Oza other
:34:15. > :34:19.companies in the city are also in for some surprise visits. There are
:34:19. > :34:27.around 140,000 Muslims living in Birmingham. Their religion requires
:34:27. > :34:32.them to take part in the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the Hajj.
:34:32. > :34:39.Companies offering packages regularly hand out leaflets outside
:34:39. > :34:43.the moss -- mosques. Leaflets that do not carry the ATOL logo are of
:34:43. > :34:49.special interests to Trading Standards teams. I need to speak to
:34:49. > :34:52.you about your leaflets. It's not going to take very long. Today,
:34:52. > :34:56.officer Hannah Davies is visiting a man whose company literature
:34:56. > :34:59.doesn't display the logo. According to his company his company is
:34:59. > :35:02.merging with another that is apparently ATOL registered. If you
:35:02. > :35:08.don't understand them, then phone me up and I'll go through them with
:35:08. > :35:13.you. What you have to understand is if you put a leaflet like this out
:35:13. > :35:23.and it doesn't say that you are acting for an agent with somebody
:35:23. > :35:25.
:35:25. > :35:32.with an ATOL. Pick them up. How many did you have printed? I go
:35:32. > :35:38.myself to pick up. Are they at the mosque? All right. OK. Thank you.
:35:38. > :35:44.Goodbye. He's now said he'll go to the mosque and pick up all the
:35:44. > :35:47.leaflets and he'll not do it again. Well, we'll see what happens,
:35:47. > :35:52.because I'll check in the mosques or my colleague will do and isle
:35:52. > :35:58.confirm in writing and probably look to take this further. The team
:35:58. > :36:02.later check the mosques and the leaflets had been removed. During
:36:02. > :36:05.earlier intelligence gathering, Hannah's colleague spotted this
:36:05. > :36:12.banner from another company, offering Hajj tour packages. This
:36:12. > :36:15.too didn't display the ATOL logo. Posing as a customer, he has since
:36:15. > :36:20.phoned the company and been assured by the owner he's registered with
:36:20. > :36:24.the scheme, but he isn't. This means he's breaking the law by
:36:24. > :36:29.taking any money from potential customers. He's expecting me to
:36:29. > :36:34.meet up with him in the next hour and bring a deposit of �5,000. He's
:36:34. > :36:40.not supposed to handle any money or if she is, that should go straight
:36:40. > :36:44.to an ATOL-bonded licencee. I don't believe for one minute he's going
:36:44. > :36:48.to hand that money over to anyone else. The trader thinks he's going
:36:48. > :36:52.to get �5,000, but instead of collecting money, he's going to
:36:52. > :37:01.face some serious questions. He's caging about where to meet and he's
:37:01. > :37:05.not given me a door number. Hello, there. I'm Mr Tariq. I'm from
:37:05. > :37:10.Trading Standards. We just need to talk about your sign. You told me
:37:10. > :37:15.you are ATOL registered, right and I've checked up and you're not.
:37:15. > :37:25.Let's take for argument's sake you're not, who do you do your ATOL
:37:25. > :37:30.
:37:30. > :37:34.booking with? Why is it not on the poster then? Why? If you're taking
:37:34. > :37:39.money? You were about to take �5,000 from me. One second. You
:37:39. > :37:43.were about to take �5,000 off me. Right, you know the ATOL
:37:43. > :37:50.requirements, the CAA requirements. What would you have done with the
:37:50. > :38:00.money? What receipt would you have given me? No you don't. You've got
:38:00. > :38:10.your own company. That's my different one, but I work for them.
:38:10. > :38:12.
:38:12. > :38:19.Excuse me. As you can see, that's what you get for your �3,500.
:38:19. > :38:22.There's nothing on the actual manner to say that it's ATOL
:38:22. > :38:27.registered or there is any other company involved. I was about to
:38:27. > :38:34.hand him �5,000. What receipt would I get? I got the door slammed in my
:38:34. > :38:38.face. We'll be taking the matter up further and we'll call him for a
:38:38. > :38:47.PACE interview. Should he fail to come in, I'll report him for legal
:38:47. > :38:52.consideration. Since we filmed that, tar reek here has been continuing
:38:52. > :38:56.his investigation -- Tariq here has been continuing the investigations.
:38:57. > :39:02.How do things stand? The tour operators, we have been gathering
:39:02. > :39:05.evidence, so what we are doing now is waiting for the man to return
:39:05. > :39:10.back from Hajj and call him in for a PACE interview and put the
:39:10. > :39:13.allegations to him and the evidence. Depending on what they say, further
:39:13. > :39:17.action may or may not be taken. This year's season has finished and
:39:17. > :39:21.people are returning. Have things gone well? Not really. There's room
:39:21. > :39:25.for improvement. We received a lot of complaints from the public where
:39:25. > :39:29.they've been allegedly ripped off and promised five-star hotels or
:39:29. > :39:32.four-star hotels and direct flights, and none of that happened. What we
:39:32. > :39:35.tend to do is get the complaints from the members of the public and
:39:35. > :39:40.put the allegations to the tour operators and if there's any
:39:40. > :39:46.breaches of the package regulations or fraud we'll pursue further.
:39:47. > :39:52.Thank you very much for talking to us. Shefali Oza will be back
:39:52. > :39:57.tomorrow. Right now, if you want to make sure you are protected on an
:39:57. > :40:00.upcoming holiday, or you've returned from one where things
:40:01. > :40:10.weren't quite as promised, you need to know your stuff, like James
:40:11. > :40:13.
:40:13. > :40:18.Daley. The good news is that from 1st October knowing whether or not
:40:18. > :40:22.you're protected is much easier. By law, every ATOL-protected provider
:40:22. > :40:27.needs to issue you with one of these when you book a holiday. It's
:40:27. > :40:31.a certificate of protection. The other advantage of a certificate is
:40:31. > :40:39.that it contains a unique reference number, so if you need to claim you
:40:39. > :40:43.bring that up. It means if the company goes bust before you leave
:40:43. > :40:49.you'll get your money back if it's protected. But if your holiday
:40:49. > :40:53.company goes bust while you're away, ATOL won't leave you stranded, but
:40:53. > :40:57.get you home as no extra cost. What if you haven't booked a package
:40:57. > :41:01.holiday? Fear not, ATOL may also cover you if you booked flight and
:41:01. > :41:08.accommodation separately and car hire from the same provider. ATOL
:41:08. > :41:13.calls this is the flight plus. Under this, if part of the holiday
:41:13. > :41:17.goes bust, then the seller must replace that holiday or provide a
:41:17. > :41:21.refund. Careful though, airlines are exempt from this, so if you
:41:21. > :41:24.book a hotel through an airline website you wouldn't be covered.
:41:24. > :41:29.What happens if you book the flight and accommodation through separate
:41:29. > :41:33.companies? Well, in that situation ATOL won't protect you. However,
:41:33. > :41:37.your travel insurance might. It's important to check you've got a
:41:37. > :41:41.policy that covers what the industry calls supplier failure.
:41:41. > :41:45.Check the small print. You might also want to book your holiday on a
:41:45. > :41:51.credit card to give you extra protection. What if your holiday
:41:51. > :41:54.isn't quite as you expected? You know, building work, facilities
:41:54. > :41:59.promised that didn't exist? Under the regulations, your holiday needs
:41:59. > :42:03.to be provided as described, whether that's regarding location,
:42:03. > :42:06.cleanliness or the facilities. If you're not happy, report problems
:42:06. > :42:10.as soon as they happen and ask to fill in a written complaints form
:42:10. > :42:13.and take photographs of anything you're unhappy with. You should
:42:13. > :42:16.make a complaint to whichever company gave you your protection,
:42:16. > :42:23.whether it's the tour operator or travel agent, but remember you have
:42:23. > :42:26.a duty to give them a chance to put things right. One last thing, if
:42:26. > :42:34.you are taking out insurance, whether or not you've booked a
:42:34. > :42:38.holiday with an ATOL-protected provider, do so and have happy
:42:38. > :42:45.holidays. To find out more about checking the small print for
:42:45. > :42:49.yourself, check out the links on our website. We've had some big
:42:49. > :42:53.talking points today. To find out what you're responding to here Rani
:42:53. > :42:56.Price. We are getting loads of e- mails about that story on merge
:42:56. > :43:00.companies. Offering perks and incentives to new customers there.
:43:00. > :43:05.But a lot of you are unhappy they offer nothing to existing, loyal
:43:05. > :43:10.customers and more rebeefed mums have been in touch. Quoch thank you
:43:10. > :43:14.for highlighting this. These companies -- "Thank you for
:43:14. > :43:18.highlighting this. The companies don't understand the pain they
:43:18. > :43:23.cause." Thank you. Private parking companies, could drivers still get