Episode 8 Watchdog Daily

Hello and welcome to Watchdog Daily. We are with you live for the next

45 minutes, taking on the companies big and small whose service, value

and promises don't always measure up. This morning: Vodafone, Orange,

T-Mobile - changing their mobile tariffs and failing to warn their

customers. Have you added up all the extra

charges you are paying for? The price tag looks cheap but don't be

tempted. This is a problem product. Anybody using this is going to put

themselves at risk of electrocution. First, mobile phones. Vodafone,

Three, T-Mobile and Orange have all angered customers by raising the

cost of tariffs that people were told were fixed but clauses in the

smallprint of their contracts allow them to do this. Now the industry

regulator is investigating to see whether they are treating customers

fairly. So while we wait for the results, we carried out an

investigation of our own. There are more than 80 million

mobiles throughout the UK. Half of which are on contracts lasting up

to 24 months. These contracts are often fixed which means customers

can't cancel without paying a penalty. The companies can do

almost anything they like. smallprint allows most of the

companies to put the charges up or down, not just by inflation. Some

of them do limit to inflation. There is wide freedom to alter

those charges. Once you agree to those terms and conditions, you

can't cancel without some penalty. In fact, all providers, apart from

O2, have increased pay monthly tariffs for customers on fixed

contracts in the last year. This woman signed up to a 24-month

contract with Vodafone in 2011. 14 months into it, Vodafone put up the

price. On 27th September I got a text from Vodafone advising me that

the line rental would be increasing monthly from 1st November. I was

surprised to have that. I presumed I was in a fixed-rate contract for

the 24-month period. I know I can't break the contracts. I went on to

the web and I had a look at how much it was going to go up. It was

only 60p, but it is not about the money, it is about the fact they

are putting the price up. I can't do anything about that. She was one

of ten million Vodafone customers to receive such a text. Some just a

month after taking out long-term supposedly fixed contracts. The

company says they are allowed to do this as it is in the terms and

conditions. Are these conditions always spelled out to customers?

feel angry. No-one said to me, "Do you realise any time within this

contract period, we can put the price up providing it is only

within a specific range?" None of that was mentioned. At no stage did

anybody say, "You need to refer to our terms and conditions." If the

company has the right to change the price and there is no policy in

place that they are not going to use that right, the customer should

be told a price is fixed but it might go up. If that is left out,

it is misleading. Just as most providers have been increasing

prices, we have been hearing about them reducing benefits. These

companies often use incentives or add-ons to persuade new customers

to sign up or existing ones to stay loyal. Now, these incentives can

range from free broadband to text message bundles. If you are tempted,

beware. Just because they offer them at the start of the contract

doesn't mean they will be available all the way through. David

McWilliam is a cruise ship pianist, a job that takes him abroad for

weeks at a time. So when he was shopping around for a mobile

contract, Vodafone's data traveller package was the clincher. I signed

up to Vodafone for the data traveller product which meant that

for �10 a month while abroad I could keep in touch with home,

through e-mails, contact family. I teach piano in the UK as well so it

means I can - pupils may need to contact me. Just one month after

David took out his 12-month contract, Vodafone removed the

package. Now they have a product called Euro Traveller. For �3 a day

you get access to your home price plan. The package now includes

calls and texts but for David, it works out more expensive because

the �10 he previously paid for a whole month of internet use now

buys him four days. Because I'm away a lot, what used to cost me

�10 a month now comes to �90 a month. Had I known, I don't think I

would have signed up with Vodafone. There were lots of other providers

offering equivalent UK minutes, some even better amount of UK

minutes and a larger amount of data. Meanwhile, Orange pressed ahead

with plans to withdraw its free broadband offer.

Some were told that would be the case for life, but in August they

were informed their broadband could only continue if they signed up to

an Orange landline rental. The deal is �14 a month. I

currently pay �9.19 for my line rental. And if I don't sign up with

that, they will cut me off. Richard was nine months into a 24-month

contract when the change was announced. He is adamant he wasn't

warned this might happen when he renewed his contract. I checked

with the sales person in the shop that the Orange broadband was still

included in the offer to which he said, "Yes, your broadband won't be

affected if you sign up now." I would not have signed the contract

with Orange if I had not got the broadband deal. The companies have

argued that their terms and conditions allow them to change

fixed charges or remove incentives. Shouldn't they warn customers that

they have this power before signing them up? For a consumer who signs

up and the questions they are asking, it clearly indicates they

are signing up because of that service. Rani is here. What do the

companies say? Firstly, Orange told us free broadband for life wasn't a

term used to promote its free broadband offer. It is looking into

the circumstances surrounding the screen-grab image shown in our film.

It says it still offers free home blord band to customers, but they

are -- broadband to customers, but they are now required to switch to

Orange home rental. As for Vodafone, it says the Data Traveller Price

Plan that David McWilliams signed up for wasn't suitable for

customers. However, the old plan is still available for people

travelling outside of Europe. the companies' smallprint may allow

them to change the terms of your contracts, but they should tell you

they have the right to do that when you sign up. Are they doing so?

That is a question for our Mystery Over the course of one day, we sent

our undercover team to two branches of five leading mobile phone

providers. Posing as potential customers, they enquired about the

cost of a 24-month fixed tariff pay monthly contract. But the crucial

question was this. It stays the same for 24 months. How did they

respond? O2. They might not have increased their tariffs recently,

but would they tell us they had the power to do so. This assistant told

us a drop in VAT might lead to a decrease in monthly charges. We

weren't warned about the contract clause stating that O2 reserved the

right to increase those charges at any time. In a second branch, we

were assured the price would remain fixed. Is that going to be the same

for 24 months? It is the same. both branches, the staff gave no

indication the company would change the price even though it is able to.

Did T-Mobile do any better? Is that going to stay the same?

necessarily. A similar clause also states that the price per month can

go up at any time. This first branch didn't mention it and the

second one didn't either. Would that stay at �26 a month? Next

Three? The �29 a month one, does that stay at �29 a month for 24

months does it? Yes. When we visited two branches of Orange, it

was the same story. And so finally to Vodafone. Remember, they had

just increased their prices. So surely they would tell us what

their smallprint allows us to do? How long is the contract? 24 months.

Is that �29 month the same for 24 months? If you stay on the same

tariff. Both branches failed to refer us to the key contract clause

despite us asking the question. Ten branches all failing to give us

sufficient information. If a customer goes in and says they want

to sign up on the basis of a fixed price contract, not to be told that

the term can be altered and leaving the customer with the impression

the price will be fixed is missing out a material piece of information

and that is a breach of the consumer protection legislation.

The reporters were told the price would stay the same. They were

specifically not told the price could or would be raised. If the

prices were then raised, that is misleading. As well as being able

to raise prices, the companies have the power to remove those add-ons

that they use to tempt us into buying contracts. But you guessed

it. They didn't tell us about this either. Not one of them. For a

consumer who signs up and the questions they are asking are

clearly indicating they are signing up because of that service, not to

be the service can be taken away is is a breach of consumer legislation

because you are missing out an important piece of information. The

fact that you have got ten cases where there's incomplete

information being given seems to be evidence of some sort of systematic

problem. That is something Trading Standards might want to look at. It

is something Ofcom might want to look at as well. Ofcom is also

investigating whether the mobile companies are treating customers

fairly. EE, which represents Orange and T-Mobile, told us it looks

forward to working with them. It adds that it is working to improve

transparency for customers at the point-of-sale. As does Vodafone and

Three which says it welcomes Ofcom's efforts to give consumers

greater clarity about what price changes are acceptable.

As for the recent price rises, Vodafone says it is to cover rising

business costs and it always gives customers notice. Three says it is

the first price rise in nine years and is in line with inflation.

Finally, O2. It says it hasn't increased any monthly contract

prices in mid-term. That might explain why the topic wasn't front

of mind for the staff we spoke to. It's sorry we weren't given the

information in the two O2 stores we visited and it will be reminding

stores that prices and additional services can always be subject to

change. If you would like to comment on this, we would love to

hear from you. Our address is Watchdog Daily. To text us it is

88822. Start your message with "WD". If you want to join us on Twitter,

our address and hashtag are on your screens now.

Now, if you were watching yesterday, you will have seen our report about

food product packaging. The viewer who complained about the amount of

Wheat Crunchies she found in this pack. Now, at the end of the report,

we mistakenly named the manufacturer of Wheat Crunchies as

Dairy Crest. We would like to point out that the snack is in fact made

by United Biscuits. Last week, we saw the Consumer Cops

clamping down on the sale of fake designer goods. Today, we join

their colleagues in Cardiff. Here is Rhodri Owen.

Yes, we are talking about counterfeit cosmetics, fake medical

products and dodgy electrical goods. It is a booming industry but one

that is rife with dangers. Ensuring that all the goods on sale are

legitimate and safe is a massive task for teams in Cardiff and in

Bristol. We have on the frontline to see how they are tackling the

problem head-on. It is.30am in Cardiff. In this city, there are

some 11,000 businesses selling to the public. Today, Trading

Standards officers have one of them in their sights. A company trading

electrical goods over the internet. Are they breaching the trademark?

Yes. We will have a list of what we are going to take and what we are

going to leave. Sarah Smith began the investigation weeks ago. It

started with a tip-off from colleagues in Devon that a retailer

on their patch might be selling fake or dangerous products. Today

we are looking at the more unusual products which are electronic dance

mats that go with game consoles and travel adapters. Officers have

already bought goods from the trader that can be sent off for

analysis. This has established they are fake or potentially dangerous,

like this dance mat. One of the test reports - this is for a games

console dance mat. It goes into whether the wiring is OK, whether

there is any potential electric shock hazards, which is one of the

problems identified with this product. With consumers at possible

risk, the investigation takes on a new urgency. The officers head to

the trader's warehouse to confiscate his stock. The only

information we have currently is that we know he imports items

directly from China and then proceeds to sell them on eBay. The

public are potentially in danger which is why when we have found out

the test results, we want to ensure the integrity of the supply chain.

One of the things we will be looking to do is get a product

recall in place for any of these products that may have been sold

over eBay. Across the Severn a similar operation is unfolding.

Police and Trading Standards officers have been tracking another

suspect trader in Bristol. Today, they are ready to act. We have

received some intelligence from the British music industry regarding

illegal copies of DVD. We have a warrant that we will hand over to

the persons at that address. If there is any need for an arrest, we

will make the call to the police officers. The Trading Standards

team believe the suspect is running an illegal DVD copying operation

from his home address. We have gone through a few meetings with the

police to assess the risks because we don't know whether he is a

violent person, we don't know what sort of person we are going to meet.

If we knock at the door, he is not answering, and we suspect there is

somebody in the premises, the police have the power to bash the

door. With police back-up in place, she serves the warrant. I'm a

Trading Standards officer with Bristol City Council. We are here

to inspect your premises. We have had some intelligence about films

and DVDs. Although the suspect isn't at home, his wife lets them

in without objection. And once inside, she and her team realise

they have uncovered a major counterfeiting operation. 4,000

discs containing music, movies and games. All illegally copied and all

stored in one living room. Later, our cameras follow the Consumer

Cops as they confront the owner of all those goods. Before that, has

your council tax been frozen this year? Chances are it has as

hundreds of local authorities have kept council tax unchanged, some

for the third year running. That doesn't necessarily mean you are

better off. Many of them have been clawing money back by racking up

their fees on everything from parking, to school dinners, to the

cost of burial plots. As authorities find ever-increasing

ways to make up for lost income, we ask how much is your council

actually costing you? Did you know nearly one in five councils has got

rid of its pest control service? And that some of those who do still

provide one now charge more for it? Yes, if you are in Gloucester and

you have a rat problem, calling out the council's pest controllers will

set you back �40 for the first visit when it used to be free. What

about the fact that nearly a third of all councils now charge for

collecting green waste including Wokingham in Berkshire, one of the

latest to start asking you to pay? The cost there, �60 a year. As for

you drivers, some councils have raised their parking charges by as

much as 400%. Well, there might be a good reason for that. Councils

are not going to be putting up posters in front of town halls,

saying they are putting charges up. They are not going to want to do

that. But I think people will notice the charges. At least we can

choose whether to drive or call out pest control. But some other

increased charges are harder to avoid, like those for social care

services, such as Meals on Wheels and transport to day-care centres.

So why are we having to put up with it? The Government is holding down

council tax so it can only go up by typically 1-2% a year at most. The

Government is also cutting the grants that it gives to councils

substantially so with those two major income sources frozen or

falling, then either councils have to cut services, or they will need

to put up the fees and charges where they can. In Sefton another

charge could be about to rise significantly. The council is due

to vote on whether to increase the cost of burials and cremations by

more than 20%. That means from next April, it could cost the bereaved

�900 to buy a plot from the council. I feel it's just disgraceful that

Sefton are targeting bereaved families. Some parts of my local

area, there are people who are particularly finding it difficult

to cope with the day-to-day living costs. They can't plan for a

funeral. The fees went up by a large percentage last year as well.

I don't think it is appropriate. The bereavement services from

Sefton Council should be a service, not a profit-making business.

Government has cut its grants to local authorities and wants council

tax freezes to continue. It says councils should save money through

greater efficiency. But if they don't manage to do that, it looks

like the public will have to continue making up the financial

shortfall with even more increased charges. Joining me now is the

councillor from the Local Government Association. Is that

what is going to happen? Residents will have to make up this shortfall

for years to come? It is for local councils to make local choices.

They know best what they need to do to balance their budgets. It is a

mixture of raising revenue and reducing costs and councils are

doing that. A lot of the services being hit are essential services -

Meals on Wheels, things that people can't do without? Councils have to

provide many services, safeguarding children, filling in potholes for

instance. There is a choice. The Government have reduced funding to

local governments by 20 to 28%. We are freezing council tax. And there

is local choices on how you balance the books. Is it fair that some of

these services - essential ones - things that people can't do without

- the elderly, people who are least able to pay, they are being hit,

the cost of a meal going up by �1.50. It is a lot? I think it is

important to point out these meals are still subsidised. Some councils

are cutting those subsidies? Absolutely. They are not making

profits out of these services. They are taking choices on how much

subsidy they can put to certain services and then invest in others.

It is about a balance locally. Local councils know best what works

for their area. They put the choices to the electorate. It is

turning into a postcode lottery, isn't it? You call it postcode

lottery. Localism in action, local councils taking the decisions. Yes,

they are tough decisions. But decisions locally which they think

will be best for their communities. Make more efficiencies. Is that not

possible to save people all this extra cost? Absolutely. Councils

are doing it. Already, we have saved - councils have saved �1.4

billion in staff costs across-the- board. You can only go so far with

efficiencies without cutting services. It is people who provide

services. They are the main cost for councils. If you haven't got

people, you haven't got a service. Thank you.

Let's see what the councils mentioned in our report have to say

about those price hikes. Thank you. Gloucester City Council

told us its pest control charges are the result of having to

introduce significant cuts. Over the past three years, it's had to

achieve �6 million worth of savings and further reductions are

anticipated next year. As for Wokingham, it told us it is the

worst funded local authority in England. It says a large majority

of residents support its green ways collection scheme which has enabled

it to maintain essential services. Finally, Sefton Council says the

increase in cremation costs will be discussed tomorrow. No decisions

have been made, but to balance next year's budget it must find �43.7

million on top of �64 million already saved. It says it offers a

valuable and supportive service to bereaved families and that

cremation and burial fees make up only a small percentage of the

average funeral cost. Earlier, we featured two undercover

operations both designed to seize counterfeit goods being sold over

the internet. Consumer Cops in Cardiff are on the trail of

dangerous electrical products and in Bristol, they have uncovered a

treasure-trove of fake films, music and games with a street value

totalling more than �30,000 and the officers are about to confront the

trader. Let's join Rhodri again. The trader

wasn't around when the officers entered his home. As they started

removing the confiscated goods, he makes an appearance. No comment.

Although initially untalkative, the trader soon begins giving the team

information they are looking for. He seems to have admitted the fact

that we have sort of caught him out. And he's told us where the other

copies, illegal copies are stored in the loft. I think this is just

about a quarter of what we think we have got in there. This is one

section, one wall. We have got four walls and the middle bits as well!

These are films, X borks, Wi, games, -- Xbox, Wi, games. We also have a

couple of monitors. We have DVD writers. There are still a hold lot

of other copies in there. So yeah, it will take some time. In fact, it

takes five hours with officers having to send for more cars in

which to fit the sheer volume of counterfeits. Some 4,500 products

in all. We have a van, don't we, an office van? We are trying the

organise that. Following this operation, the dealer has been

invited in for an interview and investigations are still ongoing.

It was one of Colette's biggest counterfeit seizures. You expect a

domestic premises to have probably a computer, DVD writer, which you

have to take away. To see this many copies ready and we have got

evidence of him having put an address, the different customers

that are waiting for these discs, which we have also seized. There's

a lot of people don't know that Trading Standards are concerned

about things like this that are going on and it is to protect the

community. I think it does send out a message that we are out there and

we will find you. Back in Cardiff, the Trading Standards team are on

their way to a warehouse they believe contains fake and dangerous

goods. As they arrive, the trader is there to meet them. We have had

the results back now. Unfortunately, they fail the relevant safety tests.

All of them? I wanted to go through that with you. Before I run this

business, I called Trading Standards. I asked my staff...

owner seems to think the officers are there to provide free business

advice. That is not their immediate concern. We can certainly help you

with that. What we have to sort out today, we are aware now that some

products that we sampled from you have failed safety tests. That is

the priority number one. Today, is about resolving this situation.

About potentially unsafe products. OK. Upstairs, they see the scale of

the trader's operation. The warehouse contains the dangerous

dance mats and adapters as well as other branded products the officers

think might be fake. I believe this will breach trademarks in terms of

Nintendo and Wii. These six or seven items, I will be taking as

well today. Where have these come from? This one I think I bought

from... I'm worried that this is breaching Microsoft again. We will

also test this as well for safety. Despite the findings, the owner

protests his innocence claiming that much of his stock has been

inherited. I don't know what's wrong about me, because I just take

this business from other people a few months ago. I want to make

everything OK, but I still have problems. It is hard for me to

understand what is wrong. By the end of the day, the officers

have seized 600 items. But this operation is not over yet.

owner was co-operative and helpful with us. He identified to us where

the stock was. He got it out so we could process it and bag it and

remove it. I think it's been very successful. We have come here and

achieved what we wanted to do. We have removed the unsafe products

from the market and we will do further checks. We will find out

what happens later. Now an update on Monday's story about Persimmon

Homes. Lots of new homebuyers have been in touch but we have heard

from a group of owners all from one particular estate in Sussex. For

years, they have been battling to get a water feature fixed. The

delay has been bad enough, but now Persimmon wants them to pay.

This is the water feature the residents were expecting. The most

fantastic water feature of its kind. This is the one they got. It is

just not good enough. I have lived here since 2004. This water feature

has no water in it! This is rain water. It is an eyesore. It looks

like this for most of the year. When it is up and running, it lasts

for a month and the lights blow. The fountains stop working. To

change the lights, you have to drain the water down. It goes on

and on. The residents all have to look at this. When the homes were

built in 2002, the residents agreed to sign up to a yearly service

charge for the fountain. Due to some maintenance issues, they were

never asked to pay. In 2006, Persimmon took over the development.

Six years on, they say it is time for the residents to start shelling

out. We are happy to pay. We all bought our houses knowing that. We

want to pay for a water feature that has water in it and works for

a period of time. We all bought in to a water feature that was

supposed to enhance our property and our living here. This doesn't

do that. Persimmon have given all 369 homeowners a deadline to sign a

new agreement. And take over responsibility for the feature.

With so many problems, they have been unable to say exactly how much

it will cost to fix the fountain and keep it running. We think it is

grossly unfair, the situation they are putting us into. We would have

expected from a developer of that size to have a moral obligation to

hand something over to the residents that was functioning,

looked nice, that worked. And to ask us to take responsibility for

and to pay for, this as it is now, it is shocking. Well Persimmon say

that apart from occasional drainage, their records show the water

feature had been in continuous use until the end of last year. A leak

meant that it had to be drained for repair work. It wasn't refilled

because of a local water ban. And the need for further maintenance.

Persimmon say they have agreed to deposit funds for the recoating.

They say they provided residents with certified accounts for the

period of March 2011 to April 2012. They have undertaken an independent

survey of the feature and say it will be in working order before

being passed to residents' control. In the weeks leading up to

Christmas, many shoppers will be tempted to sign up for storecards,

especially those offering discounts on presents you may be buying. But

beware. The cost of using one of these cards could wipe out any of

your initial findings. Let's hear Storecards. Also available online.

They work a bit like a credit card. But can come with added extras such

as 10% off your shop, or a voucher to spend, or invitations to special

events in the store. What's the catch? Well, just like a credit

card, you are charged interest. What is known as the APR. It is an

interest rate thing. Annual something repayment. I don't know.

Percentage repayment? Annual Percentage Rate. Yes, APR stands

for Annual Percentage Rate. It essentially indicates the price at

which you can borrow money and allows you to compare the true cost

of different forms of credit. For a typical storecard, the APR might be

29.9%. Compare that to a typical credit card rate of 17% and it is

almost double so using a storecard could prove an expensive way of

shopping. How much more expensive? Let's do the maths. If I were to

buy this outfit straightaway, with cash or a debit card, it would cost

me �200, the price on the label. But perhaps I would be offered a

storecard with various incentives, maybe I could get a discount of 10%.

10% is �20. So with that discount I could obtain this for �180. A nice

saving. The problem is I now have to start paying it back. This is

where it could get expensive. The first month's interest is almost �4.

If I make the minimum payment each month, and in the first month I

have to pay off only �5.77. But continuing to make the minimum

payment, it will take me five-and- a-half years to clear everything

because of the monthly added interest and in total, I would pay

�345. That is �145 more than the original cash price of �200. It

doesn't take long to wipe out any special deals of discounts you

might get when you sign up for a storecard. There is a way to beat

interest rates and use the storecards to your advantage.

Suppose you get a 10% discount on a cash price of �200 and pay it off

in equal instalments each month. If you pay it off in eight months or

less, then you will pay less than �200. If you spread it over nine

months or more, you will pay more than the cash price of �200. And

the longer you spread it, the more it costs. Of course, each retailer

may offer a different discount so it is always worth checking the

smallprint. If no discount is offered, and you don't pay off the

full amount each month, just like with the credit card, then you will

end up paying more. Dr John Haigh. He knows his stuff.

If you want more information on comparing interest rates between

different types of credit cards, visit bbc.co.uk/watchdog. Now, it

is time for today's last visit to South Wales. We followed the

Consumer Cops. Those goods were not only fake, but they were also

dangerous. How much of a risk did they pose to unsuspecting buyers?

Here is Rhodri. The officers in Cardiff confiscated

600 items from this warehouse. But it was certain electrical goods,

like this fake PS3 charger that gave the most cause for concern.

This is a typical product that we have seized. It is a two-pin flat

plug and not a conventional UK plug. If someone tried to force that in,

it could have repercussions for electrical shock and injury.

PS3 charger is sent to this lab for thorough safety tests along with a

fake PSP adapter and Xbox slim adapter. We are looking for

protection against electric shocks. This is protecting users and people

that come into contact with this to make sure they remain safe.

Compliance Service Manager Richard begins by carrying out an

electrical strength test. We will use these two probes here. On our

screen, it will tell us the applied voltage and the leakage current.

The first test is on a counterfeit X borks 360 -- Xbox 360 slim

adapter. We have a genuine test failure. Once the adapter is taken

apart, more problems become apparent. Like this one with a

circuit board. It is difficult to say whether there would be an

electrocution risk with this. The design is not in accordance with

the standard. It is very deficient. I wouldn't want to be using this.

The next product to be tested is a counterfeit PSP adapter. We have a

leakage current well above two. We have a failed condition on there.

There may be some insulation problems inside. The conclusion is

alarming when he does examine the interior. This is a problem product.

There is insufficient isolation in the transformer, there is

insufficient design on the circuit board. Anybody using this will put

themselves at an increased risk of electrocution. He also went on to

test a fake charger. It meant all three products failed their safety

tests. The fact that they are on the market is a particular worry

for us. The other worry is the enforcement authorities do a

fantastic job, but this could be the tip of the iceberg. Nobody

should be subjected to a risk of electrocution when they go to use a

product like this. You should be able to use it safely. Joining me

now is Sarah Smith from Cardiff Trading Standards. The risk of

electrocution is terrifying. Is there an update on the trader

selling the goods we just saw? are awaiting a bit more information.

What we want to know is perhaps how widespread the supply of any of

those products have gone and that may have a bearing on the decision

we then choose to take with him in terms of enforcement action.

must stress the products we are talking about are counterfeit. We

are not talking about those produced by legitimate

manufacturers and sold by reputable shops or on reputable websites?

That is quite correct. Quite often, these products come in from abroad

and outside of Europe. And they generally tend to be counterfeit

products taken off more well nen brands. What is the -- Well-known

brands. What is the best way for consumers to know they are buying

legitimate goods? Look at where it is coming from. That will perhaps

be more of an indication that it might not comply with UK or

European legislation. The price as well. When they are cheap, that is

an indication that they might not be that safe. Other things - look

at the packaging, look at the language that is on there. There

are some really good examples here that would perhaps tell you it

might not be up to scratch. This one here says "attention, do not

place adapter into hot, humid or under straight sunshine" -

meaningless and there are spelling mistakes as well. That will give

you a good idea that it is not all that it seems to be. Thank you very

much. Be careful what you buy. Lots of

talking points today. Which of our stories has got you going?

It is the one about mobile companies raising tariffs for

people on fixed contracts. Now, Laura says, "I can't believe these

companies with increase their charges when it suits them. I was

not notified beforehand." Brad says, "Raising charges without warning

customers when they sign up should be illegal." Peter, "If your

contract is altered, you should be able to cancel without charge."

Lots of you also unhappy about councils raising their charges as

well. Thank you so much. More tomorrow.

That is all we have time for today. Tomorrow, buying from John Lewis,

Curry's or Argos, you better know your rights as those stores don't.