:00:10. > :00:11.Fitness First, we expose their Fitness First, we expose their
:00:11. > :00:15.shocking sales tactics. British shocking sales tactics. British
:00:15. > :00:21.Airways, easyJet, we reveal the truth about their special offers.
:00:21. > :00:25.Plus Holiday Inn, B&Q and the iPhone 4S. We've asked lots of questions;
:00:25. > :00:35.so very odd answers. It's watchdog, the programme you cannot
:00:35. > :00:46.
:00:47. > :00:54.Yes, hello and good evening. Welcome Yes, hello and good evening. Welcome
:00:54. > :00:57.to watchdog. We are live, as usual, from Television Centre. Tonight:
:00:57. > :01:01.Undercover at Fitness First, how they break the rules when signing
:01:01. > :01:06.you up. Consumers are not being given these contract terms to read
:01:06. > :01:10.through and that's outrageous. Also tonight, when
:01:10. > :01:14.sale not a sale? When British Airways advertise price cuts
:01:14. > :01:18.this. Plus Crowne Plaza, Marriott, Holiday
:01:18. > :01:22.Inn, staying with one of them over Easter? Best leave your laptop
:01:22. > :01:27.home. And the iPhone 4S, Apple promised your own personal
:01:27. > :01:31.assistant. Pity he can't answer even simple questions. Well, does he know
:01:31. > :01:35.where we can find a decent gardener? Someone who comes with the
:01:35. > :01:42.tools and doesn't have a fight a tree stump, because we could
:01:42. > :01:50.certainly do with one. He is just laying on his back now and Kung Fu
:01:51. > :01:59.kicking it. It's unbelievable. BLEEP.
:01:59. > :02:00.Yes, you don't mess with Lawrence of Yes, you don't mess with Lawrence of
:02:00. > :02:02.Arboria working for Buildline Arboria working for Buildline
:02:02. > :02:02.Arboria working for Buildline Landscapes of north London, and be
:02:02. > :02:03.Landscapes of north London, and be Landscapes of north London, and be
:02:03. > :02:07.Yes, you don't very careful if you are dealing
:02:07. > :02:13.the man in charge of that Chris Marino, because
:02:14. > :02:17.Before that, British Airways, Before that, British Airways,
:02:17. > :02:22.easyJet, Thomas Cook, they've all had sales on lately but if you took
:02:22. > :02:26.advantage to get a good deal, prepared for a shock. I may not
:02:26. > :02:29.an expert in all things linguistic but when I see the world "sale",
:02:29. > :02:34.expect that to mean lower than usual prices for a limited period in
:02:34. > :02:38.I can bag myself a bargain. Or, to put it another way, prices will be
:02:38. > :02:43.cheaper during the sale than before or after. But when it comes to some
:02:43. > :02:47.of our best known airlines, not always the case.
:02:47. > :02:51.Graham Wright booked two flights in Graham Wright booked two flights in
:02:52. > :02:56.the British Airways winter sale in January. That was for a trip to St
:02:56. > :02:59.Petersburg this month. My wife has a landmark birthday in April. I
:02:59. > :03:04.on the British Airways website because I knew the sale was on and
:03:04. > :03:08.saw there were only five seats remaining to St Petersburg at �580,
:03:08. > :03:13.so I thought I had better book them now because otherwise the price
:03:13. > :03:16.be going up when the sale ends and these five seats have gone. But
:03:16. > :03:23.week later, after the sale had finished, Graham looked at the
:03:23. > :03:27.prices again. So then decided as it's a landmark birthday maybe we
:03:27. > :03:33.should upgrade the flight to make it a bit more special so I went back
:03:33. > :03:38.onto the website and saw that flights were now �200 cheaper. I was
:03:38. > :03:44.angry and shocked, duped into buying them then because there were only
:03:44. > :03:51.five remaining at that price. One angry customer, one strange sale. Is
:03:51. > :03:55.BA allowed to do this? BA may be contravening the consumer protection
:03:55. > :04:00.from unfair trading regulations that it is falsely suggesting that
:04:00. > :04:04.product is only available reduced price for a limited period,
:04:04. > :04:10.so that it encourages the to take an immediate decision to
:04:10. > :04:12.purchase, rather than reflecting properly on the transaction.
:04:13. > :04:17.We found other airlines potentially We found other airlines potentially
:04:17. > :04:23.committing similar breaches, like Thomas Cook. Sharon Jackson
:04:23. > :04:27.monitored the price of her flights to Turkey throughout its sale in
:04:27. > :04:32.October. On the very day that sale ended she bagged herself a flight
:04:32. > :04:38.for �201 only to discover, less than 24 hours later, a seat for the same
:04:38. > :04:45.flight was more than �50 cheaper. But that's nothing compared with
:04:45. > :04:46.Cricket lover Nicholas Waldock was Cricket lover Nicholas Waldock was
:04:46. > :04:47.Cricket lover Nicholas Waldock was planning to watch England's Test
:04:47. > :04:48.planning to watch England's Test planning to watch England's Test
:04:48. > :04:53.Cricket lover Nicholas match in Sri Lanka in March.
:04:53. > :04:58.there was a three-day global sale he began monitoring online prices with
:04:59. > :05:01.Qatar Airways. The prices time were �510 to Colombo. The first
:05:01. > :05:07.day of the sale we looked at the website, expecting prices
:05:07. > :05:12.come down but in fact they had gone up to �573. Yep, you heard that
:05:12. > :05:16.right, the price was �63 more expensive during the sale. We left
:05:16. > :05:20.it for a couple of days towards end of the sale but realised the
:05:20. > :05:24.prices weren't going to change so we took the plunge and bought the
:05:24. > :05:30.tickets at that price. You can probably guess what happened next,
:05:30. > :05:35.the sale ended and just hours later the ticket prices dropped by �78 to
:05:35. > :05:39.�495 each. We were very, very angry. We did feel very misled. We felt the
:05:39. > :05:44.promotion had misled consumers completely and we wanted some sort
:05:44. > :05:51.of explanation. Sadly Qatar Airways didn't provide one. When Nick
:05:51. > :05:55.contacted them, they simply replied: fares are subject to
:05:55. > :06:01.depending on the seat availability. But should they be? The airlines
:06:01. > :06:05.claim that the price may fluctuate due to supply and demand. It's not
:06:05. > :06:10.applicable here. If demand has gone up during the sale then by the end
:06:10. > :06:14.of the sale there will be fewer seats available and so logically the
:06:14. > :06:19.price ought to go up even higher after the sale. In fact, the price
:06:19. > :06:25.A trend we thought we would put to A trend we thought we would put to
:06:25. > :06:26.A trend we thought we would put to To find out how volatile its prices
:06:26. > :06:27.To find out how volatile its prices To find out how volatile its prices
:06:27. > :06:34.A trend we can be, we monitored
:06:34. > :06:38.its leap year sale in February. The message in the ad was clear: get in
:06:38. > :06:43.early as prices may rise during the sale period, and book before
:06:43. > :06:45.midnight on Wednesday when the sale ends.
:06:45. > :06:50.18 flights did go up after the sale, 18 flights did go up after the sale,
:06:50. > :06:55.but two didn't. So, say I had wanted to book a flight from Manchester to
:06:55. > :07:01.Tenerife on Saturday 2nd June 2012, well, if I booked early on day one,
:07:01. > :07:07.because remember prices may rise, I would have paid �186.46.
:07:07. > :07:14.have been a bargain? No, because by day four of the sale the price has
:07:14. > :07:19.gone down to �140.99. So, have kept my nerve and seen if
:07:19. > :07:24.price would drop any further, but it didn't. In fact, by the sixth
:07:24. > :07:33.final day of the sale, the warning about price rises came true and
:07:33. > :07:37.cost had shot back up to �191.99. So, should I have booked
:07:37. > :07:43.before midnight when the sale ended? It's a good thing I didn't because
:07:43. > :07:47.the very next day, with the sale now over, the price was �6 cheaper. It
:07:47. > :07:51.is certainly confusing, airlines know it. When they
:07:51. > :07:55.advertise a sale price, they tell us what the previous price was.
:07:55. > :08:02.It means we don't know if we are getting a good deal or not and it
:08:02. > :08:06.means they are potentially consumer law. Breach of regulation 6
:08:06. > :08:11.can lead to administrative sanctions being taken or even a prosecution
:08:11. > :08:15.for a criminal offence. There is no reason at all for airline ticket
:08:15. > :08:22.sellers not to have to comply with these provisions. They apply to
:08:22. > :08:24.traders in general and airlines should comply with the requirements.
:08:24. > :08:28.Rebecca Willcox reporting there. Rebecca Willcox reporting there.
:08:28. > :08:32.Now, BA says it takes its legal obligations seriously and
:08:32. > :08:36.to Graham Wright. It says: this was an isolated incident and not an
:08:36. > :08:39.attempt to mislead. His should have cost more after the sale
:08:39. > :08:42.ended but declining demand and competition meant they maintained
:08:42. > :08:47.lower price. Thomas Cook says prices can vary at any
:08:47. > :08:50.the number of seats left and the departure date but Sharon Jackson's
:08:50. > :08:57.case was exceptional and they refunded the price difference and
:08:57. > :09:03.provided her with free inflight meals. Qatar Airlines apologises and
:09:03. > :09:10.says the confusion was due to two different sales promotions running
:09:10. > :09:14.at the same time. Only a small number of passengers on the easyJet
:09:14. > :09:24.flight will end up paying more, say, and the airline will now
:09:24. > :09:30.
:09:30. > :09:33.the difference. .
:09:33. > :09:37.Coming up, Britain's health clubs Coming up, Britain's health clubs
:09:37. > :09:43.under investigation by the government. Our cameras undercover
:09:43. > :09:46.at Fitness First. Its boss has questions to answer.
:09:46. > :09:51.Now, spring's here, the sap is Now, spring's here, the sap is
:09:51. > :09:55.rising, the garden needs Feeling active? Whip out the mower
:09:55. > :10:05.and shears. Feeling lazy? Call the professionals, but be careful
:10:05. > :10:11.
:10:11. > :10:15.who you choose because some have some very funny ideas.
:10:15. > :10:20.It's the height of garden cool, It's the height of garden cool,
:10:20. > :10:25.relaxing and tranquil, the contemporary Japanese style. This
:10:26. > :10:35.goes down a storm with the smart set you know but some others have yet
:10:35. > :10:41.catch up. What no landscape, based on Japanese
:10:41. > :10:46.paintings of hillsides and reduced in size to fit the available space.
:10:46. > :10:51.I wish they had done a painting of a barbecue and blownup arm chair.
:10:51. > :10:58.That's what is missing. He might right. Tell you what, there's
:10:58. > :11:02.personal touch there. That's better. Yes, another man with very different
:11:02. > :11:11.garden ideas is Chris Marino, operating round north London he used
:11:11. > :11:14.to run a company called Garden Base Ltd. Looks can be
:11:14. > :11:19.Marino has no connection with a major retailer or any other
:11:19. > :11:24.companies which may have similar names. He now runs Buildline
:11:25. > :11:29.Landscapes, the trading name of Lloyds Mint Ltd, and he
:11:29. > :11:33.connection with Jenny him and his team last August.
:11:34. > :11:38.Right, what exactly did you want to have done? Well, I wanted new
:11:38. > :11:42.pathways and a new patio area at the back and a wider path. At what
:11:42. > :11:45.stage then did you start to think: hold on, this is not quite right. I
:11:45. > :11:49.just said to my son, I think you ought to get over here and have a
:11:50. > :11:55.look. He said: this isn't right. What have they done here? Oh, he
:11:55. > :11:59.said, this is just rubbish. And no wonder he wasn't impressed. Partway
:11:59. > :12:03.through the job, the walls weren't straight, bricks not cut properly
:12:03. > :12:06.and the patio was a mess. Marino claimed there was nothing wrong with
:12:06. > :12:09.the work carried out by his lads. However, after an argument with
:12:09. > :12:16.Jenny's son he agreed to send so-called expert
:12:16. > :12:22.right. The result? It was worse even than it was before. There were
:12:22. > :12:26.bricks that were loose, not cut properly, some steps seemed to
:12:26. > :12:30.higher than others. The walls up side of the path were not straight.
:12:30. > :12:38.Nearly two months after they started work, and despite Jenny's concerns,
:12:38. > :12:42.Chris Marino claimed the job was a good un, and the charge? �12,000.
:12:42. > :12:45.Have you spoken to somebody else to get it right? Yes, I have spoken to
:12:45. > :12:49.three other landscape gardeners and they've told me roughly what it
:12:49. > :12:51.would cost to put it right. Which is what? Round about �6,000.
:12:51. > :13:00.Jenny, would you like me Chris Marino and possibly
:13:00. > :13:02.him? I would. Well that's will do.
:13:02. > :13:06.�12,000? These gardens don't come �12,000? These gardens don't come
:13:06. > :13:10.cheap. And Chris Marino is not just a shoddy noddy. It turns out
:13:10. > :13:18.been taking money out of people's accounts without their say-so.
:13:18. > :13:25.Trading Standards have investigated him twice. It's time to see the cut
:13:25. > :13:29.of his jib. Hey? Let's secret film him. Oh that, yes, sorry. To
:13:29. > :13:35.fair, it is what we always do. You know, secretly film, so we need an
:13:35. > :13:44.old lady, a load of cameras, big garden and an expert
:13:45. > :13:48.Hello, Mark. Hello. Good to see Hello, Mark. Hello. Good to see
:13:48. > :13:51.you. Nice bike. Thanks, mate. You've had a look at the garden
:13:51. > :13:56.then, what do you make of it? It's very straightforward, a big garden,
:13:56. > :14:00.needs a lot of work doing to it we've identified three projects that
:14:00. > :14:02.need doing straightaway. There's a hazel stump to take out, right in
:14:02. > :14:09.the middle of the garden. There's an old fruit tree on the right-hand
:14:09. > :14:15.side, and a laurel that needs cutting down to ground level. A bit
:14:15. > :14:25.more scrub, some rubble, plastic guttering, a steady day's work for
:14:25. > :14:25.
:14:25. > :14:33.one man. In terms of cost? I would say max350. OK, we will crack
:14:33. > :14:39.then. Can I give you anywhere? No, that's very kind but
:14:39. > :14:44.he gets a bit funny. Cheers, Mark. No problem. OK, we are teeing off.
:14:44. > :14:49.Home owner Alison is practising her swing. Coming up the drive is Chris
:14:49. > :14:54.Marino, check out his little buggy. He is charging us �12 just for a
:14:54. > :15:01.quote. Par for the course apparently. He is coming! That's
:15:01. > :15:06.enough about golf. My name is Chris. Formalities out of the way,
:15:06. > :15:10.Alison shows him the garden. Everything tidied up
:15:10. > :15:17.horticulturally? See all this rubble stuff over there - OK.
:15:17. > :15:21.Could you clear that away for me? We can do, yes. Go on, show him our
:15:21. > :15:27.stump. We will cut it down to ground level, then inject a poison
:15:27. > :15:36.into it. Nice. Who is he getting to tackle this monumental challenge?
:15:36. > :15:42.it Titchmarsh? Lawrence is a great horticulturalist, grade
:15:42. > :15:52.been doing it all his life. Now for the all-important price.
:15:52. > :15:59.waste removal, which is 165. Squeeze my sectures, including VAT that's a
:15:59. > :16:04.whopping �1,100 for a simple tidyup. Pay by credit card. You have to
:16:04. > :16:09.pay before? Half before and half when the job is done. OK, we agree
:16:09. > :16:16.to pay him �550 but guess what, later that day he takes the entire
:16:16. > :16:19.sum from our account. He is not just for hire, he is a very naughty boy.
:16:19. > :16:22.Yes, actually he is a bit worse than Yes, actually he is a bit worse than
:16:22. > :16:24.naughty because the courts have already warned him not to take money
:16:24. > :16:30.from people's accounts without their approval, so it seems Chris
:16:30. > :16:35.is up to his old tricks, where payment is concerned. But has he
:16:35. > :16:39.learned a lesson when it comes to workmanship? Join us in the garden
:16:39. > :16:43.in about ten minutes. Next, Fitness First, LA Fitness,
:16:43. > :16:47.between them more than 600,000 members in the UK. Now, the
:16:47. > :16:50.of Fair Trading is currently investigating gym chains to make
:16:50. > :16:55.sure they are not breaking the law when it comes
:16:55. > :17:02.procedures but surely the biggest chain is playing it by the book.
:17:02. > :17:06.Well, you would hope so. First each year and we have been
:17:06. > :17:09.hearing from members who wish they hadn't. I signed up to Fitness
:17:09. > :17:12.First, they were promoting a summer deal for four months which suited
:17:12. > :17:16.really well because I the end of that period. I spoke to
:17:16. > :17:20.them over the phone originally and then went in and signed up,
:17:20. > :17:24.the paperwork, and away I went. I went to join Fitness First in
:17:24. > :17:27.autumn and I wanted a four-month contract. I specifically was
:17:27. > :17:31.after four months, which the end of January, your
:17:31. > :17:35.will be over, and if you want can renew it. So as far as I was
:17:35. > :17:38.concerned, at the end of January, that would be it. But for these
:17:38. > :17:44.members neither contracts they believed it had. Four
:17:44. > :17:49.after the end date, the gym took another payment from her bank. I
:17:49. > :17:54.called and spoke to the Fitness First representative and he said I
:17:54. > :17:58.was supposed to give one month's notice if I wanted
:17:58. > :18:02.cancelled which was never made clear. So I agreed to that, said OK
:18:02. > :18:08.I give my one month's notice, then he said now because it extends
:18:08. > :18:17.1st March you will have to pay for the rest of March. So Katia had to
:18:17. > :18:21.pay another two months' fees, �90, to get out of her contract but for
:18:21. > :18:25.Charlotte it was even worse. It was only after about a year that I
:18:25. > :18:29.realised they had taken almost �450 out of my account. Both had been
:18:29. > :18:34.caught out by Fitness First's strict cancellation policy but they
:18:34. > :18:37.got to know about that policy after they had signed up. When I was
:18:37. > :18:41.signing up I wasn't shown any terms and conditions. I was quickly given
:18:41. > :18:45.the contract to sign. The employee filled in all my details so I didn't
:18:45. > :18:48.get any time to look at it at all. A gym chain signing people up
:18:48. > :18:56.without showing them the terms and conditions first? Aren't there rules
:18:56. > :18:59.about that? Actually, yes, and here they are, the guidance of unfair
:18:59. > :19:03.terms agreement. This was published by the Office of Fair Trading in
:19:03. > :19:05.2002 and when you read through it, it clearly says that the gym should
:19:05. > :19:09.give any potential member the opportunity to read and understand
:19:09. > :19:14.their terms before they come bound by them. Now, we've already heard of
:19:14. > :19:18.two cases where Fitness to do that. Will we find anymore?
:19:18. > :19:27.Time for a watchdog undercover investigation. Welcome to Fitness
:19:27. > :19:31.First. Two researchers, ten branches and a road trip around the UK.
:19:31. > :19:35.We wanted to find out just how We wanted to find out just how
:19:35. > :19:42.upfront staff are about all that contractual small print. The answer?
:19:42. > :19:44.In fact, none of the ten branches In fact, none of the ten branches
:19:45. > :19:51.offered to show us the details.
:19:51. > :19:52.We had to ask for them. At the We had to ask for them. At the
:19:52. > :19:53.We had to ask for them. At the Hammersmith branch in London, we
:19:53. > :19:57.Hammersmith branch in London, we Hammersmith branch in London, we
:19:58. > :20:07.We had to were told no such thing existed.
:20:08. > :20:09.
:20:09. > :20:19.He did eventually produce them. He He did eventually produce them. He
:20:19. > :20:25.then expected us to read the entire 2,295 words in just 33 seconds.
:20:25. > :20:28.Incredibly, in five of the branches staff ticked the box on our behalf,
:20:28. > :20:34.certifying that we had read the terms and conditions, even
:20:34. > :20:39.hadn't. You have already ticked terms and conditions. In two
:20:39. > :20:46.branches, Bristol and London Embankment, they said they would
:20:46. > :20:48.send the contract to us, but we had signed up.
:20:48. > :20:51.In terms of presenting the terms as In terms of presenting the terms as
:20:51. > :20:54.a whole to customers, the should have an opportunity to
:20:54. > :20:58.through those terms. Consumers are not being given these
:20:58. > :21:01.to read through. The people trying to sell them the memberships are
:21:01. > :21:06.pretending that they've read them by ticking the box themselves, in place
:21:06. > :21:09.of the person signing up. That's fairly outrageous. So we've seen
:21:09. > :21:12.the OFT guidance on terms and conditions isn't being followed but
:21:12. > :21:16.what about another section in this document, the one that says that
:21:16. > :21:22.gyms should make an effort to highlight and explain important
:21:22. > :21:25.contractual provisions? Now, if you have a direct debit with Fitness
:21:25. > :21:29.First your membership will continue beyond the expiry date unless you
:21:29. > :21:33.contact them to cancel it, plus have to get in touch with them
:21:33. > :21:38.whole month before you want it to end. Pretty important parts of the
:21:38. > :21:41.contract, I would say, but not all the staff shared that view.
:21:41. > :21:44.Only five branches volunteered the Only five branches volunteered the
:21:44. > :21:49.fact our membership would automatically roll over. One gym,
:21:49. > :21:54.Cardiff, failed to tell us at all, and four only told us after we had
:21:54. > :21:57.asked them about it. .
:21:57. > :21:57.Two branches didn't mention anything Two branches didn't mention anything
:21:57. > :21:58.Two branches didn't mention anything about the month's notice we would
:21:58. > :22:00.about the month's notice we would about the month's notice we would
:22:00. > :22:04.Two branches didn't have to give to cancel. One of the
:22:04. > :22:09.things the consumer protection from unfair trading regulations says is
:22:09. > :22:12.that you can't material information. If the company
:22:12. > :22:16.doesn't show any terms and conditions or doesn't run through
:22:16. > :22:20.the main important points verbally then they are actually deceiving in
:22:20. > :22:26.terms of the overall presentation. Gym membership doesn't come cheap.
:22:26. > :22:30.At Fitness First there's a joining fee of �34.95, although sometimes
:22:30. > :22:36.they waive that fee so you sign up there and then. Then you have the
:22:36. > :22:39.monthly subscriptions ranging from �14.95 to �67.95. No surprise then
:22:39. > :22:45.that some people have second thoughts once they've signed up. The
:22:45. > :22:47.OFT says all gyms should provide a cooling-off period during which time
:22:47. > :22:52.would-be members are allowed change their mind. The
:22:52. > :22:57.contract does allow you ten days, but two branches didn't tell us
:22:57. > :23:07.about this and at Hammersmith, well, let's just say they were reluctant.
:23:07. > :23:09.
:23:09. > :23:19.So if I sign up now, is there a cooling-off period?
:23:19. > :23:33.
:23:34. > :23:37.So after all that, what's the legal So after all that, what's the legal
:23:37. > :23:40.verdict? Well, there are a lot of issues here. The regulators
:23:40. > :23:43.obviously looked at this about ten years ago. I think in light of
:23:43. > :23:47.this footage they should be taking quite a close look at it
:23:47. > :23:51.years later. Some of the practices we've seen seem to be very shoddy at
:23:51. > :23:56.best, and potentially those are breaches of the consumer protection
:23:56. > :24:00.from unfair trading regulations. OK, our cameras have also been inside LA
:24:00. > :24:03.Fitness. We will show you that in a minute, but with me now the chief
:24:03. > :24:09.executive of Fitness First, Chris Stone. Thank you for coming in, Mr
:24:09. > :24:14.Stone. So, hiding information, falsely ticking boxes, failing to
:24:14. > :24:19.mention the cooling-off period. You saw the lawyer there describe it as
:24:19. > :24:23.deception. What would you call it? Well, I would say that it is not in
:24:23. > :24:27.line with the policies or behaviours that we expect of any our members
:24:27. > :24:30.or, sorry, any of our employees Fitness First, and it's a very sad
:24:30. > :24:34.day for us to see that behaviour in one of our clubs.
:24:34. > :24:39.not just in one of your clubs though, is it? We went to ten clubs.
:24:39. > :24:44.Not a single one of them offered us and volunteered the terms and
:24:44. > :24:49.conditions, so we are not talking random here. Well, again, I would
:24:49. > :24:52.apologise on behalf of the to any of our members that feels
:24:52. > :24:55.that they have been sold a membership without the full
:24:55. > :24:59.information they need to make correct decision. If you had
:24:59. > :25:07.treated like we were in one of those gyms, would you
:25:07. > :25:10.mis-sold? A membership? I wouldn't have thought that the treatment that
:25:11. > :25:14.they received in the club entirely to mis-selling, but clearly
:25:14. > :25:17.what did happen was they were given all of the information they
:25:17. > :25:22.should have been given to be able to make the full decision about
:25:23. > :25:26.to join. Mr Stone, ten gyms are not one of them - and not one of them
:25:26. > :25:32.volunteered the terms and conditions. Well, as I watched
:25:32. > :25:36.video earlier, I didn't see that all ten gyms behaved in that way but
:25:36. > :25:40.it's certainly clear that the gyms that you visited did not treat the
:25:40. > :25:44.prospective member in the way we expect them to be treated. Are
:25:44. > :25:49.your people on commission? Every salesperson in our business does
:25:49. > :25:54.receive a commission, yes. Is that the reason that - no. - They are
:25:54. > :25:58.ignoring and hiding detail? We changed the conditions and
:25:58. > :26:02.for all of our employees a couple of years ago, to move to a balanced
:26:02. > :26:08.scorecard way of paying them so that they get more of their - But it's
:26:08. > :26:12.clearly not working and why does it take watchdog - this abuse is
:26:12. > :26:15.clearly widespread - why has it taken us to show it to you? We
:26:15. > :26:19.started a programme over a year ago of mystery shopping on our own.
:26:19. > :26:25.It's not working though, is it? would say it is working. As your
:26:25. > :26:33.tape showed, we have 190,000 people that joined our gyms last year,
:26:33. > :26:37.we received less than about the membership-joining
:26:37. > :26:43.process. I will have to stop you there, I am sorry, our time is up,
:26:43. > :26:45.As we said, we also took our cameras As we said, we also took our cameras
:26:46. > :26:50.into LA Fitness, that's the third largest gym chain in the
:26:50. > :26:56.more than 200,000 members and we found OFT guidance being ignored
:26:56. > :26:56.Six out of ten branches didn't tell Six out of ten branches didn't tell
:26:56. > :26:57.Six out of ten branches didn't tell us our contract would be
:26:57. > :26:58.us our contract would be us our contract would be
:26:58. > :27:00.automatically renewed if we failed automatically renewed if we failed
:27:00. > :27:03.Six out of to cancel. Half of them failed to
:27:03. > :27:06.warn us we had to give a month's notice before leaving. Four failed
:27:07. > :27:10.to show us the terms and conditions before we signed up and four
:27:10. > :27:14.actually ticked the box on our behalf, which is all bad enough, but
:27:14. > :27:18.it gets worse. Staff at LA Fitness
:27:18. > :27:22.forgetting to tell people things, they've also been breaking their
:27:22. > :27:27.promises and misleading customers like Caroline. I went into LA
:27:27. > :27:30.Fitness, I wanted a three-month membership because I was finishing
:27:30. > :27:35.uni and moving house. He said to me after three months that I could
:27:35. > :27:39.bring in proof that I was home and he would cancel it
:27:39. > :27:44.straightaway. When I queried this, he said "I am the manager of
:27:44. > :27:50.memberships and it's not a problem, I promise you". Two months
:27:50. > :27:56.Caroline did bring in proof that she was moving away but the assurance
:27:56. > :28:01.was worthless. They were rude to me and were bankrupt about it that you
:28:01. > :28:07.had to be further than 20 miles away from the LA Fitness branch in order
:28:07. > :28:10.to cancel. One time the guy told me to cancel my direct debit as they
:28:10. > :28:15.to cancel my direct debit as wouldn't be able to take any more
:28:15. > :28:20.money out of my account. I did this and in turn had debt collectors
:28:20. > :28:23.calling me at all hours. Caroline had received false information
:28:23. > :28:28.signing up. LA Fitness' terms and conditions don't allow you to
:28:28. > :28:32.if you move, but if a salesperson makes a verbal promise that induces
:28:32. > :28:37.you to join then as far as the is concerned that's as binding as
:28:37. > :28:40.anything in writing. If a consumer is clearly told they will have the
:28:40. > :28:44.opportunity to cancel if they move away, it doesn't matter that's
:28:44. > :28:48.in the contract. It must be followed through. If a consumer wouldn't have
:28:48. > :28:55.signed up if they weren't told that, that is potentially a breach of the
:28:55. > :28:58.Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. LA Fitness has
:28:58. > :29:02.since introduced a pledge which does spell out members' rights,
:29:02. > :29:06.the right to cancel if you move away. As a rule of thumb this should
:29:06. > :29:10.be at least ten miles nearest branch. Clear and simple
:29:10. > :29:20.enough, so why did three gyms tell us this?
:29:20. > :29:25.
:29:25. > :29:35.Here is something else that might Here is something else that might
:29:35. > :29:41.
:29:41. > :29:42.Here is something else that might Reassuring, but is it true?
:29:42. > :29:43.Reassuring, but is it true? Reassuring, but is it true?
:29:43. > :29:48.Here is something else According to the new company
:29:48. > :29:52.LA Fitness will "work with you if you lose your job". There's no
:29:52. > :29:57.guarantee that you will be able to cancel your membership. It even says
:29:57. > :30:00.it might "freeze it" instead. If somebody going in to sign up was
:30:00. > :30:04.told that they can contract if they lose their
:30:04. > :30:07.that is a promise with no caveats, no carve-outs, it is what it is.
:30:07. > :30:11.company policy is actually different to what they were told, if
:30:11. > :30:16.untrue, it's a breach of the Consumer Protection from Unfair
:30:16. > :30:20.Trading Regulations. And what about a cooling-off period?
:30:20. > :30:26.pledge couldn't be clearer. If you want to leave within ten days of
:30:26. > :30:36.joining, you can. No hassle. Have these staff actually read it? No
:30:36. > :30:39.
:30:39. > :30:41.cooling-off period. .
:30:41. > :30:43.The problem is they are giving The problem is they are giving
:30:43. > :30:47.information to the consumer which is just wrong or missed out or
:30:47. > :30:52.inaccurate. If you go in and sign up because you are told something
:30:52. > :30:57.misleading, you can look to get that contract set aside. It's also
:30:57. > :31:00.separately possibly a criminal offence under
:31:00. > :31:04.Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. You shouldn't have to
:31:04. > :31:09.put up with that. LA Fitness they are disappointed by findings
:31:09. > :31:12.which are not typical of what members can expect. They say they
:31:12. > :31:16.followed the industry code of conduct, their Member Pledge goes
:31:16. > :31:19.above and beyond their contractual commitments and has helped
:31:19. > :31:22.their service and sign-up procedures. They say 50% of new
:31:22. > :31:27.members stay for more than 12 months, the average length
:31:27. > :31:32.membership is 22 months. They accept that mistakes can happen and
:31:32. > :31:38.they do they address them. Still to come, the iPhone 4S, it has
:31:38. > :31:42.personal assistant. Good job he doesn't work for me.
:31:42. > :31:46.Time to catch up with Buildline Time to catch up with Buildline
:31:46. > :31:50.Landscapes of north London now. Their boss, Chris Marino, has quoted
:31:50. > :31:54.us �1,100 to tackle our garden and, although he was only supposed to
:31:54. > :32:00.take half that sum from our account before work gets underway we know
:32:00. > :32:03.has already taken the lot. So that work had better be good.
:32:03. > :32:07.Well, it should be because he is Well, it should be because he is
:32:07. > :32:15.sending round one of his best men, Lawrence Phillips, and we are
:32:15. > :32:19.expecting the best manicure this side of Kew Gardens. Here he is.
:32:19. > :32:24.Home owner Alison shows him round Home owner Alison shows him round
:32:24. > :32:29.while expert Mark gets in position. Right then, first up, Lawrence is
:32:29. > :32:36.taking on our tree stump. Immediately Mark spots a problem. He
:32:36. > :32:40.has actually got a panel saw. That's a carpentery saw as opposed to a
:32:40. > :32:46.garden saw. He has the wrong piece of kit. If you have the wrong kit,
:32:46. > :32:56.the job will be a toughie and a lot more time-consuming. He is just
:32:56. > :32:58.
:32:58. > :33:00.laying on his back now and Kung Fu kicking it. It's unbelievable.
:33:01. > :33:10.After much huff and puff, Lawrence After much huff and puff, Lawrence
:33:10. > :33:18.finally kicks out our stump. Now onto our fruit tree. OK, we will
:33:18. > :33:22.Now we are back, and it looks like Now we are back, and it looks like
:33:22. > :33:31.we are heading for a rumble in the jungle. I believe he is psyching
:33:31. > :33:35.himself up. Grrr. Now, I like Buildline's Lawrence but then I like
:33:35. > :33:45.this small fruit tree. Which one is better? There's only one way to find
:33:45. > :33:48.
:33:48. > :33:56.out. Fight! He is actually wrestling the thing
:33:56. > :33:59.on the floor now. It's more like WWWF really.
:33:59. > :34:02.Yes, you could say that. Anyway, end Yes, you could say that. Anyway, end
:34:02. > :34:09.of round 1, small fruit tree ahead on points. It's time
:34:09. > :34:17.phone break. When you are ready, mate. And round 2. He is really
:34:17. > :34:18.The tree is on the floor. It looks The tree is on the floor. It looks
:34:18. > :34:24.The tree is on the floor. It looks like a second round knockout. It
:34:24. > :34:26.like a second round knockout. It like a second round knockout. It
:34:26. > :34:34.The tree is on could be all over. Boom indeed,
:34:34. > :34:38.Lawrence. He has really got beaver up now. Take that. Oh. BLEEP.
:34:38. > :34:43.Ouch. Well, the fight is over, but there's still work to be done. It's
:34:43. > :34:48.time to move a whole ton of but Lawrence hasn't brought a
:34:48. > :34:56.wheelbarrow so he is going to have to use this old rickety one that he
:34:56. > :35:04.found lying around. You don't use clients' tools, it's completely the
:35:04. > :35:14.wrong wheelbarrow for this. He is going to ruin the grass. Oh no. He
:35:14. > :35:20.
:35:20. > :35:22.is kind of struggling a little. Oops, don't worry about that one.
:35:22. > :35:29.Right, after all the rubble, it's Right, after all the rubble, it's
:35:29. > :35:37.time to dispose of the green waste. There he is, and - no, no, Lawrence,
:35:37. > :35:40.that's the wrong way. Didn't we pay them to take that away?
:35:41. > :35:46.certainly did. He is dumping more green waste down the bottom of the
:35:46. > :35:49.garden. Run Lawrence, content with hiding waste at the
:35:49. > :35:53.bottom of our garden he has got a present for someone else too. Oh no.
:35:53. > :35:59.He is chucking it in the neighbour's garden. At least it's not our
:35:59. > :36:04.garden. Dan! He has messed all day long, hasn't a clue what he
:36:04. > :36:08.is doing, running out of light, just dumping stuff to get off the job.
:36:08. > :36:12.The job isn't finished but Lawrence is and before leaving he calls his
:36:12. > :36:22.boss, Chris Marino. Remember, Marino has already taken the full
:36:22. > :36:29.from our account. It seems he even more.
:36:30. > :36:33.would be another �550 which we definitely not going to give him. I
:36:33. > :36:37.will just have to tell him I haven't got a cheque. Not many
:36:37. > :36:45.now. So Lawrence goes, we are with an unfinished job, a mess of a
:36:45. > :36:51.garden, all for 1100 quid. Do you realise that works out at
:36:51. > :36:55.about �107 an hour. For that money you can get almost anyone to work
:36:55. > :37:01.your garden for you. That's Keith. Can you take a bit more off
:37:01. > :37:06.the top? Yeah. I reckon we should call Chris Marino back out, give him
:37:06. > :37:14.another go. Yes, in the name of value for money. Oi, I've got
:37:14. > :37:23.change for you by the way. Cheers, Cheggers. Chris finally agrees to
:37:23. > :37:26.send his man over to finish the job off for free. How kind. This is
:37:26. > :37:31.Lawrence, he has got rid of some rubble but how is he going to get
:37:31. > :37:34.rid of the rest of our waste? Looks like we are about to find out. This
:37:35. > :37:40.is actually unbelievable now, he is doing. He is looking to stash
:37:40. > :37:49.the plastic that he is contracted to take away. It's dreadful. Absolutely
:37:49. > :37:53.dreadful. Is he playing hide and seek with our stuff? Dan?
:37:54. > :37:59.A quick cut and blow dry and he is A quick cut and blow dry and he is
:37:59. > :38:02.out of there. Now Lawrence, tell us what you've done. Trees, plastic,
:38:02. > :38:09.everything has gone now. very much. You are more than
:38:09. > :38:14.welcome. Turns out Lawrence is a grade one porky-culturallist.
:38:14. > :38:19.he goes. Time for an expert's opinion. Chaotic and shambolic.
:38:19. > :38:24.didn't dig out the stump, he ripped half of it out, Kung Fu kicked
:38:24. > :38:29.He has left us a trip hazard, a badly cut down stump, then he left
:38:29. > :38:33.some really bad pruning at eye level. The rubbish, he kind of
:38:33. > :38:36.it under the bushes in little piles so we wouldn't see it. He has
:38:36. > :38:40.brick rubble and all the dust and rubbish. Bits of plastic that he
:38:40. > :38:44.should have took away, it was like a comedy act. It would have been
:38:44. > :38:48.quicker just to take it away. work for that money, what
:38:48. > :38:52.make of it? It didn't stack the
:38:53. > :38:58.in the viewing. He could easily have done it within seven hours with
:38:59. > :39:03.right equipment. He made a lash of it. Buildline Landscapes are taking
:39:03. > :39:08.the Mick with the plastic in garden and in your wallet. Chris
:39:08. > :39:12.Marino has dug himself a hole so it's time to fill him in. We've
:39:12. > :39:22.arranged another call-out for and instead of a little old lady
:39:22. > :39:27.being there to meet him, it will be me. Next, the iPhone 4S, the most
:39:27. > :39:36.amazing yet because of its intelligent assistant, Siri,
:39:36. > :39:40.help. Did Mum email that recipe? Here is a recipe from Mum. Tell me
:39:40. > :39:45.Paris will be nice this weekend. Should be pretty nice this weekend
:39:45. > :39:50.in Paris. Sounds impressive. Does it work? Let's get close. We will
:39:50. > :39:58.ask it a deep question, ready? know some, do you? What's the
:39:58. > :40:05.meaning of life? Life, a principle or force that is considered to
:40:05. > :40:09.underlie the distinctive quality of animate beings, I guess that
:40:09. > :40:16.includes me. And me. It gave me deep answer there, but there are
:40:16. > :40:22.things that it can't tell you. When Apple launched Siri in America they
:40:22. > :40:27.made play of the fact it can help you find landmarks and things like
:40:27. > :40:32.petrol stations. What's the Pacific like around here? Here's the
:40:32. > :40:40.traffic. Trouble is, if you live here in the UK that feature doesn't
:40:40. > :40:43.work. Ready? Try it. OK, what's the traffic like in West London? BLEEP.
:40:43. > :40:49.Sorry Chris, I can only look for businesses, maps and traffic
:40:49. > :40:54.United States, and when you are using US English. If I said it
:40:54. > :40:57.an American accent? Yes, or shouted at it as you did there, I don't
:40:57. > :41:02.think it helps. Exactly disappointed customers have told
:41:02. > :41:07.watchdog. I saw the advert where it showed - the fellow on the phone
:41:07. > :41:10.asked is his brother nearly here yet and it brought his brother up on a
:41:10. > :41:16.map at Nottingham football and I thought that's pretty good.
:41:16. > :41:21.I'm a one-man band electrical company,
:41:21. > :41:24.ask if there's a local wholesaler a little village, get what I need
:41:24. > :41:30.from there rather than having to drive to a major town in order to
:41:30. > :41:36.get a light bulb or something similar. Can I buy
:41:36. > :41:44.around here? Sorry, I can only find businesses in the United States. It
:41:44. > :41:48.wasn't worth paying the hundreds of pounds to upgrade it. What do Apple
:41:48. > :41:56.say? They insist they never said location services would work in
:41:56. > :42:06.UK. The ASA has rejected complaints about the ads also. Listen to this:
:42:06. > :42:07.
:42:07. > :42:13.what date is Easter Sunday? BLEEP. I have no idea what the date is in 11
:42:14. > :42:18.minus 48 Wide City Close. How is that? Yes, how silly is that.
:42:18. > :42:24.What do you think of that? You are rubbish. Now, now. Is he telling me
:42:24. > :42:31.off? I think so, I think he was saying: calm down, dear. Sort it
:42:31. > :42:39.out, Apple. These phones cost up to �699. Earlier we looked at holiday
:42:39. > :42:44.flights. Cheaper perhaps to stay a hotel at home. But don't take your
:42:44. > :42:47.laptop. I love surfing the web. Email is
:42:47. > :42:56.fantastic and these social sites are a great way of
:42:56. > :43:04.communicating with friends and complete strangers.
:43:04. > :43:07.Oh well, there's a downside to Oh well, there's a downside to
:43:07. > :43:11.everything. What's good though is that, if you do want to go online
:43:11. > :43:16.with one of these, you don't have to be tied to your home or office.
:43:16. > :43:22.There are wi-fi hot spots all over the place and lots of places like
:43:22. > :43:30.this one now offer free access, so for the price of a latte, you can
:43:30. > :43:30.So here is my question: if some So here is my question: if some
:43:30. > :43:31.So here is my question: if some restaurants, fast food joints and
:43:31. > :43:32.restaurants, fast food joints and restaurants, fast food joints and
:43:32. > :43:37.So here is my coffee shops now let you go online
:43:37. > :43:42.for free, why don't more of our hotels, which are already charging
:43:42. > :43:49.us a fortune to stay there? And when I say "fortune", just listen to some
:43:49. > :43:58.of these top of the range London deals. The Sheraton Park Lane hotel,
:43:58. > :44:08.�149 per room for a night. internet access. The Dorchester,
:44:08. > :44:08.
:44:08. > :44:12.cheapest room �235; the cost of going online, �19.50.
:44:12. > :44:19.The Ritz, rooms start at �255 a day. The Ritz, rooms start at �255 a day.
:44:19. > :44:22.Want to get connected? That will be an extra �26 per day.
:44:22. > :44:25.Of course most people will never set Of course most people will never set
:44:25. > :44:30.foot inside such swanky hotels but that doesn't mean we won't get stung
:44:30. > :44:35.because many of the less expensive ones are at it too, charging for
:44:35. > :44:39.service which these days lots of guests regard as a basic essential.
:44:39. > :44:44.That's all very well, I hear hotel owners say, but we are running
:44:44. > :44:49.a bit here, how can you expect us to give you something for free when it
:44:49. > :44:57.costs us to provide it? Well, I don't know how much it costs them
:44:57. > :45:01.do this, but this fella does. Sinclair runs a London hotel where
:45:01. > :45:09.wi-fi access is free for all guests. What's the damage? Internet access
:45:10. > :45:14.costs us, I don't know, �300 a month, we've got 150 rooms so that's
:45:14. > :45:20.�1.50 per room per month. Blimey, what about installation costs then?
:45:20. > :45:24.It costs quite a bit to put internet access throughout the whole hotel
:45:24. > :45:29.but it costs a lot to put flushing toilets in too. There you have it,
:45:29. > :45:34.5p per room per night. No wonder Sinclair can afford to provide it
:45:34. > :45:40.for free. Like other hotels, including the Langham,
:45:40. > :45:45.and all Best Western hotels. Why don't the rest follow suit? Here
:45:45. > :45:51.an even bigger mystery. Why do some chains charge you one price in some
:45:51. > :45:55.of their hotels, but a in others? Take Crowne Plaza.
:45:55. > :45:59.wi-fi in your room at their Birmingham branch? That will be �5
:45:59. > :46:06.for the day, please. But stay at their St James London branch and
:46:06. > :46:10.it's �10 a day. And if you are booked into their New Bridge Street
:46:10. > :46:16.hotel a few minutes' walk away will be stung for �15.45 for the
:46:16. > :46:21.same service from the same chain. It's a similar story with Holiday
:46:21. > :46:26.Inn. Fancy their Poole hotel Bank Holiday? Internet access is
:46:26. > :46:31.a day. A bargain compared to their Cheltenham branch where the daily
:46:31. > :46:37.charge is �12. Call me cynical, I think these charges have something
:46:37. > :46:43.to do with these things. Hotels to make a mint from guests who made
:46:43. > :46:49.their calls from their bedside phones. But thanks to mobiles, not
:46:49. > :46:53.many of us use them anymore. They've got to make up for lost profits
:46:53. > :46:57.somehow. I am sure every hotel will deny that, of course.
:46:57. > :47:02.some of them are coming up with more imaginative ways to get money from
:47:02. > :47:07.us. Take Marriott. They not only charge for internet usage in their
:47:07. > :47:14.rooms, they also slap on an additional cost per device. So, if
:47:14. > :47:18.you want to connect on your laptop and phone, brace yourself for the
:47:19. > :47:23.bill! What wheeze will they come up with next, hey? Internet access
:47:23. > :47:27.as essential as a bed or a sink in a hotel today. My guests
:47:27. > :47:34.function without it. Some take advantage of this. I think
:47:34. > :47:38.that's short-sighted. I did find a good deal at Firmdale hotels, or
:47:38. > :47:42.least I thought I had. You see, here they don't insist on you having to
:47:42. > :47:50.pay for a whole day of access. Instead, they let you pay by the
:47:50. > :47:57.minute. 30p a pop. Hold up, that means if I want to spend just one
:47:57. > :48:01.hour online, it's going to cost me 18 quid! And are!
:48:01. > :48:07.18 quid! And 18 quid!
:48:07. > :48:13.OK a few responses. Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza do offer free wi-fi at
:48:13. > :48:16.some hotels. Marriott told us the prices reflect the competition,
:48:16. > :48:19.loyalty programme members get wi-fi for free and they say the
:48:19. > :48:24.costs of providing access greater than we said in our film.
:48:24. > :48:28.for the others, The Dorchester say their prices reflect the high level
:48:28. > :48:34.of broadband service. The Sheraton's owners say they are looking at
:48:34. > :48:39.offering free access in public areas and Firmdale say not all customers
:48:39. > :48:44.use the service so they've chosen to charge rather than inflate the
:48:44. > :48:48.prices. Thanks for been in touch about that story. Here
:48:48. > :48:53.are a few more. Flight taxes have gone up, just in
:48:53. > :48:57.time for the Easter break. How handy is that? British flyers already pay
:48:57. > :49:04.the highest taxes in Europe but week's hike in air passenger
:49:04. > :49:09.or APD, will add another 8% onto the cost of a ticket. As the duty is
:49:09. > :49:13.loosely calculated on miles flown it means domestic passengers won't be
:49:13. > :49:22.hit too hard but a family of four travelling to Florida will pay
:49:22. > :49:29.total of �260. Airlines like Bosnia, Virgin - BA, have all condemned it
:49:29. > :49:37.as a tax as a tax tourism. A family of four
:49:37. > :49:41.flying to Australia by 2016 will be paying �500 in taxes. Strewth.
:49:41. > :49:45.Feed a family of four for seven days Feed a family of four for seven days
:49:45. > :49:49.for 50 quid. Not as easy as Sainsbury's made out. It launched
:49:49. > :49:53.its cheap eating campaign last May, claiming you could serve up a total
:49:53. > :49:56.of 84 meals for the specified amount but it didn't make clear those meals
:49:56. > :50:00.provided just three quarters of a family's recommended calorie intake
:50:00. > :50:05.and you would need to buy additional drinks and snacks to make up the
:50:05. > :50:09.other 25%. Also, the �50 worth of goods didn't include store cupboard
:50:09. > :50:13.ingredients that you needed to make the recommended meals. The
:50:13. > :50:18.Advertising Standards Authority now banned the ads for being
:50:18. > :50:20.misleading but Sainsbury's said they were providing nutritious,
:50:20. > :50:26.cost-effective meals surprised by the judgment.
:50:26. > :50:35.surprised too. Only 25% of my calories come from snacks?
:50:35. > :50:39.B&Q, Britain's leading DIY chain, orange logo, green pledges about
:50:39. > :50:42.helping the planet and recycling, but not so eco-friendly after
:50:42. > :50:48.say environmental groups. They've criticised the chain for increasing
:50:48. > :50:52.the amount of peat in its own brand top soil and say draining peat bogs
:50:52. > :51:00.not only threatens wildlife habitats, it releases carbon
:51:00. > :51:07.the atmosphere. As the biggest seller of top soil, accuses B&Q of
:51:07. > :51:14.setting a bad example. B&Q admit it contains peat but that doesn't
:51:14. > :51:16.explain the website's promise to try to eliminate peat altogether.
:51:16. > :51:20.Final call for Buildline Landscapes Final call for Buildline Landscapes
:51:20. > :51:26.of north London now, not to confused with companies of similar
:51:27. > :51:30.Chris Marino is his name. He took Chris Marino is his name. He took
:51:30. > :51:34.our money, more than he should, and even when he said he wouldn't.
:51:34. > :51:41.Meanwhile, our garden got sliced and diced and our stuff was stashed, all
:51:41. > :51:47.when we weren't looking. And he charges more than Cheggers, talking
:51:48. > :51:52.of which, come on. Keith, you can knock off now. Cheers. You remember
:51:52. > :51:55.I told you Trading Standards made Marino sign an undertaking not
:51:55. > :51:59.rip people off anymore? Yeah. With that came a suspended prison
:51:59. > :52:04.sentence. If he carries on doing what he is doing, that's where he
:52:04. > :52:09.likely to end up, behind bars. didn't he overcharge us, do
:52:09. > :52:13.rubbish job and take money from without asking? Exactly. We've
:52:13. > :52:18.called Marino out to garden in Enfield, north London. He
:52:18. > :52:21.is now on his way to give us a quote for work. Which costs �12, of
:52:21. > :52:25.course, but we are not really interested in the quote. What we are
:52:25. > :52:30.interested in doing is Marino what could be a vision of his
:52:30. > :52:34.future. And this is the vision. Remember what I said about that
:52:35. > :52:37.suspended prison sentence? Well, he continues taking people's money
:52:37. > :52:44.without permission, it could an actual one, so we thought we
:52:44. > :52:49.would get him used to the idea. We've brought this lot in to help
:52:49. > :52:54.with our garden tidy-up, just as boss of Buildline Landscapes
:52:54. > :52:59.arrives. It's Chris Marino, isn't it? This is the garden, as you can
:52:59. > :53:03.see it's a bit tired looking. Looks in quite good condition. I was
:53:03. > :53:13.thinking of having that rounded. Here comes our chain gang, ready to
:53:13. > :53:30.
:53:30. > :53:32.start work. .
:53:32. > :53:35.All right, Chris, here is a bit of a All right, Chris, here is a bit of a
:53:35. > :53:43.vision for you. If you carry on the way you are going, that's the sort
:53:43. > :53:50.of thing you could end up doing, a bit of gardening at Her Majesty's
:53:50. > :53:53.pleasure. Matt from Rogue Traders, as I think you may be aware.
:53:53. > :53:59.have taken the money out of our account without our author, it was
:53:59. > :54:03.supposed to be 50% down, 50% when it was finished. You took the lot out.
:54:03. > :54:08.She authorised it. No, she didn't and we have records of you
:54:08. > :54:12.that previously. That was the undertaking, you did exactly what
:54:12. > :54:15.Trading Standards asked you not You are going to end up in
:54:15. > :54:19.You have already had a suspended sentence for doing this.
:54:19. > :54:22.stripes? No, I don't. What you saying is absolutely correct, I did
:54:22. > :54:27.receive a two-year suspended service, through the civil courts,
:54:27. > :54:32.not the criminal courts, and since then we've adhered to do everything
:54:32. > :54:40.correctly to that undertaking. What you've said is nonsense. That's
:54:40. > :54:44.your opinion. When we have it on film, Matt from the BBC, we have on
:54:44. > :54:48.film that the work your guy did was terrible. He ended up hiding bits of
:54:48. > :54:54.plastic around the garden. Come you know that's not accurate. It's
:54:54. > :54:59.on tape. You managed to charge an hour for Lawrence's time. Do you
:54:59. > :55:04.want me to write the figures down for you? He doesn't even come with
:55:04. > :55:08.his own wheelbarrow. For nearly 45 minutes Chris tries to defend his
:55:08. > :55:13.actions. I really don't see what we've done wrong, honestly, hand on
:55:13. > :55:18.heart, we've done nothing here. It was clear there was no
:55:18. > :55:21.getting through to Chris Marino. Time to call it a day. You can
:55:21. > :55:25.on standing here. You've got the allegations, if you want to come
:55:25. > :55:35.back to us you know exactly where we are but we are finished here. All
:55:35. > :55:36.
:55:36. > :55:41.done. Bye. Bye-bye, Chris. See you later. That's Chris Marino of
:55:41. > :55:46.Buildline, and there's not much I can add to that because it's
:55:46. > :55:51.pretty encyclopaedic. Well, Chris Marino still denies our allegations
:55:51. > :55:54.but points out that he didn't do the work and that if he had known we
:55:54. > :55:56.were still unhappy he would have things right. He says he has
:55:56. > :56:00.been pleased with Lawrence's previous work and that it was
:56:00. > :56:04.mistake that some of the money was asked for twice. He says he has been
:56:04. > :56:09.responsive to Jenny's complaints and has offered her some of the
:56:09. > :56:16.back and he will decide whether we will get any money back once he has
:56:16. > :56:20.seen the programme. Well, evening Chris. You can see yourself on our
:56:20. > :56:25.rogue's gallery. Thanks, Matt. A big reaction to our
:56:25. > :56:30.story on gyms. Lots of you are saying you weren't given terms and
:56:30. > :56:38.conditions before signing up and loads are saying it was difficult
:56:38. > :56:48.cancel. The problems on the iPhone, Kurt says it keeps calling him
:56:48. > :56:48.
:56:48. > :56:52."curious". A lot of love in for Cheggers tonight too.
:56:53. > :56:57.You can write to us or email us. You can write to us or email us.
:56:57. > :57:01.Coming up next week, Admiral, car insurance rates for new
:57:02. > :57:08.customers; sky high quotes for loyal ones. Everest, sponsors of the
:57:08. > :57:13.Home Show, these homes far from perfect. And KGB hunting out the