:00:09. > :00:13.Boots Loyalty Cards. Don't believe the promises. Admiral Insurance.
:00:13. > :00:19.Don't accept your quote. Sainsbury's petrol. Can you trust
:00:19. > :00:29.the pumps? Plus,Swiftcover, KGB Deals and Everest. It's Watchdog.
:00:29. > :00:45.
:00:45. > :00:50.The programme you cannot afford to Hello, good evening and welcome to
:00:50. > :00:55.watchdog. We're live, as urinal, from Television Centre. Tonight, --
:00:55. > :01:00.as usual, from Television Centre. Been with your insurance company
:01:00. > :01:08.for years, watch out The price I saw on the website was �250 with my
:01:08. > :01:13.own enshuerpbs was �250 less. Sainsbury's petrol, �20, �30, �40
:01:13. > :01:17.worth, try putting that in your car. What don't they like about round
:01:18. > :01:22.figures. Boots changing their reward points, better deals for the
:01:22. > :01:26.over 60s? Dot maths. And Everest, sponsors of the Ideal Home Show
:01:26. > :01:34.this year. These homes - far from perfect.
:01:34. > :01:38.Tonight's rogue lives in a very impressive home. Brendan Kylie's
:01:38. > :01:42.company cheat tenants out of cash. They take reservation fees on the
:01:42. > :01:47.same house from different people. Here's how we caught them at it.
:01:47. > :01:51.My understanding was that you said to me no-one else is going to be
:01:51. > :01:57.putting �200... If they want to put their Thame on the property I have
:01:57. > :02:00.to do that. You've paid �200. just paid. It's an embarrassing
:02:00. > :02:09.situation. Matt, BBC Rogue Traders good. To see you.
:02:09. > :02:14.Yeah, Marshall you've been caught telling lies, making false
:02:14. > :02:18.guarantees. More of Scott tonight. And we're at home with his boss.
:02:18. > :02:24.Before that, car insurance, premiums up by 17% on last year.
:02:24. > :02:31.Not our fault, vai the insurers. Blame the claims management
:02:31. > :02:34.companies, uninsured drivers and bogus whiplash victims. But
:02:34. > :02:42.insurance companies can offer existing customers much better
:02:42. > :02:48.deals. They just prefer to keep it quiet. Omar Latif reports.
:02:48. > :02:52.-- RizLateef reports. When I got my notice through they
:02:52. > :02:58.wanted to increase my premium by over �100. Last year my insurance
:02:58. > :03:02.was over �1,000. This year, when Admiral sent through the renewal
:03:02. > :03:06.they wanted �2,000. What due do after recovering from the shock?
:03:06. > :03:11.Curse the insurer but resigned to paying up? That's what most of us
:03:11. > :03:15.do. But we'd be wrong. In fact before agreing to renew, we should
:03:15. > :03:20.check online. There may be cheaper deals to be had. Believe it or not,
:03:20. > :03:24.some of those deals are available from your own provider. The same
:03:24. > :03:30.company whose renewal quote has gone through the roof. Andrew
:03:30. > :03:36.received his are you kneel letter from More That in February. They
:03:36. > :03:42.wanted over �750. I went onto a comparison website, got alternative
:03:42. > :03:47.quotes. It turned out he could get it cheaper. One company quoted just
:03:47. > :03:51.�512 for a whole year's cover. The name of that company? More Than.
:03:51. > :03:54.The price I saw on the website, with my own company was �250 less
:03:54. > :03:58.than they were asking me to pay on the renewal notice, which was
:03:58. > :04:04.amazing. I thought I'd phone to find out what's going on. They
:04:04. > :04:10.weren't able to offer me the insurance at lower price. More That
:04:10. > :04:13.guarantee they'll beat rival companies renewal deals. More Than
:04:13. > :04:16.promise to beat your renewal premium. Now they're undercutting
:04:16. > :04:20.themselves, hiking costs for existing customers but happy to
:04:21. > :04:24.slash them if policy holders spot a better deal for new customers
:04:24. > :04:29.online. I thought I'd phone the company to find out what's going on.
:04:29. > :04:34.They could offer no explanation. It's just shocking. Like other
:04:34. > :04:38.drivers who've contacted watchdog, Andrew almost paid a penalty for
:04:38. > :04:42.being loyal to his insurer. It never contacted him about the deal
:04:42. > :04:47.on offer to new customers. He only discover today by accident.
:04:47. > :04:51.According to one recent report around eight million people simply
:04:51. > :04:56.let their car insurance autorenew rather than look for a better deal.
:04:56. > :05:02.How many of them are also being penalised? Daniel Turner had been a
:05:02. > :05:07.loyal customer of Admiral, using them since 2010 to insure his two
:05:07. > :05:12.cars for just over �1,000. premium, one renewal, one policy.
:05:12. > :05:16.But when he received his renewal letter earlier this year, the
:05:16. > :05:22.premium had rocketed to �2,000. was so shocked when I got the
:05:22. > :05:26.letter through, I knew I could get it cheaper, so I went on a price
:05:26. > :05:32.comparison website. Where to Daniel's amazement he found Admiral
:05:32. > :05:36.offering the same insurance for just �961. Over �1,000 less than
:05:36. > :05:42.his renewal quote. I wanted to know why they would charge me so much as
:05:42. > :05:45.a loyal customer, when if I was a new customer, I could get it so
:05:45. > :05:50.much cheaper. Admiral offered to price match the deal. But again,
:05:50. > :05:53.offered no explanation for their price ramp. Other drivers who've
:05:53. > :05:58.contacted watchdog aren't only shocked that they can get cheaper
:05:58. > :06:04.deets from -- deals from their provider, they're baffled by some
:06:05. > :06:08.of the excuses given. Take this company. Get a life, get Swiftcover.
:06:08. > :06:13.Mark has been with Swiftcover for four years and his renewal quote
:06:13. > :06:18.has just increased by �100. But if he goes to the company website and
:06:18. > :06:28.signs up as a new customer, he can get a much better deal. So how do
:06:28. > :06:33.
:06:33. > :06:36.they explain it? I don't understand Why do you give new customers a
:06:36. > :06:39.better deal?S In not that we give them a better deal. What it is we
:06:39. > :06:43.changed all the questions we asked f. We do a like for like quote
:06:43. > :06:46.based on the new criteria, compared to this one and it comes out
:06:46. > :06:49.cheaper, as long as the details are the same, we can look at writing
:06:49. > :06:53.off the difference. It's not fair on customers that have been loyal
:06:53. > :06:58.to us in the last year. Why didn't you send me a quote to begin with
:06:58. > :07:01.rather than �510. We can't. We generate the renewal quote based on
:07:01. > :07:06.the details we've got. We don't know if the details might have
:07:06. > :07:13.chaifrpbgdz. You've contracted an automatic renewal with us.
:07:13. > :07:18.customers get a better deal. spoke to the supervisor. She said
:07:18. > :07:23.you could set up a new quote. none the wiser. My quote has gone
:07:23. > :07:30.down by �20 as a new customer. As a loyal customer, my quote is still
:07:30. > :07:35.�510. So there's a discrepancy which I don't understand. Joining
:07:35. > :07:40.me now, from the Association of British Insurers, Nick Starling.
:07:40. > :07:44.That is jaw dropping, isn't it? If I'm a loyal customer to my
:07:44. > :07:49.insurance company, one of your members, my insurance is say �2,000.
:07:49. > :07:52.But if I sign up as a new customer it's half that. Insurers want to
:07:52. > :07:57.look after existing customers. They want to attract new customers as
:07:57. > :08:01.well. It's not unusual, as in many businesses, to offer a discount to
:08:01. > :08:05.a new customer. Those discounts can't go on forever. Oh, I see. So
:08:05. > :08:11.you get a new customer by hooking them with a cheap price and then
:08:11. > :08:15.you hike the price? No, that's not how it works at all. You attract
:08:15. > :08:20.new business. Insurers don't want to lose good customers. They want
:08:20. > :08:26.to retain customers and give them good service. OK, but we've just
:08:26. > :08:30.seen examples, astonishing examples of how your loyal customers of your
:08:30. > :08:36.insurance companies are paying sometimes double, it obviously pays
:08:36. > :08:40.to be a new customer, not a loyal, old customers? Absolutely not. It
:08:40. > :08:44.often pays to stay with your insurer. There may be other
:08:44. > :08:50.benefits. The issue is not just the price, it's about the benefits you
:08:50. > :09:00.get. The ones... Look, excuse me, we haven't got much time. The three
:09:00. > :09:00.
:09:00. > :09:04.examples, the Benazir Bhutto fits - - benefits are exactly the same. --
:09:04. > :09:07.eight million loyal customers are just renewing. It's a highly
:09:07. > :09:11.competitive market. We know 75% of customers do shop around. Do what
:09:11. > :09:15.the people on the film did, go back to their insurer. Circumstances
:09:15. > :09:19.might change. With eknow there's pressure on motor premiums, thanks
:09:20. > :09:23.to fraud and personal injury. you were a loyal customer, how
:09:23. > :09:27.would you feel if you ring up and find that, as a loyal customer,
:09:27. > :09:31.you're being charged double what a new customer's being charged. How
:09:31. > :09:35.would you feel about that? You can discuss it - How would you feel
:09:35. > :09:38.about it? Whether their circumstances change, there may be
:09:38. > :09:42.issues where you've made claims and so forth. It's that engagement to
:09:42. > :09:46.check you're getting the same sort of deal. You'd be happy would you?
:09:46. > :09:50.I'm happy with the fact that our members offer competitive service.
:09:50. > :09:52.Everyone should check, shouldn't they? You could shop around. Shop
:09:52. > :09:56.around. Our members are used to working in a competitive
:09:56. > :10:01.environment. That's what I'd encourage people to do. Thank you.
:10:01. > :10:05.As for the company's features, More Than say they price according to
:10:05. > :10:10.risk. While some customers see an increase others see none at all.
:10:10. > :10:13.Like all companies they offer competitive premiums to attract new
:10:13. > :10:18.customers. Admiral assess new and existing customers independently.
:10:18. > :10:23.They are working on a solution. They say Daniel Turner's case was
:10:23. > :10:27.extreme and unusual. And Swiftcover say they've changed the way they
:10:27. > :10:33.asest new customers and are rolling that out to new ones. They're happy
:10:33. > :10:42.to deal with customers on a case by case basis to. Comment on that, e-
:10:42. > :10:50.mail us or text. If I want to get involved in the discussion on
:10:50. > :10:56.Twitter: Next, soaring petrol prices, the average pump price for
:10:56. > :11:00.unlead sd currently 142p a litre, for diesel higher, 148. That means
:11:00. > :11:06.the cost of filling a typical family car, like a Ford Mondeo, can
:11:06. > :11:11.reach �100. �100, that's a big, round number, which can be a
:11:11. > :11:17.problem if you want to fill up at Sainsbury's. Watchdog fewer Jay
:11:17. > :11:22.Marsh has been in touch. He attempts to buy �20 for this
:11:22. > :11:27.station every week. Every time I fill up, I notice that a penny was
:11:27. > :11:31.adding every time I replaced the noddel. It didn't matter how much I
:11:31. > :11:37.was putting it in. When I mentioned this to the staff behind the
:11:37. > :11:40.counter, they kind of chuckled and said, oh, everybody says that.
:11:40. > :11:45.wasn't satisfied with that response. He took his complaint to head
:11:45. > :11:52.office. They confirmed he wasn't seeing things. They said at the
:11:52. > :11:58.time diesel cost 140.9p a litre. As they can't charge customers .9 of a
:11:59. > :12:06.penny. They round it up. In this e- mail they suggested if he wished to
:12:06. > :12:11.fill with �20, he could possibly aim for �19.99. What did he think
:12:11. > :12:16.of that? Was he happy? Not really. Sainsbury's say this issue is
:12:16. > :12:20.recognised across all retailers. Independent experts check their
:12:20. > :12:25.pumps regularly to ensure they comply with the law. No customers
:12:25. > :12:31.are overcharged. UK pumps are very sensitive, when the noesel is
:12:31. > :12:36.returned this movement can cause more fuel to pump into the hose.
:12:36. > :12:40.It's an inconvenience for which they apologise. Is it better if
:12:41. > :12:45.women do it? Probably. Boots - our new loyalty scheme means a better
:12:45. > :12:52.deal for the over 60s, they say. We say work it out. Plus Everest
:12:52. > :12:56.claims to be the best. We'd hate to seat worst.
:12:56. > :13:00.Did you know there's a property boom in the UK right now? Not
:13:00. > :13:03.property to buy. But houses and flats to let. As getting a mortgage
:13:03. > :13:08.has never been tougher, landlords and ladies have been able to raise
:13:08. > :13:12.their rents. Lucky them. Tonight we meet a landlord who's having a
:13:12. > :13:22.particularly good time of it. Then again, rent isn't the only thing he
:13:22. > :13:34.
:13:34. > :13:40.A landlord/tenant relationship can be bumpy. That's not always down to
:13:40. > :13:45.the property owner. Pity the poor landlord who had us as tenants
:13:45. > :13:50.inure student days. The toaster's not working again.
:13:50. > :13:53.Hey, that thing is rubbish. Look, doesn't even get your pants dry,
:13:53. > :14:01.look. Didn't your mother teach you
:14:01. > :14:11.anything. Come this way. The oven is for pants. See? The toaster is
:14:11. > :14:16.for socks. Oh! Nearly there. Yes, happy if fictional days. We
:14:16. > :14:20.never really dried our smalls in kich an pliepbss and nor should you
:14:20. > :14:24.!. We have to say that. Here's something else to watch out, a
:14:24. > :14:29.lettings company taking payments from potential tenants,
:14:29. > :14:33.guaranteeing them properties only then to rent the same properties to
:14:33. > :14:39.others. It's run by this man property tycoon Brendan Kylie. He
:14:39. > :14:45.owns a number of companies. This is just one of them. Ladies, raise
:14:45. > :14:50.your hands if you've given money to Bentley residential lettings with
:14:50. > :14:52.the guarantee that you would be living in a property? And could you
:14:52. > :15:01.keep your hands raised if you then didn't end up living in that
:15:01. > :15:07.property. The house roxesy saw had a sign in the window, to let �200
:15:07. > :15:12.and move in. She arranged a viewing with a man named Chris. He showed
:15:12. > :15:16.us around the property. He said you need the �200 to take it off the
:15:16. > :15:22.market. We got the money to the. I didn't think anything of it, until
:15:22. > :15:27.I was on a school run, and I went walking past, I saw a friend what
:15:27. > :15:29.looked like viewing the property. You saw a friend of yours viewing
:15:29. > :15:32.the property? Yeah. They had already signed the papers and took
:15:32. > :15:37.the money and when I looked round he had the brown envelope, exactly
:15:37. > :15:42.the same way as he dealt with me. How on earth, did he explain
:15:42. > :15:45.himself? He told me, I'd rung up the company and actually said to
:15:45. > :15:49.somebody on the phone that I didn't want the property any more. I was
:15:49. > :15:54.in shock, personally, because I thought, I was having this property.
:15:54. > :15:58.I've paid �200. Did you per sue the company after that? I rang. They
:15:58. > :16:02.put you on hold or cut of off. They would answer the phone and say
:16:02. > :16:07.they'd ring you back. It was going round in a big circle. She never
:16:07. > :16:09.got her money back. Neither did Helen. She paid �200 to guarantee
:16:09. > :16:14.this property from Bentley residential lettings limited. It
:16:14. > :16:18.was damp and needed repairs. But the work still hadn't been done
:16:18. > :16:21.months later. Then while she was waiting she discovered the same
:16:22. > :16:29.property being advertised again. This time by a different company,
:16:29. > :16:35.but still owned by Brendan Kylie. Everything was identical apart from
:16:35. > :16:40.the name which was now Best Lettings for You. I made an
:16:40. > :16:45.appointment under a different name. I hid in the car. The place was the
:16:45. > :16:50.same. He gave the same speech, oh, if you can see past the damp, then
:16:50. > :16:55.I walked through the door. There was panic on his face. He started
:16:55. > :16:58.sweating and seething. Then he rang back to the head office. The girl
:16:58. > :17:01.there said that I'd not been in contact at all with them, so
:17:01. > :17:06.therefore they thought I wasn't interested in the house, which was
:17:06. > :17:11.a complete lie. Now meet Donna, the property she viewed was also in a
:17:11. > :17:14.bad state, yet again in return for a 2300 payment, Bentley residential
:17:14. > :17:20.lettings promised to take it off the market and dot necessary
:17:20. > :17:24.repairs within four weeks. A couple of days before I were due to move
:17:24. > :17:29.in, still no work had been done, promise today would be fine to move
:17:29. > :17:33.in. Came to my moving date, still no work had been done. Walls wet
:17:33. > :17:37.through, damp in kitchen cup boards, mould growing everywhere, plants
:17:37. > :17:41.growing out of the floor boards. I wouldn't put a dog in a house like
:17:41. > :17:45.this. I wanted my money back basically. Donna tried to contact
:17:46. > :17:50.the wp, but Chris, the man who'd taken her money, wouldn't take her
:17:50. > :17:54.calls. In the end I sent a text saying "Be a man. I'm stood here.
:17:54. > :18:04.I'm now practically homeless. Be a man and answer your phone. Talk to
:18:04. > :18:05.
:18:05. > :18:10.me. What am I supposed to do?" I stood there with a ten-year-old
:18:10. > :18:15.boy... You've all got families and it's important to make sure that
:18:15. > :18:19.they're in the right place and safe and happy. Would you like me to go
:18:19. > :18:25.and find this company and find out what they're up to? Yes. Yes.
:18:25. > :18:29.Definitely. That's harsh. And not even clever. No, they're just
:18:29. > :18:33.taking their money and leaving them out in the coal. Time for a
:18:33. > :18:38.reckoning maybe. We need a house with tiny little cameras on it.
:18:38. > :18:42.on this occasion, because... They've got lots of houses. Exactly.
:18:42. > :18:48.All we need to do is pose as would- be tenants and see what happens.
:18:48. > :18:51.You and me? No, not you and I. We have leathers and we are obvious.
:18:51. > :18:55.Give the game away. It would be weird. For once, we're not inviting
:18:55. > :19:05.the traders to our house. Our undercover stooges are going to
:19:05. > :19:05.
:19:05. > :19:11.theirs. Strap on the hidden cameras. The viewings are about to begin.
:19:11. > :19:14.Well, in about ten minutes, you see that's when we're going to send in
:19:14. > :19:18.those three potential renters, one after other. Will the company take
:19:18. > :19:24.payments off each of them and promise them all the same property?
:19:24. > :19:28.If they do, it will be fraud. Then again, it will also be great TV.
:19:28. > :19:32.Don't miss it. Next, Boots, the hugely popular
:19:32. > :19:36.advantage card. More than 60 million people have joined the
:19:36. > :19:40.scheme since the launch. Now they're changing the way it
:19:40. > :19:45.calculates points for certain customers. A -- better deals it
:19:45. > :19:50.says, more treats than ever, an upgrade. Really?
:19:50. > :19:54.Four points or every �1 spend on boots own branded goods plus a
:19:54. > :19:58.range of other benefits and over the last couple of benefits, Boots
:19:58. > :20:03.have been writing to members of the over 60s health club telling them
:20:03. > :20:08.things are about to get better. Ann received one of the letters.
:20:08. > :20:11.began very well. It said, "We are changing health club because we
:20:11. > :20:19.think age should have its advantages. Get more treats than
:20:19. > :20:23.ever. Ten points per pound. That sounded really good. Then she read
:20:23. > :20:28.on. They may be incooess advantage points to spend in store, but
:20:28. > :20:32.they're planning to remove the 10% discount on Boots own branded
:20:32. > :20:37.products which she currently enjoys. According to her that's a bad deal.
:20:37. > :20:42.I don't know quite why they've done that. Perhaps they think us over
:20:42. > :20:46.60s can't count? Now the Boots literature makes it clear this is
:20:46. > :20:50.an upgrade, but do their customers service staff agree? Watchdog put
:20:50. > :20:56.in three calls and were told twice that the new deal may actually be
:20:56. > :20:59.worse. Over the weekend my mum got a letter, she's got one of those
:20:59. > :21:09.advantage card health club things. How many points will she get when
:21:09. > :21:34.
:21:34. > :21:37.Get that? I'm particularly annoyed that it's been presented to me as
:21:37. > :21:43.an improvement, when it clearly isn't. You don't have to be a maths
:21:43. > :21:51.genius to work that one out. That might be true. But this is
:21:51. > :21:55.watchdog and we have a maths genius. That wouldn't you -- be you, would
:21:55. > :22:01.it? No. This is where we keep the real one.
:22:01. > :22:09.Somebody spends �100 on Boots own brand goods under the old scheme
:22:09. > :22:15.they get 10% cash discount, so they only spend �90, each pound is worth
:22:15. > :22:23.four points and each point is worth a penny. That's �3.60. And so all
:22:23. > :22:29.together, the goods cost �86.40. Under the new scheme, instead of
:22:29. > :22:34.the discount you get ten points for each pound spend, so that's worth
:22:34. > :22:42.�10 and therefore the deal will cost you �90. Under the new scheme
:22:42. > :22:47.you spend �90. Under the old �86.40. Not much of an upgrade.
:22:47. > :22:50.Now for the next bit. Boots says it made the changes
:22:50. > :22:55.after listening to over 60s customers to better understand the
:22:55. > :22:59.way they like to shop. The new deal is designed to have broader appeal.
:22:59. > :23:04.Boots believe it reflects customers' needs better. It's sorry
:23:04. > :23:08.that some people have concerns and it advises anyone with questions to
:23:08. > :23:13.contact the customer care team. So they're sticking with it,
:23:13. > :23:20.despite what we've seen? Yes. Everest, one of the biggest names
:23:21. > :23:25.in home improvements, windows, doors, kitchens, roofs. And for a
:23:25. > :23:27.total transformation, look at these bifolding doors. Pretty cool, hey?
:23:27. > :23:35.Be honest, you didn't expect Everest to be doing that today, did
:23:35. > :23:40.you? No, we didn't. We weren't expecting this either.
:23:40. > :23:43.One company, lots of promises. Everest guarantees the best
:23:43. > :23:48.materials, top quality workmanship along with exacting standards and
:23:48. > :23:58.exceptional customer service. And apparently it delivers a perfect
:23:58. > :23:58.
:23:58. > :24:02.fit every time. What, like this? Meet Jean, who lives in a non-
:24:02. > :24:07.drought area. She ordered her conservatory in December 2008. It
:24:07. > :24:10.cost nearly �33,000. But almost as soon that's was
:24:10. > :24:14.installed, the roof started leaking. When it rains you can't use this
:24:14. > :24:19.room. We have to position buckets everywhere. It's ruined the floor.
:24:20. > :24:25.It's going to have to be repolished. It's ruined my funnure, the carpet,
:24:25. > :24:30.everything. According to Jean, Everest has since been out
:24:30. > :24:34.repeatedly. After all that, the roof still leaks. The work mn did
:24:34. > :24:39.replace one of the windows three months after it was fitted. Mind
:24:39. > :24:43.you, they didn't have much choice. I just went to open it and got to
:24:43. > :24:48.about there and the whole thing just completely fell out. The
:24:48. > :24:53.weight of it, I had a hold of the angle, I tried to stop it. It
:24:53. > :24:58.almost took me with it. It has been one long nightmare. Now I'm no
:24:58. > :25:05.expert, but leaking roofs and windows that fall out doesn't sound
:25:05. > :25:09.like the exacting standards that Everest promises. So, how about a
:25:09. > :25:13.property expert? A man who does know about exacting standards,
:25:13. > :25:17.chartered surveyor Barry Cross has more than 40 years in the game. He
:25:17. > :25:25.knows a good job when he sees it and gets very annoyed about the bad
:25:25. > :25:31.ones. Isn't that right Barry? He does speak, by the way, in fact
:25:31. > :25:35.show him a poor job and he'll go on for hours. There's two principal
:25:35. > :25:40.things wrong. First, the roof and walls are moving. Because these
:25:40. > :25:45.bars have not been tightened up properly. Where it's leaking, strip
:25:45. > :25:48.out all the trim, if necessary, take the glass off. Find where it's
:25:48. > :25:54.leaking, put that right and then put the glass back and put
:25:54. > :25:57.everything back to normal. Sadly, Everest has done known of this,
:25:57. > :26:01.leaving Jean to deal with the mess. We chose Everest because we thought
:26:01. > :26:05.we were getting the best. We had seen the adverts that they have on
:26:05. > :26:08.the television. We believed what they were saying, but that
:26:08. > :26:13.certainly has not been our experience. Everest are on a
:26:13. > :26:18.mission to transform Britain's homes... Home transformations, now
:26:18. > :26:25.there's a laudible aim. Then again, change isn't always for the better.
:26:25. > :26:29.Guaranteed for a lifetime. Ask David, he agreed to pay Everest
:26:29. > :26:32.for improvements to his house in 2010. I say improvements, but now
:26:32. > :26:40.he can't even open his front door properly. If only someone could
:26:40. > :26:45.give him an explanation. Let me take a look. This door doesn't open
:26:45. > :26:49.fully. The reason for that is that they didn't factor in the dado rail.
:26:49. > :26:54.That's Everest's total responsibility. According to David,
:26:54. > :26:58.so is this: After complaining about the doors and windows Everest had
:26:58. > :27:01.already installed, Everest agreed to carry out remedial work. But
:27:01. > :27:05.when the problems persisted, he lost confidence in their ability to
:27:05. > :27:11.complete the final part of the job and he felt he had no choice but to
:27:11. > :27:18.leave the rest of his house like this. Their workmanship was
:27:18. > :27:21.absolutely awful, yet it was passed by their surveyor. They came back.
:27:21. > :27:26.They redid the work, but it was still awful and not as we ordered
:27:27. > :27:32.at all. So what exactly are the problems? We asked Barry to carry
:27:32. > :27:38.out a full inspection. The verdict? So far, we've found... Wonky
:27:38. > :27:45.windows. Cracked tiles. Split rubbers. Wonky bars. Mysterious
:27:45. > :27:51.powder. Drill holes. Messy fillers. Mismatched handles. The workmanship
:27:51. > :27:56.is sloppy. There's no attention to the finishes. There are still
:27:56. > :28:03.significant defects here. Ziet the unhappy customers Everest is busy
:28:03. > :28:06.looking for new ones as well as running TV ads, it's sponsored this
:28:06. > :28:11.year's Ideal Home Show. Familiar promises, but to some they sound
:28:11. > :28:17.Holly. Phil Bailey signed up for �23,500 of new windows and doors.
:28:17. > :28:22.They finished late, the surrounds were in the wrong colour. Worst of
:28:22. > :28:28.all, the windows up upstairs were deemed unsafe, not the best news
:28:28. > :28:33.when you have two small children. The windows in the rear bedroom
:28:33. > :28:38.needed restrictors on them, when we reported it, it was as if it was
:28:38. > :28:41.another moan. This window doesn't complien with the most basic safety
:28:41. > :28:45.requirements. The window opens fully. This is so dangerous for
:28:45. > :28:50.children particularly who can open the window and fall straight out.
:28:50. > :28:55.Did you know that Everest can help make your home more energy
:28:55. > :29:00.efficient. So, poor workmanship, leaky roofs and unsafe fittings.
:29:00. > :29:07.From the company that prides itself on being the best. Be honest, you
:29:07. > :29:10.didn't expect Everest to be doing that today, did you? Now Everest
:29:10. > :29:15.say they're committed to providing the best customer service and offer
:29:15. > :29:18.to attend and rectify any issues. They've accepted there were some
:29:18. > :29:22.grounds of complaint in the cases we've featured and have prepared to
:29:22. > :29:26.resolve them. They've apologised to the customers and offered
:29:26. > :29:30.significant gestures of goodwill. The company has now fitted
:29:30. > :29:39.restrictors to Phil Bailey's bedroom window. KGB, their agents
:29:39. > :29:45.say they're hunting the best deals. They need to look harder.
:29:45. > :29:49.Back to landlord Brendan Kylie now. His lettings companies have been
:29:49. > :29:53.guaranteeing houses and flats to would-be tenants in return for a
:29:53. > :29:57.fee, but then advertising those properties again to take more money
:29:57. > :30:01.from others. One of Kylie's companies has a house to rent in
:30:01. > :30:06.Preston. If you want to secure it, all you have to do is put down �200.
:30:06. > :30:12.What will happen when we send in three customers, one after other?
:30:12. > :30:19.Let's find out. This is the house, and this is Gemma, the first member
:30:19. > :30:23.of our undercover team. She's met by two agents from Best Lettings
:30:23. > :30:33.for you. One does the talking, but the other, Scott is there
:30:33. > :31:02.
:31:02. > :31:12.throughout so he knows exactly Hmmm... 2300, that sounds familiar..
:31:12. > :31:13.
:31:13. > :31:18.�200, this sounds familiar. It seems clear enough. But just to
:31:18. > :31:25.check, Gemma asks what happens next. I know you mentioned that there's a
:31:25. > :31:30.few other people today. If anyone else, obviously, was keen and they
:31:30. > :31:36.do this process as well? We don't go into a race. If you want the
:31:36. > :31:41.property and everything is in order, then you've put your money down.
:31:41. > :31:45.Actually, she asks twice. But if someone else liked it, can they dot
:31:45. > :31:49.same thing? No, what we'd have to do now, if somebody comes to view
:31:49. > :31:51.and does want it, we would advise them that we've got somebody, going
:31:51. > :31:55.through the process. And if everything goes through for you,
:31:55. > :31:59.then the property won't be available for them. As far as I'm
:31:59. > :32:04.concerned, that's definite, but then I'm no lawyer, which is why
:32:04. > :32:08.we've brought one in to watch the footage. That's the lawyer. That's
:32:08. > :32:11.quite clear. She's being told unambiguously, if anybody shows
:32:11. > :32:15.interest, they will be told that this lady has put her money down.
:32:15. > :32:18.Excellent, thank you Mr Lawyer. That means Gemma can hand over her
:32:18. > :32:24.�200, secure in the knowledge that the property is hers. All she has
:32:24. > :32:27.to do is get her paper work to them in time. 30 minutes later, Daniel
:32:27. > :32:34.our second tenant arrives. Presumably they'll tell him the
:32:34. > :32:39.property is now off the market. Except Scott, who was there when
:32:39. > :32:43.they guaranteed the property to Gemma, remember, has other ideas.
:32:43. > :32:47.There is other vuegz on the property as well. If you want to
:32:47. > :32:52.put your name down on the property and you want to pay �200, I'm not
:32:52. > :32:57.putting anybody else's name down on that. That's extraordinary, to be
:32:57. > :33:04.honest with you, that's what he contradicts to the other person as
:33:05. > :33:09.well. Chill out Danny, because Scott says no fewer than six times
:33:09. > :33:14.that he won't put anyone else's name down on the property. A
:33:14. > :33:17.reassured Daniel reaches into his pocket for �200. To recap, he's
:33:17. > :33:21.taken money from two people on the understanding that the property is
:33:21. > :33:27.theirs. I mean, unless he's stitching them both together in a
:33:27. > :33:37.flat share or organising some kind of couples dating agency... Do you
:33:37. > :33:38.
:33:38. > :33:43.think he's going for the hat-trick? You mean a menage a tres? Just 30
:33:43. > :33:53.minutes later, our third tenant Jim arrives. Once again his -- here's
:33:53. > :34:25.
:34:25. > :34:29.Scott, firm hand shake, look him That is a definite lie there. In
:34:29. > :34:39.terms of a fraud that is a fraudulent misrepresentation. He's
:34:39. > :34:41.
:34:41. > :34:47.telling him something that's untrue Rest easy. And we forked out �600
:34:47. > :34:53.for the privilege. Rest easy... Like a bed of nails. Yeah. Any way,
:34:53. > :34:56.third time's a charm. Three's company. Doesn't really apply. We
:34:56. > :34:59.need clarification. Are we dealing with one rogue letting agent here
:35:00. > :35:04.or is it company policy to guarantee a property to more than
:35:04. > :35:11.one person so they can pocket multiple payments? A few days later
:35:11. > :35:13.our third potential eenter -- rent errer Jim goes to the offices with
:35:13. > :35:17.a question. I was wondering if anyone else was interested in the
:35:17. > :35:21.property. I heard rumours through a friend of a friend that new people
:35:21. > :35:25.that had viewed it had also put an application fee, I think you call
:35:25. > :35:30.it down, down. I was under the impression that the fee security it.
:35:30. > :35:35.For seven days until you get your documentation into us. We won't
:35:35. > :35:42.take that �200 off anybody else, especially within the seven days of
:35:42. > :35:47.you paying your �200. Well otherwise it would be theft. Out of
:35:47. > :35:53.her mouth. Actually technically it's more fraud. She's basically
:35:53. > :35:59.say figure they did that, it would be theft or fraud. So no-one else
:35:59. > :36:06.has put money down at all? No, no more profits. I'm the negotiator.
:36:06. > :36:09.And Scott works under myself. says Scott works under her. Either
:36:09. > :36:14.she's not supervising staff properly or she is supervising
:36:14. > :36:19.properly and she knows what's going on. Jim seeks more reassurance that
:36:19. > :36:22.the property is his. This time from the manager. I've been and checked
:36:22. > :36:26.now, there's nobody else put anything on this property. As far
:36:26. > :36:30.as we can see it's all yours. We're just waiting for your paper work.
:36:30. > :36:36.What do you make of that Mr Lawyer? Well that's staggering. There's no
:36:36. > :36:39.shades of grey there. It's black and white. They're caught in an
:36:39. > :36:42.outright lie not once or twice, but three or four times. Legally,
:36:42. > :36:47.there's a host of things wrong with that. Take me through them.
:36:47. > :36:52.emsoolz as if the consumer protection Fairtradeing regulations
:36:52. > :36:56.from 2008 applies. That's one of my favourite pieces of legislation. I
:36:56. > :36:59.carry a copy. Here's mine. What they can't do is anything
:36:59. > :37:03.misleading with an effect that causes a consumer to do something
:37:03. > :37:07.they wouldn't otherwise have done. Here they're paying out �200, which
:37:07. > :37:11.they wouldn't have done if they knew the truth. Second thing, more
:37:11. > :37:14.damning s, properlyly outright fraud. There's a few offences, one
:37:14. > :37:18.of them is a fraud by representation. Flashy legal terms
:37:18. > :37:23.which means if you dishonestly say anything that's untrue with an
:37:23. > :37:27.intent to make a gain, that's illegal. It's just what's been
:37:28. > :37:34.happening repeatedly. It's helped bring the man in charge of it all a
:37:34. > :37:40.very imprisive lifestyle. Brendan Kylie, we're looking at you. Yes,
:37:40. > :37:45.the big boss is in our sights. So is one of his letting agents, Scott
:37:45. > :37:49.Marshall. We know he fraudulently takes money from would-be tenants.
:37:49. > :37:55.What happens when one of those tenants comes back and catches him
:37:55. > :37:59.at it, closely followed by me? Keep watching, it's going to get tasty.
:38:00. > :38:04.Next, KGB and LivingSocial, both big names in the current daily
:38:04. > :38:07.deals craze. Register with unof their websites and you'll receive
:38:08. > :38:13.regular e-mails offering discounts on goods and services in your area.
:38:13. > :38:17.Sounds great, but is it? The ads are everywhere, more and
:38:17. > :38:22.more of us are being tempted by them. According to a new survey,
:38:22. > :38:25.68% of us have tried one of the growing numbers of daily deal sites.
:38:25. > :38:29.But it isn't all good news for companies like these. After we have
:38:29. > :38:35.used them, over a third of us don't try to buy from the same product
:38:35. > :38:38.supplier again. Which seems to suggest that some customers aren't
:38:39. > :38:43.happy, the same sort of customers would contacted us.
:38:43. > :38:47.Yeah let's start with one of the best known names in this field.
:38:47. > :38:53.We're three women on a budget and on a mission. Checking out stuff
:38:53. > :38:59.you love to do, in search of what we call deal appeal. We are the KGB
:38:59. > :39:04.deal makers. Are those deals as impressive as the ads? Wayne used
:39:04. > :39:09.KGB when planning a weekend stay in Edinburgh. With it being my
:39:09. > :39:12.partner's birthday, I wanted something really nice. The
:39:12. > :39:17.apartments looked fantastic. The deal they was giving was a massive
:39:17. > :39:21.discount. I thought great, just what I wanted. I booked it.
:39:21. > :39:26.Suites confirmed his booking. 16 days later, they e. Mailed him
:39:26. > :39:33.again saying he couldn't stay on the days he wanted due to a
:39:33. > :39:35.technical error. Worse, they couldn't get him any money back.
:39:35. > :39:41.The apartments don't receive my money until I've staid. So they
:39:41. > :39:47.can't give me a refund. KGB have my money. The good news is that KGB
:39:47. > :39:54.have a refund policy. The bad news is that anyone wanting to claim
:39:54. > :39:58.must do so within ten days. So as B Suites took 16 days to tell Wayne
:39:58. > :40:03.his booking was cancelled, did that mean he had missed the deadline? He
:40:03. > :40:08.doesn't know. KGB said they'd look into it, three months later he's
:40:08. > :40:12.still waiting.. It's the first time I've used KGB and it will be the
:40:12. > :40:20.last. So are they more helpful when a product you've ordered arrives
:40:20. > :40:25.damaged. This family were delighted when they found a new bed offered
:40:25. > :40:30.at 2329. I opened the head board first and it was all mould. I took
:40:30. > :40:36.the plastic off and I could smell it. I went on, opened it and it was
:40:36. > :40:39.all mould. Now KGB will refund customers if they return faulty or
:40:39. > :40:44.unwanted goods to the supplier within ten days. But hard as they
:40:44. > :40:49.tried to return their faulty bed to the supplier, they simply couldn't.
:40:49. > :40:54.None of the phone numbers were working. One was going on answering
:40:54. > :41:00.machine. Then I e-mailed them two times and got the automated reply,
:41:00. > :41:05.nobody has replied me back. I don't know what to do. How do you contact
:41:05. > :41:09.them? Phone numbers and e-mails don't work. The result? The couple
:41:09. > :41:15.still have a mouldy bed. They've had precious little help from KGB.
:41:15. > :41:17.I expected some support from KGB, all I got was that we are
:41:17. > :41:23.forwarding your details to the supplier and they'll be in touch
:41:23. > :41:27.with you. That's. It Nothing else. Now when you're using a group
:41:27. > :41:31.buying website like KGB, you might think the contract for the deal
:41:31. > :41:35.you're buying is with them, but it's not. It's with whoever is
:41:35. > :41:39.supplying the product or service. Those group buying websites do have
:41:39. > :41:43.certain responsibilities. Like insuring that the supplier they use
:41:43. > :41:50.can actually come up with the goods and services in a time frame
:41:50. > :41:55.suggested. LivingSocial, the daily deal website specialising in
:41:55. > :41:59.lifestyle experiences seems to take its responsibilities seriously. In
:41:59. > :42:04.fact it makes this pledge "If a supplier fails to on Ayr voucher
:42:04. > :42:10.before the expiration date, LivingSocial with refund customers
:42:10. > :42:15.with credit for future deals." If only they stuck by it. Dance music
:42:15. > :42:19.fan Reece George is determined on becoming a DJ. When his mum say
:42:19. > :42:23.LivingSocial advertising a five- hour DJ class at the Ministry of
:42:23. > :42:28.Sound nightclub, it seemed the ideal Christmas gift. I was really
:42:28. > :42:32.excited to go on the DJ course. It's run by such a big name, I
:42:32. > :42:35.recognised in the industry. It's run by professionals. I phoned
:42:35. > :42:40.Ministry of Sound to book my course, which was in November. I was told
:42:40. > :42:44.it was fully booked. He was advised to call back nearer the time of the
:42:44. > :42:49.next course in February. When he did so, Ministry of Sound took his
:42:49. > :42:53.details but failed to get back to him with confirmation. Complaints
:42:53. > :43:00.to LivingSocial didn't do any good either. The February course came
:43:00. > :43:04.and went and the Christmas gift had become useless. The voucher had
:43:04. > :43:08.expired and I couldn't redeem it. I'm really disappointed, the fact
:43:08. > :43:12.that I couldn't atepbld the course. My mum spent a lot of money for it.
:43:12. > :43:17.The fact they're holding onto the money, it don't seem right.
:43:17. > :43:21.experience and no refund, despite that promise on LivingSocial's
:43:21. > :43:26.website. A promise that's let other customers down too. Elizabeth
:43:26. > :43:31.Ludlow bought a voucher for a thrill seekers speed boat ride last
:43:31. > :43:35.December as a present for her son, due to emigrate. As the voucher
:43:35. > :43:40.state today was valid through until June 11th, 2012, she assume today
:43:40. > :43:44.could be redeemed straight away. gave the voucher to my son, which
:43:44. > :43:47.was a little surprise for Christmas. Because they're going to New
:43:47. > :43:51.Zealand the following year, they could have a surprise in January or
:43:51. > :43:55.February. Instead he got a nasty surprise. When he went to book his
:43:55. > :43:59.ride, he was told they didn't even start until March, by which time he
:43:59. > :44:04.would have left the country. Could Elizabeth get her money back?
:44:04. > :44:13.waited three months for them to resolve this issue. My son has now
:44:13. > :44:17.emigrated. I still haven't had a refund. Why? The speed boat company
:44:17. > :44:20.involved say they provided the correct dates. LivingSocial has now
:44:21. > :44:24.apologised to both Elizabeth and Reece George and given them full
:44:24. > :44:28.refunds. It says customer service is at the heart of its business and
:44:28. > :44:33.it's extremely disappointed to hear of cases where it's failed to live
:44:33. > :44:37.up to its standards. Ministry of Sound has invited Reese it a forth
:44:37. > :44:41.coming DJ Academy course free of charge. KGB Deals say they've
:44:41. > :44:45.fulfilled 97% of all customer purchases in the last two years.
:44:45. > :44:49.They provide customer protection in line with consumer law and stand by
:44:50. > :44:55.their no-quibble guarantee. The furniture company have now supplies
:44:55. > :44:59.a new bed and B Suites have offered Wayne Tribe a complimentary stay at
:44:59. > :45:03.any branch. KGB say all are satisfied with how the problems
:45:03. > :45:08.have been resolved. Thanks to everyone who's been in
:45:08. > :45:12.touch about that story. Here's a few more.
:45:12. > :45:18.It's a Big Weekend for football fans. And an expensive one if you
:45:18. > :45:23.follow Tottenham. Spurs are due to meet London rivals Chelsea at an FA
:45:23. > :45:28.Cup semi-final at Wembley. The club has angered some fans because of a
:45:29. > :45:36.number of extra charges when they order tickets online. Match
:45:37. > :45:41.admission ranges between 330-�60. - - �30-�60. But there's a ticket
:45:41. > :45:47.delivery fee and a booking fee per fan. So someone ordering four
:45:47. > :45:53.tickets will end up paying another �15.50 on top of the headline price.
:45:53. > :45:56.Spurs say an outside agency sells its tickets and the club blame
:45:56. > :46:01.increased Royal Mail charges for the higher fee. Chelsea meanwhile
:46:01. > :46:04.are charging �5.26 for delivery but have waived their usual booking fee
:46:04. > :46:13.all together for the tie. I thought Roman needed the extra
:46:13. > :46:16.dosh. Flying short haul this summer? The
:46:16. > :46:19.way to Passport Control could be longer than the flight. The
:46:19. > :46:22.Immigration Service Union warns delays for returning passengers
:46:22. > :46:28.could stretch up to four hours during the height of the holiday
:46:28. > :46:34.season. It blames fixed staff rosters and Home Office plans to
:46:35. > :46:39.cut the workforce. This comes as new scanning machine and mandatory
:46:39. > :46:43.checks are implemented. They say they're ready to deal with extra
:46:43. > :46:50.passengers and extra staff will be on duty to cope during the Olympics.
:46:50. > :46:55.Though once the Games are over, that wait could be a marathon.
:46:55. > :46:59.Tian Tian and Yang Guang those giant Pandas which were a present
:46:59. > :47:04.from China to Scotland, heart worming, except we now find
:47:04. > :47:11.Edinburgh Zoo is paying �6 million for the right to keep the Pandas
:47:11. > :47:15.for the next decade. An ad for saying they were a free gift has
:47:15. > :47:19.been banned. It's prompted complaints from animal charities
:47:19. > :47:22.saying visitors might object paying to a ticket if they knew a slice of
:47:22. > :47:27.it was going to the Chinese Government. Stosh ministers say it
:47:27. > :47:35.doesn't, it goes to help -- Scottish ministers say it doesn't.
:47:35. > :47:39.It goes to conservation projects. The zoo says that despite showing
:47:39. > :47:42.interest in each other, they have failed to mate. Though if they do,
:47:42. > :47:45.it will be more expensive presumably.
:47:45. > :47:52.The story so far. Brendan Kylie runs letting companies in the North
:47:52. > :47:56.West. Companies who guarantee potential tenants this a company --
:47:56. > :48:00.property is theirs in return for a �200 fee. But then collect similar
:48:00. > :48:06.payments from others. Fraud in other words.
:48:06. > :48:12.Now telling lies is bad, being caught telling them is excruciating.
:48:12. > :48:17.So settle down because you're about to see one of Kylie's men squirm.
:48:17. > :48:21.Sibt one, a new house to rent in Burnley. Exhibit two, lettings
:48:21. > :48:25.agent Scott Marshall. Exhibit three, our undercover researcher Lisa, who
:48:25. > :48:29.claims to be interested in said property. And exhibit four, a van
:48:29. > :48:33.parked round the corner, with me listening in.
:48:33. > :48:38.OK we're off. And it's familiar words from Scott. If you want to
:48:38. > :48:42.put your name down on the property, it's �200 administration fee.
:48:42. > :48:46.I've given you the 200 quid is that mine then? Your name's down on the
:48:46. > :48:53.property. Vi no other viewings on this at all. It sounds like what
:48:53. > :48:59.he's saying, once again, once the �200 is paid, it's ours. Yet it
:48:59. > :49:02.sounds like it, but there's no harm in checking one more time.
:49:02. > :49:05.Presumably if anyone else asks you then about this property you just
:49:05. > :49:08.say that it's... I have to do the viewings but I will tell them that
:49:09. > :49:13.somebody else has their name on the property and I have to tell them
:49:13. > :49:18.that any way. If you want to sign at the bottom there. So Lisa signs
:49:18. > :49:23.up to the property and hands over the money. We've handed over �200
:49:23. > :49:30.as an administration fee. But with the promise that really if we do
:49:30. > :49:34.that no-one else will be handing over the �2 00. We sent in someone
:49:34. > :49:40.else to see if that's the truth or is Scott making it up on the spot?
:49:40. > :49:46.We'll e -- we'll soon know. 20 minutes later, our second
:49:46. > :49:51.prospective tenant Steve arrives. And gets almost exactly the same
:49:51. > :49:56.spiel. How it works is to put your name down on the property it's a
:49:56. > :50:02.2300 administration fee. Once we pay -- �200 administration fee.
:50:02. > :50:07.Once we pay, it's our. It goes down as a reservation on our system any
:50:07. > :50:11.way. So it'll be �200 today, which is the administration fee. We know
:50:11. > :50:18.Scott's been doing this again and again. But how will he react if
:50:18. > :50:20.he's caught red handed. We're about to find out because Lisa's back
:50:20. > :50:28.pretending she's left something behind. I've lost my purse. Hi,
:50:28. > :50:34.sorry, are you still here. Oh! Sorry. Come out here. Or erm...
:50:34. > :50:38.this is awkward. Unsurprisingly, Scott seems desperate to keep the
:50:38. > :50:43.two would-be tenants apart. Sorry I've lost my purse. Is it not here?
:50:43. > :50:49.Let me have a chat with you a minute. Is he? I'm confused. Are
:50:50. > :50:53.you taking this property? Well, yeah. Just sorting it out. He's
:50:53. > :50:57.putting a reservation down on it, though you have as well. At the end
:50:57. > :51:01.of the day, you have to get documents in within seven days.
:51:01. > :51:04.understanding was that you said to me that no-one else is going to be
:51:04. > :51:10.putting �200... Your name's on the property, if they still want to put
:51:10. > :51:14.their name on the property I have to do that. You've paid �200.
:51:14. > :51:17.just paid. It's an embarrassing situation Scott. How do you do,
:51:17. > :51:22.Matt Allwright BBC Rogue Traders. That's a piece of paper you might
:51:22. > :51:28.want to see. When you have two people paying �200 as an
:51:28. > :51:32.administration fee... I don't want to speak to you. Who have paid as
:51:32. > :51:35.an administration fee and they think. Bye now, They think that
:51:35. > :51:39.guarantees them the property. What happens is you ruin people's lives
:51:39. > :51:43.Scott by making them think they've got somewhere to think, when they
:51:43. > :51:47.haven't got somewhere to live at all. You can have �200 a time off
:51:47. > :51:51.them because you're taking multiple deposits, you call them
:51:51. > :51:59.administration fees off them on the promise of getting somewhere to
:51:59. > :52:06.live. Do you want the �200. We'll take that right now. �you took �600
:52:06. > :52:13.in total from us. Thank you very much.
:52:13. > :52:19.That's Scott of Best Lettings For You not getting away quite Scot
:52:19. > :52:22.free I would say. This can't all be laid at the door of a single agent.
:52:22. > :52:26.Scott's working for the boss, Brendan Kylie, who lives behind
:52:26. > :52:30.this fancy set of gates. Yeah, it's all his. When we contacted him
:52:30. > :52:33.about our findings, he invited us round.
:52:33. > :52:38.Nice to meet you. Matt Allwright from BBC Rogue Traders. OK then, if
:52:38. > :52:44.it's a chat he wants, what we've seen is your letting agent taking
:52:44. > :52:49.money from people on a guarantee that property would then be there.
:52:50. > :52:54.I refute that, the word guarantee. We do not say... A promise.
:52:54. > :52:58.It's an application fee that these proposed tenants and that's what
:52:58. > :53:02.they are, when they inquire about our properties, they are filling in
:53:02. > :53:06.an application fee. We've heard from your would-be tenants, who've
:53:06. > :53:11.paid that money over and found out that there is no property for them
:53:12. > :53:17.and the money is gone. Now Brendan, if you don't know that's what's
:53:17. > :53:22.happening in your own company... we have took three application fees
:53:22. > :53:26.on one property, yes, that application fee goes through a
:53:26. > :53:30.system. If fact what happens is the same promise is given to more than
:53:30. > :53:35.one person. I'm sorry... That's misrepresentation. That could be
:53:35. > :53:40.classed as fraud. That's what your agents are doing. Take a quick tour
:53:40. > :53:45.and it's clear Brendan's done very well from his businesses. I don't
:53:45. > :53:48.get this big house from lettings, I can assure you. OK, but it's
:53:48. > :53:51.nothing like some of the ones you rent out, is it? We've had one
:53:51. > :53:55.woman on the night before she was supposed to move into your property
:53:55. > :54:00.was still faced with damp. Would you move in there? If I had nowhere
:54:00. > :54:04.else to go. Why would you have nowhere else? Because somebody had
:54:04. > :54:09.assured me that a property would be ready and I had paid money to that
:54:09. > :54:13.effect in advance. If someone is that desperate, they move into a
:54:13. > :54:17.damp property, I'm sorry, their standards are not that great.
:54:17. > :54:20.to do with their standards. They would love to live somewhere like
:54:21. > :54:26.this. Well... They would love to sit on this sofyafplts They have to
:54:26. > :54:31.work a bit harder. I almost thought you said they'll have to work a bit
:54:31. > :54:35.harder? I've not inherited this. I've got this from hard work.
:54:35. > :54:39.Rolling my sleeves up and getting stuck in. What we have seen of your
:54:40. > :54:44.business is that it's based on lies, deceit, misrepresentation, what
:54:44. > :54:48.could be classed fraud, and it's pulling the wool over the eyes of
:54:48. > :54:55.people who are desperate for somewhere to live. Anyone who is
:54:55. > :54:59.due a refund and they feel they've been untoward by Brendan Kylie or
:54:59. > :55:07.Home Trader group or any company associated with them, feel free to
:55:07. > :55:12.come to 71 to 73 Long Street Middleton and ask for a refund, if
:55:12. > :55:15.you feel you require that. If your property is what you could -- you
:55:15. > :55:19.consider a bad state of repair, write in or telephone and within
:55:19. > :55:26.seven days that property will be put back in good condition. Thank
:55:26. > :55:30.you very much Brendan. Thank you. Brendan Kylie since accused us of
:55:30. > :55:34.being biased and unfair. He denies fraud, but now the good news. He
:55:34. > :55:38.says the company's learned valuable lessons and whilst some employees
:55:38. > :55:43.made mistakes due to lack of training, any of those identified
:55:43. > :55:47.as working outside company policies have been removed, even better, the
:55:47. > :55:51.�200 fees which he claimed were to cover processing costs have been
:55:51. > :55:56.scrapped to prevent further cases of abuse. He's promised to refund
:55:56. > :56:00.us another �400 and says he's paid back monies taken in error from
:56:00. > :56:05.others. He had interesting pictures hanging on his wall. But I prefer
:56:05. > :56:10.this one: Brendan Kylie and Scott Marshall, the latest faces on our
:56:10. > :56:14.rogue's gallery. So many of you getting in touch
:56:14. > :56:19.about car insurance quotes and how to get a cheaper deal if you pose
:56:19. > :56:25.as a new customer. Paul says his renewal quote was �1300, so he
:56:25. > :56:30.cancelled and went back as a new customer and quoted �550 even with
:56:30. > :56:34.the same details. Who's spending an extra penny, lots of you. Not happy
:56:34. > :56:37.about the petrol pumps. Names being mentioned not just Sainsbury's. If
:56:37. > :56:40.you have suffered at the hands of Brendan Kylie's companies we want
:56:41. > :56:45.to hear from you. Please get in touch. Tell us what's happened.
:56:45. > :56:49.Keep sending us your stories and tippoffs. Go to the website
:56:49. > :56:55.bbc.co.uk/watchdog and click where it says "your stories" or write to
:56:55. > :57:00.us: British Gas -Trying to charge thousands for work that doesn't
:57:00. > :57:04.need doing. Faulty Breast implants. The women fighting for pay-outs.
:57:04. > :57:07.Could there be hope for some after all? And when can a judge's ruling