Episode 8 Watchdog

Royal Mail - Post disappearing. Lloyds and NatWest - Savings

vanishing. Vuxhall - Engines at risk of burning. Plus: Asda,

Ryanair and Amazon - so much packaging, such small contents.

/It's Watchdog. The programme you Yes, hello and good evening.

Welcome to Watchdog, we are live from Television Centre. Tonight:

The Vauxhall Insignia, what caused this one to burst into flames?

There were two, maybe three large bangs that could have been tyres,

because a lot of the car was melted to the pave. -- pavement. The Fire

Brigade said two minutes and nothing would have been left.

NatWest, big rates for borrowers, tiny rates for safers.

Plus, ASDA cutting the prices? Or are they breaking the rules? The

rollbacks that don't add up. And Royal Mail that has raised the

cost of stamps. What service do we get in return No stamp of approval

for tonight's rogues, they have charged us thousands to refurbish

roofs, did a rotten job and remove tiles like this. We did get a high-

wire act thrown in, though. My heart is in the hands, standing

on the ridge, precariously balanced, if that is not an accident waiting

to happen, I don't know what is. Yes, TV without a safety net.

Vauxhall, the top-selling family car, the Vauxhall Insignia crowned

European Car Of The Year, 12 months after the launch.

ADVERTISEMENT: The technology, depth, the speed what else can it

do? It can lose power while steering, if you are one of the

unlucky ones. Plus the engines could start to smoke or also burst

in flames, according to some experts. Martin bought his Vauxhall

Insignia in ape, 2010. By May 2011, the �21,000 vehicle looked like.

This I was driving to Dorset for a

weekend away. A car pulled alongside me to they will me that

there were flames coming out of the back of the car. Once the fire took

hold, the front was unGulf in flames. The car began to melt

around the sides and the front. There was two, or maybe even three

large bangs that could have been tyres, because a lot of the car was

melted to the pavement. The Fire Brigade went two more minutes and

there would not be anything left. We are in shock, my wife and I, on

the embankment, head in hands, the thought of what could have happened.

Although Martin and his wife were badly shaken, neither were hurt.

The car, however, was a complete write-off. So what caused this

Vauxhall Insignia to so dramatically burst into flames?

This was the reason given by Vauxhall over the phone.

They said that the pipe on the power steering had come off and the

fluid has dropped on to the diesel particle filter and ignited.

Apparently the filter gets hot. Vauxhall commissioned a forensic

report. It did not find the exact cause of the fire but said it was

fluid-based. It ruled out fuel or oil. Said that the power assisted

steering had escaped, causing the blaze.

There was a device that is to remove soot from the exhaust.

Power steering fluid is a oil, like any oil it is come bustible. It is

delivered under pressure through pipework located close to the

exhaust system. If the pipework fails, then there is the risk that

the pressurised hydraulic fluid, the power steering fluid can find

its way on to the exhaust system. Now depending on how hot that

exhaust system is, that part of the exhaust system is at the time, one

runs the risk of the vehicle catching fire. Martin's car was a

diesel. If there was a leak of power steering fluid from a pipe

carrying that fluid, it could find its way on to the front part of the

exhaust system where the diesel particulate filter is located,

arguably the hottest part of the exhaust system. The results of this

could be very, very serious indeed. Vauxhall now say that their own

investigations are ruled out any fault with the high pressure power

steering hose or fittings, but say that the cause of the fire remains

unknown. Five months after Martin's car was written off, Vauxhall

identified a fault in some other Vauxhall Insignia models, that

according to some experts could result in fire. How do we know

that? Well, we have our hands on this. It is what Vauxhall refer to

as a technical service bulletin. A document that isdies Buted to all

mechanics when something goes wrong with one of their vehicles and a

part needs replacing to fix the problem. This dates back to October,

2011. Is refers to the pipe that carries the power steering fluid.

It seems clear it says that the power steering pressure pipe may

crack or leak. The remedy is to replace the power steering pressure

pipe and clip. The cause, insufficient design.

So, what could be the consequences of failing to remedy this

insufficient design? You are looking at a situation where you

can have a sudden failure of a power steering pipe under pressure.

So that means you are going to lose power assistance to steering, you

could be on.the road, steering to the left, drifting out to the

opposite lane and causing a collision. It could be serious. On

top of that, you have power assisted steering fluid spraying on

to the hot part of the exhaust, the DPF, the diesel part I can late

filter, that can cause smoke in a worst case it could cause a fire.

Vauxhall says if the power steering fluid does escape from a pipe it

leaks out slowly rather than be sprayed across the engine, but how

reassuring is that? This fluid is highly flammable. It is present in

any form or quantityy in the eng yen, it is dangerous then as it

represents a fire hazard. A leak will by its own volition by the

nature the leak in the first place, even a slow leak is dangerous.

Vauxhall says that 6 x 900 vehicles manufactured in Germany, and these,

it said that it could not state that any fluid could come into

contact with a part of the engine where the fire could result. So

they cannot rule out the potential for fire, but it has recalled none

of the vehicles, the stpault being fixed only when owners are put in

for a service. There are two potential hazards. A

leak of power steering fluid can lead to a loss of power steering

assistance. But because of this significant

risk of fire from the leaking power steering fluid which is flammable,

this is a safety issue, it must be sorted immediately. If not, owners

are left in danger. Vehicles have been safety recalled for this

reason. Vauxhall have known about this for

some time. They have not been pro- active. In fact, they have been

putting it on the quiet when vehicles have been in for servicing.

That is not good enough. They should find the vehicles affected.

Bringing them in by issuing a recall and getting them sorted.

Vauxhall confirmed there is a service action in place involving

6,900 diesel Vauxhall Insignia 63% have been re-worked. Some exhibited

no signs of a problem or leaking others only a slow leak. They say

that there are no instances where a fire resulted from a slow leak and

no evidence that engine movement could tkhaus to worsen. Or that

there was evidence that an engine leak could cause rapid steering

loss or a fire. They are handling this as a service action to

minimise inconvenience to customers. Those with concerns should call

their dealer or customer care line. Vauxhall say that they investigate

every fire thoroughly. They stress that Martin's car was not in the

range of the vehicles affected by this action. They have no record of

the content of the telephone call in which he claims that he was told

that power assisted fluid was to blame. Confirming that their

inspections expressed no fault with the high pressure power steering or

fluid. If you would would like to comment

here are the addresses: To get involved in the Twitter

discussion: Still to come. Fed up with tiny interest on the savings?

You don't have to stand for it. How to make hundreds more.

Lounges, kitchens, bathrooms, staircases, lofts, bedrooms and

conservatories, there is no end to the rich variety of living spaces

that we bring to you on Rogue Traders, but after seven weeks, we

confess to feeling a little claustrophobic. So as this latest

series comes to a close, the only Roofs! Aren't they brilliant? They

keep the rain out, keep the heat in and over the years have helped to

keep us employed. Why? Because there are people out there who make

very bad jobs of them. Like SmartProof Total Roofing Solutions.

Not to be confused with companies of a similar name, they offer

renovations and coating. In fact, total roofing solutions. Gordon

from Wakefield took them up on this, but then he and his daughter, Judy,

needed a long lie down to recover. He said a new roof wound be about -

- would be about �11,000. What was your you are -- what was

your reaction? I thought it a bit steep, but he said that the coating

would help to preserve the roof, that it was a thermal coating to

help the heating bills and prolong the life of the roof. SmartProof

Total Roofing Solutions said they could coat the roof for �5,000, but

only if they could start in four days later. Depriving Gordon of the

cooling off period. When they signed him up, they took �2,500.

Then finished by time that Judy found out that this could be less

than the �5,000. Where did they get the figures

from? Judy cancelled the job to prevent SmartProof Total Roofing

Solutions taking more of her dad's money.

I don't want them to come back. They have ripped him off.

Overcharging is one thing, how about the workmanship? Margaret

knows, following a cold call, the company offered her the same roof

treatment. Had you had a problem with your roof?

Did they give you an idea of how long the job would take? One day

for cleaning and one day for applying the coating.

Unfortunately, for Margaret, the roof now looks like this... But

then looks can be deceptive. The job was worse than it appears.

Six days later I woke up in the morning to find my whole bathroom

like a shower. There was... Water coming through every crack and

orifice along a strip of my bathroom. They sent five people out

on the next five occasions it was a absolute nightmare it was still

flooding two weeks later. They have reduced the life of my roof. I

would need to have it totally replaced now in ten years.

I wonder what the expert would make of it. An expert with binoculars

and lots of letters after his name. This is a pretty poor job. Starting

off at the top, the ridge tiles have been poorly pointed. It will

fall out in a relatively short time. They have coloured the roof tiles

and then changed some afterwards. The soil and the vent pipe is now

on the edge of the roof. It is likely to have rainwater coming

through in a pretty short time. We have also been told by other

customers, that the whole service is apparently approved by Watchdog.

We don't do en doersments. There is no way that they are

getting that. I mean, that is not us.

And they can for get about the circle of trust.

That would be also an endorsement. They can tear up the application

for the roofing specialist, the President of Whom is Dan. Whatever.

The company deny using the Watchdog name. From what we have heard,

Smartproof would have a tough time getting anyone to give them a

thumbs up, but well deal in pictures.

We need a house, with lots of cameras. Action! Hang on, we can't

have action until we ask Barry the big question. Here it comes...

Barry, you have had a look at the roof, what do you think? It just

needs maintenance. Some cracked tiles renewed, some pointing, but

nothing new. There is about 250 millilitres of insulation, that is

the recommended depth. The cost? Top whack, �500. For that

we would get a roof lasting at least another 35 years.

OK. Now you can carry on. Action! Just in time as Smartproof

is on its way in the shape of salesman, Adrian Pickles. Let's

hope he knows his onions, or there will be more pickle-related

references from me. What do you make of that, Barry?

Nonsense. Rubbish! Barry? It is good for 70 years.

Although Adrian Pickles goes on to say that the insulation claim is

not something that they push, the company does not follow suit.

Promising that customers will save 25% on energy bills. Seeing that

the house is already fully insulated, that is nonsense. Wait

until the work starts, though, because that is scary.

And that work will start a little later. Once the persuasive Adrian

Pickles has closed his sale. The prices are through the roof. Will

the workers manage to stay on the roof? The answer... After this cup

of coffee. Thanks, Chris.

My pleasure, I'm coffee boy tonight. How is your's, Annie? I think that

I have the Weakest Drink! Now, I am not just making coffee for the

presenters, but for everybody. Look at how many are in here. I need a

few extra cups. So I have ordered them from Amazon. Here they have

just arrived. I will open the box in front of you.

Amazing. She would make great telly.

Quick! Now, it is a very large box. As I open up all of the bobbings,

right? I find even more boxes. More exciting! Let me sort this out

here. In fact, while I do all of this, let's have a look at a few

other products that Watchdog viewers ordered from Amazon and the

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 40 seconds

Stop! We can no longer contain ourselves! That is OK. I've

finished. Look at this, my four lovely cups.

Out of four boxes? Yes, have a look at that. Unbelievable.

This company says it is "committed to reducing packaging and waste".

It is "constantly looking for ways to reduce its environmantal impact".

The excuse? They have said that they aim to ensure that customers

get their products in perfect conditions, but they are working

with manufactures to cut the costs of packaging and add that the

packaging is environmentally friendly as the cardboard is 100%

recyclable. Now, this week nat West raised the

cost of borrowing for homeowners. Did it increase the rate for

safers? No! No new research sthees savings with NatWest and other

banks and building societies are getting a worse deal than ever, but

do we have to put up with it? We asked the man with the huge

calculator! Here he is, Martin Lewis needs no introduction, but he

does have bags of saving tips. You can't put your money in the bank

and expect it to earn a decent interest rate. The way to do it is

to become an active, aggressive safer! But, before you can do that,

you have to find out what rate you are on. With so many different

accounts and interest rates, that is not always easy. Meet inventor

and entrepreneur Mark Searles. He is inventing a product to help

bikes. I would not have time to check the

interest rates. So, in 2001, Mark invested it all

in an online E-saving account account with nationwide. That give

him as healthy �6,000 a year, but it dropped to just �600. He has

only just found out about the reduced rate. Why? I didn't receive

communication from nationwide. It was not clear online. I sent many

online messages over a period of two to three weeks. It took a total

of two weeks before I received the interest breakdown. That revealed

that the interest had gone from 5% to just 0 .4 5% a year.

I had trusted nationwide as the largest building society to keep

the rates competitive and to keep me informed.

Nationwide earns an nick lending out �108,000 of my money, whilst

paying me almost nothing in return. They make it difficult for us to

find out what we are earning. Why is it not printed on statements?

Many will make you click a link and list a range of different accounts,

how do you know which is yours? They will not make it easy as it

means we are less likely to change. Don't let them off the hook. Pick

up your phone and ask them. If it is not good enough. Leave.

Retired gardening enthusiasts, wishes he had left Lloyds TSB early.

He put his money into a saving account in 2001. 2010 the interest

was not too bad. So we thought that the time was here to reinvest a few

thousand and more. With the interest it would make a nest egg,

but it did the not happen. We looked at it, the interest rate had

almost disappeared. David found that the rate had

dropped to just 0.5%. Inspite invests thousands over the years,

it had earned him �11.40. Lloyds said he could open a new account

with a bonus rate of 176%. That lasted 12 months. Then it plummets

to a mere 0 .1%. I would have thought that loyalty

accounts for something. That they would look after my money and give

me the better interest each time. He has fallen victim to what I call

the suck, slap and flog technique. Banks like to suck news with

headlinesline rates of interest. Then slapping the rate down, so we

think that we are earning well, but we are not. Then they flog a new

account with a similar sounding name and you think fantastic, that

is yours, but you are wrong. Get them, set them up, take them while

the bonus is there and then ditch and switch when it ends.

Cash ISAs are seen as a better deal providing tax-free savings but they

are as vulnerable as having interest rates slashed.

Anna from Cheshire is a loyal customer from NatWest.

You know the one ADVERTISEMENT: NatWest, helpful banking.

After paying in this year's maximum allowance, Alan was given unhelpful

news. I received a letter from NatWest to

say that they were dropping the interest rate from 2.01% to 2.7%

for the year. It did not please me. They should have given us the note

fiction of this change before the new tax year came into play.

Whether it is a cash ISA from this year or from ten years ago, never

think once the money is there, it is a done deal. You have a right to

transfer your ISA. Now, don't do this by withdrawing the cash. Then

it is not a cash ISA, you have then lost the tax-free status. Find the

best-paying new provider that accepts transfers and ask it to

move the money for you. Then the cash ISA is in this one, forget the

badly paying one. So, the advice is clear : If your

bank or building society has cut the rate on the savings, look for a

better deal. They are there to be had. As a few shoppers with savings

accounts are to find out. You are getting �27 interest? Yes.

The new rate is 4%. If the rates stay the same you would earn �1200.

I have a tendency not to move them. Wrist... I have an ISA with �3,500.

Everywhere else you are doing well. That is ringing alarm bells. Over

the next year �240 better off. In one hour, in one shopping centre,

Martin met with seven shoppers. He was able to show five of them that

they could earn better rates of interest elsewhere. For one woman,

the long-term benefits of switch pring jaw-dropping.

If you -- pr switching were jaw- dropping.

You could be this much better off... That is a fair few new pairs of

shoes. The Bank of England rate is set at

a record low. Nationwide said because of this they were unable to

maintain the previous rate. They say that rates are cleared on

the website and are on an knew statements. The same is true of

Lloyds TSB. It writes to customers at the end of bonuses or fixed

periods to explain a change of rate. And NatWest said they were sorry

about Alan's changes, it says that it timed this one with the ISA

season so that customers could compare it with similar products.

Royal Mail, the price of a first class stamp up by a third to 60p.

Second class is also up, now 50p, but as the costs increase, so do

the complaints. It may be one of the oldest

services of its kind in the world, but like the most modern go-ahead

companies, the Royal Mail has a vision. It's a big one.

To be the best and the most trusted postal service in the world. If

only it always lived up to it. Take those first class deliveries.

Yes, the ones we are paying 30% more for. Does a first class stamp

ensure you letter will arrive in one or two days? No.

Ask Mr Lawrence Harris. We found a lot of post was not

getting delivered. Or it was even two to three weeks. This caused the

clients great distress and ourselves.

I spoke to the Royal Mail's complaints department. I was

informed that the delivery time for first class post, as far as the

Post Office is concerned is delivery within 15 working days. I

was staggered. Frankly, so was I, but here is the

proof. The Royal Mail's terms and conditions which say that they will

not offer compensation for a delayed first class letter, unless

it still has not arrived 15 working days after the due date.

So, if the 60p first class stamp does not offer a guarantee for you,

you can pay more on a Royal Mail service that promises extra

reassurance. Craig Holden took advantage of that

service in March of this year, but it was a decision to cost him dear.

I'm a keen birdwatcher, I booked myself a trip to China. I had to

send off the passport to the Chinese visa centre. I used

recorded delivery. I sent it in lots of time.

But the passport was lost in the system. Meaning that Craig Holden

was not only in danger of missing his trip to China, but was unable

to go on another holiday in Egypt. He lost on �200 on taking extra

travel costs and the time off work. Royal Mail don't seem interested in

helping out in any way. So that is first class and recorded

delivery. What about Air Sure? That is the fastest international

tracked service, secure and reliable, delivered to 30

destinations worldwide... Apparently.

Yes, we have had complaints about that too. Lynn Ferguson told us how

she used it to send cash worth �130 to a friend in the USA in February.

Royal Mail aimed to deliver Air Sure packages to the States in six

days, but neither the money or the fridge magnet in the package

arrived. Royal Mail offered only the cost of postage as compensation.

That is not reliable. So what about Parcelforce? A company that is part

of the wider Royal Mail group. It promises: Every single parcel you

entrust us with is a confirmation of your confidence and trust in us.

How we respond is a measure of other success. Why do I getting

feeling thating is bad is about to happen? My brother was playing a ke

in addition Glasgow. There was a mix up. I forgot to bring the pipes

home, they were left in the hotel. I got a delivery for Parcelforce.

The pipes are irreplaceable. Being in the band for 60 years. But they

were not as important for the company. Despite boasting a high

quality, they lost them. They never turned up so we waited a

week and contacted Parcelforce. The tracking details of the parcel

had been collected and gone to a national hub, but they are vanished.

So I went through the lost items process and the claims were ses and

then in December I was told that they had also not only lost the

bagpipes but lost the claims documentation. How can you lose

something like bagpipes? This was unbelievable.

Ricky Boletto reporting there. Royal Mail say that they deliver

15.9 billion item as year. That the overwhelming majority get there on

time. The minimum service standards are 93% for first class and 98.5%

among the second class for Europe, but the mail volume has dropped.

A lot of figures, what about the people? Royal Mail acknowledged

that they sometimes get it wrong and seek to put it right. They are

investigating Lawrence Harris's complaints about slow delivery as a

matter of priority. They have apologised to all the others,

including Craig Holden. They have offered compensation and

discussions are continuing. Lynn Ferguson who sent recorded delivery

items to the USA is in line for a payment as a goodwill gesture and

great news for Glen Ferry, his precious bagpipes have been found

after a further search. Like the music, the address label came

unstuck, the parcel went to the wrong depot and was hidden behind

equipment for safe keeping. They are reminding stpaf about the

correct procedures. Still to come. ASDA, more rollbacks

that do not add up. How many times can they get it wrong? Back to

SmartProof Total Roofing Solutions. The company that offers total

roofing solutions. Now we know what is wrong with our roof, the odd

cracked tile and wear and tear. Nothing that a few hours and �500

can't put right, but Adrian Pickles has a bigger job and larger figure

in mind. Here is Adrian Pickles trying to

persuade Pauline to have a full refurbishment.

He says that they will re-point the roof, inspect the ledwork and seal

it and afly a fung ul wash. Well, it sounds impressive, but our

expert reckons that the roof needs basic maintenance to add another 35

years. As for the coating it may look nice and give the roof a few

more years, but as a whole new roof would cost about �4,000, you would

probably not want to spend a whole lotment

That process is �4 ,762. He is prepared to negotiate.

I can to it for �2,795. Pauline says she needs to think

about it, but Adrian is keen to get an answer.

How long are you going to think about it? I am just checking.

Do you go online to check your account? Or is it rummage in your

bottom drawer. Remind us of your business.

He is like a dog with a bone. I will give you a call in an hour.

Let you have a chance to have a look. I have only so much discount

for this area. He leaves, so that is the pitch of

the roof. So to speak! The work, however is a

different matter. Could it be that the selling procedure is flawed and

when the work is carried out it is very professional? It could be.

Then it is important to proceed that in mind.

So we book in the job and Adrian drops the price again. Saying it

will take two full days and tells us to expect a surveyor. We accept

this. Well, the surveyor has not turned up yet. Here are the roofers.

It looks as though they are setting up for the jet-washing equipment.

They have not done any survey work. The surveyor is coming later on?

Now, the thing in front of you is a cart... They have not done a check

in the roof space. We know that the underfelt is torn. There is a

possibility that water will now come through the roof and cause

damage inside the roof space. Let's hope that does not happen.

Meanwhile, here is another possibility, that they cause damage

to themselves. My heart is in my hands.

That must be very, very slippery. At any time he can just go straight

off his feet. Standing on the ridge, precariously

balanced, if that is not an accident waiting to happen, I don't

know what is. I wonder what the other guy is

doing? He is on his second cuppa... This guy does not have tea breaks?

No, it is one long teatime with occasional breaks for work.

So, they finish jet washing the roof, but not without breaking some

tiles, what is next. North to do the pointing properly,

he has to rebed the tiles. All he is doing is filling in where there

are gaps. That is not good enough. The mortar will fall off. He is

smoothing out the mortar with his hands. That is not the way to point.

This is the way to clean a camera, though.

Thanks guys. Danny collects �940 and they head

off. Two hours, after they have arrived,

supposedly, to do a full day's work. Time to inspect the loft. Remember,

there was no survey. We had torn felt so water could get in.

The surveyor has arrive, so I am hiding here. The question is why

has he arrived after the work has been carried out.

It is a quick visit. It does not include a loft inspection.

Just as well for us as Barry is hiding there and using his time to

do the inspection. I'm sorry to say I was right. The

water and some of the debris from the roof has come through this torn

underfelt and it has deposited all over the insulation. It has been

wet through thoroughly. Can you imagine if there had been no

insulation in the roof it could have damaged the ceiling. This

company did not know that as they did not check. That is really

unacceptable. Broken tiles... Broken promises.

It is turning out a bad day for the roof... And the truth.

It is not a great day for poetry, either. The job of the house is

about to go from bad to worse! They may not be the best roofers in the

game, but when it comes to hurling tiles they are champions. When it

comes to charges they take some beating.

Join us later as they present us with their bill and we present them

with our evidence. Thanks, Matt. Now a few of you are

getting in touch about the amount of packaging that Amazon use when

sending items. You are fed up with it. Gemma Heath sent us this photo

when she heard this story, a dog collar, as you can see, the box is

bigger than the dog! Next, ASDA. Now in March, we revealed thou was

breaching Government guidance with the famous price cut slogan, the

rollback. We showed how some items labelled as rollbacks had been on

sale cheaper. A processing error said ASDA, saying that they priced

40,000 products a week, so that sometimes they get it wrong. How

many though? ASDA describe their rollback offers as a permanent or

temporary price reduction. The customers love them. The staff are

proud of them. Just listen : ADVERTISEMENT: You can't beat

saving money. That is what I love about rollbacks.

But you also can't beat honesty. So we love checking supermarket deals

to ensure that they really are what they seem.

Miller genuine draft lager, ASDA are selling a 12-pack claiming that

is it a rollback. But when we checked we found some

of the -- them breaching Government guide lines on pricing.

ASDA admitted we had identified mistakes, but suggested that the

cases were rare. So it us that sounded odd.

Off the tens of thousands of products that ASDA sell, were we

really clever enough to find a few occasional errors? There is only

one way to find out. Over the last few weeks, Watchdog researchers

have been checking the price histories of a larger sample of

ASDA goods, all labelled as rollbacks online. The results are

damning. Out of the 120 products checked 52 failed to comply with

one or more of the Government pricing guidelines. That is an

astonishing 43%! We found several days that the ASDA rollbacks extra

veened the guidelines, but what is key is whether the offers mislead

consumers. So it is time to show our findings to the ones spending

the money. According to the guidelines, if a

retailer like ASDA is promise -- promoting a price cut, the rollback

price should be compared to the immediate previous selling price

unless stated otherwise. So, the Sheba cat food. Was a rollback to

�4. So, when was it on sale for 4.94 well, it was on sale for the

period of March, 2011. The rollback price should have been compared to

the immediate previous price, but there have been three other prices

since the one they have used as a xaerson.

This product is not comply -- comparison.

This is not complying with the Government guidelines, as they

state that the comparison is with the immediate past selling product.

That is not happening. So, are you surprised if I told you

it was at 4.94 on the 20 25th of March, 2011? Yes.

It is not a realistic time frame. It should be. If it was 4.94, it

should have been recently, not a year ago. They should give a date

from when it was roll -- rolled back from.

Now a second example. A product on offer should have been available at

the previous higher price for 28 consecutive days or more. So where

does that leave Clairol hair Dye? They put it on rollback at �5. So

here it is at �5 and here it is at �7, but according to the guidelines

it should have been sold at the higher price for at least 28

consecutive days, but it was not, it was there for a total of nine

days. The pricing guidelines are designed

to ensure that traders don't temporarily increase a price to

then advertise a price reduction. Consumers are being misled in to

thinking that the higher price was the normal proper price of the

product when this may well not be the case. That is not very good.

They are trying to convince you are saving when it was really only �7.

So it is trickery. It was reduced to �5 after only

nine days of being at the higher price? I have no problem. I think

it is leading the customer on. It is very truthful.

So to a third product. Cat food. Here ASDA were breaching another

guideline by continuing to label it as a rollback even though it was on

sale at the lower price for twice as long as the previous higher

price. Confusing, maybe even unlawful.

If a product is advertised as being on offer for a long period of time

it could be misleading. The consumer believes this is a recent

reduction, but the new price has actually become the established

price. If consumers are being misled,

there is a possibility of a breach of the law.

This law, in fact, the Consumers Protection from Unfair Trading 2008.

This forbids traders from presenting misleading information.

It may deceive consumer into buying goods they may not have bought

otherwise. So what about the ASDA rollback deal, could they deceive

people? You do have to trust offers. If they say it is reduced, you

think it is a bargain. I may buy three of them. I think it is

misleading. You think you are getting a good deal, then you think

that you fell for that. It is deceptive.

The implication for the consumers is that they are miss led as to the

reduction of the value advertised. They are not given full, clear and

accurate information. With the research I have seen, I believe

there is more than enough evidence for trading standards or the Office

of Fair Trading to take an interest in how the prices are displayed.

Now, ASDA say they do not entirely agree with our expert's view, but

acknowledge to do better. So this are changing the online system,

switching it from a man ual one, to an automated one. This will take

some time to complete. They have a new procedure in the meantime that

all price cuts are trip-checked before appearing online. An

independent audit team will monitor the prices with the authority to

remove the product if they encounter a problem.

They believe that this will ensure customers that they can shop online

with confidence. Here are a few more stories: Fed up

with sky-high household energy prices, turn the heating down, your

blood may be about to boil. Ofgem, the organisation set up to protect

gas and electricity consumers has paid out more than �1 million in

bonuses to its staff in two years. That is despite energy bills rising

sharply. Nearly 350 staff received bonuses in 2011 and previously, two

lucky employees got pay-outs of �20,000. Ofgem say that they don't

regulate energy prices that the rewards were in line for government

guidesance for civil servants and basic staff pay is frozen.

Fancy a city break? The taxi from the airport may cost as much as the

flight. The website Skyscanner has put together a list of what it

calls the most misleading airport names in Europe. The worth offender

in Britain? London Oxford, 60 miles from the capital, but not as bad as

two destinations advertised by Ryanair. Memmem, 07 miles from the

Munich city, and -- Memmingen Munich West.

70 miles from Munich. Querying your tax bill, it could

cost you time and money, official figures show that taxpayers have to

wait nearly three times longer to speak to HM Revenue & Customs on

the phone than two years ago. The average time on hold is now more

than four minutes. A quarter of callers get so frustrated that they

hang up. HM Revenue & Customs say that they are looking to deploy

more people on the lines during busy periods. There are no plans to

make the service free. It is an 0845 number so callers are paying

up to 40 pence a minute from a mobile phone. The taxman wins again.

Back to SmartProof Total Roofing Solutions.

They are based in Leeds. Not to be confused with other companies of

similar names. They have promised to refurbish the roof of our house

using new technology imported from Denmark. Appropriate enough as they

aim to make a killing. We have had phase one of the job. A bit of a

disaster. Will the sequel turn out to be any better? We are about to

find out. The two boys, Danny and Mark have arrived. Hopefully they

will replace any damaged tiles before the coating, but I don't

think that this is the way to impress Barry.

He has just pushed the tile out and thrown it down on to the lawn.

What are they doing?! Walking across the roof is going to break

more tiles. You know he is doing all of this with tiles on his

shoulder. It is dangerous. They really should have a roof ladder in

as a minimum. The salesman said that they would

go around the flashing and re-set He is painting the flashing, but

not doing anything to it. He is not improving the performance of the

flashing, despite what they promised.

It is cheeky, but Mark replaced some broken tiles and Danny is

making good progress with spraying the first coat.

Now, what is he doing there? He is repairing a broken tile.

Pushing mortar into the crack with his fingers. Concealing the

breakage of the tile. Which presumably will be covered up by

the paint. It is not going to last On to the second coat. It seems

that Mark is busy again, but what about Danny? Oh, right, busy having

a fag and broadening his mind! is the second coating. There is no

attention to the detail. The coating is supposed to have thermal

properties, but it is evident that a thin coating of paint will hardly

create a difference. After two-and-a-half hours, we are

told it is finished and asked to pay the balance. The two-day job

lasted five hours and 25 minutes, the total price, �2,380. So what

did we get for the money? You saw it, it looks good, what do you make

of it? It is a poor job all around. We were supposed to have a

renovated roof. They have simply put a coat of paint on and done

some rudimentary works which does not fit the bill. Amazingly they

replaced some tiles and broke others. We have more broken tiles

than what we started with. That is the outside of the roof?

Yes. On the inside of the roof they caused a quite a bit of damage.

Believe it or not, no-one checked inside the roof before they started

work. Here is a roof starting out with a maximum �500 expenditure

requirement. We have paid nearly five times that amount, it is

pretty poor value, I think. We want to ask sales man, Adrian

Pickles, why he told us all of those lice and why the company did

not -- lies and why the company did not deliver on all of those

promises. Time for a small change, first.

The householder Pauline has said that the next door neighbour may be

interested in having a chat about her roof. She could not have said

that her next door neighbour was a 42 bloke, could she? Oh, no, that

would be far too simp. Pauline answers the door and takes

Adrian Pickles over to meet the neighbour. That is me, in case you

have forgotten. This skirt is very uncomfortable.

Yes, Pauline is really taking the role seriously.

Mary has a problem with facial hair. Alright, love? Yeah, not too bad.

How are you doing, Adrian Pickles, it is Matt Allwright from BBC Rogue

Traders. The way you are selling your roofing solution, as you call

it, is based on lies from what we have seen. What you are doing is

blowing up the cost of a potential roof to �10,000 in that case, when

in fact it would have been close to about �3,500. What that does is

scare your potential customers, that is how you get in touch with

us, Adrian Pickles, they are scared into buying a product that they

would not have bought otherwise. I will pass on the details to the

head office. You are selling this, so you have

to take responsibility. Excuse me.

I am fine. You have to take responsibility for the way you sell

and take thousands of pounds off people, before we even get to the...

The way that the job is actually carried out.

That is Adrian Pickles of SmartProof Total Roofing Solutions.

Demonstrating that they are part of the problem, not the solution.

You will have to excuse me, I have to shave my legs! Well, we have

since put our allegations to the company. They have apologised and

said that the workers have let the customers down and damaged the

reputation. They offered to correct the damage in the cases feature and

to refund customers if they are not happy, including us. They say that

they encourage a soft sales approach and have thousands of

happy customers, they insist that a life-span of a roof like ours is 60

years and stand by the benefits of Smartproof saying it is cheaper

than paying for a new roof and that the price is competitive. That the

insulation benefits are backed up by independent and respected

research, but have withdrawn the claim that the product will save

25% on energy bills. The roofing contractors featured no longer work

for Smartproof, but these two, along with Adrian Pickles do make

it on to our rogues gallery, joining Rodney Goldson, remember

him? He promised to refund us, �2,500, he has. Well done.

It seems a lot of you are unhappy with the Royal Mail. Many

complaints about the delayed deliveries and the fact that you

cannot get compensation unless items are delivered less than 15

working days later. Martin's report on low interest rates for safers

has touched a nerve. So report on incredibly low rates. Ian says he

worked out that his savings is 0.01%. You may as well keep it

under the bed. And lots of tweets about you in a

skirt. Keep in touch with us at:

Or write to us at: Great ankles! That is all from