:00:12. > :00:19.Sainsbury's ads, spot the error, Neurofen tablets, spot the
:00:19. > :00:22.difference. Walkers multipacks, spot the crisps. Plus HSBC, Odeon,
:00:22. > :00:27.FIFA 13, and flood waters falling, insurance premiums rising, even if
:00:27. > :00:37.you live on a hill. It is Watchdog, the programme you can't afford to
:00:37. > :00:50.
:00:50. > :00:53.Yes, hello and good evening. Welcome to Watchdog, we're live, as
:00:53. > :00:59.usual, from Television Centre. Tonight, escape the floods, you
:00:59. > :01:03.might still end up paying for them. When we got the insurance quote for
:01:03. > :01:08.this year's premium, the cost had almost doubled. We were amazed. We
:01:08. > :01:12.were shocked, we couldn't understand why. Also, Experian,
:01:12. > :01:22.Equifax, licensed to keep your credit score, pity about the
:01:22. > :01:29.mistake. Plus, Neurofen liquid capsules, Neurofen ex press liquid
:01:30. > :01:35.tablets, which ones work quickest, you will be amazing. Walkers
:01:35. > :01:40.Ridgess, the packs are half empty. Lid old ladies have been sold
:01:40. > :01:43.sewing machines from tonight's rogues, he sells them sewing
:01:44. > :01:53.machines but gets abusive if they have inquiries. If they send the
:01:54. > :01:58.
:01:58. > :02:08.reasons back, he can get very animated. Can I have my money back?
:02:08. > :02:13.
:02:13. > :02:19.Yeah, meet Jay Cooper, or whatever name he's going by today. The most
:02:19. > :02:23.intensive September storms in 30 years, the waters are now receding,
:02:23. > :02:27.but thousands of homeowners are facing higher insurance premiums.
:02:27. > :02:30.What if you have escaped the rains or never been flooded or live way
:02:30. > :02:34.above the risk area. The news isn't good either.
:02:34. > :02:41.Five inches of rain in three days, roads closed, trains cancelled,
:02:41. > :02:44.hundreds of families flooded out. Morpeth in Northumberland was one
:02:45. > :02:50.of the worst towns hit, with a month's rainfall anything 24 hours.
:02:50. > :02:57.Its residents are growing used to flooding, in 2008, the river burst
:02:57. > :03:01.its banks, last week it happened again. Just 50ms from Paul's B&B.
:03:01. > :03:07.Having got up and looked out the window and seeing how quickly the
:03:07. > :03:11.river was flowing, your heart sinks. We got our guests up for evacuation,
:03:11. > :03:17.at that stage it was already coming up the front door. The river came
:03:17. > :03:21.up the park, over the road, cascaded down the front doorsteps,
:03:21. > :03:25.and flooded the place. Paul has been left with at least �100,000
:03:25. > :03:30.worth of damage. His business will be closed for months for repairs.
:03:30. > :03:33.And then, there is the insurance. After the flood four years ago, the
:03:33. > :03:40.renewal policy arrived on our doorstep, with a big thump. It had
:03:40. > :03:46.gone from over �900 to nearly �2,000, since then it has steadily
:03:46. > :03:49.risen to its current rate of �2,500. Obviously not looking forward to
:03:49. > :03:55.the next renewal which is November 25th.
:03:55. > :04:01.He has good reason to worry. Currently, insurance companies
:04:01. > :04:05.agree to guarantee cover to homeowners in if high-risk areas,
:04:05. > :04:08.provided the Government invests in local flood defences. That
:04:08. > :04:12.agreement ends in June, leaving 2,000 homes without affordable
:04:12. > :04:17.cover. If there is any significant increase in the premiums, I'm
:04:17. > :04:21.looking at financial jeopardy next year, I'm looking at not making any
:04:21. > :04:24.profit whatsoever. You can't operate a business without profit.
:04:24. > :04:29.The Government and the insurance companies have been trying to
:04:29. > :04:32.negotiate a new agreement, but recently the talks have stalled.
:04:32. > :04:36.The insurers are arguing for a levy on every home, which would help
:04:36. > :04:40.them provide affordable cover for those who are most at risk of
:04:40. > :04:43.flooding. The Government is considering the idea, but critics
:04:44. > :04:51.say the insurance industry has already been inflating the premiums
:04:51. > :04:56.of low-risk homeowners, to subsidise the others.
:04:56. > :05:02.This man's mum, Elizabeth, lives near a stream at the end of her
:05:02. > :05:06.garden. It has flooded her house before, but not since 2007. Now in
:05:06. > :05:12.2012 her premiums with Santander have rocketed. When we got the
:05:12. > :05:16.insurance quote for this year's premium, for my mother's insurance,
:05:16. > :05:21.the cost had almost doubled from the previous year. We were amazed,
:05:21. > :05:26.we were shocked, we couldn't understand why, after four-and-a-
:05:26. > :05:30.half years of not being flooded. The house hasn't flooded because
:05:30. > :05:36.the Environment Agency has put in preventive measures, significantly
:05:36. > :05:39.reducing the risk. The hundreds of thousands of pounds of remedial
:05:39. > :05:46.work has been carried out to widening the vex wherever possible.
:05:46. > :05:49.Dredging the depth of the river, removal of the bridges so there is
:05:49. > :05:54.no water backing up. Environment Agency sent a list of
:05:54. > :05:57.the works they have done, and said the house was at reduced risk of
:05:57. > :06:02.flooding. He passed this to Santander, who said the increase in
:06:02. > :06:07.premiums still stood. Last Monday and Tuesday, we had torrential rain
:06:07. > :06:11.for 24-hour periods, we never had the height of the river of the beck,
:06:11. > :06:16.nothing like we have had in the past. The remedial work seems to
:06:16. > :06:21.have worked. We can't understand the justification for Santander
:06:21. > :06:24.putting such an increase on my mother's premiums. If they are not
:06:25. > :06:30.taking into account, obviously, the remedial work that has been done,
:06:30. > :06:33.and we are at a loss as to why. Before last week's downpours,
:06:33. > :06:38.families throughout Britain were contacting Watchdog, complaining
:06:38. > :06:42.that insurers were raising their household premiums, due to non-
:06:42. > :06:47.existant flood risks. It soon became clear they had become
:06:47. > :06:51.victims of their own postcodes. Insurers use a variety of factors
:06:51. > :06:55.to decide your flood ris be, that can include your -- risk, that can
:06:56. > :07:01.include your postcode. If your house is not at risk of flooding,
:07:01. > :07:07.but you share a postcode for those that are, bad luck, you could end
:07:07. > :07:13.up paying more, even if you live on a hill. Mark lives near a river in
:07:13. > :07:19.west Wales, and has never been flooded. Yet in 2009 he was told
:07:19. > :07:22.his house had been designated high- risk. Some insurers refused cover,
:07:22. > :07:29.even though water would have to travel up the steep incline to
:07:29. > :07:34.reach his house. The house is 100ms away from that river. It is about
:07:34. > :07:42.21ms above the level of the river channel. The water levels would
:07:42. > :07:48.need to rise by over 20ms across a two kilometer area, I don't think
:07:48. > :07:57.you would see flooding like that since the melting of the glaciers
:07:57. > :08:02.at the end of the last Ice Age. Mark knows the risks, he's an
:08:02. > :08:07.academic going fare, specialising in river dynamics he shares a
:08:07. > :08:10.postcode with houses that are on the ground and at risk of flooding.
:08:10. > :08:15.His quotes were twice what they should have been. The question is
:08:15. > :08:20.how far is the property away from a water course, what insurers don't
:08:20. > :08:25.tend to ask, is how far above the water course your property is
:08:25. > :08:35.located. To me, that would appear that postcode boundaries are being
:08:35. > :08:38.used ash trairly, to decide flood - - ash tearly to decide flood risk.
:08:38. > :08:43.Ricky Boletto reporting. Santander, who increased the premiums on the
:08:43. > :08:48.house in Leeds we featured in the programme told us the policy is
:08:48. > :08:52.underwritten by aveef that, whose sophisticated models show the house
:08:52. > :08:58.in the high-risk category for flood, and it remains a significant risk,
:08:58. > :09:03.which is reflected in the premiums. With me now is Nick Starling, who
:09:03. > :09:07.represents the Association of British insurers. Mr Starling, the
:09:07. > :09:13.Environment Agency has spent millions reducing risk of flooding,
:09:13. > :09:17.they say Mrs Bligh's house has nothing near the risk it used to be,
:09:17. > :09:21.and yet her premiums have gone up, as if it was, why is that?
:09:22. > :09:25.first thing to say is that insurers understand the trauma and distress
:09:25. > :09:30.caused by flooding, which is why they have spent this summer out
:09:30. > :09:35.there, repairing people's lives and homes, getting communities back
:09:35. > :09:38.together. The UK is pretty unique in the world in having flood cover
:09:38. > :09:44.wrapped up in household policies. And we want that to continue, so
:09:44. > :09:48.that everyone can have access to affordable flood insurance. Yeah,
:09:48. > :09:52.but the Environment Agency, and afterall, they give us the flood
:09:52. > :09:56.warnings, officially, do you know better than they do? What our
:09:56. > :10:00.members do know is everyone in this country is at risk from flooding.
:10:00. > :10:03.One of the things that was shown in the summer is people were
:10:03. > :10:07.overwhelmed by torrential rainfall which simply overwhelmed all the
:10:08. > :10:16.sewers, all the drainage, even people on hills, and quite far away
:10:16. > :10:21.from water courses are at risk. Our members use sophisticated flooding
:10:21. > :10:24.maps and systems, they agree on that basis. Should we take your
:10:25. > :10:28.phone number if we need to know about a flood warning and not the
:10:28. > :10:32.Environment Agency? If you want to know about flood risk look on the
:10:32. > :10:36.Environment Agency maps. You are disagreeing with them? Our insurers
:10:36. > :10:39.use a whole range of techniques. One of the key things that has
:10:39. > :10:43.emerged in recent years, is the sheer volume of rain we are getting
:10:43. > :10:48.in these events, which overwhelm systems a long way away from water
:10:48. > :10:52.courses. You are not answering the question. Mrs Bligh's house, there
:10:52. > :10:57.is a huge reduced risk of flooding, yet one of your members is charging
:10:57. > :11:01.her a premium as if no work has been done? What happens under those
:11:01. > :11:03.circumstances is that the reduced risk, if there is reduced risk, it
:11:03. > :11:07.comes on to the Environment Agency mapping. Our members use that
:11:07. > :11:10.mapping, when it comes through on the mapping, that can be reflect.
:11:10. > :11:15.They use other factors as well, part of which is surface water
:11:15. > :11:21.flooding, which doesn't come into the Environment Agency maps. What
:11:21. > :11:24.about the man who is 21ms above the waterfront, but the same postcode,
:11:24. > :11:27.you are punishing him, there is no likelihood of him ever being
:11:27. > :11:31.flooded? What we have discovered from this year is everyone in this
:11:31. > :11:35.country is at risk of flooding, simply because of torrential
:11:35. > :11:39.rainfall we have. Even people on hills. Have you been flooded?
:11:39. > :11:46.I live I have seen the sewers. you been flooded? I have not been
:11:46. > :11:50.flooded. Are you on a hill? I have seen the sewage systems overwhelmed,
:11:50. > :11:53.people on hills have been flooded. I'm saying if you were on top of a
:11:53. > :11:57.hill, would you want to be punished? No-one is punished.
:11:57. > :12:02.are. People pay for the risk. Flooding is extremely expensive, as
:12:02. > :12:06.you saw from the film, it costs tens of thousands of pounds to
:12:06. > :12:09.repair properties after a flood, it has to be reflected in premium. We
:12:09. > :12:12.are all at risk from flooding. We want to make sure we have an
:12:12. > :12:15.agreement with Government, on which we are working very hard at the
:12:15. > :12:20.moment, to ensure flood cover remains affordable and available
:12:20. > :12:23.for the 200,000 properties in this country at very high risk.
:12:23. > :12:33.If you would like to comment on, that or any of tonight's stories,
:12:33. > :12:43.
:12:43. > :12:46.Coming up, been turned down for a mortgage because of your credit
:12:46. > :12:51.rating, that rating could be completely wrong. The new Twilight
:12:51. > :12:56.movie, fans get their teeth into Odeon.
:12:56. > :13:01.I'm washed and brushed up after last week's appearance, and the eau
:13:01. > :13:11.du toilette has been res placed. I put on a new outfit. I say new, it
:13:11. > :13:23.
:13:23. > :13:28.Make do and mend, that is the thing for these recessionary times,
:13:28. > :13:33.austerity for posterity. Let's make an heirloom the kids can take them
:13:33. > :13:38.with them when we are gone. I'm getting into the Kirsty Allsop
:13:38. > :13:41.thing. Look I have made this custom-fitted seat cover for the
:13:41. > :13:46.motorbike, from material my wife just had lying around on the bed. I
:13:46. > :13:55.have also made my own underwear, although we no longer have a cover
:13:55. > :13:59.for the barbeque. (crunchy sound) OK, I may not be in
:13:59. > :14:04.Kirsty's class when it comes to home making, but millions are,
:14:04. > :14:08.Florence Nichols could probably teach you a thing or two.
:14:09. > :14:14.Up in Chester until last year, Florence was doing what she's been
:14:14. > :14:21.doing for half a century, making things with her sewing machine. Yes,
:14:21. > :14:23.this is the tale of Florence and the machine!
:14:23. > :14:29.# Shake it up # Shake it off
:14:29. > :14:32.Then the machine broke and there were no parts to fix it. So she
:14:32. > :14:36.ordered a brand new one from Cooper Sewing Machines Limited.
:14:36. > :14:40.It is a big event for you getting a new sewing machine? It is like a
:14:40. > :14:44.little girl with a new Christmas present. I couldn't believe it, it
:14:44. > :14:54.stalled, the bobbin fell out of the case, it was rubbish. As simple
:14:54. > :14:59.simple as that. I thought I have just spent �250.
:14:59. > :15:06.Florence phoned Trading Standards who advised her to phone Cooper s
:15:06. > :15:10.and ask for a refund. I got this voice saying I'm George Cooper, and
:15:10. > :15:14.he screamed down the phone, screamed down the phone, saying how
:15:14. > :15:18.dare you threaten my staff with Trading Standards. I said I didn't
:15:18. > :15:24.threaten them, I said it was just that I found out. He didn't give me
:15:24. > :15:29.a chance to talk. He said, he went on and on, how dare I, he would
:15:29. > :15:34.have the machine back here and crush it to pieces. It was horrific,
:15:34. > :15:38.I put the phone down. About three or four minutes later, the phone
:15:38. > :15:45.rang again, it was screaming, and I put the phone down again. What
:15:45. > :15:52.happened then? The third phone call, he said, he was Jay Cooper, he was
:15:52. > :15:59.the nice brother. I said I just want my money back. Well, after
:15:59. > :16:07.that, it was even worse, he screamed, he screamed, how dare I,
:16:08. > :16:12.he said, he said "I hope you die a horrible death "he said "You're not
:16:12. > :16:21.only old but stupid". I get the impression this has affected you
:16:21. > :16:26.very deeply. Oh yes. All I wanted was to have a new
:16:26. > :16:30.sewing machine. But he frightened me, terrified me. Terror is the
:16:30. > :16:33.word, not frightened, terror. Thanks for talking to us Florence,
:16:34. > :16:37.I appreciate how much courage it has taken. He may not come face-to-
:16:37. > :16:45.face with you, but I have a feeling he may have to come face-to-face
:16:45. > :16:51.with us. Yeah. Hi, my name is Jay Cooper, I'm the
:16:51. > :16:56.managing director of Cooper Sewing Machines. Jay Cooper's total look
:16:56. > :17:00.of respect for his customers, is astonishing. We are the only
:17:00. > :17:05.company in this business to last for well over 100 years. I felt
:17:05. > :17:09.very small. He made me feel very small. We offer 30-day trials on
:17:09. > :17:12.all sewing machines, if you are not happy for any reason, you can
:17:12. > :17:17.exchange it or get your money back. They are nice promise, but the
:17:17. > :17:21.reality is different. Customers who have contacted us have had shocking
:17:21. > :17:25.experiences with the Coopers, not just with faults, but the way they
:17:25. > :17:30.dealt with reasonable requests and questions. Phyllis asked Jay Cooper
:17:30. > :17:36.about returning her mannequin, and got the same sort of response as
:17:37. > :17:40.Florence. He was very bullying. Very intimidating. All my nerve
:17:40. > :17:45.went to jangle. I was completely upset by the whole thing. He made
:17:45. > :17:49.me feel as though I was the most stupid person in the world. Best
:17:49. > :17:55.products, best prices, best guarantees, best support. Yeah, but
:17:55. > :17:58.not the best if you want to query your payment like Charlotte did.
:17:58. > :18:03.He just got really rude to me, it got to the point where I got really
:18:03. > :18:07.upset, it actually made me cry. He didn't understand how I was feeling,
:18:07. > :18:11.and he just didn't take into consideration any of the situation
:18:11. > :18:17.and how it was affecting me. He just wanted his money. I'm confused,
:18:17. > :18:20.how can they be the same person, the nice chap on the video and the
:18:20. > :18:25.nightmare shouty man! There is really only one way to find out.
:18:25. > :18:31.That is by buying a machine from Coopers ourselves. Not me, but
:18:31. > :18:35.lovable Mrs Cox, played by lovable actress, lovable Sheila.
:18:35. > :18:41.# Oh a sewing machine is a girl's best friend
:18:41. > :18:49.That is because she knows about baubles, bangles and beads, and I
:18:49. > :18:53.don't. I couldn't sew on a button. Don't rub it in. She orders a
:18:53. > :19:00.Singer 7470, it costs �270. It arrives in working order. It is a
:19:00. > :19:06.bit too modern for her, a bit too complicated. See, she's struggling.
:19:06. > :19:10.It looks like she will have to send it back to Coopers and get a refund,
:19:11. > :19:16.which she is entitled to do under the distant selling regulations.
:19:16. > :19:21.Some of you may not be familiar with the Distant Selling skal
:19:21. > :19:26.regulations, so...Under The selling regulations you have seven days to
:19:26. > :19:36.change your mind, you should then alert the company and return the
:19:36. > :19:36.
:19:36. > :19:43.goods. Our actress does that and phones the company. Can Can I speak
:19:44. > :19:53.to the manager. Who am I talking if not to the manager? Mr Bernard who
:19:54. > :19:58.
:19:58. > :20:04.I have to get it back to you. is in four days time. Before the
:20:04. > :20:13.seven-days runs out. If I have to wait a month to send it back to you,
:20:13. > :20:23.for you to come and get it. Thanks Mr Bernard, how long is the
:20:23. > :20:24.
:20:24. > :20:29.place closing for again. OK. Mrs Cox is going to have to
:20:29. > :20:35.play by the Coopers rules, she will send her machine back right away.
:20:35. > :20:44.Will she get the promised refund? Keep watching to find out if she
:20:44. > :20:48.does. And, to see the many personas of Mr Bernard, AKA Mr Cooper, AKA
:20:48. > :20:52.Mr Isow. He has been telling tales to his confused customers. Those
:20:52. > :20:56.stories are about to unravel. Now, it was a late night for
:20:56. > :21:02.thousands of Robert Pattison and Kristen Stewart fans on Sunday.
:21:02. > :21:05.Odeon promised that tickets to the next installment of the Twilight
:21:05. > :21:08.series, Breaking Dawn Part 2 would go on sale on their website from
:21:08. > :21:13.midnight. But the witching hour came and went and still no sale
:21:13. > :21:16.appeared, and by 2.00am, lots of angry, frustrated and very tired
:21:16. > :21:21.customers were still waiting for news. Including Claire Hardy, who
:21:21. > :21:26.was trying to buy tickets for herself, her daughter and four
:21:26. > :21:32.friends. Thank you Odeon, I have been up all these hours waiting,
:21:32. > :21:35.and I'm angry, frustrated, and not a happy bunny.
:21:35. > :21:39.Odeon has since blamed technical difficulty for the delay. Customers
:21:39. > :21:44.who would stick with it were able to get their tickets during the
:21:44. > :21:50.early hours of Monday. So everyone's happy?
:21:50. > :21:52.Not quite, because Odeon had two types of ticket on sale, one for
:21:52. > :22:00.Breaking Dawn Part 2, another for Complete Twilight Saga. They didn't
:22:00. > :22:07.make it clear that saga included Breaking Dawn Part 2, the latest
:22:07. > :22:13.fans bought tickets for both when they only needed one. Odeon have
:22:13. > :22:17.apologised, they didn't intend to mislead and made the wording on the
:22:17. > :22:21.website clearer. Some tried to cancel their tickets, and phoned
:22:21. > :22:24.the line that cost 80p a minute, but couldn't get through because it
:22:24. > :22:27.is so busy. We could make a movie out of that
:22:27. > :22:31.saga. Hopefully it is the final act,
:22:31. > :22:34.Odeon says you can apply for the money back, the number is on the
:22:34. > :22:40.screen now. Those entitled to refunds will be offered within 24
:22:40. > :22:43.hours of making contact. Next Experian, Equifax, Callcredit,
:22:43. > :22:47.three companies with immense power over all our lives. They are the
:22:47. > :22:51.agencies that rate everyone's credit worthiness, by keeping track
:22:51. > :22:57.of our bills, debts and repayments. A good credit score makes it easier
:22:57. > :23:01.to get a mortgage, personal loan or new credit card. A bad rating and
:23:01. > :23:05.you might be rejected for a mobile phone contract. A wrong score, more
:23:05. > :23:14.common than you think. Louise Hulland, who has had her own
:23:14. > :23:19.problems with credit agencies, reports.
:23:19. > :23:23.They are big, they are powerful, and they are apparently all knowing.
:23:24. > :23:28.Defaulted on a debt? Missed a loan repayment, or simply forgotten to
:23:28. > :23:32.pay a utility bill? That information will go on their
:23:32. > :23:35.databases, and your credit score will be affected. My credit report
:23:35. > :23:39.was something I had never even thought about, let alone worried
:23:39. > :23:45.about. But three years ago I applied for a mortgage and got
:23:45. > :23:49.rejected. I was stunned. Why? Because an agency I had never
:23:49. > :23:52.heard of could have such influence over my financial life. The
:23:53. > :23:56.insecure nature of freelance payment, my credit rating was
:23:56. > :23:59.affected, and as I changed addresses often, I was also
:23:59. > :24:04.considered a credit risk, even though I had never missed a rental
:24:04. > :24:09.payment. This information was sold to my bank, the result, I was
:24:09. > :24:16.prevented from buying a home. With so much power in their hands, it is
:24:16. > :24:19.vital these agencies don't make mistakes. But they do. Asad Mostaq
:24:19. > :24:25.believed his credit record was squeaky clean, until he started
:24:25. > :24:31.receiving job rejections. I noticed that something wasn't quite correct.
:24:31. > :24:39.Every time I would apply for positions I would be refused
:24:39. > :24:42.because of my credit. Asad didn't realise there were a number of
:24:42. > :24:49.agencies involved, and he thought each one would have the same report,
:24:49. > :24:51.but he was wrong, you can have three separate scores, there were
:24:51. > :24:57.no problems with Equifax or Callcredit, but Experian was very
:24:57. > :25:00.different. I was shocked to kind on Experian I had a CCJ, it was a
:25:00. > :25:06.county court judgment, that was settled, and shouldn't have been on
:25:06. > :25:09.there. And a HSBC student default. I was very upset those two items
:25:09. > :25:14.shouldn't have been there. This wrong information had been left on
:25:14. > :25:20.the report for two years. Now this it has been corrected, his credit
:25:20. > :25:25.rating has gone from "fair" to "excellent". Why didn't they act
:25:25. > :25:29.earlier? It has been stressful, I lost my father two years ago, my
:25:29. > :25:33.mum relies on me financially, I can't afford to improve my career,
:25:34. > :25:41.I'm in the same position as two years ago, they are playing with
:25:41. > :25:45.people's lives. People get penalised. Like Asad I fought a
:25:45. > :25:50.long battle to get my credit report changed. I used to think I was in a
:25:50. > :25:54.tiny minority, not any more. surveyed members and one in eight
:25:54. > :25:57.found errors on their credit rating at one stage in the past. That is a
:25:57. > :26:01.very difficult situation to extract yourself from, but very important
:26:01. > :26:03.to ensure you get that sorted, so lenders are making the right
:26:03. > :26:08.decision. Like me, most people don't realise there is a problem
:26:08. > :26:12.with their credit report, until they receive a rejection. This is
:26:12. > :26:16.Brian Childs who applied for a new credit card last year. I was
:26:16. > :26:21.expecting when I applied for the credit card that I would be a shoe-
:26:21. > :26:24.in for it, that I would be accepted straight away. But he wasn't, when
:26:24. > :26:30.the rejection came, Brian checked had his report with one credit
:26:30. > :26:34.agency, and all seemed fine, then he looked up Equifax. I found to my
:26:34. > :26:38.horror it was completely blank, there was no credit history at all.
:26:38. > :26:43.I have had credit cards and loan, a mortgage since 1995, I have had a
:26:43. > :26:48.good credit history ever since, they had no record of any of it. I
:26:48. > :26:52.just thought that was shocking. With no credit history and no proof
:26:52. > :26:55.of him being able to make payment, Brian was turned down for the
:26:55. > :26:58.credit card. Equifax say they will update his report, but only if
:26:58. > :27:03.Brian collects and sends details of his loans and payments, stretching
:27:03. > :27:06.back 16 years. As far as I'm ware it is their job to keep track of
:27:06. > :27:11.this information, and they weren't doing it properly. Equifax make
:27:11. > :27:15.their money from selling that information, I was -- aware it is
:27:15. > :27:18.their job to keep track of this information, and Equifax make money
:27:18. > :27:20.from selling that information. There are only three credit
:27:20. > :27:24.agencies in the UK, it is a privilege for those companies to
:27:24. > :27:27.have a chance to have one of thots three lfpbss, with that privilege -
:27:27. > :27:31.- those three licenses, with that privilege comes responsibility to
:27:31. > :27:35.make sure everybody's file is correct. It is not up to them to
:27:35. > :27:39.rely on the lenders and utility companies to make sure it is right.
:27:39. > :27:43.Some credit reference agencies do more than collect and sell personal
:27:43. > :27:46.data, they hold so much information about us, our spending habits and
:27:46. > :27:50.movements, they also provide a tracing service for third parties.
:27:50. > :27:54.That means if you go missing out repaying a debt, they will help the
:27:54. > :27:59.people you owe track you down. Here too they can make mistakes and
:27:59. > :28:06.cause chaos as a result. Meetdy niece and Paul Smith from Norfolk.
:28:06. > :28:11.Debt collect -- meet Denice and Paul Smith from Norfolk, they have
:28:11. > :28:14.debt collectors chasing people because of information provided by
:28:14. > :28:19.Equifax. This year we received letters from a debt collection
:28:19. > :28:22.agency, they made demands for return of unpaid council tax,
:28:22. > :28:29.housing been fit and bold red letters saying they were going to
:28:29. > :28:33.send a van round and do not ignore this letter. Not just frightening,
:28:33. > :28:37.but shocking because the couple don't owe anything. The debts have
:28:37. > :28:41.been run up by another Paul Smith. Equifax have handed the wrong man's
:28:41. > :28:46.details to the debt collectors. They made the connection between me
:28:46. > :28:49.and the other Paul Smith by date of birth. They hadn't used any other
:28:49. > :28:54.data points, they should have been a lot more careful, especially with
:28:54. > :28:58.my name being Paul Smith, it is fairly common. Equifax boast of
:28:58. > :29:01.unique techniques that reduce mistracing. Maybe they should just
:29:01. > :29:04.stick to checking the electoral roll, if they bothered to have done
:29:04. > :29:08.that, they would have found that this Paul Smith has lived at the
:29:08. > :29:14.same address for 22 years, in a completely different county to the
:29:14. > :29:18.other one. The council have now confirmed that Paul and Denise owe
:29:18. > :29:22.them nothing. Yet the couple are still being chased. The letters
:29:22. > :29:26.from the debt collection agencies haven't stopped. And I have a trail
:29:26. > :29:33.on Equifax of debt collection agencies, and that may very well
:29:34. > :29:38.impact on, if I go for a loan in future. With the amount of data
:29:38. > :29:41.that they hold, they have a duty to be careful with it. The credit
:29:41. > :29:45.reference agencies have files on almost every single adult in the UK.
:29:45. > :29:49.They are also bound by the Data Protection Act, which stipulates
:29:49. > :29:56.that the information they hold must be accurate. They may be powerful,
:29:56. > :30:00.but the law applies to them as much as it does to the rest of us.
:30:00. > :30:04.Experian have since apologised to Asad for failing to update his
:30:04. > :30:08.credit report, and saying they are discussing with him how to put
:30:08. > :30:13.things right. They blame an administrative error and says such
:30:13. > :30:17.cases are rare. Equifax apologised and will contact Brian Childs to
:30:17. > :30:20.make sure the information is up-to- date. As for Denise and Paul Smith,
:30:20. > :30:24.they say debt collectors should validate the information given to
:30:24. > :30:29.them, and will make sure the search records are deletes, and any link
:30:29. > :30:34.to the other Mr Smith removed. The additional search records will not
:30:34. > :30:38.adversely affect his credit score. Still to come, need to get rid of
:30:38. > :30:43.back or headache fast, which of these tablets to choose. Walkers,
:30:43. > :30:47.if you bought a pact of their new Deep Ridged Crisps, are you still
:30:47. > :30:49.hungry? -- packet of their new Deep Ridged Crisps, are you still
:30:49. > :30:55.hungry? To Cooper Sewing Machines Limited,
:30:55. > :30:59.the company whose boss is rude and abusive to customers trying to
:30:59. > :31:05.return the machines, when they are perfectly within their rights to do
:31:05. > :31:10.so. Just to make sure there are no problems, we need to make sure our
:31:10. > :31:14.machine, when we return it, is in tip top condition. It has only been
:31:14. > :31:21.out of the box for five minutes, the actress hasn't used it at all,
:31:21. > :31:24.now it is parceled up for Cooper's HQ. It is going by courier, or a
:31:24. > :31:28.member of the team posing as a courier. We want to make sure it
:31:28. > :31:34.gets there before the distant selling regulation's deadline. To
:31:34. > :31:44.get a refund it must be returned within seven days, our's arrives
:31:44. > :31:49.
:31:49. > :31:57.Now Mr Bernard, you will remember, of the how the man who answered our
:31:57. > :32:04.actress's phone call referred to himself.
:32:04. > :32:06.Hang on, this isn't Mr Bernard is it? No, it is Jay Cooper, the boss,
:32:06. > :32:12.the same guy who appears on the company website boasting about
:32:12. > :32:17.their great service, only now he's telling us we can't return our
:32:17. > :32:27.machine, even though we are absolutely within our rights to,
:32:27. > :32:34.
:32:34. > :32:44.remember Cheggers told us. I have Right, so he has told us, wrongly,
:32:44. > :33:08.
:33:08. > :33:11.that we have missed the seven-day deadline, any more surprises? Now
:33:11. > :33:17.this is getting really odd. You see before this visit, there was no
:33:17. > :33:24.mention of a Rugby depot, anywhere on their website, a few hours
:33:24. > :33:34.afterwards, one miraculously appeared. Our courier will now have
:33:34. > :34:03.
:34:03. > :34:09.What? Who amI talking to if I'm not talking to the manager? Mr Bernard.
:34:09. > :34:14.And again, eh? My name is Jay Cooper, I'm the managing director
:34:14. > :34:19.of Cooper Sewing Machines Limited. Yeah, viewers, we appear to have
:34:19. > :34:22.stumbled on an identity crisis, the man we know to be Bernard is now
:34:22. > :34:31.Isow, we have heard the voice of Mr Bernard analysed, you have guessed
:34:31. > :34:35.it, he and Mr Cooper and Mr Isow are all one in the same! Still,
:34:35. > :34:39.none of this is getting us our money back. The following Monday
:34:39. > :34:44.our actress phones the company to find out why they refused to accept
:34:44. > :34:50.the return of the sewing machine. Is that Mr Bernard. No Mr Bernard
:34:50. > :34:57.and everybody is away on holiday. I bought a sewing machine off you,
:34:57. > :35:05.and whoever I spoke to last week told me to send it back.
:35:05. > :35:13.I sent it back within seven days. I wasn't told to send it back to
:35:13. > :35:17.Rugby. Remember, Mrs Cox isn't asking for anything out of the
:35:17. > :35:23.ordinary. She's perfectly within her rights. The machine was
:35:23. > :35:33.returned in perfect condition, within seven days. Can I have a
:35:33. > :35:33.
:35:34. > :35:39.refund. No? Look, just a minute Mr Cooper, could you just reassure me.
:35:39. > :35:47.(line goes dead) Mr Cooper, are you there. During all the calls we made
:35:47. > :35:53.to Cooper, he's what our producer calls "curt". Is that another
:35:53. > :35:59.identity? As in short, unsympathetic and increasingly
:35:59. > :36:05.snappy. Is that Mr Cooperer. It is Mr Cox, I think we got cut off, I'm
:36:05. > :36:15.an old lady and I'm upset, can you please tell me what to do. Why are
:36:15. > :36:16.
:36:16. > :36:24.you upset? I just make a few curtains for a few people to make a
:36:24. > :36:29.bit of money, can I have my money back.
:36:29. > :36:39.Can I have my money back, no! that day, Mrs Cox's son, played by
:36:39. > :36:41.
:36:41. > :36:51.one of the team, calls again. hoping to speak to Mr Cooper, my
:36:51. > :36:55.
:36:55. > :37:05.name is Mr Cox. You're Mr Bernard? Mr Bernard, right, OK. You spoke to
:37:05. > :37:07.
:37:07. > :37:17.my mum this morning, she's a little bit upset, to be honest, Mr Bernard.
:37:17. > :37:41.
:37:42. > :37:45.She's on OAP. Quite an old age to Well, once again, our voice analyst
:37:45. > :37:51.reckons the man on the phone, calling himself Mr Bernard, is
:37:51. > :37:56.talking nonsense, he is, in fact, Jay Cooper. Yeah. As for me, I
:37:56. > :38:00.reckon the time for playing telephone tag is now over!
:38:00. > :38:04.Yeah, there is only so long you can occupy someone else's fantasy world,
:38:04. > :38:09.then there comes a time when you have to get real. And reality is
:38:09. > :38:13.about to bite for Jay Cooper. See if he bites back in about ten
:38:13. > :38:19.minutes. Quick, time for an update on some
:38:19. > :38:22.of your e-mails, texts and tweets. A lot of you complaining about high
:38:22. > :38:26.home insurance premiums because of called flood risk. This is from
:38:26. > :38:32.Paul Collins, he says he lives 170 feet above sea level, above a
:38:32. > :38:38.reservoir that is at 110 feet above sea level, yet the insurers have
:38:38. > :38:44.increased the premiums because they say they are at risk. Arron lives
:38:44. > :38:47.on the 13th floor of an apartment building next to a river that is
:38:47. > :38:52.below ground level, but insurance companies have refused to cover him.
:38:52. > :39:00.Keep sending your e-mails and tweets, and we will hopefully read
:39:00. > :39:07.them out. The biggest talking point is the new Deep Ridged Crisps from
:39:07. > :39:13.Walkers. Cue the bloke that sounds like Matt. It isic about, it is
:39:13. > :39:18.epic, it is Ridges. Give me a minute. Are you ready to make on
:39:18. > :39:23.the Deep Ridged. Twice as epic for faction.
:39:23. > :39:27.If you are epically hungry you could be disappointed, Steve Rhodes
:39:27. > :39:32.was. He sent us this photo of the packet he just opened, a lot more
:39:32. > :39:37.air than crisps. It was the same story for Daniel Moon from Sussex,
:39:37. > :39:41.this is the amount he got in his packet. Two packet, two different
:39:41. > :39:46.parts of the country, is it a coincidence? It could be, if it is
:39:47. > :39:51.it is a very strong one. This week we went out and bought a few
:39:51. > :39:56.multipacks of Walkers Deep Ridged Crisps. Owe opened six in all,
:39:56. > :40:00.ready salted, mature cheddar and onion, salt and vinegar and flame-
:40:00. > :40:05.grilled steak flavour. The average number of crisps,ing bits was 13
:40:05. > :40:15.the most we found in one bag was 1, and in this packet of ready salted,
:40:15. > :40:17.
:40:17. > :40:22.the one in my hand, we found a grand total of 11 whole crisps.
:40:22. > :40:29.What do Walkers say? They say they have deeper ridges than other
:40:29. > :40:33.crisps on the market, making them susceptible to breakage, to stop
:40:33. > :40:38.that they have put them into slightly larger packets with
:40:38. > :40:44.cushioning, it gives the impression of low bag fill. Fabulous! There
:40:44. > :40:53.are 28 grams of crisps in the multipack bag, and this is above
:40:53. > :40:57.average. Low bag fill, you heard it here first. Next painkillers, the
:40:57. > :41:02.biggest-selling overth counter medicine.
:41:02. > :41:10.-- over-the-counter medicine. Great claims, can we believe them,
:41:10. > :41:16.they act fast. What do you think? We buy an estimated �530 million
:41:16. > :41:19.worth of painkillers in the UK each other. With so much money -- year.
:41:20. > :41:24.With so much money at stake, the big companies make sure we think of
:41:24. > :41:32.their products first. Can I ask you what type of painkillers you buy?
:41:32. > :41:36.normally by Panadol. Nurofen. go for the bigger names, a reason
:41:36. > :41:40.for that? I trust them, because I know they come from big
:41:40. > :41:44.pharmaceutical companies. Most of these well known drugs cost far
:41:44. > :41:50.more than supermarket's own-brands, are they really any more
:41:50. > :41:55.trustworthy. Take one heavily- advertised brand, and compare it to
:41:55. > :41:58.a supermarket version costing around six-times less. These are
:41:58. > :42:02.basically the same drug at the same dose in the same type of medicine.
:42:02. > :42:07.If you look at the ingredients, they look quite different, these
:42:07. > :42:11.are just to help manufacture the tablet, or in the case of the
:42:11. > :42:16.Anadin there is something that will help mask the bitter taste of the
:42:16. > :42:19.par set mol. A patient taking either of these drugs would
:42:19. > :42:23.experience effectively the same pain relief. Do customers realise
:42:23. > :42:33.there is no effective difference whatsoever between such tablets.
:42:33. > :42:38.
:42:38. > :42:42.Welcome to Watchdog's Pop Up Clinic. What if I told you the own brand
:42:42. > :42:47.was six-times cheaper and the same effectiveness. The own-brand one
:42:47. > :42:52.you could get that for half the price. I didn't know, that I would
:42:52. > :42:57.go for the own-brand one. You told me you tend to buy Nurofen, what if
:42:57. > :43:01.I was to say this product had the name amount of pain-killing
:43:01. > :43:05.ingredient in it, but less than half the price. I would buy it, no
:43:05. > :43:11.problem. Studies have shown that some people do get more benefit
:43:11. > :43:15.from a brand name painkiller, the reason is the called placebo effect,
:43:15. > :43:20.because those taking it think it will work better, so it does. Does
:43:20. > :43:23.that justify the extra cost. When I'm advising patients about buying
:43:23. > :43:31.medicines over the counter from the high street or the supermarket, I
:43:31. > :43:38.advise them to buy the cheapest own-brand they can find. The brand
:43:38. > :43:41.ed products differ little from the generic. In the NHS most of the
:43:41. > :43:45.medicines we give are generic forms, we don't think branded products
:43:45. > :43:49.give value for money. Clever advertising is just one way the
:43:49. > :43:52.companies persuade us to spend more on painkillers than we need to.
:43:52. > :43:56.Another is by convifpbsing us that their drugs can target --
:43:56. > :44:00.convincing us that their drugs can target pain wherever it strike. If
:44:00. > :44:03.you go a pharmacy you will find pills for pain in your head, your
:44:03. > :44:08.back, and even your joints, but how do they know which pain in your
:44:08. > :44:10.body to tackle. Basically they don't, they are not
:44:10. > :44:15.specially formulateded in any way to treat a particular pain in the
:44:15. > :44:18.body. Once they are in the blood, the drug will circulate and counter
:44:18. > :44:23.the part of the body that needs to be treated, but other parts of the
:44:23. > :44:30.body as well. That doesn't stop some companies claiming otherwise.
:44:30. > :44:34.Take this, Feminex, the drug that supposedly targeting period pain.
:44:34. > :44:41.Take a look at the product witness here on the side of the packet, it
:44:41. > :44:49.is issued by the medicines regulator, the MHRA, it is the
:44:49. > :44:53.exact same as the Superdrug own brand migraine relief, and Asda's
:44:53. > :45:00.own-brand migraine relief, Sainsbury's and Morrison's, yep,
:45:00. > :45:06.you have guessed it, own -brand migraine relief. All the drugs are
:45:06. > :45:09.exactly the same, but the Feminax costs twice the price. You don't
:45:09. > :45:15.need to be a scientist to know this, the information is a click away.
:45:15. > :45:21.Most of us are taken in by the claims of targeted pain relief.
:45:21. > :45:25.This, Feminax that says it targets period pain and the tablets here
:45:25. > :45:29.are exactly the same. I can't believe it. Exactly the same.
:45:29. > :45:33.Does it annoy you a little bit? Yeah, if they are trying to charge
:45:33. > :45:38.for more the same thing. At least you know you can use period pain
:45:38. > :45:43.pills for your headaches! These three have the same product license
:45:43. > :45:47.code? That really surprises me. well as claims about targeting pain,
:45:47. > :45:56.some companies like us to believe their drugs work faster. One
:45:56. > :45:59.example is Reckitt Benkiser, makers of Nurofen, you can find two
:45:59. > :46:03.versions of its liquid capsules on sale from the chemist, the standard
:46:03. > :46:07.type and the express variety, that is a pound more expensive in one
:46:08. > :46:11.store. You would think with this you would be getting an express,
:46:11. > :46:15.faster version, but take a closer look. They have the same product
:46:15. > :46:20.license number, which means they are exactly the same. There is no
:46:20. > :46:23.difference between the two products. Both have the same product licenses,
:46:23. > :46:26.so the formulations behave in exactly the same way, a patient
:46:26. > :46:30.taking this will experience no difference in the pain relief from
:46:30. > :46:37.them. The same is through for Nurofen migraine pain and tension
:46:37. > :46:41.headache, one is purple and one is orange, costing up to �34 -- 34p
:46:41. > :46:45.more a pack. But the active ingredients are identical,
:46:45. > :46:48.according to some, such mrbgting messages aren't only confusing,
:46:48. > :46:51.they could be dangerous. -- marketing messages aren't only
:46:51. > :46:55.confusing, they could be dangerous. There is a concern about safety,
:46:55. > :47:02.beau the patient may be confused, for example, if they have a period
:47:02. > :47:07.pain and back pain they may take ieb brof fen for period pain and
:47:07. > :47:09.for back pain, in Israel toe they are taking the same product -- in
:47:09. > :47:15.reality they are taking the same product twice and twice as much as
:47:15. > :47:19.they need to. We know the packs may look different and the words may
:47:19. > :47:24.sound convincing, if you want to save money as well as kill pain,
:47:24. > :47:28.you would be advised to look at the numbers.
:47:28. > :47:33.The Proprietary Association of Great Britain representing all the
:47:33. > :47:39.companies mentioned, said over the counter medicines only get approval
:47:39. > :47:45.once their safety is proven. The quality of pain relief and the
:47:45. > :47:50.parts of the body it is used for also have to be approved. The
:47:50. > :47:54.packet list aadditional benefits that people want, and Thesee said
:47:54. > :47:58.work better than some generic quantities. They say the sale price
:47:58. > :48:05.is set by the retailers. You can see the responses from individual
:48:05. > :48:09.companies on the website. None of that explains why Express Nurofen
:48:10. > :48:13.Liquid Capsules are exactly the same as the ordinary one. Thanks
:48:13. > :48:19.for all those who have been in touch about the story. Here is a
:48:19. > :48:23.few more. Great news for gamers, EA Sports
:48:23. > :48:27.FIFA 13 is now out. Bad news for gamers, it is not really working.
:48:27. > :48:32.That is according to the hundreds who have contacted Watchdog and on-
:48:32. > :48:37.line forums, with the catalogue of woes surrounding FIFA 13, since it
:48:37. > :48:40.was released last Thursday. It includes freezing and locking up
:48:40. > :48:45.computers, money has been taken out of people's accounts and not
:48:45. > :48:50.converted into points as promised. We reported on similar problems on
:48:50. > :48:54.the game's forerunner, FIFA 12, back in March. EA Sports says it is
:48:54. > :48:57.constantly listening to feedback, continuing to improve the game, and
:48:57. > :49:02.addressing issues so all players have a good experience. For those
:49:02. > :49:05.who have been in touch with us, it is unlucky FIFA 13.
:49:05. > :49:10.Sainsbury's brand match, its big weapon in the supermarket price
:49:10. > :49:14.wars, but it wasn't all it seemed. A TVad claimed shoppers wouldn't
:49:15. > :49:18.pay for more brands than they would at Asda and Tesco. But there were a
:49:18. > :49:24.series of exclusions and catches, you had to spend at least �20 or
:49:24. > :49:32.more to qal fight. Receipt funds were over a whole basket of goods
:49:32. > :49:38.rather than individual terms. The refunds was given in the form of
:49:38. > :49:41.coupons and you had to redeem with them in two weeks. Sainsbury's said
:49:41. > :49:46.they are committed to easy to understand advertising, and have
:49:46. > :49:49.changed the current ads to explain it. The Advertising Standards
:49:49. > :49:54.Authority said all further promotions must be clear, it found
:49:54. > :50:00.the TVad to be misleading on four separate accounts. Need to visit
:50:00. > :50:07.your local bank, get a move on, the big four are closing branches at a
:50:07. > :50:13.rate of one every two days. It has left 900 towns in villages in
:50:13. > :50:16.England and Wales with no bank and some with none at all. HSBC is the
:50:16. > :50:20.worst offender closing 47 branches this year. It claims they were
:50:20. > :50:24.underused with customers opting for phone and internet banking. It has
:50:24. > :50:27.also announced from next year customers will be able to conduct
:50:27. > :50:31.their finances at local post offices, if they can find one.
:50:31. > :50:40.Meanwhile, with another 21 branches set to shut between now and
:50:40. > :50:48.Christmas, no wonder HSBC has stopped using this slogan.
:50:48. > :50:53.We have been stitched up by Cooper Sewing Machine of Hertfordshire, we
:50:53. > :50:59.sent it back for a refund in the satry seven days, the boss refused
:50:59. > :51:05.to accept it, and kept our money.'S a funny bloke Jay Cooper, he hasn't
:51:05. > :51:09.been himself recently. Cheggers plays pop, he also plays multiple
:51:09. > :51:13.characters like Jay Cooper, who throughout the dealings with him
:51:13. > :51:19.has assumed a series of identities, seemingly to confuse, the customer,
:51:19. > :51:26.however many times he changes his name, one characteristic remains.
:51:26. > :51:32.How dare you, he said, he said he hoped I died a horrible death.
:51:32. > :51:37.he tries to make people feel is so humiliating. Request I have my
:51:37. > :51:41.money back? No, how's that? Got it in one, don't ring me again.
:51:41. > :51:44.sorry Jay, we can't oblige, since that phone call, you see, we have
:51:44. > :51:52.put our allegations to him, and he has failed to address all our
:51:52. > :51:56.points. He still has questions to answer. And that's why we are off
:51:56. > :52:01.to Hertfordshire. We are not far away from Cooper's office, we have
:52:01. > :52:05.sent a delivery to see if we can talk to Jay Cooper and ask him
:52:05. > :52:11.about his multiple identities and the way he deals with his customers.
:52:11. > :52:17.So, hopefully we should be able to get to see him face-to-face. The
:52:17. > :52:25.man, himself. None of the alternatives! Mr Cooperer? You need
:52:25. > :52:28.to sign for these. Our delivery man is inside, he's delivering boxes to
:52:28. > :52:38.Jay Cooper, the problem with them is there are no sewing machines
:52:38. > :53:04.
:53:04. > :53:10.Hello mate. I can't hear you, why not come outside, the reception is
:53:10. > :53:19.better here. Excellent, Cooper has taken the
:53:19. > :53:24.debate, he's following the fake courier down the staircase. Hell
:53:24. > :53:28.loi Jay how are you doing, I'm from BBC Rogue Traders, you could have
:53:28. > :53:32.been expecting this at some point, when you treat the customers the
:53:32. > :53:35.way you do, it was inevitable, don't you think? I haven't been
:53:35. > :53:38.very good, I have been very ill. That is not an excuse. Have you
:53:38. > :53:41.been ill for the past seven years, we have had complaints over the
:53:41. > :53:48.last seven years about the way you treat your customers? I haven't
:53:48. > :53:53.been very good, I hold my hand up, I'm sorry if I have caused people
:53:53. > :53:56.agravation,. To be honest with you, I did send a statement. What we
:53:56. > :53:59.have done is to fill the gaps in the statement, because you claim
:53:59. > :54:04.that you don't adopt false personalities when we know you do,
:54:05. > :54:10.and you know you do as well. So that's really something that's very
:54:10. > :54:14.disturbing and very worrying. make no excuses I hold my hand up,
:54:14. > :54:18.I'm very sorry, I know this is out on television, I have no excuse, we
:54:18. > :54:22.have sold many hundreds of thousands of sewing machines over
:54:22. > :54:26.the last few years, and we have had a few complaints, there is no doubt.
:54:26. > :54:29.But we are addressing all that situation, working very well with
:54:29. > :54:32.the Trading Standards locally, and we have a call centre taking all
:54:32. > :54:37.our calls, we started well before your letter, so everything is in
:54:37. > :54:41.hand to make sure we give a much more productive, better service to
:54:41. > :54:44.our clients. He went on to explain that his background is in retail,
:54:44. > :54:48.and now the business operates on- line he has had to learn how to
:54:48. > :54:52.adapt. He also said he had brought in consultants to help improve
:54:52. > :54:56.customer service. He then told us he had been very short staffed and
:54:56. > :55:00.that a close family member had recently been very ill, but to his
:55:00. > :55:06.credit, he didn't try to use that as an excuse. What I need to take
:55:06. > :55:12.away from today is you won't be dealing with customers any more.
:55:12. > :55:16.Customer service is handed over. That you will honour the distant
:55:16. > :55:19.selling regulations. We always have. That is not the case. The distant
:55:19. > :55:23.selling act can get abused by the client. There are times when
:55:23. > :55:28.customers have bought the machines, used them, returned them damaged.
:55:28. > :55:32.We demonstrated that is not the case. Not Mrs Cox's, that is true,
:55:32. > :55:35.I said in my statement I acted badly when it came to Mrs Cox, I
:55:35. > :55:39.tried to phone her, but I realised she was an actress. The other thing
:55:40. > :55:45.we need to do is look at all the cases we have heard, the complaints
:55:45. > :55:49.we have had, where people have been poorly treated by you, and by your
:55:49. > :55:52.company, and inspect those and make sure those people. It won't happen
:55:52. > :55:56.again. Not that it won't happen again, but the people we find that
:55:56. > :56:00.come to us are going to get proper redress and be properly. We will
:56:00. > :56:05.compensate all of them. Compensated or given a machine that work.
:56:05. > :56:09.Whatever they want f they deal with me personally, one-to-one, if it is
:56:09. > :56:13.a genuine case, we will deal with T I would ask people to take into
:56:13. > :56:15.consideration the 400,000 items we have sold in the last few years and
:56:15. > :56:20.look at the few complaints in relation to that. You have to look
:56:20. > :56:24.at that, the overall picture. I'm sorry I have caused any grief to
:56:24. > :56:29.any customers, if they contact me, I will deal with it as a matter of
:56:29. > :56:34.urgency, I'm very, very sorry. Cooper-Isow has since refunded us
:56:34. > :56:39.in full, he has told us while a small number of customers were
:56:39. > :56:46.freeted badly, he categorically denies there was any attempt to
:56:46. > :56:50.manipulate them, he denies telling our interviewee Florence that he
:56:50. > :56:54.hoped she died a horrible death. He said there has been 400 positive
:56:54. > :56:58.comments in the last few months. His full statement is on the
:56:58. > :57:02.website. His photo, just the one of him, goes here, in the Rogues'
:57:02. > :57:06.Gallery. Some of you have been getting in
:57:06. > :57:11.touch about having problems with credit reference agencies, and one
:57:11. > :57:15.viewer has said he has had the same experience as Paul and Denise Smith,
:57:15. > :57:20.he has been chased by debt collectors because one agency has
:57:21. > :57:26.confused him with someone else and passed on his details. Another man
:57:26. > :57:33.called Jimmy says he has the same name as his dad but one agency
:57:33. > :57:37.refused to separate their files. We have Chris-gate, one viewer said --
:57:37. > :57:46.crisp-gate, one viewer only had seven in her bag. Do keep sending
:57:46. > :57:49.us your stories, and tip-offs, go to the website.
:57:49. > :57:54.You can write to us, include a crisp, the address is on the
:57:54. > :57:58.screens now. Thanks guys. Coming up next week,
:57:58. > :58:03.Vodaphone, 02, still trying to make you pay the bill when your mobile
:58:03. > :58:07.is stolen. Virgin Media, the truth about those broadband claims, and