Episode 5 Watchdog

Energy giant E.ON tells watchdog, we are entitled to make hundreds of

millions a year. Sports Direct Online adding items to your basket.

Barclays, Lloyds, Natwest and the rest, does it pay to switch? Plus,

Flora, Thames Water and Asda. It's Watchdog, the programme you cannot

afford to miss. Hello and good evening. Welcome to

Watchdog, we are live, as usual, for the next 60 minutes. Tonight, energy

companies. Last week, the first of the Big Six increased its bills, the

rest will follow. Even though E.ON wouldn't admit it to us. SSE have

announced an 8% rise, are you about to announce one? You know I can't

talk about that. Also tonight: Sports Direct, received this

magazine when you bought online? Presumed it was a gift? Check your

invoice. Plus, HSBC, Santander, TSB, all begging us to switch banks and

join them. Is it worth it? Undercover inside Britain's biggest

limousine hire brokers. It's idea of customer service? Lying, pressure

selling and breaking the law. All the sorts of things that tonight's

Rogue might want to warn you against on his website. Paul Hinton is his

name. His company replaces concrete gutters with plastic ones. If his

website is giving advice, presumably, his testimonals should

be brilliant. Let us hear one. I have dwoen gone through different

emotions, anger and despair and a determination that I will do

everything I can to bring him to task. We can understand her

frustration. Look what a mess his workmen made of our roof. When we

went to complain, it's fair to say that Paul Hinton didn't appreciate

our feedback. Watch me try to get a foot, not to mention a shoulder, in

the door later on. First, the energy companies. The amount of gas and

electricity we are using is going down, while fuel bills are going up.

SSE, the first of the Big Six, announced a rise of 8. 2% in

November. Meaning, an SSE customer's bill will now be on average ?1400 a

year. The other five are expected to follow. Three-and-a-half million

families are unable to heat their homes. Here is one viewer's story.

My name is Lorna, I'm a single mum of three children. I'm a, woing mum.

I work in the tower Hamlet school kitchens as a dinner lady. It's a

tight budget. By the time I have done my rent, shopping, school

dinners, travel, gas and electric it's hard to budget for. I have

noticed over the past two years how the energy has risen for myself. At

one point, about a year ago, I was putting ?10 to ?15 a week on my

electric, I'm now at ?25 a week. I'm terrified about the energy bills

being risen. My budget won't change. I have to find extra money from

somewhere to put on the electric and gas. That will be a struggle. It's

been very tight and I have had to go without gas. Last winter we were

sitting here and my gas ran out and I didn't get pay until the next day.

We got quilts and sat on the TV. Outside the windows we could see

HSBC and Canary Wharf and my youngest said, "we should go there

because it's warm." I felt bad, he made the point that buildings over

there have heating on and we haven't. I'm working, I'm trying to

do my best, I still can't provide the basic needs that my children

need. To me, that's heartbreaking. As cases like Lorna's become more

typical, profits for the Big Six keep increasing. Take E.ON. It has

four-and-a-half million customers. Its profits have doubled in three

years. This year globally it's expected to reach two billion. I put

your questions to E.ON Director of Strategy and Regulations, Sara

Vaughn. How can you justify your company's profit margins when people

are afraid to put the heating on? Our profit margin is less than 5%.

What we are trying to do is to earn a fair profit. We are a business. We

have employees. We have to ensure that we are able to stay in

business. The important thing about people who are scared to put their

heating on is that they are get get in conle tact with us. We do care

about them and want to work with them. There are a number of things

we can do to help, in terms of advice, of insulation, of talking to

them about whether there any benefits to which they are entitled

that they are not claiming or actually, through our trust fund, to

help them actually buy appliances and to move on in that way. You are

not going to pay their electricity bills? We want to do all they can to

help them to pay their own electricity bills. Not much you are

offering really? We would not want any elderly person to be sitting at

home and be worried about paying their bill. There are, all over the

country, there are? There are elderly people worried about their

bills and putting their heating on? We will do what we can to help. For

a company that is so concerned to help the elderly, why have you taken

away their stay warm allowance? It was not compliant with Ofgem's

proposed retail market review rules. Didn't order you to take away the

stay warm offer, did th No, they didn't. I'm absolutely not saying

that. It was our decision against the background of a tariff that was

not compliant. We didn't see a way we could make it compliant. Why do

you not put prices down when wholesale prices go down, but put

them up when the wholesale prices go up? The way that we buy our energy

is always in advance. It may be up to 18 months or two years, the point

behind that is that we are not seeing the falls and rises directly

impacting on prices. There is a lag usually until that works through.

People aren't terribly convinced by that. Even Ofgem says the problem is

a lack of transparency on behalf of the energy companies? It's a quite

complicated industry. If you look at the bill and if you look at what

makes up the bill, less than 20% of the bill is within our control.

Wholesale costs, transmission and distribution costs, all of the

Government programmes, all of those are out of our control. Viewer says,

why do energy companies all follow each other when they put prices up?

We are all buying wholesale electricity in the same market and

wholesale gas in the same market. We have transmission and distribution

costs coming through. We are quite similar businesses in terms of our

costs. What consumers think is you are all in this together making a

huge profit for yourselves? I wouldn't say that we make a... Our

profit is anything other than fair. We made less than 5% on our supply

business last year. That really feels to me like a fair profit. Why

do you put up your prices in the winter when we need more energy and

not in the summer when we don't? If you looked at when price increases

have come through you would find they were quite evenly spaced

throughout the year. Last year alone we made a price promise to our

customers, throughout 2012, that we wouldn't put our prices up. So when

we did finally put them up, that was towards the end of February. Really,

we were coming out of winter by then. Why do the energy companies

make those people who have to pay their gas and electric on card

meters pay the highest tariff? That's all about the infrastructure

that supports PPMs, pre-payment meters. What we are looking forward

to is when we move into smart meters. There will be no distinction

between the card Meyers -- payers and the other payers. SSE announced

an 8% rise, are you about to announce one? You know I can't talk

about that. This viewer would like to know, in the future, the cost of

improved energy efficiency should lower the supply? Yes. So will you

be making up for that by charging more? We have been working for a

number of years on trying to encourage our customers to use less

energy. It is quite, sort of, counter intuitive. Really, it's

about we want to change the relationship with our customers so

they feel that we are on their side and working with them to reduce

their energy use to make sure that they use no more than they need.

Energy UK, which represents you, is suggesting that our lights might go

out in the winter? That is not something that we have said. We have

raised concerns around the uncertainty that the move that Mr

Miliband has proposed might bring about. We absolutely haven't been -

So no lights out this winter? We don't know. You are one of the Big

Six, shouldn't you know whether the lights will stay on? The margin of

security has reduced. I cannot see that the lights would be allowed to

go out this winter. No. So no lights out this winter? No lights out. Very

much. Thank you. Next week we will hear from another of the Big Six,

SSE, Energy Secretary, Davey has urged consumers to switch providers

in pursuit of cheaper bills. At the moment very few people do. Why? Do

you shop around for your energy? No. You will get it cheap are for six

months then they put theirs up. No, I don't really. I can't really be

bothered. 12 months and then I will swap. I will get better by by

swapping. Shop around? No. No? Utility bills are high. Shopping

around for the sake of saving ?15 a year maybe ?30 a year, it's hardly

worth it. Is he right? Is it worth it? Is it possible to get a

significant saving if you switch? A full report next week. The In the

meantime, if you have a story you would like us to investigate get in

touch: Coming up. Sports Direct Online,

beware of the items it drops into your basket. We like to keep up with

the times. I have recently joined Friends Reunited and just got a

mobile phone. Look. Built-in camera. Yeah! We also try to stay abreast of

the latest developments in the world of Rogues, it never stands still.

They are looking for new opportunities to exploit. New

territories to grab. It's like the Wild West out there.

Welcome to cowboy Street, 84Cowboy Street. It may look like an ordinary

house in an ordinary street, it's not. It's in Cheshire, Kent or

somewhere, it hes -- it is full of cowboys. There they are. The reason

that these cowboys love 87 Cowboy Street is because, look, it's got

concrete gutters. No, stop, stop! I hate this setup. It's ridiculous. Go

on. I don't approve of that use of the world "cowboy" either. Here's

why. Because I love cowboys, at least the old-style western home on

the range type. I don't want them to be associated with someone like Paul

Hinton. The boss of a number of companies past and present that

specialise in removing costly to maintain concrete gutters. His

current firm, Finlock Solutions limited, goes to pains to warn you

off cowboys how does his own track record stack up? In 2011 he set up

Roof Guard Solutions Limited. He continues to own half the company.

In April 2012 he quoted a job for Kay Perkins. She paid ?2,100 to have

her old concrete gutters cut off. They were replaced with PVC, like

this. As soon as they finished she noticed some serious problems.

The gutters themselves, all the joints, every joint, leaked, where

they joined at the front and the back. There were insufficient

brackets to support the weight of the gutter and the water so the

water poured over the side. The fall of the gutter was incorrect so it

ran backwards rather than forwards to go down the downspout. The

pointing, where they had put the fascia board on, that hasn't been

done, so there was damp coming in. This is not just cosmetic, but it

sounds like it could actually affect the structure of your house

long-term. Yes, it is caused damage internally, because it still leaks.

It was just a shoddy job from start to finish and I'm still having

problems one year later. As well as damaging her house, the company also

managed to damage one neighbour's fans, and the other's caravan during

the job. Eventually, the neighbours received compensation but, despite

saying they would fix their problems, no one ever came round and

she didn't receive a penny back. So I took them to court. The court

found in my favour, but I've never received the money, because they

dissolve the company. How did it leave you feeling, this whole

experience? I've gone to different emotions, anger, discussed, despair,

and then a determination that I will do everything I can to bring him to

task that discussed. OK. In summer 2012, the company ceased trading.

Around the same time, Paul Hinton set up Finlock Solutions of Worcs,

offering the same services. As another customer found, but offered

the exact same problems. After paying ?2330, they ended up with

leaks and poor finishing. The work was eventually ratified by Finlock

Solutions, six months later, but refused to provide any compensation

for the damage caused. And it doesn't end there. Paul Hinton was

involved in another company. Tudor Home Improvement Ltd offering the

same work which shut down leaving two County Court judgements are

unpaid. With all this ammunition, it's time to saddle up and dried. To

the big country. -- saddle up and ride. Leamington spa. We have hired

a ranch and fitted it out with cameras. These gutters have sprung a

leak. This is TV magic, so we call out a Finlock Solutions salesman who

quotes 3575 to take down the concrete gutters, but somehow we get

it down to ?2502. Two weeks later, the boys come round, arriving early,

a good start, and they waste absolutely no time in setting up and

springing into action. What is that? This is not a sparkling

beverage break. He is not using safety equipment. Truthfully,

ladies, did you ever realise the concrete gutters could be this

exciting? Hot stuff. So, stick that in your

vocabulary, Finlock. A word meaning a system of concrete guttering,

popular in the 1950s and 60s. And Finlock Solutions are about to

become a byword for bodges and boggling blunders. Get your

thesaurus out. In a little while. Next Sports Direct. The UK's largest

sporting retailer. Shop with them online? Be careful. We can reveal

the company uses an underhand practice to get you to pay for

products you had no intention of buying. Giles Long reports.

When you go shopping, you don't keep looking at what's in your basket

because it's just full of things that you put in there. Right? All

right, mate. I mean, you don't expect new items are just be dropped

in there by somebody else, do you? What's this? But that's exactly what

happened to Wendy Graham, when she shopped online with Sports Direct. I

ordered some items for my son, tracksuit top and bottom is, and I

noticed there was an additional item on there, only when I put the

invoice by the side of my desk. After the password been delivered.

And I happened to glance over at unnoticed it wasn't two items but

three on the invoice. The third item was this. Sports Direct's

promotional magazine costing ?1 a copy. Whether it's a good read is

irrelevant because Wendy wasn't aware she had ordered it. I haven't

selected the eye to myself. I was a little bit surprised to see it on

the invoice. And the fact I had been charged for it. Admittedly, it was

only a pound but it's the principle of it, and it's made me feel like I

never want to order anything from Sports Direct again. So how did

Wendy" magazine in her purchases? Here is what happens when you order

something from Sports Direct. I'm going to choose this holdall. I will

click to go through to the checkout and here you can see that holdall

I've ordered and just below that is a magazine and a mug for ?1. I

didn't order that. This happens every time you make a transaction,

whenever you buy something, Sports Direct will add this magazine or

this mug, sometimes both come at the checkout for an extra pound. Unless

you go back to another part of the site and remove these items, before

you buy, you will be charged for them. Dozens of you have been in

touch to say it's only when you're Sports Direct goods have arrived

that you find out about these extra costs. And chances are it's quite a

money spinner. When you consider they generate 15% of its ?1.5

billion business online. And they are not the only ones doing this.

Take National Express, buy tickets on their site and they tick this box

for you because they assume you want to pay an extra ?1 for travel

insurance. Want to buy a credit with sky TV? -- Skype. They assume you

want to pop up automatically with credit when you run low. And by

certain flights from Monarch and the opportunity to pay for extra seats

and luggage. At the moment, the letter of the law on the practice of

opting you into extra purchases is a bit of a grey area. But industry

experts say it isn't playing fair. This practice of pre-ticked boxes

and hiding important information goes against the basic principles of

contract law, which have been around forever a hundred years. Both

parties need to be fully aware of what they are agreeing to, what is

the product, what is the price? This tactic is all the more sneaky when

you look at how websites are designed. We use a piece of kit

called an eye tracker, which allows us to essentially see through the

eyes of our users, so we can see what they're looking at and

understand a bit better about their behaviour. I have come to our

website design consultant to contest how different website influence

decision-making. The red dot on the screen shows where I am focusing and

eye movements are tracked and stored as I start to order things from the

sites we know opted into extra purchases. First, the results for

Skype and my eyes are actually drawn to the pre-ticked box, helping me

make an informed decision about the automatic recharging operation. When

he shows in my results for Monarch, I can see how I could miss optional

items. We can see on the baggage, where you are prepaying for

baggage, you definitely notice that because your eyes focused on it for

a little bit longer, whereas for pre-booking your seat, you skimmed

over it. Where the National Express, . -- with National Express... You

didn't focus on the box. It hidden away at the top. And with Sports

Direct? You can see as I was looking through the descriptions,

essentially, I'm confused. There's so much information on the page to

take in before I get to the items I'm actually paying for, I could

easily have missed the cost for the magazine and the mug. The design of

the website has a massive impact on the way you explore the website. You

can basically be directed to a certain pathway through a website

and Connor Dunbar to missing 70 things. I could end up with boxes

checked that I didn't have any say whether I'd checked them or not? And

end up with more than you expect that the end of it. Companies are

opting you into purchases and possibly designing their websites in

a way which makes them hard to spot. Hardly seems right, does it? The

authorities agree. Next year, new law comes into effect which will

explicitly make it illegal for companies to add goods and services

to your account by default when shopping online. That will mean

sites like ACPO couple will no longer be able to automatically add

things to your basket or sign you up for things by ticking boxes on your

behalf -- Sports Direct. Quite a few responses to get through. Sports

Direct are unapologetic. They say they have simplified the process of

removing the magazine from the online basket. They feel it is clear

when it has been added and that it's also clear how customers can remove

it if they don't want it. They also say they are aware other retailers

adopt the same approach which presumably makes it all right!

National Express believe their online booking process is clear,

with optional insurance details displayed prominently at the top of

the screen. They say they are committed to customer choice and

this is why they offer travel insurance and other optional extras

when you book a ticket online. Skype told us that they enable

auto-recharge in order to ensure that users do not run out of credit

during a call. There are no additional costs and auto-recharge

can easily be disabled in the account settings at any time.

Monarch declined to comment. Next. How long have you been with your

bank? Research shows we stay with the same bank for a staggering 26

years. Statistically speaking, you're more likely to get divorced

than switch your bank account. Lengthy waits until completion,

mountains of paperwork, and the risk of missing a payment, put people

off. But last month the law changed all that. Bring more competition to

high-street banking. In the past, switching bank accounts seemed to be

quite a slow process. But now there is the guarantee. You can't have

missed the adverts guaranteeing you can switch your current account

along with your direct debits and standing orders. In just seven

working days. The banks are falling over themselves to tempt you to join

them but is it enough? Will we change the habit of a lifetime and

break-up with our banks? Joining me now, personal finance analyst, Sarah

Pennells. Is it worth switching? There are three groups of people who

are to switching for. If you're always in credit but your existing

bank doesn't pay you interest also on the other hand, if you always go

overdrawn get charged a lot and lastly if your just unhappy with the

service or getting. What if you look at another bank and then a few

months later they have changed their tune and they are not offering the

deal they did when you joined? That is possible with some of them. With

some banks, the offers will last 12 months and then you may have to look

again. There's no guarantee how long it will last so I would say look

overall at what the bank is offering and don't just move for one thing

because you don't want to have bad service because you've switched

roadies and interest rate. Is there really a big variation of interest

rates between the banks? There is, in terms of what they're offering if

you're in credit and what they charge if you go overdrawn and even

within the banks they will have at least three accounts paying

different rates and charging different amounts. What will worry

people is that mistakes will be made along the way, the mortgage will be

paid, standing orders will get muddled up. The good thing about the

seven-day switching isn't so much the time, but the fact that the bank

or building society you move too has responsibilities to get it right,

and if there was a mistake made, even if it's not their fault, they

have too sorted out and, if necessary, they have to pay your

overdraft charges. Is there any category of saver or user of banks

who shouldn't switch? Well, if you're basically happy with your

bank but say they done one thing which is annoyed you, I mean, it's

quite good for you to say, I'm thinking of moving because that can

focus their minds complaining can't. If you're applying from mortgage and

had a lot of change in your life, switched jobs, moved house, your

score could be affected negatively if you also switch banks, so maybe

wait until after you got your mortgage. Are you suggesting you can

trade a bit with your bank and they might do a special deal for you? In

some cases. Certainly, when it comes to things like overdraft charges, I

know people who have managed to get them wiped out, not so much if they

don't offer interest on your credit, if you're in credit, because that is

something which is standard. It's a very competitive market now and they

know that. Do we have any idea of a reputation of various banks? There's

a number of organisations that look at this and also have their own

awards so they have a ratings service. There is definitely worth

checking out the service because you don't want to move to a bank which

has terrible service because we do tend to change banks quite

infrequently. Can you name any banks which are good or bad? Any

announcements due on them? The ones which seem to come out well on the

service is first direct and smile. Some figures published today of

complaints against banks against the regulator, and Barclays Bank top

that league. OK. Are they bigger than the others? They would say of

course, they have a lot of customers and that's why. I do think, looking

at those complaints data, could be part of the data if you're willing

to switch. Sarah Pennells, thanks very much for joining us. If you

want more information about how to switch, go to the website. Still to

come, Limo Broker limited. So why does its training manual instruct

staff to lie to customers? Back to Finlock Solutions Ltd of

Worcestershire, not to be confused can -- with companies of a similar

name. You never know, there may be one. We have hired them. They

stripped to the waist and fired up an angle grinder. What could

possibly go wrong? Their first job is to take off the old concrete

guttering. To see how they get on with the job we have brought in the

sheriff to watch them at work, sheriff Barry Cross. The fastest gun

in the West Midlands. That is probably the last cowboy reference

we will make. Here is our lead tradesman, Tony. He is using a low

level platform. I think that is a good thing. Safety seems to slip

when they move onto ladders. I wonder what Barry makes of this and

this, and then this? Look how that ladder is against the wall. It's far

too wide. It's only the friction between the foot of the ladder and

the ground keeping it in place. It needs to be at an angle. Yeah, I

didn't think he'd like it. Now, the trader needs to remove this section

of concrete from the wall. It's not an easy task. Rather than move that

low level platform round, he has another

despite advising him not to because it is a terrible idea, he goes ahead

anyway using either the window sill or the neighbour's fence, or uneven

chunks of concrete he's just cut off to lift him up a bit. Watch out for

the tomatoes! He is gutting off concrete directly above his head. As

Oscar wild once nearly said, he may be working on the gutter, but he

could soon be seeing stars. So hazardous. I can see about five

different ways that he could end up doing himself a mischief here? Yes.

You have to have a hard hat. You have to have safety boots. It's

concrete dust. It can be toxic. You have to be looking at a dust mask,

minimum, whilst you're working in that kind of environment. With the

last of the concrete off, they move on to attaching the new fascias and

plastic guttering. Here is Tony again. No doubt he will be showing

them how it is supposed to be done. Then again, maybe he won't. Keep an

eye on the guttering in his hand when this happens.

OK, let us watch that back, shall we? The bucket buckles. The

guttering hits him smack on the head. It's clearly not Tony's fault

that this happened. We need to blame it on the bucket. Yeah, that's it.

He's kicked the bucket that thank goodness only in a physical rather

than a metaphorcle sense. Yes. Whilst the boys are busy at work I

check out their website. Lo and behold it makes for an interesting

read. For instance, there is a stay out of trouble checklist. It is

true, on their website they have included a handy things to check

guide. It's there to help you to avoid un trades person peoples. For

instance, if the company address is a home address, for example, 87

Cowboy Street, that's what it says! Yeah! Then you know it's a small

company or a one-man band. It's all here. The site warns against hiring

companies with a residential address. We don't think there is

anything wrong with that, guess what, it their own registered

company address is a home address in Worcestershire. They list a number

of impressive business addresses on their website. We went to Hampshire,

Birmingham to check them out. It turns them -- it turns out they

weren't at any of them. It's a great start. Another top finlock tip is to

see the company's certificate. Surely, Tony will have one to hand.

Have you public liability insurance? Have you a certificate? Fantastic.

They do have insurance, but their workers don't carry it with them.

Let us check back in on the bungalow.

We are not adverse to nicknames on Rogue Traders. I have insisted that

the team call me the Big Cahoona. Just to remind you, that is our

leads tradesman calling himself that. They seem to be in quite a

rush. They wouldn't be in such a rush that

they would cut corners would they though, surely? The area he has been

told to make look good is this tricky corner. One of the most

important tasks of the job is to make sure the lower part of the roof

is secured and waterproof. What they should have done is taken that

corner tile off and used plastic underlay all the way round before

putting the tile back. He opts for a different method. If you went to a o

I boys' school you will recognise it. He is giving it a wedgy! He's

pulling... He is pulling the underlay from the other side of the

roof to try and cover the corner. Almost trying to pull your skirt

down over your knees. It's not working. Obviously, I'm not looking

at it with expert eyes, that to me looks like a pig's ear. So after a

day-and-a-half of solid sawing, ut cutting and drilling with the new

guttering just about in place and the house more or less clean they

head off, still in such a rush they drive off with the van door open.

Fair to say, from what he has seen, Barry is really not impressed. It's

an appalling job. This doesn't come up even to the most basic standards

of other rogue traders we have seen in the past. They are putting

themselves at risk and putting the property at risk. It's a total bodge

job. It turns out it is worse than anyone could have predicted. Look.

The weather is about to change and rain is on the way. Oh, yes, storm

clouds are gathering. Will our guttering last the first night? What

do you think? We will get right up boss Paul Hinton's downpipe in about

10 minutes. Limo Broker Ltd, Britain's largest limousine hire

company it acts as a go between. Dpraul from anywhere in the country

it book as vehicle from a local firm on your behalf. Wedding, birth days,

red carpet events, it guarantees an occasion to remember. So why do we

keep receiving complaints? Watchdog has been in touch, they have told me

a limo is coming to collect me. This never happens. A limo for me on

Watchdog. It must be something special, Oscars, Emmies, I don't

know, I'm really looking forward to it. -- Emmys. # I see, it's work,

isn't it? I think I've misunderstood the whole invitation. We are going

to be investigating the complaints we have had about Limo Broker

limited. They are part of Transport Broker Group Limited based in

Cardiff. They do coaches and hire cars. They say they offer the best

hire deals anywhere in the UK. You call them, tell them what limo you

want and for an arrangement fee they do you will a the leg work. Unlike

my limo today, the the ones they book for you is sometimes wrong. The

wrong vehicle, the wrong colour, the wrong time. That is if they actually

turn up. From what we have been hearing, that's by no means

guaranteed. Time for our first stop. Gemma's boyfriend, Matthew, used the

company to arrange a surprise for her 21st birthday. My boyfriend had

booked a limo to pick us up from the bar we were at and take us to

London. All of our friends had come down. Everyone got dressed up and

made the effort to come out. Matthew paid Limo Broker ?84 arrangement

fee. The company left his plans for Gemma's special night in tatters. We

waited two hours in the rain. He never turned up. Absolutely

devastated I can imagine? Disappointment was completely

overwhelming. Then the night was ruined. Gemma got her money back,

she never got an apology, hardly behaviour you would expect from a

firm that describes itself as the country's most trusted limo hire

company. Time for another pickup, this time to meet Helen and Paul,

they hired from Limo Broker for the most special event of their

daughter's life, her wedding day. Thank you for joining us. Gemma has

been telling me about her problems with Limo Brokers, what happened to

you? I booked a Bentley, it was niceance and big, the car was to be

decorated with ribbon and bows, that special moment between father and

daughter. What did they promise you? A uniformed driver and to arrive

before 1.00pm to take my daughter and myself to the hotel at 1.30pm.

The limo didn't turn up on time. They hired a local taxi to get to

the church. That meant their daughter was late for her own

wedding. That moment of driving to the wedding venue with your daughter

is a special moment for a father and daughter. Was it ruined that moment

for you? Oh, absolutely. Yes. That's a moment you can never get back

again. Consider did turn up. It was clear the driver had no idea about

the occasion he had been hired for. Wrong car, wrong driver. The car

wasn't decorated decorated properly. Had anies on, a black T-shirt, no

ribbon on the car. They got their deposit of ?174 back. It was little

consolation for the damage done on their daughter's big day. Will find

out what has been going on. We sent team member Anna into the parent

company Transport Broker Group Limited to train as a call handler.

It becomes clear that the company is far more concerned about making

sales than it is about ensuring bookings are being made correctly.

Anna was taut to use techniques and I have spoke to Margaret Griffiths.

She was in charge of HR -- this was the man in charge of HR and

training. This is head of HR and Training

giving us this advice? Horrendous. It's reasonable to assume as head of

training every single person he trains will use these techniques. It

was proved on the first day when this was handed to her, the

company's training manual. This is called the Sales Staff Cheat Sheet.

That doesn't bode well, does it? It doesn't, does it. Below are some

para phrases that should always be incorporated into the conversation

with the customers. I can hold the price for a couple of hours, after

that the price will go up. I feel under pressure and I'm reading this?

Absolutely. It's about putting pressure on the consumer. Can I pop

you on hold. It says in brac etc, leave the customer on hold for a

little bit longer than number making them fear a little bit more. I can't

believe I'm reading this in black-and-white? Those statements

are illegal. The purpose of which is to ramp up the pressure on a

consumer and force them into a decision that they might not

otherwise make. Here is the former head of HR and training again. He is

in mid conversation taking a phone booking when he makes this gesture

about the person he is speaking to. That is as bad as it gets?

Unacceptable. It's showing total disdain and disrespect for the

consumer. Anna was also told: in just four days inside the

company, Anna uncovered illegal pressure sales tactics, saw senior

staff disrespecting paying customers and found out it was considered

acceptable to lie about bookings. In hindsight it's no wonder that Gemma,

Paul and Helen had such unpleasant experiences booking through Limo

Broker. What do you make of this company? They seem to be absolutely

without morals. Their behaviour is immoral. It is there purely and

simply to take advantage of consumers. Some of what we have been

saying is almost certainly illegally. Limo mow broker limited

would like to personally apologise to Paul, Helen and Gemma for any

inconvenience they caused. They would like to offer all of them a

free hire on a date of their choice as a gesture of goodwill. They say

in recent weeks they have made severe alterations to staffing and

procedures inside the company. They have God rit of the training manual

encouraging staff to lie and have appointed a new HR manager with 25

years' experience to improve customer standards. Are we seeing

improvements? I booked a limousine to celebrate my wedding anniversary.

It had to be there by 2.00pm, a stretch limo and white. I ordered

pink ribbons on the front. I'm that kind of guy. Why pink ribbons? I

have no idea. That is what I wanted. This is what turned up.

It is nearly two o'clock and the car has arrived so my wife will be

really pleased. It is a stretch limo, however, it is not white and I

wanted white, and I can't see any pink ribbons. 6.5 out of ten. I know

it sounds harsh, but if you're going to get married,

quickly, we've had complaints from people who say they have been misled

when applying for a driving licence online. Tonight we'll try and clear

up the confusion. Applying for a licence costs ?50 direct from the

DVLA. Type 'Renew Driver's Licence' into a search engine and you'll find

numerous options. But be careful, because many of these are actually

what's known as check and send services. They want ?50 too. But all

they'll do is fill out the application forms for you. And as

16-year-old viewer Connor Dunbar found out, that means you still have

to pay the DVLA fee on top. I know that my first step was to apply for

my provisional licence. I went up on the website, the first thing that

came up on Google. It said click here to apply for your driver 's

license so I filled up my details, paid ?50, essentially, all the

website did was fill out a form which I could have done myself. I've

ended up paying ?50 twice, once for getting the form, and once for the

actual driving licence. It's ridiculously frustrating how they

can get away with that. So, very simply, if you are happy to fill out

the application forms yourself, and only want to pay the ?50 once, you

should go to www.gov.uk and search for DVLA. Alternatively, you can

pick up a hard copy at the Post Office. Thanks for getting in touch

with those stories. Here is a few more. Cambridge. It's in

Cambridgeshire in England. Right? It appears ASDA aren't so sure.

Customers in their Cambridge Beehive Centre branch were baffled yesterday

when the stores unveiled these new signs in the fruit and veg aisles.

They are written in both English and Welsh, despite the store being over

200 miles away from the border. So is this a new ASDA programme to

improve Anglo-Welsh relations? No. The supermarket say there was a mix

up in the printers, and they had no choice but to put the signs up

whilst they wait for the correct ones. Personally, I like this idea.

You pick up a new language why you're doing your shopping.

HE SPEAKS WELSH. What a tasty apple.

Many apologies to Wales. Two adverts for Flora Pro-Active spread have

been banned because the manufacturers couldn't back up

claims they were making about the products' health benefits. The ads

both ended with the assertion that 'no other food lowers cholesterol

more'. But when this was challenged by viewers, makers Unilever said

they hadn't ever meant to suggest the product was the best at lowering

cholesterol. Just that no other foods or ingredients could do it

better than them. In other words, they were all joint best. Confusing,

isn't it? Unfortunately for Flora, the Advertising Standards Authority

said the ads made an unauthrised health claim. And as a result, they

must not be broadcast again. So Flora can lower your cholesterol,

just not any better than anything else. Not a very catchy, that, is

it? Water regulator Ofwat today announced it's refusing to allow

Thames Water to raise its prices by 8%. Despite increased profits,

Thames Water argues it needs more money. First for extra investment to

cover the cost of a new super sewer under the Thames. And because it

says, due to the economy, some customers are failing to pay their

bills. However. Ofwat challenged the proposal on the grounds that Thames

Water hasn't adequately maintained parts of its network. And has

underspent on its sewage investment programmes. This morning Ofwat said

they had looked at the evidence provided by the company and didn't

believe the increase was justified. Good work, Ofwat! Maybe you could

give some lessons to OFGEM. Time's up for Finlock Solutions now,

the company which offers to get rid of unsightly and unreliable concrete

guttering and replace it with unsightly and unreliable plastic

guttering. Just how unreliable? Well, Mother Nature has something to

say about that. The very day after Finlock Solutions finish the work on

the house, it rained and this happened. The roof leaked and

leaked. We brought Barry round a few days later for a bit of show and

tell. I'm guessing that wasn't there before we had the work done?

Certainly not, it's a direct result of their action on this job. What

have they done? Quite honestly, you won't believe this, they have left a

tile pushed back and now the rain has poured through. Wasn't that just

a case of putting the pile back into place? That takes seconds to do. 30

seconds, and that would have prevented that from happening. If

this is weeks, you're talking about a serious problem. Yes, it would've

destroyed the ceiling. They are unbelievable. Many more for me?

Plenty more. In fact, this house is now as leaky as San Marino's back

four. The gutters leak. Gaps of being left behind the windows and

the facias which, you've guessed it, could now leak. Remember the

corner which just had to look good? Aside from the obvious, to protect

doesn't reach the corner and the waterproof underlay definitely

shouldn't be screwed on, leaving this leaking. The windowsills been

scratched by falling concrete. Look at the tomatoes. Well, at least they

are not leaking. In your lifetime experience in the building trade,

what do you make of this job? This needs to be taken down and we need

to start again. And the reason for that is that we need to make sure

the weathering behind the guttering is sufficient to prevent any water

getting into the house. It was a barge from start to finish. When we

complained to Finlock Solutions, they offered to come and look at the

problems but, as they wanted to send round Tony who bodged it in the

first place, we didn't want to take the risk, so we got a reputable

trader to replace everything and repair the damage, costing us more

than the original job itself. From the work we have seen, it's clear

Finlock Solutions where the problem and it's a problem that needs a

concrete conclusion. We need answers but firstly, we need an address.

Remember, they are not the ones they list on their website. We eventually

managed to track them down to their real office in Kidderminster in the

West Midlands. Kidderminster is lovely, as this 80s Betamax footage

shows. Seriously, is that the best footage we could get? Right,

anyway, enough of that. It's showdown time. No pistols required.

My weapons, a camera crew and a dam fine shape. This is actually my own

and this is not a proper. I'm wearing it because we are about to

meet the Mayor of Cowboy Street, Paul Hinton, and it's a matter of

waiting until he turns up. We don't have too wait long. It is Paul

Hinton, very much at home on his range. Hello, BBC Rogue Traders.

This must be 87 Cowboy St, then? 87 Cowboy St? On your website, that's

what you call the residents of fly by night roofing solutions providers

like yourself. That's the residential address. That's what he

put on the website, isn't it? And what we found from the job that you

did for us, was that, actually, the work you do is appalling. The work

that Finlock Solutions carries out is appalling, it's dreadful,

that Finlock Solutions carries out it was completed, the first rain

that we had committed leaked through the roof afterwards, causing damage.

Have you spoken to the service team? We are speaking to you now because

the evidence we have seen is that when customers try to get back in

touch with you, you end up leaving them out of pocket, you have County

Court judgements. We don't have any of those? You do for the previous

company you were the boss of. I retired as a director. And what you

did, you actually dissolve back company. You dissolve back company.

Do you remember? Once you dissolve the company, voluntarily, the

insurers who offers no longer valid. Unfortunately, it's only if you go

bankrupt or are liquidated. You dissolves involuntarily and that

means insurers isn't worth anything. You leave your customers in the

lurch, in the same way that we got a job that didn't work. We now have to

spend more than the value of the job trying to put that roof right. Do

you understand what I'm saying? That's why you are the king of

Cowboy Street, so are you going to pay back Kay Perkins, who you owe

from your previous company? It's not my company. You think you can escape

your responsibilities? You can't, because we know what your next

company is going to be called. Does it sound like we have done research?

We know all about you and when you come up with another company, we

will be there to check it out as well.

I also spotted Tony. Tony, you have got to be careful on jobs. You are

going to hurt yourself. OK? You have got to look after yourself otherwise

you're not going to be able to work again and that goes for all of the

guys who are looking after, as well. We want the money back. Any other

customers that come forward, we want their money back. It's going to

happen, isn't it, Paul? You're going to pay as the money back? So that is

Paul Hinton from Finlock Solutions. And that felt like high noon.

Paul Hinton says he's extremely disappointed with the job his

workers did at our property and is upset that we didn't allow him or

his men to rectify the work they carried out. He's supplied us with

over 150 signed letters he says are from satisfied customers and

promises he does everything possible to resolve complaints when he gets

them. He says that he's happy to discuss repairs and compensation for

our work as long as it hasn't been tampered with. I'm afraid it's a bit

late for that, Paul. It was so bad we had to take it all down for fear

of damaging the house. However we have put up this. Your face on our

Rogue's gallery. Well done. Loads of tweets from customers of Sports

Direct. Keep them coming in. Do keep sending us your stories and

tip-offs. Just go to our website, bbc.co.uk/watchdog and click where

it says "Your Story". There is the option to write to us as well. The

address is on your screens now. Thanks, guys. Coming up next week.

Premium bank accounts where you pay and get added extras. As many as one

in five may have been mis-sold. Railway fares. They are the most

expensive in Europe. And the most confusing? And SSE. It's put its

prices up. Now it has to answer your questions. That's all on Watchdog.

Next Wednesday at 8.00pm. Until then. From all of us here,

goodnight.