Episode 6 Watchdog

the lost holidays? Honda, Nissan and Mazda, is yours one of the three

million cars they are trying to track down? Is the BT superfast

broadband with inFinney problems. And Wonga's payout. It's Watchdog,

the programme you cannot afford to miss.

Watchdog, we're live, as usual, for the next 60 minutes. Tonight: Chaos

at the Passport Office, tens of thousands set to miss their summer

holidays. We are nought out of pocket by ?600. They haven't had a

holiday. We can't afford to give them that holiday because we've

already paid that money out. We feel it is the Government's fault. We

asked the Home Office, is it going to pick up the tab? BT failing to

provide its promised superfast broadband speeds. Honda, Nissan and

Mazda, and astonishing three million car recall, plus Ryanair. Your baby

is sitting on your lap, how come his or her ticket costs twice

is sitting on your lap, how come his celebrity high life? That

is sitting on your lap, how come his sessions and photo shoots but sting

you with an eye-watering minimum charge they fail to mention when you

book. When I tried to have a word with the bus, let's just say he

isn't made up to see me. Get out of my face. I'm not in your face. Don't

get in my space? I can stand where ever I want, Mark. Tonight, Matthew,

will I end up with stars in my eyes? Find out shortly. First though,

chaos at the Passport Office. Find out shortly. First though,

half a million applications lying unprocessed. New passports currently

taking up to two months to arrive. Rather than the usual three weeks.

Frankly, if you've booked to go away in July or August, and are waiting

for your passport, you are in serious danger of missing your

holiday. Here's Home Secretary, Theresa May. I would like to say to

anybody, who is unable to travel because of a delay in

anybody, who is unable to travel their passport application, that I

am sorry and the Government is their passport application, that I

for the inconvenience they have suffered and we are doing all we can

to put things right. suffered and we are doing all we can

obviously we're suffered and we are doing all we can

sorry. Even more delighted the Government is sorry.

sorry. Even more delighted the "doing all we can" actually mean?

Even if the Passport Office works around the clock with extra staff,

how many holidays can be saved? What about those who have already lost

out? These are the Greek islands, the fairytale setting for the

wedding of Sue's eldest daughter, Karly, in May this year. The whole

family booked their flights to Rhodes 11 months ago, including

Sue's youngers daughter Becky and her partner Ash. He never left the

country before, knowing the Passport Office needed six weeks to issue

first time applications he returned the form and fee 11 weeks before. As

the departure date loomed the passport simply didn't arrive.

Between my sum, Ash and my step dad they were phoning three or four

times a day and getting no further. We were told every single that

somebody would get back to us within 24-hours. They had Ash's number, my

mobile number and the house number. Never once did we get a reply off

anybody. We thought it was going to come right up to the last day. Even

to that day we were still in hope a little bit, weren't we? Yes. Ash

didn't get his passport in time. As the rest of the family through off

to the wedding in Greece he stayed behind on his own in Britain. After

three months of waiting, it did arrive, the day after everyone else

flew home. He's not on any of the pictures. He's missed that. We

worked so hard for Ash to be part of our family. The biggest event that

has happened so far, and he wasn't able to be there, through no fault

of our own. We can't get that experience back. It's not just the

family memories that have been lost. We're now out of pocket by ?600.

They haven't had a holiday. The we can't afford to give them that

holiday because we've already paid that money out. Through no fault of

their own, the Marriotts and thousands like them have lost money

because of the mistakes of the Passport Office. Who should be

compensating them? Is not the company they booked through, ABTA

said it isn't their responsibility to ensure everyone has a valid

passport at the time of booking. Could they claim the cash back on

insurance? When we asked the Financial Ombudsman it told us it

expected providers to act within the spirit of the contract when people

are unable to travel for reasons they cannot control. Insurers were

Farage fromle willing to make that commitment. If any cases are

referred to the Financial Ombudsman we will work with them. Travel

insurance is designed to cover medical expenses and emergency

medical repatriation. It's not normally designed to cover passport

delays. Travel insurers look to work with their customers in unforeseen

circumstances, such as how they acted to the disruption caused by

the volcanic ash cloud. They do not routinely cover passport delays. A

legal challenge isn't a realistic option either. The small claim court

deals with cases involving contracts, something individuals

don't have with the Passport Office. That means the only other option

would be to turn to the High Court, but the likely cost would run into

tens of thousands of pounds. That remains an impossibility for the

vast majority. The Marriotts are ?600 out of pocket and will remain

that way unless the people who caused this mess in the first place

dig deep, put their hands in their pockets and do the decent thing. We

feel it is the Government's fault. If we could get the compensation for

that ?600 that would pay for them to have a caravan for a week and have a

holiday together, which is what was missing. We asked the Home Office

for a minister to come on tonight. It told us it was considering our

request. This afternoon we received its answer. As you can see, no

minister, cowards. Instead a statement. Once again the Home

Office apologises for the delays. This has only just come in. We have

been badgering for them a week. The Home Office now say it is will

consider compensation on a case by case basis for anyone who can prove

financial loss. Consumer expert James Daly is here. This is an

unprecedented turn up for the books, is it not? Absolutely they said it's

a case by case basis. For the first time they are saying they will

possibly compensate people who went through the standard application

process. In the past it was normally only people who went through the

fast-track or premium, paid extra, you have them to admit liability

here. Worth putting in a claim. Can we look at say a family of four

going to Spain. Are they actually going to pick up the whole - are

they saying they will pick up the whole tab, do you think, can they

argue against anything? You can't guarantee you will get back

?2,000-?4,000 if you spent that on a holiday. I would say you should get

it back if it was their fault. You did everything you could have done

to try and mitigate this. It's worth asking for that. If you don't get

the response you are after, go to your MP. Who is most at risk? It's

the people who are applying for the first time for a passport. People

who applying for first time for their child. Those kind of people

that can take a little bit longer. They need to be worried about what

is going to happen? For a small minority of people, yes, it could be

difficult. You would hope that the Passport Service could really

expedite those cases where it's urgent. Get them in an office,

face-to-face. The insurers seem clear they don't think it's their

bag. They are not bothered about the spirit of the law, only the letter

of the law. The insurance ombudsman thinks differently. How will that

affect people who are fighting the Passport Office and the Home Office?

Well, you know if you can't get anything out of the Passport Office,

if you could prove to your insurer that you did everything you could to

try and get your passport application done in time you chased

it up afterwards and got nothing out of them, I would say your insurance

should pay out. That is what insurance is there for, to cover you

for the unexpected. The insurance ombudsman is still a possibility. If

the Passport Office, you have - that is a different ombudsman? Yeah. OK.

If you didn't have travel insurance, you really want to try and get your

money back from the Passport Office, they won't give it back to you. Go

to your MP they can claim to, firstly, the Chief Executive of the

company, make a complaint there. If no luck there go to the

Parliamentary Ombudsman. You yourself can write to the Chief

Executive at the Passport Office? You can. Always good to have your MP

on your side to go to the ombudsman that is given powers by parliament.

Thank you. If you have a story you would like us to investigate get in

touch. You can text us on 88822 starting your message with the

letters WD. Or go to our website, bbc.co.uk/watchdog and click where

it says Send Your Story. You can write to us, the address is on the

screen now: In the next few days, Energy Regulator, Ofgem, will be

unveiling plans for the biggest ever investigation into the UK gas and

electricity industry. Its Chief Executive Dermot Nolan will be here

next week, live in the studio, to tell us what it is hoping to

achieve. If you have a question that you'd like us to put to him, get in

touch email at Watchdog at [email protected] or you can tweet

us using the hashtag, #askwatchdog. Wonga.com today ordered to pay ?2.5

million compensation for using fake law firms to threaten customers.

Celebs are drawn to this programme like flies. A few weeks ago we had

Tony Hadley from Spandau Ballet. Then last series, and the series

before that, and the one before that, it was Cheggers. It's getting

like the lobby of the Chateau Marmont in here. Is not everyone is

so lucky. Many people would like a taste of that celebrity lifestyle,

but don't know how to go about getting it. Luckily, that's

something I know a little bit about. Many people ask me, how do you

achieve the trademark Rogue Traders look? It's something I'd really like

to copy. They don't! Well, it's the result of years of in-depth work by

the BBC's very top image consultants. We wanted a look that

Matt could totally own. We thought, what is literally nobody wear at all

nowadays. The answer - double denim. We focussed group the colour of the

scarf. Red. Red. I don't care! This is my new rational consultant,

Greggs. I got you cheese and onnon. Is We will accentuate the bald

patch. A squirt of this in the eyes makes you look like you have been up

patch. A squirt of this in the eyes since 4.00am in the morning in the

back of a van. Thanks, Anna. since 4.00am in the morning in the

image is everything. The desire to look good at all times is where

companies like Makeover London Limited come in. Also, trading as

Makeover Studios, and Celeb Beauty London. It will make you a star for

a day with a professional makeover and photo shoot experience. Now, as

a fully-fledged bloke I will be honest, it's not

a fully-fledged bloke I will be was for these two. If you get a

makeover it's a fun day out was for these two. If you get a

your friends, all glammed up and dolled up. Nice picture to hang over

your mantlepiece. Make you look really pretty. It's my idea of hell!

I'm not really pretty. It's my idea of hell!

Libity saw Makeover London was running a competition offering a

free running a competition offering a

shoot she thought it would be a great way for her and her

shoot she thought it would be a enjoy her 17th birthday. A week

shoot she thought it would be a later they contacted me saying I had

won a makeover for me and another person. They said I would have to

pay ?50 deposit, that is person. They said I would have to

refundable when I get there. Jade was offered a

refundable when I get there. Jade competition. They were promised a

professional experience. There competition. They were promised a

apparently, that had done competition. They were promised a

wasn't that great. OK. competition. They were promised a

the end of the process. Where you are talking about the

the end of the process. Where you What happened then? I only came

really for the makeover experience. I never came to purchase any It soon

photos. Became clear that I never came to purchase any It soon

the photos wasn't an option. I never came to purchase any It soon

apparently that our money that we paid for the deposits wasn't

refundable. We had to buy something with it. It was very pressured. It

was sort of like, you would have paid double this if you had bought a

makeover out right. You won this. It was free to you. We are only asking

for money for the photos. It felt like you had to buy it. So, I paid

?500 for a disk of images. Liberty didn't want to buy the photographs

either, but again Makeover London wasn't prepared to take no for an

answer. We were showed the pictures. I was told there was a minimum

purchase of five photos. That sub total was over ?1,000. The we

weren't allowed to leave. total was over ?1,000. The we

point I was very, scared. Myself and my cousin were really panicky. She

attempted to leave the room and he actually grabbed her. He tried to

like push her back into the seat. I don't like the sound of it all. Just

to get out of their office Liberty surrendered the ?60 on her and left

empty-handed she never got back the ?100 she paid as a deposit either. I

thought I was going in to do something different for my birthday.

I ended up being intimidated. My cousin was handled physically. I

spent ?160, left with no photos and was kind of - one of my worst

birthdays, to be honest. What outfit is this Makeover London? Even more

importantingly, who is in charge? Well, the company director is the

mysteriously named Lovin Panchoo. pressure to squeeze money out of

them is unacceptable. If it was your daughter who was stuck in a West End

office, be ordered to hand over money they had not expected to, you

would want to do something about it. So, let's do something about it. We

need to get ourselves some prototypes celebs. They need the

looks, the attitude and, more importantly, be on our payroll

already. Sonia signed up for the full photographic session. She is

immediately offered a deal. Special offer! All they need to do is pay a

?120 deposit between them. They can use the money to purchase any shots

that takes their fancy. According to the salesman, the day is actually

free. That claim is repeated in one form or another no fewer than 12

times. You're getting the whole thing for free. Have got the

message. This experience is essentially free. It is essentially

free. Free as a bird. So, our make over should be, well, top.

When we've had our pamper, will we be a happy camper?

In the midst of all the panic surrounding passports, the Tourism

Minister, Helen Grant, was last week criticised for suggesting people who

can't now go abroad should just holiday in the UK instead.

But, as we all know, getting around this country by train is expensive.

So, what are the best ways to beat the system and save money?

Book in advance. They are called advanced tickets but you can buy

some of them right up to the wire. You are talking about different

deadlines for different companies. East Coast and Virgin Trains give

you until midnight the day before, while East Midland Trains, First

Great Western and ScotRail insist you book by 6pm the day before

but CrossCountry, which runs a huge network from Penzance to Aberdeen

and Cambridge to Cardiff, has just started selling Advance

tickets anything up to 15 minutes You can't queue up and buy these

tickets at the station, You do not walk up to the glass and

get the ticket from the guy standing there. You stay six feet away and

buy the ticket on your app and you will get it for ?26. Travelcards,

that is another tip. Do not take this the wrong way but can you find

a friend? There is something called the two together card. -- the Two

Together Railcard. As long as we both go on the same train for the

same journey, we would save that kind of money. Family members, does

it have to be mates? Can we get one or two? Sign you can have as many as

you like. -- you can have as many as you like and save 30% each time. I

do not have a travel card and I want a ticket in the next hour. This is

the best one. It is called split ticketing. You would think if he

wanted to go from A to B you would buy one ticket but often it is not.

The cheapest way to do it is by the Route in a series of single ticket

along the way and it is much cheaper. You are not getting off the

train but you are saving a huge amount of money. Imagine if he

wanted to go from rugby to London, if you bought that ticket, ?64. If

you buy a ticket to Milton Keynes and another to London, it is half

the price, ?32. You are not getting off the train. You do not have to

rush off and stand there. Is it legal? There is a golden rule. You

need to make sure the train stops at all the stations mentioned on your

tickets. It has two stop in route. Time to put your theories into

practice. You have heard of Lambing Live, Stargazing Live, tonight we

have wrapped things up a bit and we have got this. Yes, it is split

ticketing life. We have pushed the boat out for you. We have got it on

bowler. Inside that, we have details of 15 popular journeys across the

UK. OK? I want you to see if you can reduce the price. We have Bristol to

Birmingham. That is ?51.50. That is at 2030 hrs. The next one is...

Edinburgh to Leeds. That is ?94 30 and that is leaving at 9pm. And,

last and not least, let's get that one out, Derby to Darlington. That

is leaving at 2009. In the next 40 minutes, I want you to see if you

can get those cheaper. That is a challenge.

The top of the range broadband offering superfast speeds.

It claims to be up to five times quicker than average.

BT also claims it offers outstanding reliability.

So, it's ideal for downloading movies, streaming

live TV, playing games online, or even taking accountancy exams.

We'll deal with these so called superfast speeds in a moment.

But, obviously, to enjoy this outstanding

reliability, first, you need to actually get the service connected.

Infinity, Einstein used it to describe the universe, Shakespeare

to describe love. BT uses it to describe its top of the range

broadband service. The words suggests that as that the word

suggests greatness, limitless nurse. Does BT live up to that? The

technology is impressive. Traditional broadband uses copper

wires. BT Infinity uses fibre optics. Glass cables which carry

information by light, producing speeds it claims are up to five

times faster than normal. The fastest Infinity will cost you ?294

for the first year, ?150 more than you would pay for BT 's unlimited

broadband. The company says the so good everyone will want a go.

Fibreoptic! My internet is so slow again. Guess who? Not everyone 's

service is so good they have got neighbours desperate use it. Despite

the adverts, speed is the one thing it fails to deliver on. The problems

tend to stop the amount of time it takes to get the service installed.

Ask Jan Wright, an existing customer who wanted it installed in her new

home when she moved. They said it would be three weeks. We thought

that would be fine. By the time we had unpacked and got ourselves

sorted, it would be up and running. That day came and went and we had

nothing. Jan received a text message to say there had been a problem and

someone would be in touch. She got a new installation date which came and

went as well. So things continued. More messages, more promised dates

and more let downs. Just updates and updates. It is so annoying to think

there was that much correspondence and then nothing. We totalled up how

many times we were told we would have an installation date it turned

out we had seven different dates. What was the problem? In order to

set it up, you need a landline and Janice wanted to keep her existing

number. According to BT, her old supply was causing delays. It made

no sense because her old supplier was BT. I wanted to laugh down the

phone. I thought, this is a joke. You are trying to tell me you have a

problem You are trying to tell me you have a

and it is you. Sky once she had pointed out the mistake, the

landline was installed in a week and Infinity followed. I am doing

accountancy exams and a lot of my Infinity followed. I am doing

work is on the computer. I could not access them. I took the exam and I

failed. They advertise broadband five times faster but getting it is

not five times faster. You feel like you are waiting forever. Jan is

not five times faster. You feel like waited up to five months to get it

installed. Social media lists dozens more complaints. How quickly it

operates is not the most complained about aspect of service. Let's take

a look at the super fast download speeds. There is no denying it. That

is quick, isn't it? That is fast. I am impressed. Not for everyone. The

speed you are promised is often far removed from the speed you actually

get. The average broadband connection is 17.8 Mb per second.

When Beattie told a business customer Infinity would get her 38

megabits a second, she was delighted. I asked if they could

definitely guarantee it and they said, yes, we have tested the phone

line. On that basis, we will proceed. The broadband speed

drastically slowed down. It was constraining us so much that we

could not work. She was getting speeds of just 13 megabits a second,

even slower than the national average. After a two-month

investigation, BT was forced to admit it was the fastest she would

get. Apparently too many people in Harrow area had signed up to the

servers. Infinity, you would think, had no boundaries. -- the service.

They did offer a solution, to run fibre-optic line directly to her

house but the downside was she would have to pay for the privilege. It is

hard enough to run a small business these days, let alone if you have

invested so much into it and the service you are promised failed to

deliver. I cannot believe it is acceptable. Last month, the

advertising standards authority rapped the company for promising

broadband speeds it knew it could never deliver. Go to the website,

enter your phone number and the online speed checker will tell you

how many megabits a second you can expect. When one customer failed to

get the speeds suggested by the site, they complained to the ASA.

They instructed the company to make sure its speed checker was accurate

in future. Is it? Let's see what the speed checker says about what is

achievable at home address. Customer service has already told her she

will only be able to get 13 megabits a second. Here it still promises it

can deliver up to 25. That is almost double what we know to be possible.

Perhaps this goes some way to explaining why we have had scores of

complaints from viewers who say their broadband speeds just are not

what had been promised. In place of superfast broadband, BT Infinity

often has excruciating rates. Improvements are definitely needed

but the question is, how long will they take?

BT has put its hands up, as well it should.

It apologises to everyone who's had problems with delays and broadband

speeds and claims it will be investing

Anyway BT accepts it took too long to connect Janice Wright,

who sadly failed her accountancy qualifications.

It's offered her a partial refund and three months free broadband.

But, alas, no help retaking her exams.

Jenni Foulkes, the small business owner, will be

And BT is willing to discuss the same deal with any other

customers struggling with speeds slower than promised.

The company has set up a special e-mail address for Watchdog viewers.

Still to come: Buying a new pair of glasses or contacts? A new survey

reveals the worst big brand optician in the UK. Makeovel London Limited

is a photographic studio in the West End. We are just about to get the

full treatment. Our stooges have been promised they will get the day

in the life of a celebrity, effectively for free. When it comes

to the crunch, will it be making us over or doing us over? Sonia and

Sophie's day of pampering is just getting started. They have been

promised professional hair and makeup artists who had worked on

many film and television projects. The freelance makeup artist we have

been booked seems very young to have so much experience. We asked to see

herpes card. By the modern magic of the internet we can find out a lot

about her. Wow! Full marks for effort. She only qualified last

year. The fantastic! Over the phone we had been promised she would use

MAC makeup products which I have been led to believe is a big deal.

She use as range of basic high street brands. As for the separate

hairstylist, well that's the same makeup girl. Despite being promised

at least three hours of pure beauty pampering, after just one we are

bundled off to the photo shoot. Not to worry though, we have been told

Makeover London's freelance snappers work for Elle and Vogue. I used to

do a lot of weddings. He mainly does weddings. So what stylish

backgrounds will he use? We have the option of the white one! Or the

black one! Then he spices things up with a battered leathery cube. If

this is the life of a celebrity, I'll give it a swerve. The on the

plus side it's effectively free. Whatever happens,ing it won't be

costing us much. Yeah, it doesn't work out that way! We are ushered

into a room with a man called Neil who is the air brusher. He will show

us his pictures. We have paid ?120 deposit. We were told that could be

used to buy photos. So we pick out five of the best and ask about the

prices. How much are they? Yes, ?500 for five photos. Neil

innists is we are getting a good deal.

Lucky us. Even though we were never warned about it, he now insists this

?500 is the minimum spend for every customer. So we have to buy the

photos. This special deal isn't looking so special any more. We

thought the day was for free. It is for free.

As long as what we want to do is cough up. It gets worse. If we

don't, he will invoice us for ?800 to cover the supposedly free

makeover and if we refuse we could expect legal action. Sophie and

Sonia refuse to be bullied and hold their ground. They pay a total of

?240, including the ?120 deposit they had already paid and leave with

a collection of 10 photos. Are they the glossy magazine standard snaps

we were promised? Quick, find me a fashionista. You are a picture

editor for top end fashion magazines. I'm proud to present a

new face for fashion. OK. Her foe has been taken by an Elle

photographer, we have been told. Are you ready? Yep. Sonia! Oh, wow! This

isn't what I would expect for a photographer for a top glossy

magazine. Background is obviously quite dirty. The there has been no

retouching, which is an very important part of fashion

photography. The pose is stilted. This uses the classic fashion device

of the leather cube. We often use that on the magazines we work for.

Looks like it has seen better days. How about that Green background, is

there a meteor coming out from behind her. It's distracting. Not

flattering. This is amateurish. You are paying someone money, you want

it to be better than what you could do. Most people could take better

pictures on Instagram. So far, so bad for Makeovel London Limited.

This is where we on Rogue Traders like to play our benefit of the

doubt joker and give them another chance to do things right. Of

course, for that, we need another hopeful. This time, she's a model.

-- Makeover London. My name is Amy, I'm a model. Shut you, will you! I

could be a model. I could be a model! Ah, it's not fair. When Amy

tells Makeover London is about model! Ah, it's not fair. When Amy

turn professional and is interested in having photos taken

turn professional and is interested offered a special deal. She can have

the ?400 platinum package for ?100. In the only that, the sales woman

promises she will be laying on the very best team.

Nice, but then a bit Audley she really wants to know about Amy's

financial situation. -- oddly. You are right, that sounds

rude. We book the makeover anyway. It kicks off with a specially

sourced top makeup artist. Oh, no, hold on, wait... Yeah, same one.

Yeah, the same one who just graduated using the same high street

products. And, how about that photographer then? Take a wild

guess, go on? Yes, it's the same guy. It's the wedding photographer.

Who wheels out the same backgrounds, poses and props as last time.

Finally, it's time to meet Neil again. He unveils Amy's photos and

then unveils the price for 24 of them.

?1,500 for two dozen photos which were nothing like as professional as

she was promised. As the only thing she was told to pay was the ?120 she

handed over she says she doesn't want to buy anything. No. I don't

want to get them. That news doesn't go down too well. Once again, Neil

tells us we have to spend at least ?500.

Why didn't she tell me that on the phone. This time we decide not to

hand over any cash. As she leaves Amy is told Makeover London will

chase her for ?400 of the platinum package and won't get her deposit

back. We have a company that promises one thing, that it fails to

deliver, and then uses strong arm tactics on young women to get money

out of them that they dreamt of spending. The real problem with

Makeover London is that they are under exposed. That's a situation we

are keen to rectify. We will be taking a trip to Makeover London and

fashioning our own photo opportunity in about 10. Before that, Next,

Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, EasyJet, Ryanair, and even the NHS apparently

all helping to make parenthood even more challenging than it already is.

Rebecca Willcox reports. Having babies is supposed to be the most

wonderful time of your life. Benji is the greatest thing that has ever

happened to he toe. After he arrived I discovered a few things they don't

tell you about what to expect when you are expecting. The surprises

began the very morning after I gave birth. Still overwhelmed my 30-hour

labour from hell in walks the nice lady from a parenting club called

Bounty with a pack of free stuff, that I'm never going to use. My

child benefit form. Which the Government pays Bounty to

distribute. Sounds innocent enough. There is more to this cosy

arrangement than meets the eye. You see, Bounty is also a direct

marketing company that is paid the NHS millions of pounds for exclusive

access to ma Tierney ward bed sides. Their friendly Bounty ladies can

come in looking like they have to be here and gather your personal

details. I handed over my details without thinking. I have signed up

to years of special offers and exclusive promotions. At last count

I get half a dozen emails a week from Bounty. The NHS is also in on

the act. They only allow me two visitors a the a time. That is my

close friends and family. Why are they allowing a stranger in my room,

and turning the most special moment of my life into a marketing tool.

MPs in the Department of Health have voiced their concern. 27,000 people

have signed a petition to get Bounty kicked off maternity wards

altogether. As far as I'm concerned that can't happen soon enough. Shut

the door! OK. We can do this. With a baby in tow even the most mundane of

tasks, liking picking up grossies makes me feel like the entire world

is trying to thwart me, even before I get to the supermarket. Why,

someone with no snot in his hair, no sleep deprivation and no child has

parked in my precious parent and child parking space! Ah! Aside from

being closer to the store, these parent and child bays offer extra

wide spaces to help get your kid and buggy in and out of the car. Because

without them, this is what you face. Even with a stunt baby you can see

there is virtually no room to manoeuvre. Don't expect all of the

big four supermarkets to rush to your aid. In the stores where they

run their own car parking, Asda, Sainsbury's and more sons issue

fines to people who misuse the parking spaces. Tesco don't. Well,

here's an idea for them. Having gone to the length of actually supplying

something useful for us parents, please let us use it! My nightmare

isn't over. After I've made my way through the supermarket, with the

shoplifting toddler I have my biggest challenge to face. Sweets at

the checkout. Seeing them all laid out in the their shiny, sweetie

goodness, that perfect toddler height makes me want to shop online.

Once he got his hands on a chocolate bar I can expect an almighty tantrum

unless I buy one. So why do the supermarkets do it? To get their

hands on my money, of course. Although some are better than

others. Out of the big four, Tesco are leading the way. In response to

parents pleas they have pledged to remove all sweets and chocolates

from their checkouts by the end of the year. Although Sainsbury's have

banned unhealthy food from checkouts in their large supermarkets they

refuse to do so in their smaller convenience stores. Asda and

Morrisons are parent enemies number one. They have no restrictions at

all when it comes to junk food at checkouts. I know where I won't be

shopping in the future! So, it's 7.30, wine o'clock, time to book a

holiday. Unfortunately, that is another thing that makes me want to

scream. Apparently there is no such thing as a budget airline when you

are travelling with babies. Buy a ticket for a child under one on

major carriers like British Airways, emrace rates and United Airlines you

will u will be charged 10% of the adult fare. Even though the kids

sits on your lap it is it a fair amount to pay. On some budget

airlines you could find your baby's ticket ends up costing more than

yours. Why? Because they charge a flat fee for babies that is the same

no matter where you're flying to. Take easyJet. We found an adult

return ticket to Jersey for ?40.48. The same return journey for an

infant under one would cost you ?44. With Ryanair, it's even worse. We

found an adult return from Manchester to Dublin for ?19.98. Yet

every return ticket for the under ones on Ryanair will cost you ?60,

they don't even get a seat. Why are they charging me up to three times

an adult price for a baby that takes up a sixth of the space? Is it

because they will throw-in a nanny service, or will they provide

colouring books and a toy? No, is it because I'm a parent and want to

squeeze every last penny out of me, yes, yes, yes!

Morrisons will be removing confectionary from one in five

However, ASDA and Sainsbury's both say they won't be moving sweets away

from the tills because they feel customers appreciate choice and

Tesco says it is always looking for ways to ensure

its parent/child parking bays are only used by people with children.

Bounty insists most mothers enjoy its hospital visits and free goody

pack and that it has strict rules in place to help respect privacy.

It says mums can leave its database at any point

and their information is only ever shared when consent has been given.

The Department of Health says it has written to its NHS Trusts to ensure

As for the budget airlines, easyJet say its infant fare policy is fixed

It points out that some of its cheapest flights can be less

than the fixed ?22 fee and that the fare covers an allowance

Instead, it invited Rebecca to meet them.

I wanted to know why it costs more for a baby under one than it does

for an adult to fly with Ryanair. This is something we have looked at

recently we have changed it last week. We have reduced it by ?10. In

the UK, we have introduced a new product which is specifically

designed for mums with young kids or dads with young kids and has a lot

of extra bonus features. Don't you think that is coincidental? We

contact you and then you launch it. Is it a bit weird? Good timing, I

would say. It is the luck of the Irish! You say you have reduced your

flat fee to ?20. You still have adult fans that are cheaper. We

found one from Birmingham to Dublin that was ?9 99 travelling in July

and your infant fare would be double. Why is that? It is still a

person that has two travel. It is a very important and wonderful person.

This is a Ryanair that is always listening to customers. Families are

one of the most important customer groups, particularly mothers

travelling with young children. We are listening to them. Are you

trying to make as much money from parents with families? Sky no, we're

always listening to them. So, your flat fee has gone down from ?30 to

?20. You going to give a refund to everyone? No, we won't. It would be

difficult for us to do that. We are saying, yes, we have changed it and

listened to customers. I am confident we will not be beaten on

value. I'd macro longer .com was ordered to

-- Wonga .com was ordered to pay out money today as they wrote to

customers threatening legal action unless debts were repaid quickly. In

some cases, they even charge extra to cover the cost of sending the

letters out. The lender must now refund those accepted. This morning,

Wonga apologise for any distress caused and said it had stopped the

practice which, presumably, they think makes everything all right.

Which magazine polled 5000 customers and the results make unpleasant

reading for Optical Express. It scored poorly on special offers,

value for money and price. Independent opticians worktop. They

waited far higher than in any of the big high street brands. Bad news for

Optical Express. Maybe they need a bit more focus! Honda, Nissan and

Master have issued a worldwide recall on 3 million cars. The models

have a defect that could cause the passenger airbag to rupture at any

time and metal fragments to scatter throughout the vehicle. In the UK,

Honda recalling 35,000 Accords, Civics, Jazz and Screen -- streams.

Nissan says it has no idea how many of its models in the UK are affected

and is currently trying to find out. That is hardly reassuring. If you

think your car is one of those with a defect or want any more

information, the advice is to check with your local dealer.

Back to Makeover London now, the photographic studio

which promises its young customers a day to remember and special

discounts on their photos but conveniently forgets to tell

We wrote to the bosses with our allegations but they didn't come

So, we want to pay them another visit.

This time we'll be putting them in the picture.

9am, Warren Street, the West End. We are parked near the Makeover London

studios, which should open for business soon. We are hoping to

speak to one of the people in charge as he arrives for work. Here is my

advice for the hottest day of the year so far. What you really want to

do is sit in a blacked out found with five of your very close work

colleagues for an indeterminate period of time. The registered

director of Makeover London is a man called Lovin Pachoo. We have never

seen him and we're wondering if he really exists. We are hoping to

catch up with the general manager. We hope to talk to him. Sure

enough, after nearly two hours of jumper wearing, we spot him. Hello,

Mark! How are you doing? What I would like to know is how you can

pressure young women into spending hundreds of pounds when you had

misled them into the fact to offer a free service. Could you do me a

favour? You have caught me at a bad time. I need to speak to my team

first. We need to speak to you about the fathers of the young women. How

would you feel if it were your daughter? That is what happens in

your business. Do you know what the professional thing to do is? Meet me

when I am fully prepared. The idea of you discussing professionalism

with me is ridiculous. If I was the father... If you will not let me

talk, do not get in MySpace. Do not get in MySpace. On the phone, it was

offered as an effectively free service. There was no mention of the

?500 minimum spend. The make over is for free. If they want any photos,

they pay. Talk me through it. It is a bad time now. It is unacceptable

pressuring people into handing over hundreds of pounds. That is what you

are doing. That is what is happening. That is what we witnessed

happening. We filmed that taking place. You just said, OK. You are

agreeing with me that that is what is taking place? Stop doing this.

Stop doing this. So, that is Mark. You know, the problem with this is,

it is effectively free, until you get to the end. And then it is not

free, it costs hundreds of pounds. I think we should really demonstrate

what free really looks and feels like. Yes, fashion fans, we are

setting up our own rival photo studio on the Makeover London

doorstep. This is for you and for me. It is for everyone who has ever

had a career in modelling. Here we go, ready? This is free and it is

yours to take away. That is completely free. Not effectively

free, free. The competition re-enters the game. Remember Neil,

the guy who bullies customers into buying photos. He has just pitched

up for work, hasn't he? Sorry, I am not here. We have definitely come

across you in the office. Watch out for the road! He is so quick off the

mark, our camera crew is left standing. After a sub four-minute

mile, I have to give up as well. That was Neil. He did not want to

talk. We have had a lot of fun, we have made a lot of new friends. We

have met Mark and, very briefly, Neil. I think it is time to go.

Sadly, baby you can help us with this, we have still lost that Lovin

Panchoo. We would like to thank you for all the pictures you have sent

in with your leatherette cubes. We still have not heard anything from

Lovin Panchoo or anyone hours at Makeover London.

Earlier on in the show, we set Simon Calder a challenge - to find

cheaper rail fares on three train journeys by splitting the ticket.

In other words buying singles for parts of the route, rather than

Derby to Darlington, leaving at 2009. I got a Derby to Sheffield

ticket and then a Sheffield to Darlington ticket which saved me ?15

40. Next up, Edinburgh to Leeds, leaving at 2100. I bought two

tickets which saved me 12 point ?50. -- ?12.50. Bristol to Birmingham,

leaving at 2030? I saved ?19.40. The golden rule? You have to make sure

the train stopped at the station is mentioned

the train stopped at the station is stories coming in. The switch and

Picasso and the diet pill guaranteed to lose you money. And the energy

regulator, Ofgem, we have the CEO in the studio to tell us why he has

done nothing to stop rises in our gas and electricity bills. Till

then, from all of us here, good night.

This is your update. Wonga customers are to get ?2.6 million in

compensation after a payday lender sent them fake letters from unreal

debt collectors. David Cameron has been given