:00:00. > :00:00.Watchdog is back, fighting for your rights.
:00:07. > :00:10.Tonight we investigate Asda's home delivery
:00:11. > :00:12.service after members of their staff and customers told us
:00:13. > :00:14.about the dirty condition of the crates used
:00:15. > :00:38.And some of the results are truly stomach churning.
:00:39. > :00:44.and welcome to a new series of Watchdog, with you for the next
:00:45. > :00:45.eight weeks from our brand new home
:00:46. > :00:51.The building behind us is where our team sifts
:00:52. > :00:53.through the thousands of tip-offs and stories we get each week.
:00:54. > :00:56.If you've had a duff deal or been sold dangerous products,
:00:57. > :01:00.Coming up tonight, customers this week at both
:01:01. > :01:03.Sainsbury's and Topshop still being affected by fraud.
:01:04. > :01:09.Also tumble dryers that catch on fire.
:01:10. > :01:12.If you're one of the millions of people with a Hotpoint,
:01:13. > :01:15.Creda or Indesit machine at risk, we've got a big announcement.
:01:16. > :01:18.And there's more bad news for Vauxhall.
:01:19. > :01:21.Yes, following our investigation into the Zafira B last
:01:22. > :01:24.year, Vauxhall issued a nationwide recall.
:01:25. > :01:27.Now you've sent us reports that the Corsa D can also
:01:28. > :01:35.Joining the Watchdog family is Steph McGovern.
:01:36. > :01:38.She's enlisted volunteers up and down the country to investigate
:01:39. > :01:44.big consumer issues that affect us all.
:01:45. > :01:48.Team Watchdog investigate the blight of nuisance calls
:01:49. > :01:58.These calls are making the Layton family's life a misery,
:01:59. > :02:01.No, no, no thank you. Please go away.
:02:02. > :02:06.If you're applying for a job in a call centre any time soon,
:02:07. > :02:13.here's a question you might want to ask yourself.
:02:14. > :02:20.Hello, guys, how are you doing. I'm from BBC Rogue Traders. Where are
:02:21. > :02:24.you going? Why wouldn't you want to represent the company paying you?
:02:25. > :02:26.An electrical survey company pressure selling to the elderly.
:02:27. > :02:36.a shocking story that's already had a big impact
:02:37. > :02:40.It's all about online shopping and food hygiene.
:02:41. > :02:42.If you have your weekly shop delivered, just how much do
:02:43. > :02:48.you know about the way it gets from the store to your front door?
:02:49. > :02:51.Online grocery shopping has grown by nearly 20%
:02:52. > :02:53.Online grocery shopping has grown by nearly 10%
:02:54. > :02:59.Asda is one of the biggest providers of home shopping,
:03:00. > :03:01.and promises customers they can "sit back and relax while their personal
:03:02. > :03:06.shoppers pick and pack the items as carefully as you would".
:03:07. > :03:08.But that's certainly not what we've been hearing.
:03:09. > :03:10.Normally at Watchdog, it's customers who contact us
:03:11. > :03:18.But sometimes a company's own workers are so troubled
:03:19. > :03:22.by how their company is operating, they ask us to step in.
:03:23. > :03:24.I'm on the way to meet a whistleblower who is seriously
:03:25. > :03:30.worried about Asda's home shopping service.
:03:31. > :03:32.One of the main concerns he raised with us is over
:03:33. > :03:34.the state of the "totes", or crates, that shopping
:03:35. > :03:38.The conditions of the totes are not monitored.
:03:39. > :03:45.And I can tell that they are dirty and I wear gloves.
:03:46. > :03:47.Because I'm scared of catching something.
:03:48. > :03:50.You're so worried about the state of these crates that
:03:51. > :03:56.you're delivering fresh food in that you are wearing gloves?
:03:57. > :04:00.And a recent change in the law has made the need for clean crates
:04:01. > :04:03.In October last year, England joined the rest
:04:04. > :04:08.of the UK in introducing a 5p plastic bag charge.
:04:09. > :04:11.Since then the number of plastic bags in use has fallen by 85%.
:04:12. > :04:14.And, if you do your shopping online, you can cut out
:04:15. > :04:20.In fact, Asda's website automatically defaults
:04:21. > :04:26.to a "no bags" option when you order online.
:04:27. > :04:29.Otherwise it's a flat 40p charge per order.
:04:30. > :04:32.So with Asda automatically opting to deliver your shopping loose,
:04:33. > :04:34.it is absolutely crucial that your food arrives
:04:35. > :04:42.Which makes it all the more worrying that our whisteblower's concerns
:04:43. > :04:46.This home delivery driver sent us photos of what he says
:04:47. > :04:52.I've seen fruit that's been squashed at the bottom,
:04:53. > :04:56.it goes straight back out to the shop floor to be loaded up.
:04:57. > :04:58.There's mould on a lot of the totes, just
:04:59. > :05:03.Obviously, if it's been raining, stuff just grows on it.
:05:04. > :05:05.They go straight back out and back in again, but you're
:05:06. > :05:08.not talking one or two, you're talking all of them.
:05:09. > :05:10.Some of the things that these have rolled in -
:05:11. > :05:15.It's not stuff that I'd feel comfortable feeding to my kids.
:05:16. > :05:18.We're delivering to like, to nurseries, kids' nurseries.
:05:19. > :05:23.Of course, the people in the nursery aren't going to know that, you know,
:05:24. > :05:26.Nursing homes, again, that's food, that's fresh food,
:05:27. > :05:31.that's going straight into their kitchens.
:05:32. > :05:33.And Asda's customers are starting to spot
:05:34. > :05:41.Matthew Cooper from Southampton sent us these photos of his crate.
:05:42. > :05:44.But it was an email from Tracy Chapman in Shropshire
:05:45. > :05:51.She got in touch when she found maggots on the cat food delivered
:05:52. > :05:59.The shopping I'd already put away, I had to empty the whole
:06:00. > :06:03.of my fridge, and things that weren't sealed I had to chuck away
:06:04. > :06:08.And the food that was sealed, I had to wash it all and wash
:06:09. > :06:10.all inside my fridge, cos obviously I'd already
:06:11. > :06:15.We decided to test out the hygiene of Asda's home delivery
:06:16. > :06:32.The team and I posed as customers in ten homes across the country
:06:33. > :06:35.to see what state our weekly shop would arrive in.
:06:36. > :06:37.And food hygiene expert Dr Lisa Ackerley has
:06:38. > :06:40.For each shop, we accepted the pre-selected option to receive
:06:41. > :06:47.So first up, how did our products arrive?
:06:48. > :06:50.According to the law, plastic bags should be
:06:51. > :06:53.provided free of charge for raw meat products
:06:54. > :06:59.and unwrapped food like fruit and veg for "food safety" reasons.
:07:00. > :07:02.However, on nine out of ten of our deliveries, we were sent loose
:07:03. > :07:06.Things like leeks and potatoes, they have been
:07:07. > :07:12.So if you had a pepper next to a potato,
:07:13. > :07:15.for example, then the bacteria from the potato could
:07:16. > :07:22.On three of our deliveries, we found packets of raw meat
:07:23. > :07:25.unbagged and tossed into crates along with fresh, ready to eat food.
:07:26. > :07:27.The raw chicken that was delivered is wrapped up,
:07:28. > :07:30.so it may not be in a bag, but it is wrapped,
:07:31. > :07:35.called campylobacter, which gives you really nasty diarrhoea
:07:36. > :07:42.It causes more bacterial illness than any other organism,
:07:43. > :07:46.It's found on the outside of the packaging
:07:47. > :07:52.Now, in the crates, that means that the contaminated package
:07:53. > :07:55.is right next to something like a ham which you expect to be
:07:56. > :08:00.It may not make you sick for at least two to five days.
:08:01. > :08:02.So you'd never think it was from unpacking your
:08:03. > :08:06.supermarket shopping that caused the illness.
:08:07. > :08:10.So separation was hardly up to scratch.
:08:11. > :08:14.What about the cleanliness of the crates themselves?
:08:15. > :08:18.For each delivery we swabbed them and sent the samples to a government
:08:19. > :08:21.accredited microbiology lab for analysis.
:08:22. > :08:23.There they tested bacteria levels to see exactly how
:08:24. > :08:35.We had food delivered in 10 different places across the country
:08:36. > :08:43.and tested a crate from each of those orders.
:08:44. > :08:48.Each column represents the results from one crate, the higher the
:08:49. > :08:50.column, the higher the bacteria level.
:08:51. > :08:54.Out of the 10, only one was deemed by the lab to be 'satisfactory',
:08:55. > :09:01.That's a higher level of bacteria than satisfactory.
:09:02. > :09:09.And here in red you can see three were described as 'dirty',
:09:10. > :09:13.one was 'very dirty' and two were 'extremely dirty'.
:09:14. > :09:16.Do more than half the crates we tested were 'dirty' or worse.
:09:17. > :09:29.What are we talking about, dirty? Dirty would be equivalent to the
:09:30. > :09:34.kitchen floor levels of dirtiness. Extremely dirty could be like the
:09:35. > :09:38.inside of a kitchen bin. We are potentially talking about something
:09:39. > :09:41.that is hazardous to your health? Absolutely, you don't want your food
:09:42. > :09:45.delivered in something that dirty. You're going to give us advice to
:09:46. > :09:57.ensure that the food you eat is safe.
:09:58. > :10:01.undercover as a driver in the Home Shopping Department
:10:02. > :10:04.at one branch of Asda to get the inside story.
:10:05. > :10:09.She spent six days in training, and was deemed ready
:10:10. > :10:11.to go out on her own to make deliveries.
:10:12. > :10:13.During this week, she was given absolutely no instruction about
:10:14. > :10:24.And with around 20 deliveries to make in a typical eight-hour
:10:25. > :10:29.shift, there's no time to clean the crates.
:10:30. > :10:31.In fact, during her shifts, Ffion was never given
:10:32. > :10:34.a break, as she battled through back-to-back deliveries.
:10:35. > :10:39.Out on shift, our undercover team member saw crates
:10:40. > :10:42.stacked on the ground, left on grass and mud.
:10:43. > :10:48.For Lisa Ackerley, all of this raises serious alarm bells.
:10:49. > :10:59.The problem with them being on the ground means...
:11:00. > :11:04.that whatever is on the ground is transferred onto the crate,
:11:05. > :11:07.So what exactly happens to those potentially contaminated
:11:08. > :11:09.crates before they're sent back out for delivery?
:11:10. > :11:11.Is there any cleaning process in place at this store?
:11:12. > :11:14.Most crates were put in piles ready for delivery the next day.
:11:15. > :11:16.But what about the really dirty ones?
:11:17. > :11:48.According to this manager, the only process in place to clean the crates
:11:49. > :11:52.Those are food contact surfaces, the crates,
:11:53. > :11:56.That means that every time they get contaminated, it just builds up.
:11:57. > :12:02.Well, it wouldn't be that difficult to actually wash every one.
:12:03. > :12:07.You have a great big commercial crate dishwasher.
:12:08. > :12:10.And when you come in, you send them all through.
:12:11. > :12:12.That's means they're clean at the other end.
:12:13. > :12:20.raised their concerns about cleanliness with Asda.
:12:21. > :12:22.And none have been impressed with the response they received.
:12:23. > :12:33.So what will it take to make Asda get serious about hygiene?
:12:34. > :12:36.This is what the supermarket had to say about it all.
:12:37. > :12:39.Asda says it hasn't lived up to the standard of service customers
:12:40. > :12:42.expect, but says it takes complaints seriously and does the right
:12:43. > :12:48.Asda says some policies and procedures were not followed in
:12:49. > :12:51.the six locations we ordered shopping from and has
:12:52. > :12:53.to improve standards across all home shopping services.
:12:54. > :12:58.Asda adds that all colleagues are trained on using cleaning
:12:59. > :13:02.equipment and that it has clear rules that uncooked meat and loose
:13:03. > :13:05.produce should be bagged separately, but that these rules hadn't been
:13:06. > :13:09.It says it never expects colleagues to work without the breaks
:13:10. > :13:18.Asda adds that it is deep cleaning every home shopping van,
:13:19. > :13:21.re-briefing every Asda colleague on cleaning and food safety rules
:13:22. > :13:25.and introducing deep cleaning for all delivery
:13:26. > :13:33.Many people watching will be worried about how clean
:13:34. > :13:37.Lisa, what advice can you give people to keep themselves safe?
:13:38. > :13:41.Always wash any fresh fruit and vegetables because you don't know
:13:42. > :13:46.where they've been and who has been handling. Secondly, when you unpack
:13:47. > :13:49.the shopping make sure that the raw meat and poultry going to the bottom
:13:50. > :13:56.of the fridge away from ready to eat food. If you are preparing any raw
:13:57. > :13:58.meat or poultry, do a good clean and disinfect afterwards and don't
:13:59. > :14:00.forget to wash your hands. Good advice, thank you.
:14:01. > :14:03.We're going to keep following this story, so if you've got evidence
:14:04. > :14:05.of problems with other grocery delivery services
:14:06. > :14:07.please get in touch, we'll look into it.
:14:08. > :14:10.This story wouldn't have come to light without the whistleblowers
:14:11. > :14:15.It's already made a big difference so keep sending us your tip offs
:14:16. > :14:19.You can email us get in touch via social media or write
:14:20. > :14:26.Coming up, another story we wouldn't have had
:14:27. > :14:33.as we investigate reports of fires starting in another line
:14:34. > :14:39.And we tell you how to avoid the scam currently affecting Topshop
:14:40. > :14:51.On Rogue Traders we are here to make things better.
:14:52. > :14:56.We love nothing more than to be able to turn around
:14:57. > :14:59.to you and say, "Well, that's one firm that's realised
:15:00. > :15:01.the error of its ways and has done things differently".
:15:02. > :15:17.MyHome Installations Ltd, based in Maidstone,
:15:18. > :15:28.for Landmark Home Security Ltd, who we featured back in 2012.
:15:29. > :15:30.The alarm system is for free, the monitoring, the maintenance,
:15:31. > :15:32.the response is what you'll have to pay for.
:15:33. > :15:34.They were pressure-selling alarms to old people
:15:35. > :15:37.Hopefully, Landmark will help reduce crime in your area -
:15:38. > :15:39.and that's basically, as you said, what we're doing.
:15:40. > :15:42.All we do ask for is a good, old-fashioned yes or no.
:15:43. > :15:53.Invite someone round to your house and...
:15:54. > :15:56.I only wanted to think about it, Joe, and when nobody
:15:57. > :15:58.would accept it, that's when I said no.
:15:59. > :16:00.No, no, no, Beryl, you won't accept that I've been
:16:01. > :16:19.Our salesman there was clearly in need of a bit of career guidance,
:16:20. > :16:22.so we called him back to the house one more time.
:16:23. > :16:27.You're bullying women in their 70s into alarms,
:16:28. > :16:30.you're lying about them, you're pressure-selling to try
:16:31. > :16:37.and get them to sign up for long-term contracts.
:16:38. > :16:40.The company boss, Liam Walsh, placed the burden of shame squarely
:16:41. > :16:44.on the shoulders of the young salesman, saying his actions "in no
:16:45. > :16:46.way represents the policies of the company or any
:16:47. > :16:51.And that positive steps would be taken to ensure that this situation
:16:52. > :16:58.80-year-old Jean Gardner was already a Landmark Home Security customer,
:16:59. > :17:02.with a maintenance contract that took her to March 2017.
:17:03. > :17:05.However, in January this year - 15 months before it ran out -
:17:06. > :17:10.After he left, her daughter Janet found out, and realised
:17:11. > :17:17.We discovered that they'd signed her up for a three-year
:17:18. > :17:23.contract that wasn't going to start for a year and a half,
:17:24. > :17:26.Janet was able to cancel the contract,
:17:27. > :17:28.but it left her appalled at what had happened.
:17:29. > :17:31.Why does anybody take out a contract for three years that
:17:32. > :17:37.You don't know where you're going to be in that time,
:17:38. > :17:40.you could move, you could, anything could happen.
:17:41. > :17:43.The way they present it to you, you sort of get into your mind,
:17:44. > :17:49.They were preying on an elderly person.
:17:50. > :17:52.They're making her feel unsafe in her own home.
:17:53. > :17:58.That's my money, you're on a pension and you sort
:17:59. > :18:05.of need every penny you can get, and they've just taken it away.
:18:06. > :18:08.So it would appear that the bad old stuff is happening again,
:18:09. > :18:10.despite Liam Walsh saying he would take positive
:18:11. > :18:16.A rather more negative step, it would appear, is that Landmark
:18:17. > :18:20.Home Security are branching out - and offering another service
:18:21. > :18:24.under their new name, MyHome Installations ltd.
:18:25. > :18:29.They'll cold call you and give your house a thorough electrical survey.
:18:30. > :18:36.And even more interesting is the fact they're hiring.
:18:37. > :18:40.So we got a man in on the inside as a trainee salesman.
:18:41. > :18:43.Before he starts, he gets a few tips from one of the bosses,
:18:44. > :18:58.So what is it that our mole has to blindly follow?
:18:59. > :19:01.Electrical manager and film buff Andrew -
:19:02. > :19:04.or Bill to his mates - is keen to tell our mole
:19:05. > :19:22.Wasn't that the one where Leonardo di Caprio...?
:19:23. > :19:26.We have a man on the inside, ready to absorb the MyHome
:19:27. > :19:39.We've conducted a series of nationwide polls this series
:19:40. > :19:41.to find out more about some of your biggest consumer concerns.
:19:42. > :19:44.This week we asked you about nuisance calls and we found that
:19:45. > :19:47.nearly 1 in 20 people across the country have resorted
:19:48. > :19:51.to changing their phone number to avoid unwanted calls.
:19:52. > :19:54.More of those results later, but first we asked Team Watchdog
:19:55. > :20:06.We've recruited a Team of Watchdog viewers from across the UK.
:20:07. > :20:14.I'm travelling the length and breadth of the country
:20:15. > :20:18.on a mission to get us all a better deal.
:20:19. > :20:29.Now, I don't know about you, but I've had my fill of nuisance
:20:30. > :20:32.calls, so this week we want you to help us build a picture
:20:33. > :20:38.Now, I know they're a nightmare, so I'm going to be showing you how
:20:39. > :20:42.to try and stop those pesky calls once and for all.
:20:43. > :20:51.There's one thing our team definitely has in common -
:20:52. > :20:55.They always have a knack of ringing at the wrong time,
:20:56. > :20:59.usually when you're just about to put the dinner on.
:21:00. > :21:02.I've tried speaking to them and saying, "Can you take my number
:21:03. > :21:06.And sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't.
:21:07. > :21:08.They don't realise that they can make people's lives hell
:21:09. > :21:19.I don't want to change my number, but I receive a lot of nuisance
:21:20. > :21:24.Well, Moshin, we'll get to that, but first we want to see just
:21:25. > :21:27.We've asked our team to record every nuisance call they've
:21:28. > :21:34.We've also installed call monitoring boxes in five team houses.
:21:35. > :21:37.These log exactly who is calling and when, so we can get
:21:38. > :21:41.a picture of where these calls are coming from.
:21:42. > :21:44.No, I haven't been involved in an accident.
:21:45. > :21:48.So when did cold calling become such a problem?
:21:49. > :21:55.Now, cold calling existed long before phones were invented.
:21:56. > :21:59.Peddlers travelled from town to town with their wares on their back.
:22:00. > :22:03.At the start of the 20th century, well, you were more likely to see
:22:04. > :22:05.door to door salesmen flogging everything from Encyclopaedias
:22:06. > :22:12.When the home got the phone, it became far cheaper for companies
:22:13. > :22:16.to bash those phone lines - all you needed was a handset
:22:17. > :22:24.New technology has allowed companies to automate cold calls,
:22:25. > :22:28.and a whole industry has opened up selling on your personal details
:22:29. > :22:34.All this has made it easier than ever before for unwanted
:22:35. > :22:41.The latest stats show 86% of us in the UK receive them.
:22:42. > :22:43.But these calls aren't just annoying.
:22:44. > :22:47.The darker side of the industry means that scammers are preying
:22:48. > :22:51.on the most vulnerable people, with so-called "suckers lists".
:22:52. > :22:57.Databases listing people who are seen as the easier targets.
:22:58. > :23:01.But the fight back has begun to help us all stop the phones ringing.
:23:02. > :23:06.As regulators have been given more powers, fines for companies that
:23:07. > :23:12.break the rules have risen to ?2 million in the last year.
:23:13. > :23:15.But as the results from our team's task show, we're still a long way
:23:16. > :23:23.On average, each Team Watchdog family that took part received six
:23:24. > :23:36.And it was a pretty even split across landlines and mobiles.
:23:37. > :23:38.It was the Layton family in Derbyshire that received
:23:39. > :23:41.the most cold calls - a whopping 42 across the two weeks.
:23:42. > :23:43.Northern Ireland and the East Midlands saw the highest average
:23:44. > :23:47.The lowest number of calls reported were from families in Wales
:23:48. > :23:49.And, interestingly, of the Team Watchdog
:23:50. > :23:53.families that have signed up to the Telephone Preference Service,
:23:54. > :23:57.two thirds told us that they were still receiving nuisance calls.
:23:58. > :24:00.Thanks to all the Team Watchdog families that took part
:24:01. > :24:05.Coming up in a few minutes, I meet the Layton family,
:24:06. > :24:08.armed with some tips to help them, and you, try and stop nuisance
:24:09. > :24:17.One of things that does worry me is that they're trying to solicit
:24:18. > :24:19.information from Luke with these phone calls.
:24:20. > :24:31.That he doesn't know if he should be giving them or not.
:24:32. > :24:40.So it looks like the TPS isn't working that well. That is what we
:24:41. > :24:45.found. 58% of people say that the TPS doesn't work for them. Let me
:24:46. > :24:49.explain a bit more about it. Every company making marketing course has
:24:50. > :24:56.two check the numbers they are calling to make sure they are not on
:24:57. > :25:01.the TPS list, and that can take up to 28 days. After this time, the
:25:02. > :25:05.volume of calls you get will drop, so it is worth being on the list. If
:25:06. > :25:11.you asked are getting calls, it could be because you have ticked a
:25:12. > :25:14.box on a website that overrides the TPS, or they could be rogue
:25:15. > :25:19.businesses. What does the poll reveal about the sort of things
:25:20. > :25:23.people do to avoid nuisance calls? People don't want them, so there's
:25:24. > :25:28.lots of ways they've tried to avoid them. The majority of people say
:25:29. > :25:36.they don't answer calls from unknown numbers. Some people will block a
:25:37. > :25:39.specific number from calling them. 12% have installed call blockers,
:25:40. > :25:45.which is interesting, because of that 12%, 83% of them are saying
:25:46. > :25:50.that call blockers have worked. It's been the most effective solution for
:25:51. > :25:53.them. Thank you. Let's find out now what was suggested for the late and
:25:54. > :25:57.family, and if it works. I've come to Derbyshire to visit
:25:58. > :26:00.the Layton family, including dad In our two-week test, they told us
:26:01. > :26:05.they received 42 unwanted calls. Jon, just explain to me what it's
:26:06. > :26:08.like in terms of the nuisance We get them constantly two or three
:26:09. > :26:13.times a day, both to the house Companies phoning us pretending
:26:14. > :26:18.to be our electricity and gas supplier trying to get details
:26:19. > :26:24.from us about our account. It's doing my head in,
:26:25. > :26:29.and for people with learning disabilities and special
:26:30. > :26:30.needs like what I've got, I just find it stressful and it
:26:31. > :26:37.impacts on my daily life. It impacts on my
:26:38. > :26:38.mental state as well. One of things that does worry me
:26:39. > :26:44.is that they're trying to solicit information from Luke
:26:45. > :26:47.with these phone calls. That he doesn't know if he should be
:26:48. > :26:50.giving them or not, You can see that it is clearly
:26:51. > :26:54.impacting your life, these cold calls, so we've got some
:26:55. > :26:58.tips for you to try and help you, so are you up for
:26:59. > :27:00.trying them? But before I even got a chance
:27:01. > :27:06.to show Jon and Luke our tips, filming was interrupted
:27:07. > :27:10.by another unwanted call. Just in the short time that I've
:27:11. > :27:21.spent with the family, I've seen first hand the impact
:27:22. > :27:23.these nuisance calls Like, Luke was so stressed out
:27:24. > :27:28.there, when they rang him, and even after the phone was put
:27:29. > :27:31.down he just got really tense and upset inside,
:27:32. > :27:34.and you can just see this family are having a nightmare
:27:35. > :27:38.with these nuisance calls. So let's see if our top
:27:39. > :27:41.tips can help. This is a snazzy one -
:27:42. > :27:45.it looks like a sculpture, So, the first tip is
:27:46. > :27:49.to go on the Telephone It's really simple to do,
:27:50. > :27:54.and you can add your mobile number to that as well,
:27:55. > :27:56.you just need to text TPS and your email
:27:57. > :28:00.address to 85095. If you're already on the list,
:28:01. > :28:05.and still getting calls, report it to the Information Commissioner's
:28:06. > :28:08.Office. They have the power to fine
:28:09. > :28:10.misbehaving companies and stop So, another phone here,
:28:11. > :28:21.and I've got another tip for you. This is to use a call blocker,
:28:22. > :28:24.so you can buy one of these boxes, or a phone that does this,
:28:25. > :28:27.which will basically block Scammers use cold calling to try
:28:28. > :28:33.and sell useless versions Do some research, and only buy
:28:34. > :28:38.from reputable companies that So we're going to leave
:28:39. > :28:44.you with these for a few weeks I leave the Laytons to it,
:28:45. > :28:52.and a few weeks later they send me The system that you put
:28:53. > :28:58.in worked perfectly - It helped a lot because it's brought
:28:59. > :29:03.down the stress levels and I'm A great result for the Layton family
:29:04. > :29:19.and we want you as a new recruit if you'd like to join Team Watchdog
:29:20. > :29:29.you can sign up via our website. We also want your help
:29:30. > :29:31.with our next story, which is all about one
:29:32. > :29:33.of the biggest product safety problems of the year -
:29:34. > :29:36.fires started by Hotpoint, Whirlpool, the company
:29:37. > :29:38.that owns all three brands hasn't issued a full recall,
:29:39. > :29:41.instead advising people not We want to try and get
:29:42. > :29:46.something done about this, as do Andy Slaughter MP and one
:29:47. > :29:58.of our viewers, Amanda Eskdale. My tumble dryer caught fire during
:29:59. > :30:04.the night, my sound is covered it about an hour after it was time for
:30:05. > :30:09.bed. -- my son discovered it. It's completely destroyed MyHome.
:30:10. > :30:15.Destroyed your home, rendering you homeless -- it destroyed my house.
:30:16. > :30:20.Sounds terrifying. Andy Slaughter, what is your involvement? Why did
:30:21. > :30:25.you want to get involved? In August this year I was told that an 18
:30:26. > :30:31.story block of flats was on fire, I got down there and 100 families had
:30:32. > :30:37.been evacuated, 26 have been made homeless and it was started by an
:30:38. > :30:41.Indesit tumble dryer. When she smelt smoke she and plugged it, called the
:30:42. > :30:45.fire brigade and it still destroyed her property. This is clearly
:30:46. > :30:52.affecting people far beyond those who own those tumble dryers. I know
:30:53. > :30:56.you are putting together a petition. We need a proper recall and we need
:30:57. > :31:02.the instructions from Whirlpool changed. People must using these
:31:03. > :31:06.tumble dryers as the Fire Brigade recommends. If Whirlpool don't do
:31:07. > :31:08.it, the government should take action. The London Fire Brigade are
:31:09. > :31:11.backing that up. Thank you for joining us.
:31:12. > :31:14.Whirlpool told us that consumer safety is a number one priority
:31:15. > :31:16.and it is committed to doing the dryer modifications
:31:17. > :31:21.It says the usage advise is appropriate and proportionate and
:31:22. > :31:26.It says customers can continue to use their dryer while waiting
:31:27. > :31:34.It says it now has more engineers and is confident that by the end
:31:35. > :31:36.of the year it will have resolved the vast majority
:31:37. > :31:44.100,000 signatures needed for the petition.
:31:45. > :31:49.For more information on that, go to our website.
:31:50. > :31:52.Talking of things catching fire, last year Watchdog
:31:53. > :31:55.exposed the problems with the Vauxhall Zafira B which led
:31:56. > :31:58.to hundreds of thousands of them being recalled.
:31:59. > :32:01.Now you've told us the same thing is happening with Corsa D.
:32:02. > :32:12.Now MyHome Installations of Maidstone Kent, not to be
:32:13. > :32:16.confused with companies of a similar name.
:32:17. > :32:19.We've got a man working there on the inside.
:32:20. > :32:21.And as we've discovered over the last 15 years, there can be
:32:22. > :32:26.It's Arthur's first day on the job and he's being trained
:32:27. > :32:34.Lesson one, the key to being a good salesman.
:32:35. > :32:39.A good salesman knows to never believe a customer.
:32:40. > :32:41.I always thought the customer was king!
:32:42. > :32:44.Main lesson learnt, our mole Arthur was allowed to accompany one
:32:45. > :32:49.like to introduce you to one of the first Myhome Installations
:32:50. > :32:56.for salesman to follow when they're in customers' houses.
:32:57. > :32:57.It has some really good pointers.
:32:58. > :33:03.Yes, armed with his script, our mole Arthur hits the road
:33:04. > :33:07.with one of the company's top sellers, Nathan.
:33:08. > :33:11.They're on their way to visit existing alarms customer Edna King.
:33:12. > :33:14.88-year-old Edna is disabled after a fall, something Nathan wants
:33:15. > :33:36.on the phone that he's come to offer a free visual inspection
:33:37. > :33:39.of her electrics but in fact he's here to sell her an expensive report
:33:40. > :33:42.Nathan makes himself comfortable and starts
:33:43. > :33:56.by questioning Edna on her relationship with her son.
:33:57. > :33:59.Once he's tried to impress on Edna that she doesn't
:34:00. > :34:00.need her son's help to make decisions, Nathan moves
:34:01. > :34:21.We've checked with the fire brigade and they've told us they've
:34:22. > :34:25.neither endorsed or issued any specific guidance to electrical
:34:26. > :34:46.companies to contact their customers concerning fire safety.
:34:47. > :34:52.Around 50% of house fires are caused by an electrical fault.
:34:53. > :34:55.Scary bit over, for now, Nathan wants to talk money and for this
:34:56. > :35:11.And we have found it saves a lot of money in fuel.
:35:12. > :35:13.The money we save by doing it this way we pass
:35:14. > :35:30.people to jump on board in our timescale.
:35:31. > :35:37.I have definitely heard that somewhere before.
:35:38. > :36:14.but you're watching a classic MyHome selling technique.
:36:15. > :36:19.After checking the fuse board outside, Nathan gets
:36:20. > :36:43.It's a good opportunity to create desire.
:36:44. > :36:47.And on that scaremongering note, Nathan's completed
:36:48. > :37:11.all his checks and it's now decision time for Edna.
:37:12. > :37:13.Is it me or is Nathan trying to push Edna
:37:14. > :37:46.Shame it's totally made up, though.
:37:47. > :37:54.It's more than double what we've been told it should cost for a house
:37:55. > :37:58.Edna holds her ground, refusing to part
:37:59. > :38:00.with any money before speaking to her son and Nathan leaves.
:38:01. > :38:03.Later that day, Edna calls the office and speaks to Bill,
:38:04. > :38:09.who convinces her to go ahead with the report.
:38:10. > :38:16.And how does he talk about octogenarian Edna?
:38:17. > :38:24.After our mole had filmed Nathan's visit we contacted Edna
:38:25. > :38:27.and explained to her that we'd secretly filmed the whole thing.
:38:28. > :38:31.She kindly agreed to talk to me about the experience.
:38:32. > :38:34.I thought he was pushy, he kept saying, "Well can't you make
:38:35. > :38:39."Do you always have to have somebody else?"
:38:40. > :38:42.I said I don't have to but I want to.
:38:43. > :38:49.I showed the footage we'd secretly filmed to Edna's son, Mike.
:38:50. > :38:52.The fact is, Mike, here he is in your mum's home trying
:38:53. > :38:54.to work out a way to squeeze money out of her.
:38:55. > :38:59.What would that man feel if someone was doing that to his mother?
:39:00. > :39:07.So we have a company that claims to have left
:39:08. > :39:09.its pressure selling past behind and yet they're determined
:39:10. > :39:16.We have a document which uses the language of pressure selling
:39:17. > :39:22.This, my friends, is a rogue company.
:39:23. > :39:25.But we haven't even seen them pressure selling for the big money.
:39:26. > :39:29.What they really want to do next is sell Edna the electrical work
:39:30. > :39:35.Usually we'd use an actress for this, but so we can see
:39:36. > :39:38.what Nathan would say next, Edna has allowed us to rig hidden
:39:39. > :39:44.cameras in her house and invited Nathan back.
:39:45. > :39:46.I don't think many sons would react differently
:39:47. > :39:51.His mum, the subject of some appalling language.
:39:52. > :39:55.But there is more to come as Edna plays double agent
:39:56. > :39:57.for us and for once, puts the pressure on
:39:58. > :40:06.We rely on your tip-offs to make this programme and thousands
:40:07. > :40:11.Not everything becomes part of a big investigation, but there
:40:12. > :40:13.are plenty of stories that we do pick up.
:40:14. > :40:19.Steph, you've been looking at some of them.
:40:20. > :40:26.Yes, the cinnamon swirl, it seems that Starbucks don't know how many
:40:27. > :40:34.calories are in them. You see health conscious
:40:35. > :40:37.Matthew Lewis also got in touch to say he's spotted a problem
:40:38. > :40:39.with Starbuck's cinnamon swirls. In a Starbuck's cafe the nutritional
:40:40. > :40:42.information says a cinnamon swirl has 372 calories in it,
:40:43. > :40:44.but when he checked online he found there are actually 472
:40:45. > :40:46.calories in each swirl. Starbucks told him the increase
:40:47. > :40:49.is down to a new kind of icing and they would change
:40:50. > :40:51.the labels soon. But that was a year
:40:52. > :40:53.ago, and guess what, Starbucks who told us
:40:54. > :41:02.they would like to apologise for the error and that they have now
:41:03. > :41:05.issued the correct labels. If you want our help with any
:41:06. > :41:08.of your consumer concerns you can email us at Watchdog@bbc.co.uk,
:41:09. > :41:11.tweet us @bbcwatchdog, go to our I hate cinnamon, do you want it? No,
:41:12. > :41:24.thanks! Now for a report into fires among
:41:25. > :41:30.Vauxhall's most popular cars. When Vauxhall Zafira Bs started
:41:31. > :41:33.to burst into flames, their owners were lucky to escape
:41:34. > :41:35.with their lives. We pulled the children out
:41:36. > :41:39.of the car as fast as we could. The problem was with
:41:40. > :41:41.the car's heater. And it was only after Watchdog
:41:42. > :41:44.viewers contacted the programme last Nearly a quarter of a million
:41:45. > :41:50.Vauxhall Zafiras are being recalled. Eight months later, in July this
:41:51. > :41:53.year, Vauxhall bosses reassured MPs that they had
:41:54. > :41:55.a proper system in place Certainly, the process not just
:41:56. > :42:02.for fire but for all aspects But, despite these promises,
:42:03. > :42:08.we've been hearing about safety concerns with another
:42:09. > :42:14.one of its models. In the last few months, we've
:42:15. > :42:18.started to hear worrying reports from Watchdog viewers
:42:19. > :42:20.that their Vauxhall Corsa Ds have The Corsa D is Vauxhall's fourth
:42:21. > :42:27.generation of Corsa, There are hundreds of thousands
:42:28. > :42:36.on the road today. Steve Cachia from Wolverhampton
:42:37. > :42:41.emailed Watchdog after his 2013 Corsa D burst into
:42:42. > :42:45.flames on his driveway. So, Steve, we can see footage
:42:46. > :42:48.here of your car up in flames. The flames are spreading up
:42:49. > :42:52.into the house. Talk me through exactly
:42:53. > :43:03.what happened. It was a subtle flicker of flames
:43:04. > :43:06.and smoke. Within six or seven minutes, that was the outcome.
:43:07. > :43:10.Six or seven minutes to get to that stage.
:43:11. > :43:12.I was expecting a bang, an explosion.
:43:13. > :43:14.I think we were lucky in the respect that we were all
:43:15. > :43:18.If that had of happened in the middle of the night,
:43:19. > :43:20.that would have been a very different story as well.
:43:21. > :43:22.The Fire Service suspected the cause might have
:43:23. > :43:27.been an electrical fault near the glove box.
:43:28. > :43:31.And we've discovered a number of strikingly similar stories
:43:32. > :43:37.of Corsa Ds catching fire after suspected electrical faults.
:43:38. > :43:43.Vauxhall doesn't always seem that interested in investigating them.
:43:44. > :43:47.Luana Scopel and her partner James were asleep at home near Leeds
:43:48. > :43:51.in July when they were awoken by shouts from their neighbours.
:43:52. > :43:54.The flames were as high as the second floor window.
:43:55. > :43:59.We had cats, and I was just desperate to get the cats,
:44:00. > :44:05.because I thought that, it's a fire in the front
:44:06. > :44:08.of the car, soon it's going to hit the petrol tank and it's
:44:09. > :44:11.The fire was blocking the front door.
:44:12. > :44:13.So we had to leave through the window.
:44:14. > :44:17.Again, the Fire Service suspected an electrical fault
:44:18. > :44:19.near the glove box may have been to blame.
:44:20. > :44:21.But did Vauxhall send anyone to investigate?
:44:22. > :44:29.The company told Luana and James it would only investigate their fire
:44:30. > :44:31.if their insurer came up with forensic evidence that
:44:32. > :44:39.If there's a fault that suddenly you can park up a car
:44:40. > :44:42.for six hours and it can set itself on fire, you know, they should be
:44:43. > :44:48.You know, this is people's lives at stake here.
:44:49. > :44:52.And this came just a month after that promise to MPs that
:44:53. > :44:55.Vauxhall's system of investigating fires was rigorous.
:44:56. > :45:00.We were also contacted by Keith Fitzhenry, after his
:45:01. > :45:08.Vauxhall once again did not inspect the vehicle, claiming
:45:09. > :45:09.its enquires could not proceed without information
:45:10. > :45:15.As we started to piece these reports together
:45:16. > :45:20.we noticed something even more concerning.
:45:21. > :45:22.Evidence came in that Vauxhall has known about these fires
:45:23. > :45:27.Alison Tetley emailed us when her Corsa D started to smoke
:45:28. > :45:32.and melt in the glove box area back in April 2015.
:45:33. > :45:44.Alison sent an assessment from her insurer to Vauxhall,
:45:45. > :45:53.I was panicking that would I get out, and how would I get out of the
:45:54. > :45:58.car, and if I couldn't get out of the car, would I suffocate,
:45:59. > :46:04.basically? I was very, very shaken, and very frightened, actually.
:46:05. > :46:07.Even though she had told Vauxhall that her her car
:46:08. > :46:09.had started to burn, the case was closed without any
:46:10. > :46:23.I did expect more from Vauxhall. I felt that this was quite a serious
:46:24. > :46:29.incident. And if I hadn't been able to get out of that vehicle, it could
:46:30. > :46:35.have had an unpleasant consequences. So is Vauxhall doing enough to
:46:36. > :46:37.investigate these fires? Especially considering the fact that
:46:38. > :46:39.Vauxhall has already had to admit to a dangerous problem
:46:40. > :46:44.with this very model... it did identify a fault with
:46:45. > :46:49.the braking system in some Corsa Ds. But Vauxhall only recalled 2,767
:46:50. > :46:55.cars - just 0.2% of Corsas Not only did this recall fail
:46:56. > :47:04.to cover the vast majority of Corsa Ds like Luana,
:47:05. > :47:08.Keith and Alison's, there's also evidence it didn't
:47:09. > :47:10.even resolve the problem Elisa Simmonds' 2012 Corsa D
:47:11. > :47:21.was one of those recalled. But three days after
:47:22. > :47:23.a Vauxhall-approved garage carried So, once again, we're hearing
:47:24. > :47:30.reports of Vauxhall cars Once again, the fires appear to be
:47:31. > :47:35.caused by electrical faults. And once again, Vauxhall appears
:47:36. > :47:39.to be failing to do enough to investigate whether it could be
:47:40. > :47:47.down to a design fault. So what have Vauxhall
:47:48. > :47:52.said about your report? Vauxhall told us that customer
:47:53. > :47:54.safety is of the upmost importance, and it takes fire
:47:55. > :47:56.reports very seriously. It told us that after
:47:57. > :48:10.the Zafira B issue, It says it needs permission from the
:48:11. > :48:13.insurance company so that the cover isn't invalidated.
:48:14. > :48:16.It told us it investigated issues with nine Corsa Ds,
:48:17. > :48:19.two of which had caught fire, before issuing the recall for 2,767
:48:20. > :48:24.If you are worried about your Corsa, go to our website for details.
:48:25. > :48:26.If you've got a Corsa D and you've had a fire,
:48:27. > :48:29.particularly if you've got pictures.
:48:30. > :48:32.What's this fraud affecting Sainsbury's and Topshop customers?
:48:33. > :48:36.We're working with Action Fraud to bring you details every week
:48:37. > :48:38.of the latest scams and frauds affecting the country.
:48:39. > :48:42.This week, fraudsters are sending out fake
:48:43. > :48:45.Sainsbury's and Topshop voucher deals through messaging
:48:46. > :48:52.The fake messages appear as if they've been sent by someone
:48:53. > :48:57.you know and are designed to trick you into clicking on the link
:48:58. > :49:02.to claim supposed Sainsbury's or Topshop vouchers.
:49:03. > :49:05.If you click on the link you will be taken to a fake website designed
:49:06. > :49:12.to trick you into handing over personal information.
:49:13. > :49:21.So, don't click on the link, just delete the message.
:49:22. > :49:23.MyHome Installations of Maidstone Kent.
:49:24. > :49:26.Incurable pressure sellers, with no respect for the elderly.
:49:27. > :49:33.Edna, 88, a genuine Myhome customer, has allowed us to film
:49:34. > :49:44.This may be an uncomfortable watch, but it's a unique chance to see
:49:45. > :49:53.what could be happening in front rooms around the country.
:49:54. > :50:00.A MyHome electrician has inspected Edna's electrics, and the
:50:01. > :50:06.electrician is back with the results. Her son is also there to
:50:07. > :50:10.hear what he says. -- our friend, Jules, is also there. So what did he
:50:11. > :50:25.conclude? That electrical engineer speak for
:50:26. > :50:28.15 serious problems and 21 recommendations, but when we had a
:50:29. > :50:40.good look at the report, nearly half of those were repeated.
:50:41. > :50:54.That is good news, Nathan. So what would you recommend? Next MyHome
:50:55. > :50:59.sales technique, priced conditioning. Getting the customer
:51:00. > :51:02.used to the idea that it would be expensive, and then surprising them
:51:03. > :51:09.with it being cheaper. You've already established Edna's
:51:10. > :51:29.home doesn't need rewiring! OK, Nathan, expectations are set.
:51:30. > :51:37.You've been here for nearly an hour. Are you going to tell us the price?
:51:38. > :51:46.Back to the scare stories, because frightening customers with fake
:51:47. > :51:48.tales of serious fires is a key part of MyHome's training. Here is our
:51:49. > :52:00.mole being taught about tricks. And how does Nathan twist this story
:52:01. > :52:19.to 88-year-old Edna? Finally, 70 minutes after walking
:52:20. > :52:29.through the door, and having told us Edna's house only needs one day 's
:52:30. > :52:34.work, Nathan reveals the price. ?3500 for a day's work. I wonder if
:52:35. > :52:53.Nathan will suggest a made up discount?
:52:54. > :53:05.Nathan, plus the admin fee, that's over ?2500, for a job that shouldn't
:53:06. > :53:10.cost more than ?1500. After two hours of scare stories, overinflated
:53:11. > :53:13.reports and made up discounts, we ask him to leave. When we
:53:14. > :53:19.investigated this company four years ago, the man at the top, near water,
:53:20. > :53:24.shifted the blame onto a man in his 20s. But this is clearly a school
:53:25. > :53:48.for rogue salesmen. That clears that up. And here he is,
:53:49. > :53:51.the main man. We always hold out hope that companies will change
:53:52. > :53:56.after seeing themselves on our programme, but it just hasn't
:53:57. > :54:02.happened in this case. Despite having been exposed before, Liam
:54:03. > :54:09.Walsh of Landmark Home Security and MyHome Installations limited has not
:54:10. > :54:15.changed. So for anyone who has been a target for MyHome Installations,
:54:16. > :54:20.and anyone next on the list, there is something we have to do. I'm on
:54:21. > :54:27.the way to meet Liam Walsh to see if he can answer my questions. Liam, if
:54:28. > :54:34.only you took as much care of your customers!
:54:35. > :54:43.That's how keen Liam Walsh is to get away from us, and the inevitable
:54:44. > :54:47.questions we have to ask him. Unfortunately, it doesn't work quite
:54:48. > :54:59.that easily. Maybe someone upstairs will have some answers for us?
:55:00. > :55:03.Hello. Why are you going? Why would you not want to represent the
:55:04. > :55:08.company that is paying you? So drives a wedge between them and
:55:09. > :55:13.their families, tries to get them to part with thousands of pounds, that
:55:14. > :55:17.is pressure selling. If you look at the 2008 consumer protection against
:55:18. > :55:21.unfair trading regulations, you will see that what you are doing is
:55:22. > :55:30.proscribed in law, and those laws are there for a reason. Billy?
:55:31. > :55:35.Hello, mate? Have you got any explanation for the way you behave
:55:36. > :55:39.towards people who could be in their late 80s, who you are determined to
:55:40. > :55:43.rip off, to take the money that they've got and they might need for
:55:44. > :55:48.the rest of their lives? Daily? Can you imagine what the reaction is of
:55:49. > :55:53.somebody's Sun, where he hears you talking about his mother in the most
:55:54. > :55:58.contemptuous, abusive language you can summon up? What do you think
:55:59. > :56:08.that looks like on telly? Diouf think it looks good, or bad, or
:56:09. > :56:13.despicable? Remind me, Wolf of Wall Street, how does it end? Is it a
:56:14. > :56:18.good ending? We are not going to get any answers, so we leave them to it.
:56:19. > :56:21.MyHome say they accept they got it wrong again but say they have
:56:22. > :56:22.implemented many internal policies to improve services,
:56:23. > :56:27.The investigation, they say, is not a reflection of the way
:56:28. > :56:30.That's despite what we've just seen in our film.
:56:31. > :56:32.They do not accept that warning their customers
:56:33. > :56:34.about the risk of fire constitutes pressure selling.
:56:35. > :56:36.They say the condition report is prepared by electrical engineers
:56:37. > :56:39.who are fully qualified and vetted and that their higher prices reflect
:56:40. > :56:41.the fact they provide comprehensive five-year warranties.
:56:42. > :56:45.But let's not forget this is the second time we've featured
:56:46. > :56:48.a Liam Walsh company in the last four years,
:56:49. > :56:52.pressure selling in a very similar way.
:56:53. > :56:56.He's the man in the driving seat in more ways than one.
:56:57. > :56:59.That's why once again, along with William Blakey,
:57:00. > :57:01.Billy Beale and Nathan Faulkes, he's the first face on our giant
:57:02. > :57:22.Undercover at Boots Opticians and Vision Express.
:57:23. > :57:28.Over a third of Brits say they don't get what they pay for.
:57:29. > :57:30.And the latest tool for reducing your car insurance,
:57:31. > :58:00.putting a device in your car that tells the insurance company
:58:01. > :58:05.Today's programme should be looked back on as being primitive