:00:00. > :00:00.Hello and welcome to a new series of Watchdog.
:00:07. > :00:10.Live - and on your side - for the next 60 minutes.
:00:11. > :00:14.Tonight, we're taking to task some of Britain's best known businesses.
:00:15. > :00:16.Including three coffee chains that dominate every high street.
:00:17. > :00:20.Millions of us place an order every day.
:00:21. > :00:41.But what our tests show up, you won't want in your cup.
:00:42. > :00:44.Hello, thanks for joining us on Watchdog Live
:00:45. > :00:55.As ever, we're here to tackle the stories that matter most to you.
:00:56. > :00:57.And because we're live, together we can get things
:00:58. > :01:01.You told us about safety problems you've had with newly
:01:02. > :01:04.Gas leaks and smoke is not what you should be getting.
:01:05. > :01:07.Tonight, Energy UK are in the studio to explain how
:01:08. > :01:10.And we're on the trail of more rogue traders.
:01:11. > :01:12.This week, exposing some of the most appalling
:01:13. > :01:31.And he's the guy that trains new recruits!
:01:32. > :01:34.Also tonight, with us are some miffed Ryanair customers.
:01:35. > :01:38.These guys reckon the airline is deliberately splitting up groups
:01:39. > :01:41.of passengers who haven't paid for reserved seating.
:01:42. > :01:44.To find out if they're right, we booked some of our own flights.
:01:45. > :01:48.And later, I get to sit right next to one of the Ryanair bosses to find
:01:49. > :01:54.You may have seen in the news we've done
:01:55. > :01:56.some other tests, too - into hygiene
:01:57. > :01:59.at the three biggest coffee chains in the UK -
:02:00. > :02:04.Costa, Starbucks, and Caffe Nero.
:02:05. > :02:08.Nikki Fox has been investigating with her very own swab mob.
:02:09. > :02:13.It seems we've turned up a bigger problem
:02:14. > :02:17.We found something very nasty in almost half
:02:18. > :02:21.And it prompted this reaction from one of the country's leading
:02:22. > :02:34.The levels in contamination of faecal bacteria concerns me a lot.
:02:35. > :02:36.They should not be there. At any level.
:02:37. > :02:38.The full shocking story coming up shortly.
:02:39. > :02:39.But we can't do anything without you.
:02:40. > :02:43.Now the team behind me - give us a wave - they'd love to hear
:02:44. > :02:48.You can email us - at watchdog@bbc.co.uk.
:02:49. > :03:02.By 2020, the government wants us all to have one - 53 million.
:03:03. > :03:08.But in the rush to make that happen, some of you say your homes
:03:09. > :03:23.It's one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever
:03:24. > :03:28.undertaken in the UK. Aiming to replace every gas and electricity
:03:29. > :03:33.meter in homes and small businesses over the next three years. But this
:03:34. > :03:37.ambitious roll-out has already been hit with a series of delays and
:03:38. > :03:42.problems. Hundreds of you have been getting in touch about issues with
:03:43. > :03:46.new smart meters, including inaccurate bills and difficulty
:03:47. > :03:50.switching suppliers. And we are starting to hear about some really
:03:51. > :03:59.serious concerns to do with the way smart meters are installed in our
:04:00. > :04:04.homes. Keith Atkins had his new dual fuel smart meter installed by
:04:05. > :04:10.British Gas engineer in October 3016. You decided you want a smart
:04:11. > :04:13.meter, what happened? I phoned my supplier, British Gas, and he
:04:14. > :04:17.arranged for a guy to come and install. It was about two weeks
:04:18. > :04:21.later before we discovered we had a leak because we went away for a
:04:22. > :04:26.couple of days. The house was shut up. I returned and opened the front
:04:27. > :04:30.door and smelt the gas. Were you in panic? Yes, I didn't have a clue
:04:31. > :04:33.what was going on. I opened the doors and windows and phoned the
:04:34. > :04:40.emergency people and they were here within 20 minutes. Keith had a house
:04:41. > :04:44.full of gas which the emergency engineer established was down to the
:04:45. > :04:48.installation of the smart meter, a washer had been left off when it was
:04:49. > :04:53.put in. When you found out it was the smart meter, how did you feel?
:04:54. > :04:59.Devastated. I thought British Gas are the people you go to for these
:05:00. > :05:02.jobs. The way it was installed was terrible, really. I phoned the
:05:03. > :05:06.customer services and she said to me, it's all fixed now, what do you
:05:07. > :05:12.want us to do about it? It's terrifying. His case isn't the one
:05:13. > :05:15.off you would hope. Customers from other major energy suppliers have
:05:16. > :05:20.also contacted us with serious safety concerns over their smart
:05:21. > :05:24.meters installation. Stephen Allen from Guildford e-mailed us after an
:05:25. > :05:30.engineer working on behalf of First Utility installed a smart meter in a
:05:31. > :05:34.box outside his house in January. But after two days he became
:05:35. > :05:38.increasingly worried about a loud banging noise, so he called out an
:05:39. > :05:43.emergency engineer who told him the new smart meter installation had
:05:44. > :05:47.left him with unstable gas levels. I thought my family were in danger
:05:48. > :05:50.because of the gas, because it's a flammable substance. It is going
:05:51. > :05:56.through your house. If something went wrong with that, you don't know
:05:57. > :05:59.what would happen. A worrying time, and during a replacement
:06:00. > :06:04.installation that also went wrong, Stephen says he saw the engineer hit
:06:05. > :06:08.the smart meter on the grounds to dislodge a part. Although that
:06:09. > :06:11.wasn't dangerous, he ended up needing eight third smart meter
:06:12. > :06:15.fitted. To get an expert view on these cases I have brought our
:06:16. > :06:19.evidence to two leading professionals. Mike Griffin has more
:06:20. > :06:24.than 30 years experience in the gas industry. Martin Allen is an
:06:25. > :06:29.experienced electrician and engineer for a technical company. Looking at
:06:30. > :06:33.Keith's case, it's all to do with the washer. It's unforgivable to put
:06:34. > :06:39.it back together and not put the washer in. It's the basics of gas
:06:40. > :06:44.work and the process of doing that, it set out in gas safety
:06:45. > :06:47.regulations. Its negligence, lack of enforcement in training to make sure
:06:48. > :06:53.they understand what they are doing and why. In Stephen's case, it
:06:54. > :06:57.sounds like loads of things went wrong, so many engineers involved.
:06:58. > :07:01.Is there anything Stephen could have done? Nothing in this is Stephen's
:07:02. > :07:05.fault. The only thing he could possibly have done was when he saw
:07:06. > :07:10.the engineer messing with the meter, may be called the employer. As well
:07:11. > :07:14.as dangerous gas installations, you have told us about worrying safety
:07:15. > :07:21.errors made during the fitting of electricity smart meters as well.
:07:22. > :07:25.Gillian and Alan Handley agreed to let Ovo energy upgrade their home to
:07:26. > :07:30.a smart meter before Christmas. Everything initially seemed fine but
:07:31. > :07:33.a few weeks later their son Jack noticed smoke pouring out of the
:07:34. > :07:38.fuse box in his bedroom cupboard. He was panicking at this smoke coming
:07:39. > :07:42.out of his cupboard. I followed him through and looked in the fuse box
:07:43. > :07:46.cupboard and saw this smoke in it, it was a panic. I wasn't sure
:07:47. > :07:51.whether or not I would electrocute myself or not by turning it off.
:07:52. > :07:56.After calling an emergency engineer, the family was told there fuse box
:07:57. > :08:01.had burnt out because of wires not being reconnected properly during
:08:02. > :08:05.the smart meter installation. I think we were extremely lucky to
:08:06. > :08:08.catch it when it did. All because of the smell. If we hadn't smelt
:08:09. > :08:15.anything in the room, I don't know if we would have noticed until it
:08:16. > :08:18.was on fire. Ovo energy admitted the engineer hadn't left their
:08:19. > :08:23.electricity in a safe state. The family had to move out for things to
:08:24. > :08:28.be put right. We were out of the house for ten days trying to stay in
:08:29. > :08:34.a Hotel with two young children. The dogs were in kennels, we can't get
:08:35. > :08:37.into the house. I don't believe the Ecotricity supplier checked their
:08:38. > :08:42.contractors correctly, otherwise they would have known these people
:08:43. > :08:47.were not fit for the job. -- the electricity supplier. In Gillian and
:08:48. > :08:51.Alan's case, this is dangerous, being told your electricity isn't in
:08:52. > :08:55.a safe state. I find that really shocking. It could have easily lead
:08:56. > :09:01.to a fire and been a terrible outcome. What do you think this is
:09:02. > :09:07.down to? Part of the training is for them to assess, if there is a chance
:09:08. > :09:12.of wires faulty in the fuse box, they have to take action. They
:09:13. > :09:16.didn't follow the procedures and it's inexcusable. How can trained
:09:17. > :09:20.engineers installing smart meters on behalf of big-name energy companies
:09:21. > :09:24.make such basic mistakes? One basic explanation could be down to the
:09:25. > :09:28.sheer scale of the roll-out. The challenge of employing enough
:09:29. > :09:32.engineers to hit the government's 2020 target has led to a huge
:09:33. > :09:35.recruitment drive and industry sources have told us they are
:09:36. > :09:47.concerned whether installations are being left to new engineers who
:09:48. > :09:49.haven't worked in gas or electricity before. While all the roles, with
:09:50. > :09:51.some training, Mike and Martin are clear that engineers need real-world
:09:52. > :09:56.experience alongside more practised colleagues. So do you think it's not
:09:57. > :10:00.just about training? It's not. From there you need to build experience
:10:01. > :10:03.and to make somebody competent in carrying out those smart meter
:10:04. > :10:07.installations. I can't see their not being more mistakes unless we do
:10:08. > :10:12.shadowing, taking pressure off the guys doing the installing, and make
:10:13. > :10:16.sure the emphasis is on a good meter that's installed properly and left
:10:17. > :10:22.safely. At an industry event last year the head of safety at Wales and
:10:23. > :10:27.West utilities, one of the UK's gas networks, expressed concerns that
:10:28. > :10:29.with new people coming into the industry, inexperienced meter
:10:30. > :10:35.workers could increase the number of mistakes. Meanwhile, citizens advice
:10:36. > :10:39.has confirmed to us that they have also been contacted about a number
:10:40. > :10:43.of unsafe smart meter installation this year. All of which raises
:10:44. > :10:51.serious questions about hitting the 2020 target safely. MP Derek Thomas
:10:52. > :10:54.sits on the House of Commons science and technology select committee,
:10:55. > :10:58.which is overseeing the smart meter roll-out. He wants the government to
:10:59. > :11:03.review the deadline and put safety first. I think it's fair to say that
:11:04. > :11:08.the energy suppliers are under pressure from this timetable. If
:11:09. > :11:11.there is any indication safeties comprised in somebody's home, we
:11:12. > :11:16.can't ignore that. The government has nothing to lose by setting up a
:11:17. > :11:21.review with Ofgem to look at the safety locations around the
:11:22. > :11:24.programme to protect people's homes. Let's see what the challenges are
:11:25. > :11:27.and make sure people are safe as we engage in the roll-out.
:11:28. > :11:31.Well, all the companies in that report have apologised.
:11:32. > :11:34.British Gas - whose engineer forgot to put on the washer -
:11:35. > :11:37.says all of its smart meter engineers are trained over
:11:38. > :11:38.a twelve month period to fit equipment correctly,
:11:39. > :11:47.The company's given Keith ?200 as a gesture of a goodwill.
:11:48. > :11:50.First Utility - who replaced Stephen's meter twice -
:11:51. > :11:55.It says his was a highly irregular example, which it's
:11:56. > :11:58.Siemens, who actually did the fitting, insist
:11:59. > :12:03.was carried out safely by an experienced engineer.
:12:04. > :12:06.It did need replacing, but the company says that's
:12:07. > :12:12.because the meter itself was faulty and there was no immediate danger.
:12:13. > :12:16.Or gas leak. It says all its engineers have extensive training.
:12:17. > :12:19.Finally, Ovo says its meter was wired incorrectly due to several
:12:20. > :12:21.factors, including human error, old fuse box equipment, and
:12:22. > :12:27.It says the engineer had successfully completed more than 900
:12:28. > :12:30.dual-fuel installations in the last 12 months.
:12:31. > :12:32.He was immediately suspended and retrained,
:12:33. > :12:38.With me is Audrey Gallacher from Energy Uk, which represents
:12:39. > :12:51.You just need more time. That's what you should be asking for, surely. We
:12:52. > :12:56.are seeing the results of that, health and safety in people's homes
:12:57. > :12:59.being affected. It's no doubt it's a really challenging programme and
:13:00. > :13:02.there is a lot to be done, but health and safety would never be
:13:03. > :13:07.compromised to meet a target. I want to reassure people of that. We
:13:08. > :13:13.already seeing mistakes. Currently you are sitting around 17,000 smart
:13:14. > :13:18.meters every day. You have to get to 50,000. Where will you magic the
:13:19. > :13:22.people who will make this happen safely and reliably? There is a big
:13:23. > :13:25.ramp up and there will be recruitment to do that. Let me
:13:26. > :13:29.reassure you that there is significant training in place.
:13:30. > :13:33.People have to have the right skills and competencies. A training regime
:13:34. > :13:37.is set out by the National skills Academy and people has to go through
:13:38. > :13:40.accredited training from their providers. It's important people
:13:41. > :13:47.know the training is there, but once somebody is trained, they don't just
:13:48. > :13:52.let get out. -- get let out. People will be mentors in them, coaching,
:13:53. > :13:57.and there are ongoing audits. Every house and job is different. You are
:13:58. > :14:02.sending out people to do a job for which they are barely equipped. When
:14:03. > :14:07.you look at the fact that even experienced engineers are going out
:14:08. > :14:11.to do it and it can result in serious problems to put people's
:14:12. > :14:16.lives at risk. These problems are completely unacceptable, I agree.
:14:17. > :14:19.Health and safety is the energy industry's number one priority and
:14:20. > :14:22.we will never compromise that. People who don't have the skills and
:14:23. > :14:26.competencies shouldn't be doing the jobs. If we find somebody has made a
:14:27. > :14:30.mistake, it is properly investigated, and we will look at
:14:31. > :14:32.their previous jobs. They will be retrained, and if that retraining
:14:33. > :14:36.doesn't bring them up to standards they will not be installing those
:14:37. > :14:41.metres. At what point do you go to the government and say you can't do
:14:42. > :14:46.it? You need to be fitting 50,000 per day. If everybody takes it up,
:14:47. > :14:50.40 million, and you only have done 7 million in the last few years. You
:14:51. > :14:53.have another two years. It's going to be a massive challenge, but
:14:54. > :14:57.health and safety will not be compromised. If it's about meeting
:14:58. > :15:01.the target or making people safe in their homes, forget the target.
:15:02. > :15:04.People will eventually make a balance between the problems they
:15:05. > :15:08.are seeing with this and what we have reported on tonight, and the
:15:09. > :15:12.savings they will make. Will the savings ever outweigh the risks we
:15:13. > :15:18.are seeing? I don't think there are any systemic risks in the programme.
:15:19. > :15:28.The cases you have highlighted are utterly unacceptable. We have 17,000
:15:29. > :15:30.going in every day. One is one too many but safety is paramount. We
:15:31. > :15:32.have been doing this for decades. We would never do anything to put
:15:33. > :15:39.anybody at risk. So there have clearly been
:15:40. > :15:43.problems with installation. Claire Osborne from the comparison
:15:44. > :15:51.site uSwitch joins us. Claire's also ready to answer your
:15:52. > :15:57.energy queries and problems on our Facebook page
:15:58. > :15:59.while we're on air. This is also your chance to let us
:16:00. > :16:03.know your experiences with smart Tonight's rogue traders
:16:04. > :16:06.are something else. It's not often I have the chance
:16:07. > :16:09.to show you a company whose behaviour encompasses racism,
:16:10. > :16:10.exploitation of the elderly, dishonesty, mis-selling
:16:11. > :16:13.and ruthlessly targeting those with dementia, but tonight,
:16:14. > :16:16.for the first show in our new series, that's
:16:17. > :16:45.exactly what I can do. The brick. For millennia, it has
:16:46. > :16:48.protected us humans from the elements, keeping warm and dry. The
:16:49. > :16:54.brick is considered one of the longest lasting and strongest
:16:55. > :16:58.building materials in existence. But according to Doctor -based company
:16:59. > :17:01.EnergySave central limited, temple bricks are no longer enough. They
:17:02. > :17:06.insist that what you now need is an external wall paint which they say
:17:07. > :17:09.is not only waterproof, but is also an insulating agent which can save
:17:10. > :17:13.you hundreds of pounds on your energy bills. The company uses a
:17:14. > :17:18.national sales team to flog the stuff. And they are awful. I mean,
:17:19. > :17:21.awful in ways I can't even begin to tell you. In fact, don't take it
:17:22. > :17:38.from me, take it from them. How very charming. Let's go and see
:17:39. > :17:42.Audrey. Audrey Wilson is 84. She has Alzheimer's and her son Tony and
:17:43. > :17:50.family, along with her carers, make sure she stays safe. "Doorstep
:17:51. > :17:54.Sellers, don't call here". But EnergySave found a way into her home
:17:55. > :18:01.in spite of their best efforts to protect her. The first day they
:18:02. > :18:04.visited, the care was here preparing mum's meal. The carer explain to
:18:05. > :18:08.them that my mother had Alzheimer's and was not in a position to make
:18:09. > :18:12.decisions and they were to take her off their mailing list and go away
:18:13. > :18:16.and not come back. So despite the fact that they were specifically
:18:17. > :18:21.told about your mum's Alzheimer's, this is not the house for you, what
:18:22. > :18:25.happened then? They came back three days later when the carer wasn't
:18:26. > :18:30.here and saw my mother on her and they proceeded to sell wall coating
:18:31. > :18:37.and took a deposit of her using her dead record of over ?1100. The total
:18:38. > :18:41.amount due for this unnecessary work was ?2300. When I phoned the company
:18:42. > :18:47.on the Monday and said she had Alzheimer's, it was a case of, so
:18:48. > :18:52.what? Audrey has no recollection of a salesman ever having called. Do
:18:53. > :18:57.you ever get people knocking on the door for you, do you get salesman
:18:58. > :19:02.ringing? No. They don't come round here, do they? If I want something,
:19:03. > :19:08.I go out and buy it. I don't wait for someone to ask me if I want it.
:19:09. > :19:13.Sounds like good sense to me. I have had a lovely chat with your mum
:19:14. > :19:20.today, but a lot of things, two or three times. Only? Said anyone
:19:21. > :19:26.sitting with your mum for any time... They must have realised she
:19:27. > :19:31.was vulnerable person, we can sign her up and make commission. After a
:19:32. > :19:33.lot of hard work and the family's persistence, the company eventually
:19:34. > :19:42.refunded Audrey her money. But while we were there, her phone rang. And
:19:43. > :19:46.guess who it was? You can halve our energy bills? EnergySave, who were
:19:47. > :19:50.yet again trying to sell Audrey some wall paint. If I hadn't been there
:19:51. > :19:52.to answer the phone, my mum would have answered the phone and they
:19:53. > :19:56.would have made another appointment for them to come round and see her.
:19:57. > :20:00.Obviously, they have taken no notice of the fact that she can't make
:20:01. > :20:04.decisions for herself, so who is to say they will not fund tomorrow?
:20:05. > :20:21.Thankfully, Audrey has people around her. She
:20:22. > :20:25.is not alone, and she is far from being alone when it comes to being
:20:26. > :20:28.targeted by energy saved. This is a company on the up, as can be seen on
:20:29. > :20:30.this snazzy promotional video on their social media page. From a
:20:31. > :20:33.single office, they are blossoming like a fungal rashes to a number of
:20:34. > :20:34.branches. Spondon, Ilkeston, Sheffield, Newcastle-under-Lyme and
:20:35. > :20:37.coming soon, Birmingham. And of course, the great thing about
:20:38. > :20:40.success and growth is that if you get bigger, you will need to take on
:20:41. > :20:42.more people. And if they are hiring, what's to stop them hiring someone
:20:43. > :20:50.from the BBC who is on the cover with a concealed camera in his hat?
:20:51. > :20:54.Set it running. David, not his real name, has not only got a job, he is
:20:55. > :20:57.starting at the Ilkeston headquarters of EnergySave, and it's
:20:58. > :21:04.not long before years about the commander-in-chief of this
:21:05. > :21:12.enterprise, this man, "Lord" Jason Rowan, on the left. That is a
:21:13. > :21:16.Bentley. And he had a Maserati. Lucky guy. Love the personalised
:21:17. > :21:24.number plates. Our undercover agent also soon met the sales training
:21:25. > :21:27.guru, Mr Phil Eremenko. He is the man to talk us through some of their
:21:28. > :21:35.key company policies, which are, oh, my goodness. Never see Asian people.
:21:36. > :21:55.The reason for that is not racist. Not racist?
:21:56. > :22:01.Mist, just not right for us. It's actually unlawful for anyone
:22:02. > :22:05.providing goods, facilities or services in the UK to discriminate
:22:06. > :22:12.on the basis of race. And of course, we suspect that EnergySave prefers
:22:13. > :22:16.to deal with a specific clientele. We will be seeing a lot more of the
:22:17. > :22:17.way EnergySave Celta the over 55s when we invite them out to a house
:22:18. > :22:20.filled with secret cameras. So, that's racism and exploitation
:22:21. > :22:24.of the elderly ticked off the list, but it is a long list,
:22:25. > :22:39.as you'll see in a bit. Matt is going to nail him. Nikki, we
:22:40. > :22:44.have had lots of messages. Terry on Twitter says, we had a gas leak
:22:45. > :22:50.since fitting the smart meter. The meter was also wired up the wrong
:22:51. > :22:57.way for the electric. Please carry on sending us your messages. And
:22:58. > :23:01.Claire will be giving users tips online, so head to the Facebook page
:23:02. > :23:04.if you have any questions on your smart meter. We have quite a few
:23:05. > :23:06.shocking stories tonight. Yes. And to kick that off,
:23:07. > :23:24.me and my swab mob have been You might want to watch this,
:23:25. > :23:28.because ice drinks feature heavily. We might be famous around the world
:23:29. > :23:38.for our love of tea, but many Brits are now switching allegiance to its
:23:39. > :23:41.cooler cousin, coffee. The UK coffee industry is currently growing faster
:23:42. > :23:46.than it has in the past ten years. Between us, we drink more than 2.3
:23:47. > :23:51.billion cups of the stuff every year. But the market remains
:23:52. > :23:54.dominated by the three big brands. Starbucks, Costa coffee and Caffe
:23:55. > :24:03.Nero, each of which usually has at least one store in every town.
:24:04. > :24:11.Costa, with 2121 stores, is by far the largest UK chain. Starbucks has
:24:12. > :24:15.898 and Caffe Nero 650. But you have been telling us that the quantity of
:24:16. > :24:23.these shops may not always mean quality when it comes to finding a
:24:24. > :24:29.clean place to eat or drink. Costa coffee's website says you can always
:24:30. > :24:34.be sure to find a clean table. But Mark, a regular visitor to his
:24:35. > :24:39.nearest branch, wouldn't agree. What is your concern with your local
:24:40. > :24:43.store? Most times, you find trays covered in spilled coffee or food on
:24:44. > :24:46.the floor like a half eaten sandwich, which is not nice if you
:24:47. > :24:53.are trying to sit down and read a book for ten minutes. Dirty tables.
:24:54. > :24:57.When Mark complained, he said he was given an extra 1000 points on his
:24:58. > :25:01.loyalty card. It was nice to get three points, but I would rather
:25:02. > :25:09.they cleaned the chairs and made sure the tables were clean and made
:25:10. > :25:12.it a nice environment. So how clean are the big names coffee shops? To
:25:13. > :25:19.test that out, we visited ten randomly selected branches of each
:25:20. > :25:22.of the three main chains - Costa, Starbucks and Caffe Nero. The law
:25:23. > :25:28.requires all areas in food serving premises to be kept clean. So, using
:25:29. > :25:31.swapping equipment, our team collected four samples at each
:25:32. > :25:35.branch they visited, then send them to a lab to check the levels of
:25:36. > :25:40.bacteria. The results were then reviewed by Tony Lewis, head of
:25:41. > :25:45.policy at the chartered Institute of environmental health. Is it feasible
:25:46. > :25:53.with the chains that have so many stores, for each of those stores to
:25:54. > :25:57.be clean? Yes. The expectation is that they should be. It is the same
:25:58. > :26:01.for any other food business. It doesn't matter whether to table tops
:26:02. > :26:09.or trays or anything else or the floor, the expectation is that they
:26:10. > :26:13.keep it clean. That may be the expectation, but is it what we
:26:14. > :26:18.found? We tested four key areas in each branch we visited, a table, a
:26:19. > :26:24.trade, a high chair and a sample of ice. Starting with the tables, just
:26:25. > :26:28.one of the ten samples from both Costa and Starbucks had a high
:26:29. > :26:33.bacteria count. Caffe Nero had three. But that is a good result,
:26:34. > :26:36.suggesting that most tables were being regularly cleaned. High chairs
:26:37. > :26:41.came off a little worse. Costa and Nero each had three samples with
:26:42. > :26:47.high bacteria counts, and Starbucks just two. What does a high level of
:26:48. > :26:52.bacteria mean? Bacteria is everywhere, and most bacteria is
:26:53. > :26:58.good. A high level of bacteria is indicative of a possible hygiene
:26:59. > :27:00.failure. So overall, reassuring results on the tables and
:27:01. > :27:05.highchairs, but trays were a different story. Here, our simples
:27:06. > :27:08.frequently showed high bacteria levels, indicating a lack of
:27:09. > :27:15.cleaning. Costa was the exception, with only one dirty tray out of ten.
:27:16. > :27:20.But there were six at Caffe Nero. And in Starbucks, nine out of the
:27:21. > :27:25.ten trays had high bacteria counts. We asked the lab to find out more
:27:26. > :27:28.about the type of bacteria lurking on our trays. Whilst most of the
:27:29. > :27:33.samples tested came back with bacteria that was harmless, three of
:27:34. > :27:38.the six trays from Caffe Nero that had a high bacteria count contained
:27:39. > :27:43.what scientists call faecal coliforms. And at very high levels.
:27:44. > :27:50.Here they are after incubating for a few days in the lab. Absolutely
:27:51. > :27:57.disgusting. What are they? The faecal bid indicates their source.
:27:58. > :28:01.They come from the gut. So what we are also looking at is failure of
:28:02. > :28:10.hygiene in relation to people when they go to the toilet. So you're
:28:11. > :28:14.right, it is disgusting. Is there any risk? Absolutely. If you're
:28:15. > :28:19.exposed to sufficiently high numbers and you ingest it and contaminate
:28:20. > :28:24.yourself by putting your fingers onto surfaces and enter your mouth,
:28:25. > :28:31.there is a risk of illness and disease that flows from that. Should
:28:32. > :28:37.customers be concerned? Absolutely. The expectation is that we go in and
:28:38. > :28:43.we are safe. But the most worrying results were on our samples of ice.
:28:44. > :28:46.Hygiene here is even more important, as unlike the surface areas we
:28:47. > :28:50.tested, ice is something you put straight in your mouth. Ice drinks
:28:51. > :28:54.are a huge growing market for coffee shops, with all three chains
:28:55. > :28:59.launching new ranges this summer. So we were shocked to be told by the
:29:00. > :29:02.lab that nearly half of our ice samples came back with significant
:29:03. > :29:08.levels of not just any old bacteria, but again, those faecal coliforms
:29:09. > :29:14.that Tony says are a real risk. It was in three of the Starbucks iced
:29:15. > :29:17.samples and three of Caffe Nero's. But most alarmingly, seven out of
:29:18. > :29:22.ten of the ice samples from Costa, the biggest coffee chain in the UK,
:29:23. > :29:26.contained significant levels of faecal bacteria. And yes, that is
:29:27. > :29:31.the very eyes used to make those new summer beverages.
:29:32. > :29:39.So many people buy those blended and iced drinks. The levels of faecal
:29:40. > :29:44.bacteria concerns me a lot. In relation to some of the bacteria you
:29:45. > :29:48.found, they are known as opportunistic pathogens, meaning
:29:49. > :29:52.they are dangerous. Pathogens are the source of human disease. And you
:29:53. > :30:01.have significant numbers. So there is concern, they should not be there
:30:02. > :30:04.at any level. In fact, so concerning did Tony consider our findings, that
:30:05. > :30:08.he advised us to contact environmental health for them to
:30:09. > :30:12.investigate further. When we ran the results pass choppers in Manchester
:30:13. > :30:17.they were not impressed. We found high levels of faecal bacteria in
:30:18. > :30:26.the ice cubes. What?! Really?! Seriously. That's disgusting. That's
:30:27. > :30:33.put me off. Wow. I'm not going to finish my drink, am I? STUDIO: That
:30:34. > :30:36.is horrible! How does bacteria get on the ice?
:30:37. > :30:39.They've said the most likely way is probably staff members not
:30:40. > :30:41.washing their hands properly after going to the loo,
:30:42. > :30:51.Did you ever imagine I would ask you to scoop some ice? Do this for me.
:30:52. > :30:54.So we've got an ice machine here, similar to the ones used
:30:55. > :30:58.And if you want to give it a go, you'll see
:30:59. > :31:01.if you're not careful, it's easy to end up getting your
:31:02. > :31:03.If you haven't washed your hands properly,
:31:04. > :31:06.even if you don't end up touching the ice, you'll have
:31:07. > :31:08.touched the scoop - which does touch the ice.
:31:09. > :31:10.So what are they going to do about it?
:31:11. > :31:14.Costa think the contamination is down to the ice scoop being stored
:31:15. > :31:18.with the ice. They have taken immediate action.
:31:19. > :31:20.Updating their ice handling guide to provide very specific operational
:31:21. > :31:23.guidelines, which include storing the ice scoop outside the ice well.
:31:24. > :31:25.They've sent that to all their branches, and are also
:31:26. > :31:29.in the process of sending out new ice scoop holders.
:31:30. > :31:33.The stores we visited have already received those,
:31:34. > :31:35.and additionally had all their equipment deep cleaned
:31:36. > :31:43.They have done lots about it, what about Starbucks and Caffe Nero?
:31:44. > :31:45.All three chains have been very proactive on this.
:31:46. > :31:47.They've stressed how importantly they take hygiene and cleanliness,
:31:48. > :31:49.highlighting the high ratings most branches achieve on this,
:31:50. > :31:51.and outlining their processes to ensure everything
:31:52. > :31:57.Caffe Nero and Starbucks told us they've moved quickly
:31:58. > :32:01.Caffe Nero promises appropriate action will be taken.
:32:02. > :32:07.And Starbucks says all employees nationwide have
:32:08. > :32:09.received updated training, not just on the ice -
:32:10. > :32:11.which it says staff should never touch by hand -
:32:12. > :32:26.And wash your hands when you go to the toilet. Good work by the swap
:32:27. > :32:28.mob. Good luck if you were watching that while eating your teeth. The
:32:29. > :32:33.Schmidt eating your tea. And our Swab Mob hasn't just
:32:34. > :32:35.been swabbing cafes. We'll be revealing the dirty secrets
:32:36. > :32:38.of a different industry next week. Is the airline deliberately
:32:39. > :32:41.splitting up passengers who didn't In tonight's Rogue Traders,
:32:42. > :32:46.we're having a look at EnergySave of Ilkeston, Derbyshire -
:32:47. > :32:48.not to be confused with They offer an external wall
:32:49. > :32:53.paint that they claim can knock up to 35% off
:32:54. > :32:55.your heating bills. Our undercover operative
:32:56. > :33:00.David is working there. And he's about to put them well
:33:01. > :33:11.and truly in the picture. Training manager Phil Eremenko is
:33:12. > :33:12.teaching our undercover stooge how to make the right first
:33:13. > :33:24.impression... How does a nice salesman get into an
:33:25. > :33:41.old lady's house? Would a vampire tell customers about
:33:42. > :33:42.their rights to a cooling off period? It's in the company's
:33:43. > :33:52.training literature? You wouldn't want them knowing they
:33:53. > :33:56.have a legal right to change their minds about forking out thousands of
:33:57. > :34:03.pounds. What about the product they sell? The manager will now
:34:04. > :34:04.demonstrate the benefits of the product in a clear and concise
:34:05. > :34:43.manner, super easy to follow. Clearly that all makes sense! I'm
:34:44. > :34:52.utterly convinced. Apparently, he isn't.
:34:53. > :34:57.Unbelievable, but it's a claim printed in their training materials.
:34:58. > :35:06.Next he gives us a pretty confusing demonstration. Look at that. What is
:35:07. > :35:12.that showing us? We need an expert. Barry Cross knows everything about
:35:13. > :35:14.walls. If Oasis had only spoken to him before they wrote Wonderwall,
:35:15. > :35:20.they wouldn't be wondering any more. What does he make of EnergySave's
:35:21. > :35:24.demonstration kit? What we are supposed to do here, the water is
:35:25. > :35:30.being absorbed on this site, but this side with the product on it,
:35:31. > :35:37.they are standing proud like duels. The water is being absorbed into the
:35:38. > :35:42.brick and then will evaporate out again and that's the design of every
:35:43. > :35:46.house brick in the country. Is there any way at all that some kind of
:35:47. > :35:51.external cream can improve the thermal qualities of a brick wall?
:35:52. > :35:56.It simply doesn't, in my view, improve the insulation to the wall.
:35:57. > :36:00.So if we were to find a traditionally built brick house
:36:01. > :36:04.without any problems from damp or anything else, there would be no
:36:05. > :36:09.need for a product like this? Absolutely no need at all. In that
:36:10. > :36:15.case, that's what we'll do. Have you seen our house? We called out and
:36:16. > :36:22.EnergySave salesman. Barry is ready. Through the door comes the salesman
:36:23. > :36:23.Rob Atwood, one of EnergySave's top guys. What exactly is he trying to
:36:24. > :36:30.sell us? Unbelievable, completely
:36:31. > :37:12.unbelievable. But this house is very well
:37:13. > :37:18.insulated, so why would we need this? That's enough sitting around.
:37:19. > :37:19.Rob needs to check the walls. He has some bad news about the state of the
:37:20. > :37:46.brickwork. But that's exactly what you do,
:37:47. > :37:46.isn't it, Rob? What's the damage to our wallet for this unnecessary
:37:47. > :38:02.products? Really! I'm struggling with that to
:38:03. > :38:29.be honest. That's your cue to leave, mate. But
:38:30. > :38:35.he doesn't leave, instead he makes a call to a manager in his office.
:38:36. > :38:41.What?! His manager, surprise surprise, has come back with a
:38:42. > :39:06.fantastic offer. That's a shame! After 62 minutes,
:39:07. > :39:31.he's still here. I thought he'd never give up. Here's
:39:32. > :39:35.a question, has this salesman decided to sell this way all by
:39:36. > :39:41.himself, or is he receiving messages from above? Training Guru Phil
:39:42. > :39:56.Eremenko gives our undercover operative the drill.
:39:57. > :40:03.That's cleared that up! There is no tomorrow for elderly people in their
:40:04. > :40:07.own homes to have a bit more time to make huge financial decisions. Back
:40:08. > :40:14.in the house, what does Barry think? This is a house in good condition,
:40:15. > :40:20.well insulated. Why would they try to sell us a product for ?4000 that
:40:21. > :40:28.would have no significant benefit? Albee honest, I don't really know!
:40:29. > :40:33.-- I will be honest. It beats me. I guess the bosses fancy cars don't
:40:34. > :40:39.pay for themselves. The Bentley, Maserati and Ferrari. He even has a
:40:40. > :40:41.Ferrari coffee cup, which he didn't appreciate our undercover operative
:40:42. > :40:50.drinking at all! Nothing like the threat of physical
:40:51. > :40:58.violence to make the new boy feel welcome. STUDIO: I'm certainly
:40:59. > :41:05.looking forward to meeting him in person in about ten minutes! Nikki
:41:06. > :41:11.Fox, what's in the inbox? Smart meters have struck a chord with
:41:12. > :41:15.everybody on social media. A lot of people asking, are smart meters
:41:16. > :41:24.compulsory? They are not compulsory, but they have benefits. Regarding
:41:25. > :41:33.our delightful coffee. I imagine that's got everybody going. Tracy
:41:34. > :41:35.sums it up when she says, yuck yuck. Product safety in people's minds.
:41:36. > :41:38.And Darryl Tallantyre is one of the people to contact us
:41:39. > :41:41.about the fridge freezer that's been linked to the horrendous
:41:42. > :41:45.He wants to know if manufacturer Hotpoint can reassure the 64,000
:41:46. > :41:52.The company's told us it's working with the authorities to get access
:41:53. > :41:55.to the appliance to assist with the ongoing investigations,
:41:56. > :41:58.and it can't speculate on further details at this time.
:41:59. > :42:00.But it says anyone who believes they have either
:42:01. > :42:06.the FF175 BP or BG models - manufactured by Indesit
:42:07. > :42:14.between 2006 and 2009 - can call Freephone 0800 316 3826
:42:15. > :42:18.to register their details so the company can contact them
:42:19. > :42:25.And that is one of the benefits of registering, that
:42:26. > :42:28.if there is a problem with a model you own, they can get
:42:29. > :42:30.in touch, repair it, recall it, whatever it takes.
:42:31. > :42:37.I thought airlines were supposed to bring people together.
:42:38. > :42:39.You've been hearing from people who feel that Ryanair has
:42:40. > :42:49.We have our own airline going on here. People asking for duty-free.
:42:50. > :42:52.Yes, Ryanair is a company that's no stranger to controversy,
:42:53. > :42:55.You might remember back in 2014, the airline
:42:56. > :42:57.promised to change its ways with its Always Getting
:42:58. > :43:01.As part of this, it brought in allocated seating
:43:02. > :43:03.to stop the free-for-all when you get on board.
:43:04. > :43:06.So you either pay to guarantee where you sit, or you don't
:43:07. > :43:13.and you're allocated seating at check-in from whatever's left.
:43:14. > :43:19.We have some Ryanair customers with us. Appropriately named Ryan. You
:43:20. > :43:23.were a big fan of them but you are now getting annoyed. We would fly
:43:24. > :43:27.maybe once or twice a month and checking in a couple of days before
:43:28. > :43:32.flying. Every time everybody in the booking was getting sat together.
:43:33. > :43:37.Maybe a couple of months ago, opposite ends of the plane.
:43:38. > :43:43.Literally. You have noticed a real change then. Why not pay for
:43:44. > :43:48.allocated seating? It's kind of not the point. I feel like it's a bit
:43:49. > :43:52.deceitful. Just a couple of days before you fly you then have to pay
:43:53. > :43:57.for each person to sit next to each other. Linda, you went with your
:43:58. > :44:01.mates to Barcelona. What happened? Again, I went to check us in online.
:44:02. > :44:05.For the last three years we have flown to Barcelona as a group of six
:44:06. > :44:09.and each time we got seats together. This time all six of us were middle
:44:10. > :44:15.seats separated through the plane. That must have been a nightmare!
:44:16. > :44:20.Shouting at each other. But we still had a fantastic time. And you are
:44:21. > :44:24.still recovering! Philip, you have worked in the industry a long time.
:44:25. > :44:28.You and your wife were separated on a flight to stop that's right. We
:44:29. > :44:31.booked in at the first opportunity on the same booking reference. The
:44:32. > :44:37.seats came up and we were at opposite ends of the aircraft. Was
:44:38. > :44:41.that a good or bad thing? I did ask if she wanted to pay the extra. She
:44:42. > :44:47.did say yes! Given your experience in the industry, using its not
:44:48. > :44:51.right? It's totally not right, it has to be a deliberate ploy. Even
:44:52. > :44:54.randomly seating, it's not going to keep happening. We have put it to
:44:55. > :44:57.the test. Over the last few weeks, dozens
:44:58. > :45:00.of you have been in touch convinced there's been a change in how Ryanair
:45:01. > :45:03.allocates its seats. So to put that to the test, we
:45:04. > :45:13.booked some flights for ourselves. We booked a group of four
:45:14. > :45:17.researchers onto four separate flights. Right from the off, we
:45:18. > :45:22.could see from the plan of the website which seats were free. But
:45:23. > :45:25.we didn't pay the extra fee to reserve any together. Instead, we
:45:26. > :45:31.opted to be allocated seats once the online check-in opened, four days
:45:32. > :45:35.before departure. Our first flight was from Manchester to Brussels.
:45:36. > :45:39.Just before check-in, the seat plan clearly had plenty of empty seats
:45:40. > :45:44.available, shown here in blue. Despite that, a group of four were
:45:45. > :45:51.all given seats entirely separately, scattered in middle seats across the
:45:52. > :45:54.plain, shown here in green. Right up to boarding, we could have paid
:45:55. > :45:58.extra to move seats and all be together. Perhaps that is what
:45:59. > :46:03.Ryanair hoped we might do after splitting us up. But because we
:46:04. > :46:07.didn't do that, we were left sitting apart. Even though, as you can see,
:46:08. > :46:13.on the flight itself there were still empty seats beside us. The
:46:14. > :46:16.same was true on the return flight. When we checked in, all four
:46:17. > :46:20.researchers were split across the plain in middle seats, despite
:46:21. > :46:23.they're still being loads of seats available together. And talking to
:46:24. > :46:29.fellow passengers, it was clear we were not the only ones to find that.
:46:30. > :46:33.There were seats, but it is like they deliberately don't sit you
:46:34. > :46:36.together so you are forced to pay. That is not fat. If they have seats
:46:37. > :46:41.available together, let us check in together. We also booked return
:46:42. > :46:47.flight to Dublin. Again, the team were spread throughout the plane, or
:46:48. > :46:50.on a middle seat. But there had been plenty of seats together we could
:46:51. > :46:54.have been allocated at the time we checked in. A travel agent Lofton
:46:55. > :47:01.books groups onto flights reckons she can pinpoint the exact date when
:47:02. > :47:04.things changed - David 50 this year. So will Ryanair admit to
:47:05. > :47:07.deliberately separating people on its planes -- May the 5th, this
:47:08. > :47:08.year. So, four flights,
:47:09. > :47:09.four researchers. All split into middle
:47:10. > :47:11.seats across the plane. With us is Dr Jennifer Rogers,
:47:12. > :47:15.a statistician at the What are the chances this
:47:16. > :47:21.was just random allocation? I looked at the number of window,
:47:22. > :47:24.aisle and middle seats available at the time of check-in for each
:47:25. > :47:28.of your flights and using this data was able to calculate the chances
:47:29. > :47:31.of all four being given middle seats on all four flights
:47:32. > :47:34.under random allocation. This probability works out to be
:47:35. > :47:40.around 1 to 540 million If you consider your chances
:47:41. > :47:45.of winning the jackpot on the National Lottery are around 1
:47:46. > :47:48.to 45 million, this means that you are more than 10 times more
:47:49. > :47:51.likely to win the lottery than you are for this scenario
:47:52. > :47:53.to happen just by chance. So there's more chance of winning
:47:54. > :47:56.the lottery 10 times. I met up with Ryanair's head
:47:57. > :48:19.of marketing, Kenny Jacobs, Well, we will be finding out what
:48:20. > :48:24.the boss of Ryanair... I wonder if he has done a runner? Don't worry, I
:48:25. > :48:29.pre-recorded it and he is definitely there. But it is interesting about
:48:30. > :48:35.the numbers. We have got him. Here is Kenny. Kenny, why do you separate
:48:36. > :48:40.people who are travelling together when there are seats available next
:48:41. > :48:44.to them? We don't separate people travelling together. There is no
:48:45. > :48:48.smoking gun to this story. Our policy has been the same since 2014,
:48:49. > :48:55.when we introduced reserved seating. That policy has not changed. What is
:48:56. > :49:00.happening at the moment is two things. We are about to enter the
:49:01. > :49:02.peak of the summer travel season, when our flights are at their
:49:03. > :49:07.fullest. So our average load factor is 95% but in the pick of summer,
:49:08. > :49:13.all of our flights are very full. Over the past few years, more and
:49:14. > :49:17.more of Ryanair customers are wanting to reserve seats. When
:49:18. > :49:20.people reserve seats, the number one seat they prefer is window seats and
:49:21. > :49:24.then I'll seats. Several customers who don't choose to reserve a seat,
:49:25. > :49:29.the seat they will be randomly allocated is most likely... Randomly
:49:30. > :49:32.allocated is what I am concerned about because we had four
:49:33. > :49:36.researchers travelling on four flights. On none of those flights
:49:37. > :49:41.were they sitting together, yet when they checked in, there were seats
:49:42. > :49:43.available next to them. That is not random. We ate a statistician about
:49:44. > :49:49.the survey said the chances of that being random is one in 543 million.
:49:50. > :49:58.Something has changed. I am not going to get into stats. It is run.
:49:59. > :50:05.-- it is random. But the complaint have increased. Four is a small
:50:06. > :50:08.number. Every day, Ryanair carries over 400,000 people. We are not
:50:09. > :50:12.seeing a big increase in complaints. It is simply the time of year which
:50:13. > :50:16.is at the busiest peak of travel and more and more people are choosing to
:50:17. > :50:21.reserve seats. The kids under 12, they get free reserved seats. So if
:50:22. > :50:26.you have a family with kids under 12, they go for free. The parents
:50:27. > :50:31.will just have to reserve a seat. But surely it is not random, because
:50:32. > :50:34.it is happening too often. Over the past three years, we have introduced
:50:35. > :50:39.the Always Getting Better programme. We have changed more for our
:50:40. > :50:43.customers than any other airline. We have introduced reserved seating.
:50:44. > :50:49.Are you trying to make more money out of them? Then we would simply
:50:50. > :50:53.increase the fares. Ryanair have a reputation for bad customer service.
:50:54. > :50:56.It feels like you are being dead nasty. Why can't people who check in
:50:57. > :51:05.together sit together? The majority of our customers asked if they could
:51:06. > :51:10.pick the seats they want. But why can't the people who have not picked
:51:11. > :51:14.them sit together? Villa then why have reserved seating for the other
:51:15. > :51:17.customers? This is not about annoying customers. We have stopped
:51:18. > :51:22.doing that. This is about most of our customers wanting to reserve a
:51:23. > :51:27.seat. They mostly want to reserve a window seat or an aisle seat. In the
:51:28. > :51:29.peak summer months, there are less seats to be allocated to those
:51:30. > :51:33.farmers who want a random seat. If they don't like a seat, all they
:51:34. > :51:40.have to do is pay 2 euros to reserve a seat. Our average fare in the UK
:51:41. > :51:45.is ?35. So it is about having the lowest fares and letting customers
:51:46. > :51:46.choose the seat that they want. Kenny, thank you for explaining
:51:47. > :51:51.this. There you go, Watchdog really is
:51:52. > :51:59.life. Next though, take your
:52:00. > :52:01.allocated seat for our final visit to EnergySave -
:52:02. > :52:03.the company you'll recall that's admitted to making false claims
:52:04. > :52:14.and targetting old ladies. Out there, Derbyshire. In here, we
:52:15. > :52:19.are getting ready to go to the offices of EnergySave the meet,
:52:20. > :52:26.hopefully, Jason Rowan and talk to him about his company. Serious
:52:27. > :52:30.questions coming up. By the time and EnergySave's Bossa arrives, we are
:52:31. > :52:34.parked up and ready to meet him. Jason Rowan, Matt Allwright, BBC
:52:35. > :52:39.rogue traders, how are you? You when a despicable company that targets
:52:40. > :52:41.the over 55s. We have seen evidence that you take people with
:52:42. > :52:47.Alzheimer's and take money from them and even when you are aware that
:52:48. > :52:50.they have Alzheimer's, you go back for another go and try and get money
:52:51. > :52:56.out of them. If that anyway to a business? Is the only way you have
:52:57. > :53:00.paid for your Bentley and your Maserati and your Ferrari by taking
:53:01. > :53:05.money from vulnerable people and targeting the over 55s? Let me carry
:53:06. > :53:08.on talking to you. You have aggressive sales practices, trying
:53:09. > :53:17.to sell people things they will never need. Let me talk. Go ahead.
:53:18. > :53:28.We have witnessed your policies. Misleading sales practices. Why
:53:29. > :53:33.would we hide our conversation from the British public, who need to
:53:34. > :53:41.understand the way you operate? It is despicable. The way you are
:53:42. > :53:46.taking money from vulnerable people. Customers are happy with the
:53:47. > :53:53.product. But you are massively misleading about the energy-saving
:53:54. > :54:00.bills. It saves up to 30%. You can't believe that. It is a paint that
:54:01. > :54:06.goes on the outside. Your science is rubbish. Says you. Yes, because that
:54:07. > :54:10.is what experts told us. We also say the way you sell this product is
:54:11. > :54:15.shameful. What we have heard is that a woman with Alzheimer's was visited
:54:16. > :54:19.by one of your sales reps. The carer was there on the sales rep was told
:54:20. > :54:24.to go away. Somebody from your company then came back and completed
:54:25. > :54:28.the deal afterwards. I am astounded by that. You have to take
:54:29. > :54:33.responsibility for the actions of this company. I take responsibility.
:54:34. > :54:39.We have witnessed one of your leading sales men behaving in a
:54:40. > :54:43.pressure sales manner. He sat with a woman and even when she said, I need
:54:44. > :54:48.to think about this, he pushed on. He made the phone call to the
:54:49. > :54:52.manager, classic technique. And you are presumably continuing to reward
:54:53. > :54:57.bad behaviour. It all comes back to you because it is your company. Do
:54:58. > :55:03.you understand that? What are you going to do? I am going to look into
:55:04. > :55:11.it. You have taken me unawares. This is happening every day. And it all
:55:12. > :55:18.comes back to you. No further comment. Who are you? That is my
:55:19. > :55:22.general manager. We do have is we have been asked, but how can Jason
:55:23. > :55:26.really have no idea what his sales team gets up to? As you could see in
:55:27. > :55:29.there, Jason Rowan tries to separate himself from the company and the
:55:30. > :55:33.culture we have seen, a culture which is making life a misery for a
:55:34. > :55:38.lot of people for whom it is already difficult. We are not prepared to
:55:39. > :55:40.let that continue. That's why we wanted to get the message through to
:55:41. > :55:43.EnergySave today. Well, Jason Rowan, Energysave's
:55:44. > :55:45.director, has since told us he's extremely concerned
:55:46. > :55:47.about our allegations, which he insists are not
:55:48. > :55:49.representative of the way claiming that the people
:55:50. > :55:53.we featured in the film were mainly subcontractors,
:55:54. > :55:55.and that he's suspended relationships with them
:55:56. > :55:56.while he carries out significantly in training its sales
:55:57. > :56:02.reps to ensure such issues don't arise -
:56:03. > :56:04.and he doesn't condone racist or manipulative behaviour by anyone
:56:05. > :56:06.associated with the company. And he still says the product
:56:07. > :56:09.is scientifically proven to work, sending evidence which
:56:10. > :56:11.he says backs that up. However, there is something
:56:12. > :56:17.else quite troubling. EnergySave were signed up as members
:56:18. > :56:22.of the Which Trusted Trader scheme, which is supposed to vet
:56:23. > :56:26.the businesses you deal with. They had investigated
:56:27. > :56:28.and expelled EnergySave But the question remains,
:56:29. > :56:33.how did they get signed Which told us it carries
:56:34. > :56:40.out multiple checks before endorsing a trader,
:56:41. > :56:43.and then make regular assessments to ensure ongoing compliance,
:56:44. > :56:45.and ensure people stick However, if you've experienced
:56:46. > :56:49.a Which Trusted Trader or a member of any approval scheme
:56:50. > :57:05.that we should know Now, we are getting lots of
:57:06. > :57:10.comments. Please keep getting in touch. Go to the website,
:57:11. > :57:11.bbc.co.uk/watchdog. Just click where it
:57:12. > :57:14.says "Send us a story". Or if you want to send us
:57:15. > :57:16.a letter, the address Thanks to everyone who's been
:57:17. > :57:20.in touch while we've been live I have been working my socks off and
:57:21. > :57:31.I am not even wearing them. What are the highlights
:57:32. > :57:44.and low lights? On Twitter, lots of people are not
:57:45. > :57:48.convinced by Ryanair's answer. Declan says four couples flying to
:57:49. > :57:51.the same location with Ryanair were all allocated random middle seats,
:57:52. > :57:58.separately even though there are three seats next to them. And Kay
:57:59. > :58:02.said, glad Watchdog is talking about smart meters. We have had nothing
:58:03. > :58:08.but problems. There have been a few of those coming in about smart
:58:09. > :58:12.meters. If anyone is having problems with that, it is worth getting in
:58:13. > :58:19.touch with good or bad experiences. It is not all about the bad stuff.
:58:20. > :58:21.And the coffee story? I thought there would be a few more hashtags.
:58:22. > :58:24.We'll be back live at 8 o'clock next Wednesday
:58:25. > :58:27.with a test to see if one of Britain's biggest names
:58:28. > :58:30.is offering new customers a service it knows it can?t deliver.
:58:31. > :58:33.And Nick Hewer will be asking if the banks always play fair
:58:34. > :58:35.with people who've been scammed out of tens of thousands of pounds.
:58:36. > :58:52.We're not going to get out of this one, are we?