:00:13. > :00:22.You're watching X-ray. Have you seen this man? He is David Foster.
:00:22. > :00:28.This is his ban but his customers cannot find him anywhere.
:00:28. > :00:33.New ID is now back in the spotlight. Photographs sent to non-customers.
:00:33. > :00:43.The sponsor the weather but PV Solar solutions have not got any
:00:43. > :00:52.
:00:52. > :00:58.sunshine into this couple's waves. Plenty coming upon tonight's
:00:58. > :01:08.programme. Rachel has the story of a bathroom fitter who has left
:01:08. > :01:12.
:01:12. > :01:16.disappointed customers. When you are looking for someone to
:01:16. > :01:25.install bathroom suite, it is hard to know who will do it. How can you
:01:25. > :01:28.find someone you can rely on? Lot of people ask their bathroom
:01:28. > :01:36.supplier or a recommendation. Customers who found their bathroom
:01:36. > :01:40.fitter do Bath store have been left disappointed. Des Hunt from
:01:40. > :01:46.Anglesey port a suite from a store or ME. He asked if the doll --
:01:46. > :01:56.store could suggest a tradesman. spot to the manager. He gave three
:01:56. > :02:01.
:02:01. > :02:05.names. He told us this man had done work for him. Des was Sean a
:02:05. > :02:13.portfolio at a stall with pictures of David Foster hard at work in
:02:13. > :02:20.other customers' warns. A few days later, David Foster arrived to
:02:20. > :02:29.assess what was to be done. He gave us a court which we were happy mess.
:02:29. > :02:39.He gave us a date to start. We paid the deposit, �200 and everything
:02:39. > :02:40.
:02:40. > :02:45.seemed fine. As soon as David Foster started, a la bells rang.
:02:45. > :02:52.started and he said -- I said the wife wanted it this way. He did
:02:52. > :02:59.things the way he wanted not to we I wanted. He asked to be paid as
:02:59. > :03:08.the work progressed. Soon he had paid over 1,500 pounds. He had to
:03:08. > :03:15.question the standard of work. You have 30 jobs the damage? Yes. The
:03:15. > :03:23.water tank in the loft, that leaked. He put his feet through one of the
:03:23. > :03:32.ceilings. That is the water damage in the ceiling in my son's bedroom.
:03:32. > :03:42.The paint has bubbled. Those are the scratch marks. No one had had a
:03:42. > :03:43.
:03:43. > :03:52.bath in it. What did he say? said we must have done it. This is
:03:52. > :03:57.meant to be flush with the bath but it is now and then shout. When he
:03:57. > :04:04.tried to contact David Foster, he received a surprising response.
:04:04. > :04:10.text and him to look at the damage. And he would not answer. The
:04:10. > :04:15.following day, we got a phone call from Bath store and David Foster
:04:15. > :04:20.said he was not going back to the job. He went back to the store that
:04:20. > :04:25.had recommended him to make them aware of what had gone wrong. He
:04:25. > :04:31.did not want anyone else to go through this. The manager said,
:04:31. > :04:39.they would not use him again and they were taken off the list of
:04:39. > :04:49.plumbers that they recommend. order not recommend David Foster,
:04:49. > :04:53.right? Think again. John Butcher wanted to renovate his bathroom. He
:04:53. > :05:03.asked Bath store who supplied the sweet for the name of a local
:05:03. > :05:10.tradesman. The person who was most recommended was David Foster, David
:05:10. > :05:16.Foster Home Improvements Limited. We looked no further. He came with
:05:16. > :05:22.a good reputation for Bastock -- from Bath store. David Foster said
:05:22. > :05:32.it would cost �5,500. Work would stop when the family was a week on
:05:32. > :05:34.
:05:34. > :05:42.holiday. I paid �4,500. I thought and David to make sure everything
:05:42. > :05:52.was in order. I cannot get hold of him. I phoned Bath store and told
:05:52. > :05:52.
:05:52. > :05:58.them. They confirmed David Foster had ceased trading. I felt angry.
:05:58. > :06:08.David Foster has let unhappy customers across North Wales. Later
:06:08. > :06:10.
:06:10. > :06:18.in the programme, I will be trying to track him down. This time, it is
:06:18. > :06:28.New ID causing problems. And the past few months, we have
:06:28. > :06:35.
:06:35. > :06:40.heard from women disappointed by a trip to New ID. Previous viewers
:06:40. > :06:49.complained about pressure selling on the day, for one woman, the
:06:49. > :06:57.problem was getting her pictures. When Sian Morris brought her friend
:06:57. > :07:04.a make-over package, she was keen to make the most of it. My mother's
:07:04. > :07:12.80th birthday was coming up and it was a special birthday. I wanted to
:07:12. > :07:22.buy an album for her. With this present in mind, Chan contacted New
:07:22. > :07:23.
:07:23. > :07:30.ID. She paid to �25 in deposits and was sold a 100 pined package.
:07:30. > :07:40.enjoyed it. It was a nice day. We got her hair done and had a but --
:07:40. > :07:41.
:07:41. > :07:51.had a make-over. At the end, we had to choose our autos. She left after
:07:51. > :07:53.
:07:53. > :07:59.purchasing two extra Fortrose. Her friend ordered 90. She spent a
:07:59. > :08:09.total of 1399p. She said she made it clear everything needed to
:08:09. > :08:11.
:08:11. > :08:18.arrive by 2nd October. They said it would be three weeks. I was told on
:08:18. > :08:25.the day, they would come in one day. They came on five separate
:08:25. > :08:35.occasions. The first package was not right. The retouching was not
:08:35. > :08:35.
:08:35. > :08:44.done. Another Ronald arrived with the wrong photograph -- photographs.
:08:44. > :08:50.There was no sign of my mother's photographs. I picked the pawn up
:08:50. > :08:57.and had no joy. Album she ordered for her mother arrived on October
:08:57. > :09:07.10th. It was too late. I broke my heart over it. I told my mother I
:09:07. > :09:14.had a special present but it did not come. I had to get her normal
:09:14. > :09:23.present. It's to add insult to injury, when she checked her order,
:09:23. > :09:33.some of the photos were not hers. 56 photographs are someone else's
:09:33. > :09:36.
:09:36. > :09:41.wedding photographs. I would love to find out who these people are. I
:09:41. > :09:48.was speechless. All the money I spent, not having my Fortrose, I
:09:49. > :09:53.did not know where to turn. New ID receive a cannot find a reasonable
:09:53. > :09:59.explanation. The apologise and there investigating. They say they
:09:59. > :10:07.should never have promised delivery by October 2nd. They say they will
:10:07. > :10:15.follow this up with staff. New ID will not refund the money. They
:10:15. > :10:21.have offered a second photo-shoot. If you recognise those photos, get
:10:21. > :10:29.in touch. Last week, I was finding out about the number of public
:10:29. > :10:33.toilets in Wales. Quite a few of you have strong views. One viewer
:10:33. > :10:39.said there is this shortage of toilets and Swansea. He suggests
:10:39. > :10:45.councils should do away with Lord Mayor's and keep toilet soap and
:10:45. > :10:52.instead. Another viewer told us about it comforts scheme. You can
:10:52. > :10:56.use the toilet in cafes and pubs that display a sign like this.
:10:56. > :11:06.Another viewer let us know what about a Web site that tell you
:11:06. > :11:10.
:11:10. > :11:13.where public toilets are. Please Lucy it is that a solar Park.
:11:14. > :11:23.The solar panels here are generating energy on an industrial
:11:23. > :11:30.scale. With rising energy costs, lots of us are investing in them.
:11:30. > :11:37.It pays to do your research before you buy.
:11:37. > :11:45.PV Solar solutions looks like a kind of company Wales needs. The
:11:45. > :11:53.sponsors of S4C's whether he is one of Britain's fastest growing as
:11:53. > :12:01.energy companies. They have just moved to Cardiff be. In these
:12:01. > :12:11.difficult times, PV Solar solutions are engaged economic bit of news.
:12:11. > :12:13.
:12:13. > :12:18.For some customers, it is not a happy story. They were bad news for
:12:18. > :12:26.teachers Brian and Lynn Lewis. They wanted to make a green investment.
:12:26. > :12:33.We were interested for a while. We saw something online that would
:12:33. > :12:41.mean companies would get in touch. They made an appointment and the
:12:41. > :12:50.salesman came round. What were your impressions? He seemed to be
:12:50. > :12:57.looking for the best deal -- deal he Kent. I may be gullible but I
:12:57. > :13:07.thought he was a genuine block. couple agreed to buy a 21 panels
:13:07. > :13:09.
:13:09. > :13:14.for �10,900. Alarm bells rang when the surveyor turned up. It was then
:13:14. > :13:21.that we started to feel uneasy. We were not happy with the surveyor
:13:21. > :13:31.and what he did. What made you uneasy? When he came in, he did not
:13:31. > :13:31.
:13:31. > :13:41.know where North South East West was. He was disorientated and he
:13:41. > :13:45.
:13:45. > :13:50.sorted himself out. He took Fortrose. The company denied he was
:13:50. > :13:59.unprofessional but there is no disputing the importance of a good
:13:59. > :14:09.service. This is a solar panel it is a high-tech piece of kept. If I
:14:09. > :14:09.
:14:09. > :14:16.move it 10 degrees, it can lose 4% So knowing where north and south
:14:17. > :14:19.are is pretty fundamental. We showed Bryan and Lynne's survey to
:14:20. > :14:24.an industry expert, who said it would have been fine for a
:14:24. > :14:27.straightforward installation. But this wasn't a straightforward
:14:27. > :14:32.installation. It was spread over three roofs which made the
:14:32. > :14:38.calculations far more complicated. The paperwork doesn't show separate
:14:38. > :14:41.calculations for the three roofs, which experts say is essential. But
:14:41. > :14:48.although they never told the couple this, the company now say they were
:14:48. > :14:51.intending to make these calculations during a third visit.
:14:51. > :14:58.And it wasn't just the quality of the survey which worried Bryan and
:14:58. > :15:02.Lynne - it was the delay in getting the panels installed. He said it
:15:02. > :15:06.would be up and running by the end of the month. So at the beginning
:15:06. > :15:09.of August, he said it would be at the end of the month. So at the end
:15:09. > :15:14.of August, what was happening? Nothing. So they rang and spoke to
:15:14. > :15:17.company boss Paul Hughes. He told me that there was a problem because
:15:17. > :15:20.of the size of the installation they had actually got to apply for
:15:20. > :15:23.permission to Western Poweer, and they hadn't realised this.
:15:23. > :15:26.Now, Lynne and Bryan paid their deposits on August 2nd.
:15:26. > :15:29.But for a whole month, the company did nothing to to get those
:15:29. > :15:32.permissions. It was only on September 1st that they phoned
:15:32. > :15:37.Western Power. That day, the company boss Paul Hughes said he'd
:15:37. > :15:44.applied to install the system. He insists this is the case. But
:15:44. > :15:47.Western Power say they didn't get an application until October 7th.
:15:47. > :15:54.That was nine weeks after the company took the couple's deposit
:15:54. > :15:59.of more than �2,500. With the delays and their worries about the
:16:00. > :16:03.survey, the couple decided to demand their money back. He flatly
:16:03. > :16:08.refused and said you are not having your deposit back. We are very
:16:08. > :16:13.angry about it, obviously. And when he wrote to cancel, he got no reply.
:16:13. > :16:15.How did that make you feel? Angry. But I think it confirmed our
:16:16. > :16:20.opinion of the firm, that they were not...perhaps reputable is the
:16:20. > :16:25.wrong word, but we were very very disappointed with them. So where
:16:25. > :16:29.does that leave Bryan and Lynne? The Office of Fair Trading has
:16:29. > :16:33.approved a code of conduct for companies like PV Solar. It's
:16:33. > :16:36.called the Real Assurance Customer Code. It says that if a customers
:16:36. > :16:41.cancels their contract, the company can only keep money for any work
:16:41. > :16:49.they've already done. And Real Assurance have asked PV Solar to
:16:49. > :16:55.give the couple their money back. And even they have got nowhere.
:16:55. > :17:01.Real Assurance seem frustrated with PV Solar. In one email, an official
:17:01. > :17:05.says she's very concerned about their actions. The way the company
:17:05. > :17:08.treated the Bryan and Lynne seems to be at odds with the glossy image
:17:08. > :17:11.they are trying to build. PV Solar Solutions could have broken several
:17:11. > :17:14.parts of the industry's consumer code in this case. They've refused
:17:14. > :17:21.refunds, failed to answer inquiries and failed to give a written
:17:21. > :17:28.timetable for carrying out the work. All this has left Brian and Lynne
:17:28. > :17:38.almost �3,000 out of pocket, and very disappointed. Angry,
:17:38. > :17:40.
:17:40. > :17:43.frustrated. It's a case of once bitten, twice shy. I would be very
:17:43. > :17:50.reluctant to look at other firms because of a experiences with this
:17:50. > :17:52.one. Disappointing for them. Any response from the company? PV Solar
:17:52. > :17:55.Solutions say they never gave any guarantees about when the panels
:17:55. > :17:58.would be fitted - even though the industry guidelines say a timetable
:17:58. > :18:01.should be agreed when the contract is signed. They pride themselves on
:18:01. > :18:05.the service they provide, and they're striving to be a market
:18:05. > :18:08.leader. And they add that the surveyor needed to ask questions
:18:08. > :18:11.about the direction the house faces because the legacy of heavy
:18:11. > :18:14.industry in South Wales can affect the reading of a compass. But
:18:14. > :18:22.there's some good news for the Lewis's - PV Solar Solutions have
:18:22. > :18:25.agreed, as a gesture of goodwill, to a full refund of �2,725.
:18:25. > :18:35.Although they say they've done nothing to warrant the return of
:18:35. > :18:44.
:18:44. > :18:47.the deposit. Next - Lucy's on the Jane Type from Merthyr Tydfil chose
:18:47. > :18:53.a reputable local company when she was looking for a new shower but a
:18:53. > :18:58.year of problems mean she's had anything but quality service. I'm
:18:58. > :19:03.on the case. I spent well over �1,000 on a new shower but it's
:19:03. > :19:09.still not working properly and the company won't help me. Oh, dear,
:19:09. > :19:14.time for a trip to Merthyr Tydfil. In April 2010, Jane and her husband
:19:14. > :19:18.decided to splash out on a new shower. So Jane, tell me why you
:19:18. > :19:21.wanted to get a new shower in the first place. I had one hip
:19:21. > :19:25.replacement three years ago and was due to have another hip replacement,
:19:25. > :19:33.so I thought before I have this second one done, I'll get myself a
:19:33. > :19:37.bigger shower with a wider opening for easier access. And did it take
:19:37. > :19:43.long to find a shower you liked? looked around and went to local
:19:43. > :19:47.suppliers and I saw the one I liked in In Home Design. I paid a lot of
:19:47. > :19:52.money initially, �1,200 and something I think. The shower was
:19:52. > :19:57.fitted later the same month, but Jane was soon facing problems. We
:19:57. > :20:00.were scalded every time we went in the shower. Sometimes it would take
:20:00. > :20:06.five minutes to come on, sometimes half an hour and towards the end of
:20:06. > :20:11.the year where I'd been back and forth, it wasn't coming on at all.
:20:11. > :20:17.So what did you do next? We were tearing our hair out so I went to
:20:17. > :20:20.In Home Design in May and I said, "Look, this isn't working". Jane
:20:20. > :20:27.went back and forth to In Home Design to get the shower fixed,
:20:27. > :20:32.without success. She decided to get a second opinion. I thought, right,
:20:32. > :20:38.let's just get a plumber in now and get it sorted. I'll sort it myself.
:20:38. > :20:41.A British Gas engineer inspected the shower in August 2011. He said
:20:41. > :20:48.this pump isn't fit for purpose and that's what's causing problems with
:20:48. > :20:52.the shower. Because he said it's just not efficient. And this was a
:20:52. > :20:54.product you bought hoping it would help improve your life? Very, very
:20:54. > :21:03.frustrating because you think you're doing the right thing, the
:21:03. > :21:08.best quality, paying a reputable firm to do it and it's backfired.
:21:08. > :21:13.It's just not working. So Jane, what would you like me to try and
:21:13. > :21:19.do? I'd just like a shower that works. It doesn't sound like much
:21:19. > :21:22.to ask - Jane, I'm on the case. Thank you, Lucy. Well, it seems
:21:22. > :21:29.that Jane did everything right. So let's see what In Home Design have
:21:29. > :21:33.to say. Well, they've got back to me and say they were under the
:21:33. > :21:37.impression that Mrs Type's problems had been resolved satisfactorily.
:21:37. > :21:40.However, In Home Design say that as the problems seem to have persisted,
:21:40. > :21:44.the only alternative is to supply Mrs Type with a new shower unit
:21:44. > :21:47.free of charge. They also offer to pay for it to be fitted. In Home
:21:47. > :21:49.Design point out that they have been in business for over 20 years
:21:49. > :21:52.and have thousands of satisfied customers. But they have offered
:21:52. > :21:56.their sincere apologies to Mrs Type for the problems she has
:21:56. > :22:06.experienced. In Home Design have been in touch and we hope to have a
:22:06. > :22:15.
:22:15. > :22:19.new shower fitted before Christmas! And that's another case closed!
:22:19. > :22:22.I'm glad to say that Jane's now had her new shower. Great. Earlier in
:22:22. > :22:26.the programme, we told you about the problems Des Hunt from Anglesey
:22:26. > :22:29.had after he paid David Foster to fit his bathroom. Bathstore Bangor,
:22:29. > :22:33.who Des says recommended the fitter to him, said they wouldn't give out
:22:34. > :22:38.his name again. But they did - to John Butcher. He paid Foster �4,500
:22:38. > :22:45.to fit a bathroom, but hasn't been able to contact him since. Rachel
:22:45. > :22:48.takes up the story. Joe Large from Caernarfon first
:22:48. > :22:54.heard of David Foster when he wanted to have an en suite fitted
:22:54. > :22:57.this summer. He ordered the furniture from Bathstore Bangor.
:22:57. > :23:00.There was a portfolio there at Bathstore, showing how well he'd
:23:00. > :23:05.worked, what sort of jobs he'd done, and it was very complimentary and
:23:06. > :23:13.we were quite happy. Joe was shown the same portfolio of David
:23:13. > :23:18.Foster's work as Des Hunt had seen the year before. Joe met David
:23:18. > :23:25.Foster and they agreed what needed to be done. We gave him a cheque
:23:25. > :23:28.for �950 that was in advance for materials and that sort of thing.
:23:28. > :23:38.He seemed kosher, he seemed genuine, there was nothing there to suspect,
:23:38. > :23:38.
:23:38. > :23:47.to make me think that this guy's not what he says he is. But when
:23:47. > :23:49.the date to start work came, there was no sign of David Foster. Joe
:23:49. > :23:56.spoke to his local trading standards officer, who tried to
:23:56. > :23:59.contact David Foster to resolve the issue. When he telephoned me, he
:23:59. > :24:02.was quite aggressive. He implied all this was down to Joe, that it
:24:02. > :24:06.was Joe's fault, a number of appointments had been made for the
:24:06. > :24:10.work to commence and Joe had broken these appointments. What did you
:24:10. > :24:15.make of that? I thought it was strange to say the least. The story
:24:15. > :24:19.from Joe was slightly different to what I was getting from Mr Foster.
:24:19. > :24:22.What might be the issues in terms of trading standards? There's a
:24:22. > :24:25.breach of contract. Under the Supply Of Goods And Aervices Act
:24:25. > :24:29.1982, there's a requirement if you enter into the contract for the
:24:29. > :24:32.work to be done. It hasn't been done on this occasion. There's also
:24:32. > :24:35.an issue under doorstep selling regulations where if a contract is
:24:35. > :24:39.entered into in a person's home or place of work, there's a
:24:39. > :24:44.responsibility to offer cancellation. It could constitute a
:24:44. > :24:48.criminal breach under the regulations. What about the company
:24:48. > :24:50.that's been involved? There may be issues against Bathstore if they
:24:50. > :24:58.are recommending traders, under the Consumer Protection Regulations
:24:58. > :25:01.against the store themselves. interesting twist, David Foster
:25:01. > :25:06.seems to have some big ideas on business, even if they aren't that
:25:06. > :25:11.original. He's registered the name B&Q Home Improvements Limited with
:25:11. > :25:17.Companies House. Unsurprisingly, the real B&Q aren't that happy
:25:17. > :25:20.about it. In fact they're so unhappy that as well as asking
:25:20. > :25:27.David Foster to change the name of his company, they're also referring
:25:27. > :25:31.the matter to a tribunal. So, where is David Foster? Well, he isn't
:25:31. > :25:37.here. He used an address on this street in Colwyn Bay to register
:25:37. > :25:39.his businesses with Companies House. It's a civil offence to give false
:25:39. > :25:44.information to Companies House, or to fail to inform them of
:25:44. > :25:54.significant changes. The current occupier has no forwarding address
:25:54. > :25:58.
:25:58. > :26:01.for David Foster. David Foster's van has been spotted on the street
:26:01. > :26:04.in Colwyn Bay, but its owner has proved harder to trace. There's no
:26:04. > :26:07.sign of David Foster here at an address in Llandudno where he was
:26:07. > :26:10.apparently responsible for some of the bills, but it now seems to be
:26:10. > :26:15.empty. And he's not here. This house in Old Colwyn is where
:26:15. > :26:19.another unhappy customer was told to contact him. We've done our best
:26:19. > :26:24.but we can't track David Foster down. We've tried all his known
:26:24. > :26:27.addresses and phone numbers, and he's nowhere to be found. So how
:26:27. > :26:29.does that leave Des feeling, after he was promised last year that
:26:29. > :26:36.David Foster wouldn't be recommended to any other Bathstore
:26:36. > :26:46.customers? Very angry at the fact that they'll do that and they've
:26:46. > :26:49.seen what he's done, very angry and not fair to their customers.
:26:49. > :26:52.weren't looking for the builder who was the cheapest, what we were
:26:52. > :26:55.after was somebody who came in with quality work and that was the
:26:55. > :27:03.assurance that we got from the Bathstore, that this was the person
:27:03. > :27:06.that we should turn to to fit their equipment. Well, a shocking story
:27:06. > :27:09.there, Rachel, so what have Bathstore said? They insist they
:27:09. > :27:12.made it clear to customers that they didn't recommend any
:27:12. > :27:14.individual fitter and advised people to make their own checks as
:27:14. > :27:23.Bathstore wouldn't be liable for any problems between a customer and
:27:23. > :27:26.contractor. That's not what you've been told by the customers? Not at
:27:26. > :27:30.all. They all say that David Foster came highly recommended by staff
:27:30. > :27:33.they spoke to in the store. So why was Foster still on that list when
:27:33. > :27:36.Des thought he'd been struck off after he complained last year?
:27:36. > :27:39.They'll only tell us he was temporarily removed from the list
:27:39. > :27:42.last year following a complaint, but he was then reinstated as they
:27:42. > :27:45.weren't able to substantiate it. But he was taken off their list of
:27:45. > :27:49.customer-recommended fitters for good in August this year after they
:27:49. > :27:53.received more complaints - but they're not telling us how many.
:27:53. > :27:57.Thanks, Rachel. It's a very frustrating situation
:27:58. > :28:00.for customers. If you've go any information on Mr Foster's
:28:00. > :28:08.whereabouts or if there's anything you'd like us to investigate, do