:00:03. > :00:06.I'm Lucy Owen. And I'm Rhodri Owen. You're watching X-Ray. Bringing you
:00:06. > :00:12.the stories that matter. Excel Parking has taken over this
:00:12. > :00:16.car park in Ebbw Vale - dozens of residents are up in arms.
:00:16. > :00:22.Offers, offers, offers, everywhere you look. Don't miss our guide to
:00:22. > :00:32.working out the best. And meet the Arnolds. They were
:00:32. > :00:42.
:00:42. > :00:46.left waiting by a coach company who Tonight we're in Ebbw Vale. Here in
:00:46. > :00:49.the town centre, there are people out getting their shopping done.
:00:49. > :00:52.recent weeks, though, parking's been the talk of the town and the
:00:52. > :01:02.arrival of a private parking company has been the cause of much
:01:02. > :01:03.
:01:03. > :01:09.anxiety for some residents. Rachel We're often encouraged to support
:01:09. > :01:12.our community, avoid the big retail parks, and stay local when we shop.
:01:12. > :01:18.But in many of our towns and cities, finding somewhere suitable to park
:01:18. > :01:25.can be a real headache. So that's why well-placed car parks, near to
:01:25. > :01:30.shops and amenities, are invaluable to the people that use them. People
:01:30. > :01:35.like the Morgan family rely on them, in fact. Melvyn Morgan has severe
:01:35. > :01:39.arthritis of the spine. He and his wife Glenda are carers for their
:01:39. > :01:43.son Melvyn John, who has Down's Syndrome. Melvyn regularly takes
:01:43. > :01:50.Melvyn John shopping and they park here at The Walk car park in Ebbw
:01:50. > :01:57.Vale. I take my son Melvyn John there because he loves shopping and
:01:57. > :02:03.he's handicapped and it's near. This is the reason we use it every
:02:03. > :02:06.Wednesday and we have done for a number of years. In the past,
:02:06. > :02:08.parking charges weren't enforced for blue badge holders using this
:02:08. > :02:16.car park so Melvyn and other disabled drivers thought that
:02:16. > :02:21.parking was free for them. But after using the car park in October,
:02:21. > :02:25.the family received some very unwelcome mail. Two notices from a
:02:25. > :02:31.car parking company saying they had to pay �60 for each time they had
:02:31. > :02:37.parked at The Walk without paying. I think a lot of people were
:02:37. > :02:46.unaware they had to pay in the disabled bay in front of you. There
:02:46. > :02:49.was no sign indicating you had to pay. Later on, we were told it was
:02:49. > :02:58.on the machine, but if you were a disabled driver you wouldn't think
:02:58. > :03:04.of going to the machine. It was really upsetting because we never
:03:04. > :03:10.get things like that. We couldn't believe why it was sent, you know,
:03:11. > :03:17.at first. Glenda and Melvyn had fallen foul of a new regime which
:03:17. > :03:20.had come into force at The Walk car park in Ebbw Vale. Excel Parking
:03:20. > :03:27.Services Limited recently took over the running of the car park here
:03:27. > :03:29.and installed cameras to monitor vehicles as they come and go. The
:03:29. > :03:33.Automatic Number Plate Recognition system, or ANPR, means registration
:03:33. > :03:40.details are fed back to the company running the car park so they can
:03:40. > :03:43.obtain details about the registered keeper from the DVLA in Swansea.
:03:43. > :03:47.People using the car park are expected to put their car number
:03:47. > :03:52.plate into the machine at the car park when they buy a ticket so the
:03:52. > :03:57.parking company knows who's paid. But a lot of people who use this
:03:57. > :04:00.car park hadn't realised what they needed to do. In fact, while we
:04:00. > :04:10.were filming at The Walk, we met people who needed help
:04:10. > :04:16.
:04:16. > :04:22.understanding how to use the So what does the law say about all
:04:22. > :04:25.of this? Christopher Rees is a barrister. You have a situation
:04:25. > :04:30.where signage is put up by the companies which is supposed to
:04:30. > :04:34.indicate you have to pay a fee in order to park. If you refuse to pay
:04:34. > :04:37.any penalty notice that's issued by the firm, the only redress is to
:04:37. > :04:40.take you to the county court and try to sue for breach of contract,
:04:40. > :04:50.based on the fact you ignored the signs which were clearly visible
:04:50. > :04:52.and decided to park there without paying the fee. In fact, Excel
:04:52. > :04:59.Parking Services Limited recently lost a case at Stockport County
:04:59. > :05:05.Court after one motorist refused to pay their charge. He argued the
:05:05. > :05:10.writing on the company's signs in a car park in England was too small.
:05:10. > :05:12.The judge agreed with him and ordered Excel to pay his costs.
:05:12. > :05:19.What about this car park where disabled badge holders have parked
:05:19. > :05:22.for free in the past? If one drives the car in and looks at the sign on
:05:22. > :05:27.the entrance, I would suggest it's so small it would be impossible to
:05:27. > :05:33.read it on parking. If you approach the disabled bays there's no
:05:33. > :05:42.signage at all. I would suggest there ought to be a sign at the
:05:42. > :05:44.disabled bay informing them they have to pay as well. Melvyn and
:05:44. > :05:50.Glenda Morgan aren't the only blue badge holders who've received
:05:50. > :05:56.letters after parking at The Walk without paying. Diane Wilkins is a
:05:56. > :06:01.care worker. On the day in question, I was parked over in the disabled
:06:01. > :06:05.bay with the service user. I've always used this car park. Under
:06:05. > :06:09.the old system you didn't have to pay if you was a blue badge holder.
:06:09. > :06:16.The company then issued me with this notice saying I had to pay a
:06:16. > :06:19.�60 fine. Mary Askew also got a ticket. I really object to the sign.
:06:19. > :06:25.It should be a double sided sign because it's not visible from the
:06:25. > :06:28.disabled bay. And I think the signage is inadequate. Gary Cook is
:06:28. > :06:34.refusing to pay the charges after receiving several letters from
:06:34. > :06:38.Excel Parking. I'm just not going to pay them. I'm going to court.
:06:38. > :06:43.Well, I can't pay them. I haven't got the �500 which is what it's
:06:43. > :06:46.basically going to work out to. Excel Parking point out that there
:06:46. > :06:50.has been a charge for all parking, including in disabled bays, at The
:06:50. > :06:55.Walk for many years. Although local people say many didn't realise this
:06:55. > :06:59.as the charges were never enforced. And it's not just blue badge
:06:59. > :07:04.holders who've been affected. Julie Morgan and her husband Melvyn also
:07:04. > :07:07.use The Walk car park regularly. They've always paid to use the car
:07:07. > :07:13.park, but they recently ended up receiving two parking notices from
:07:13. > :07:22.Excel Parking. We received two fines but had proof of purchase of
:07:22. > :07:28.one. The second one, we couldn't find the ticket, so we paid that
:07:28. > :07:38.fine with a letter saying we knew we paid. They must have checked the
:07:38. > :07:42.data because we had a letter back confirming that we had paid. What
:07:42. > :07:45.we're up in arms about is they now want to charge �10 per fine for
:07:45. > :07:55.cancellation admin fees, which I feel we shouldn't pay because the
:07:55. > :07:55.
:07:55. > :08:00.error is theirs not ours. Car parks nearby only require drivers to
:08:00. > :08:06.input the last three digits of their registration number. When new
:08:06. > :08:11.machines appeared at The Walk, many people assumed it was the same.
:08:11. > :08:14.They too have had to pay up. appealed against the actual parking
:08:14. > :08:19.fine, saying if you look at your computer you'll see I purchased a
:08:19. > :08:27.ticket with typing the last three letters in. I had a letter saying,
:08:27. > :08:31.you have paid, saying, we will withdraw the charge. But they
:08:31. > :08:37.charged �10 admin because we had to get in touch with the DVLA to find
:08:37. > :08:47.out the registration. They've charged �10.30 for parking for 40
:08:47. > :08:49.minutes. Excel says when a motorist incorrectly enters their
:08:49. > :08:56.registration number they incur processing charges which is why
:08:56. > :08:59.they charge an administration fee. While we were in the car park, we
:08:59. > :09:04.were approached by dozens of people who feel they've been unfairly
:09:04. > :09:07.charged. Amongst them was Claire Gittins who parked at The Walk for
:09:07. > :09:11.25 minutes when she rushed to help her teenage daughter - a diabetic
:09:11. > :09:14.who was taken ill in the town. She admits she didn't buy a ticket, but
:09:14. > :09:21.appealed to the company to waive the charge because of the
:09:21. > :09:24.circumstances. I received a further letter saying they'd be taking
:09:24. > :09:29.everything into consideration which, in my opinion, obviously they
:09:29. > :09:35.hadn't. But they couldn't waive the charges because I was in breach of
:09:35. > :09:38.the terms and conditions. What do you think of that? I'm absolutely
:09:38. > :09:40.disgusted. Taxi drivers tell us they're boycotting The Walk after
:09:41. > :09:48.being charged for picking up customers, many of whom are
:09:48. > :09:53.disabled. I'm doing my job. For picking a �3 fare up, I've got to
:09:53. > :09:59.pay �60 out, like. In one of Wales' most deprived areas, feelings are
:09:59. > :10:03.running high. I think they should get from here. Get from here please,
:10:03. > :10:07.get from here because it's upsetting a lot of people. They
:10:07. > :10:14.don't want to come in here and park because they're too afraid to park
:10:14. > :10:19.in case they have a fine. The shops, the whole town is suffering.
:10:19. > :10:21.the local MP has stepped in to try to help. Nick Smith has written to
:10:21. > :10:25.Excel Parking and the British Parking Association to try and
:10:25. > :10:28.resolve the problem. What we need is effective communication between
:10:28. > :10:35.the car park managers and the local community using this important car
:10:35. > :10:37.park. Local people are very cross about it and word of mouth is
:10:38. > :10:44.really important in valley towns, so it's important it doesn't affect
:10:44. > :10:47.trading. Shopping is important. There's a lovely market and they
:10:47. > :10:54.shouldn't be put off by this cack- handed parking management at Ebbw
:10:54. > :10:59.Vale. Excel Parking Services say they have acted properly in their
:10:59. > :11:03.running of the car park and they say the signs are appropriate. When
:11:03. > :11:06.they took over the car park they allowed a period of 17 days for
:11:06. > :11:12.people to adjust and be educated in the new arrangements before they
:11:12. > :11:16.began to enforce charges. And they follow guidelines set by the
:11:16. > :11:19.British Parking Association. They are now writing to blue badge
:11:19. > :11:24.holders who've received multiple notices and will only charge them
:11:24. > :11:29.for the first unpaid ticket. So is there any legal advice for people
:11:29. > :11:31.who feel they've been unfairly charged? I would suggest if they
:11:31. > :11:36.feel they weren't bound by the terms and conditions, they didn't
:11:36. > :11:39.see them. It wasn't properly signed so if they weren't aware of that,
:11:39. > :11:42.then they should write to the company concerned and inform them
:11:42. > :11:50.that they're not going to pay the ticket and give their reasons for
:11:50. > :11:53.not doing so. Is it worth the company taking you to court?
:11:53. > :11:58.suppose they may take an economical view of whether chasing someone
:11:58. > :12:03.after one ticket. It's for the company to decide whether it's
:12:03. > :12:06.worth time and effort and expense of doing that.
:12:06. > :12:12.And while we've been filming here, we've heard a lot more complaints
:12:12. > :12:16.from people here about the car park. Cllr John Rogers is with me.
:12:16. > :12:20.Feelings are certainly running high here, aren't they? People are
:12:20. > :12:22.outraged and quite understandably so. And not only outraged, but
:12:22. > :12:27.they're extremely worried about the draconian and insensitive way this
:12:27. > :12:30.firm has dealt with the opening of their car park. It is quite
:12:30. > :12:34.appalling. What do you think about the way the changes were
:12:34. > :12:38.introduced? Were people given enough notice? No, quite frankly,
:12:38. > :12:41.they weren't. It should have been made patently clear at least a
:12:41. > :12:45.fortnight before this firm took over that this was what was going
:12:45. > :12:49.to happen. That disabled bays would be charged for and that people were
:12:49. > :12:53.made totally aware of everything they were expected to do in the car
:12:53. > :12:58.park. This clearly didn't happen. If it wasn't so serious, this would
:12:58. > :13:02.be laughable. Disabled people do now have to pay for their parking.
:13:02. > :13:05.Do you think that that change is being made clear enough? This
:13:05. > :13:10.morning, I've noticed that they have got a sign on one of the bays
:13:10. > :13:14.which says disabled people have to pay, which is readable. All the
:13:14. > :13:19.other signs you have to have 20:20 vision and a stepladder to get that
:13:19. > :13:24.information. But what I would suggest is, this sign is OK, but
:13:24. > :13:32.they need at least another one. there has been a new development,
:13:32. > :13:35.hasn't there? Yes. Our planning department have said quite clearly
:13:35. > :13:40.now that the cameras in this car park haven't had proper planning
:13:40. > :13:43.permission. The situation at the moment is, the firm is disputing
:13:43. > :13:48.this, but our planning administration and this dispute is
:13:48. > :13:57.ongoing. But it does beg the question of whether these cameras
:13:57. > :13:59.are legal or not. Councillor John Rogers, we'll keep an eye on that.
:13:59. > :14:01.Rhod. Yes, and remember, if you've got
:14:01. > :14:05.anything you'd like us to investigate, please get in touch.
:14:05. > :14:08.Our contact details are on the screen now. Next, Lucy's in
:14:08. > :14:18.Pembroke Dock meeting a family whose annual holiday got off to a
:14:18. > :14:23.For Julie Arnold, a holiday is not a chance to take a break from the
:14:23. > :14:26.family, it's a time to take them all away with her. And when it
:14:26. > :14:29.comes to travelling in a group that large, it is best to make your
:14:29. > :14:33.journey as easy and as comfortable as possible. Just a big holiday. We
:14:33. > :14:35.have my brother, my mother, my children and cousins. We just go to
:14:35. > :14:38.Minehead every year - Minehead Butlins. One year it was my
:14:38. > :14:41.daughter's wedding. It was her honeymoon and it was just brilliant.
:14:41. > :14:45.Really special. You say all of you, how many of you? Nineteen.
:14:45. > :14:50.there are a lot of children that go on the holiday as well. Eight
:14:50. > :14:54.Last year with suitcases, train changes, young children and family
:14:54. > :14:57.members with disabilities it was a struggle going by train. So this
:14:57. > :15:02.year Julie decided to book a private coach, and came across a
:15:02. > :15:06.company that looked ideal. How did you find Southern Coaches?
:15:06. > :15:08.I found them on the internet, looked them up. They looked a
:15:08. > :15:13.lovely company, really nice, tidy, comfortable looking buses,
:15:13. > :15:20.disability access and everything. And that's the one we decided to go
:15:20. > :15:27.with. Julie thought she'd found the perfect option. Southern Coaches
:15:27. > :15:32.gives itself a great write up on Southern Coaches is not just a
:15:32. > :15:37.coach hire company. It's an all- encompassing travel service to suit
:15:37. > :15:39.the individual needs of each and every customer. Because providing a
:15:39. > :15:42.service in today's competitive business environments is no longer
:15:42. > :15:51.about price alone, it's the whole experience, from point of contact
:15:51. > :15:56.to arrival at your destination. Julie paid �600 for a 24-seater
:15:56. > :16:06.executive coach to travel in style. And on April 25 the family all
:16:06. > :16:06.
:16:06. > :16:12.headed here to the Swann Inn, for But they waited, and waited, with
:16:12. > :16:16.no sign of the coach arriving. just didn't turn up. It was
:16:16. > :16:20.supposed to meet us up the road. We went up and there was no coach.
:16:20. > :16:23.There was one of us up by the local shop, one of us went down to our
:16:23. > :16:27.local Asda's - we all scattered round just in case the coach had
:16:27. > :16:33.got lost and was parked up somewhere. And we just It never
:16:33. > :16:37.turned up and we had no explanation or nothing. So you were waiting for
:16:37. > :16:41.hours. How were you all managing? We had to sit out in the front
:16:41. > :16:45.garden cos there was 19 of us. We had to give the children a little
:16:45. > :16:49.picnic to keep them quiet for a while. We had them breaking their
:16:49. > :16:51.heart thinking that they weren't going on holiday. They were
:16:51. > :16:55.devastated and of course we tried telling them that we'd sort
:16:55. > :16:59.something, but children don't believe you, do they? So they
:16:59. > :17:02.honestly thought they weren't going. Julie tried to contact Southern
:17:02. > :17:08.Coaches and its director Richard Powell, but she got no answers
:17:08. > :17:11.about her missing coach. It was four of us on phones trying to find
:17:11. > :17:16.out what was happening with Southern Coaches. We got through to
:17:16. > :17:21.them in the end and he told me he was out and about and that he'd go
:17:21. > :17:24.back to the office and see what was happening and he never phoned back.
:17:24. > :17:30.Five hours later she found a 16- seater coach for part of the group,
:17:30. > :17:39.the rest went by car. It cost �600 and they started the holiday
:17:39. > :17:42.seriously out of pocket. We had to dip into our spending monies and
:17:42. > :17:50.pay for it between us and what not, which was money we weren't
:17:50. > :17:55.expecting to spend on another form of transport. So it was a bit
:17:55. > :18:01.devastating then. The family had now paid twice to get to Minehead,
:18:01. > :18:06.a total of �1,200. They were counting on getting their money
:18:06. > :18:09.back from Southern Coaches but that wasn't going to be so easy.
:18:09. > :18:14.We looked into Southern Coaches' track record. Whilst the company
:18:14. > :18:16.boast ten years experience, its director Richard Powell is just 25.
:18:16. > :18:19.It seems he's no stranger to newspaper headlines featuring
:18:19. > :18:25.complaints about missing coaches and passengers let down right
:18:25. > :18:28.across the UK. There were wedding guests in Kent,
:18:28. > :18:33.late for a party. A hen party in Billericay who had
:18:33. > :18:39.to abandon celebrations. Groups of girls stranded during
:18:39. > :18:43.21st birthday celebrations in Essex and in Glasgow.
:18:43. > :18:46.Not to mention those 57 Stoke fans left stranded on their trip to
:18:46. > :18:49.Wembley. In these cases, Richard Powell told
:18:49. > :18:54.newspapers that Southern Coaches is a coach broker who books other
:18:54. > :18:59.coach companies to carry out the journeys..
:18:59. > :19:03.They never gave no inkling they were a coach broker at all. When we
:19:03. > :19:08.looked on the internet, it just said Southern Coaches. That's what
:19:08. > :19:12.was on the buses. We just assumed it was a genuine bus company.
:19:12. > :19:15.Nothing said about it being a brokers at all. If Southern Coaches
:19:15. > :19:21.takes money then they are responsible for delivering the
:19:21. > :19:24.service, even if they get another firm to provide the coaches. As far
:19:24. > :19:28.as I knew, if another company would have turned up, I wouldn't have
:19:28. > :19:31.wanted to get on it cos I wouldn't have known it was that company, cos
:19:31. > :19:35.we honestly thought it was Southern Coaches. We've written to the
:19:35. > :19:39.company about Julie's problems. And just like the letters of complaint
:19:39. > :19:42.that Julie wrote, they've gone unanswered. Mr Powell has rung us
:19:42. > :19:45.and told us he'd investigate the case, but we are still waiting for
:19:45. > :19:49.his response. Which means Julie and her family
:19:49. > :19:53.will be facing Christmas still waiting for their money.
:19:53. > :19:56.When you save up all year, it escalates from the money we had to
:19:56. > :20:00.use, it escalated up to the Christmas time, so it is like some
:20:00. > :20:10.of us are still paying the money back from then, like, so yeah it is
:20:10. > :20:10.
:20:10. > :20:15.hard for us now, really hard. But what can I do?
:20:15. > :20:19.Oh, dear. Last week you might remember we featured Celia Smith
:20:19. > :20:23.from Crymych. Celia's elderly father Tom had a boiler installed
:20:23. > :20:26.at his home by a company called Eaga. When her dad went into a home,
:20:26. > :20:32.Celia had the boiler serviced and discovered it had been left
:20:32. > :20:35.unearthed and potentially fatal. Carillion who have now taken over
:20:35. > :20:38.Eaga have told us they believed this was a one-off, but it seems
:20:38. > :20:41.not. Now we've heard from a number of
:20:41. > :20:45.viewers who have experienced serious problems with boilers and
:20:45. > :20:49.central heating systems they obtained from Eaga. Mark and Lynn
:20:49. > :20:52.Llewellyn from Caerphilly had a boiler fitted by Eaga in 2009. Just
:20:52. > :20:58.before Christmas that year, after problems with the electics, the
:20:58. > :21:02.Llywelyn's discovered the boiler had no earth wire fitted. And a
:21:02. > :21:05.similar story from Rita Jones from Benllech on Anglesey. She says
:21:05. > :21:08.she's had endless problems with her boiler including the lack of an
:21:08. > :21:13.earth wire. She also says that she's contacted Carillion many
:21:13. > :21:17.times but she feels she's been fobbed off. Most worrying of all,
:21:17. > :21:20.though, was the story we heard from Fiona Neave from Nannerch near Mold.
:21:20. > :21:25.Her boiler was also fitted by Eaga in 2009 and there were problems
:21:25. > :21:30.with the water temperature. And in January last year, her disabled son
:21:30. > :21:33.was severely scalded when he climbed into the bath. He had to
:21:33. > :21:37.spend three weeks in hospital but so far no one's accepted
:21:37. > :21:42.responsibility. We've passed these complaints and a number of others
:21:42. > :21:45.we've received on to Carillion, the company which replaced Eaga. They
:21:45. > :21:55.say they are investigating as a matter of urgency and will be
:21:55. > :21:57.
:21:57. > :22:01.contacting all those who've complianed as soon as possible. The
:22:01. > :22:11.study of General officers of the ever pale steelworks. Inside, they
:22:11. > :22:20.
:22:20. > :22:25.are holding a Christmas market. Wherever you look, there are deals
:22:25. > :22:31.to be had. Shops are pulling out all the stops to get your custom.
:22:31. > :22:36.Will this be the cheapest Christmas ever? And in Cardiff doing
:22:36. > :22:42.Christmas shopping. Last year, 3.3 million people visited the city
:22:42. > :22:49.centre in December. They spent over �100 million. How can we expect
:22:49. > :22:54.this Christmas to be different to the last? We asked the man in the
:22:54. > :22:59.know. The next four weeks for all
:22:59. > :23:09.retailers is critical. It has been a hard year for all of us. For all
:23:09. > :23:16.
:23:16. > :23:23.retailers, the. Everyone is slashing prices. According to one
:23:23. > :23:27.firestorm manager, desperate times call for desperate measures. With
:23:27. > :23:33.money being tight this year, we are doing massive promotions within the
:23:33. > :23:35.store. We have been looking for where people can save their money.
:23:35. > :23:42.For of July be able to get a bargain?
:23:42. > :23:47.I need some advice. This man is an expert.
:23:47. > :23:51.Be clear run what you are buying and get a list. There are some
:23:51. > :24:01.fantastic bargains this year. What of the stores have started early
:24:01. > :24:01.
:24:01. > :24:06.with the sales with 30 to 40% off. I need to get something for Lucy,
:24:06. > :24:11.something for my son, and for my mum and dad. I have a list and I
:24:11. > :24:21.have done some research. I will haggle using online prices and I
:24:21. > :24:29.
:24:29. > :24:35.First I want to go Lucy a nice pair of black gloves for Christmas. It
:24:35. > :24:42.was confusing, there were some great offers. Marks & Spencer, 25%
:24:43. > :24:48.of, Debenhams, 30% off, you look, three pairs for the price of two.
:24:48. > :24:54.And these were by one get one have price. Lucy loses things all the
:24:54. > :25:03.time but I am not buying her all of these clubs. But it is confusing.
:25:03. > :25:10.Yes, daylight to make customers feel they are getting a bargain.
:25:10. > :25:12.Next up, a Christmas present for my mum. She loves us so can the bat
:25:12. > :25:21.and she likes hers melees so I printed about her online and
:25:21. > :25:26.managed to get �7.60 off this. Researchers are good but some
:25:26. > :25:30.customers still feel lot to take the vouchers to the shops. They
:25:30. > :25:36.feel uneasy. Like they are asking for something they are not entitled
:25:36. > :25:39.to. But other consumers are quite happy about them. Eventually I
:25:39. > :25:43.think we will all get used to that because they are extremely common
:25:44. > :25:50.now. Finally, a present for my son. I
:25:50. > :25:53.tried haggling. I found this DVD on line for �11, printed that off and
:25:53. > :25:59.then went to Reg Empey and Argos to see if they would match that price
:25:59. > :26:03.but they would not. Most of these major nationals, you
:26:03. > :26:07.would probably have better luck with an independent because then
:26:07. > :26:13.you can speak to the owner of the manager.
:26:13. > :26:17.Is it cheaper to buy online or on the high street? We did a survey of
:26:17. > :26:21.what are expected to be some of the top Christmas presents this year.
:26:21. > :26:27.We checked online prices using a cashback website which gave extra
:26:28. > :26:33.savings. We compared this to high street prices.
:26:33. > :26:43.I will pull our cracker with a Christmas elf. I can reveal that
:26:43. > :26:43.
:26:43. > :26:48.the difference is... �460. It is obviously a lot cheaper to buy
:26:48. > :26:52.online ban on the high street. Yes and you generally have more
:26:52. > :26:56.choice. On the other side of the crime, you cannot really see what
:26:56. > :27:02.the product is like until you get it and it is generally easier to
:27:02. > :27:06.return on the high street. Our shoppers out there are finding
:27:06. > :27:09.the best bargains? Using a mobile phone application that can read
:27:09. > :27:15.barcodes, we will find out how they are doing.
:27:15. > :27:24.How much did you pay for these? �22. I can tell you that at another shop,
:27:24. > :27:29.you could have got it for �16. is a big difference. It is. What
:27:29. > :27:37.have you got? It just in be there alban at -- annual. The most
:27:38. > :27:43.expensive is a pound 46. How much did you pay? A 399. Can I look at
:27:43. > :27:50.one of these things. A clever gadget. A Harry Potter box-set. So
:27:51. > :27:57.maybe barcode. You could have got that for �18.83. Turn it around
:27:57. > :28:03.again, you paid �28. That is a big difference. It is. Another present
:28:04. > :28:08.I could have got. That is quite expensive now. Whatever your
:28:08. > :28:16.shopping plans this Christmas and whatever your budget, I hope you
:28:16. > :28:19.find time to have a little fun. That is all for this week. Next
:28:19. > :28:24.week we will be finding out what you should not be buying next