0:00:01 > 0:00:07Hello come I am Lucy Owen. Rodrigo went. You are watching X-
0:00:07 > 0:00:12Ray. Tonight: The company's gone bust, so what have Vale of
0:00:12 > 0:00:16Glamorgan Caravans done with Linda's money and checkout and?
0:00:16 > 0:00:22Tesco Finest Insurance promises top-class service, but nine months
0:00:22 > 0:00:32on Look at the state of his kitchen. And in Ebbw Vale lots of unhappy
0:00:32 > 0:00:41
0:00:41 > 0:00:45people still fighting for their It is good to be back. Tonight we
0:00:45 > 0:00:50are in Barry and later on we will be finding out about those annoying
0:00:50 > 0:00:55span text messages that get sent to your mobile. I get them all the
0:00:55 > 0:01:01time. Me as well and it drives me crazy and it is annoyed a lot of
0:01:01 > 0:01:09people here as well. I have got loads. Do you respond? No, I leave
0:01:09 > 0:01:12it. They are usually trying to sell something or get you to sign up.
0:01:12 > 0:01:17will be finding out how those companies know your number and what
0:01:17 > 0:01:22you can do to avoid getting them. First, 11 people have lost
0:01:22 > 0:01:26thousands of pounds and all because they asked a local company based
0:01:26 > 0:01:36here in the Vale of Glamorgan to sell their caravans. Rachel has
0:01:36 > 0:01:43been investigating. Caravans are pretty big and hefty things, but I
0:01:43 > 0:01:50can make them disappear. Watch this. Now you see it, now you do not.
0:01:50 > 0:01:56Very good. Now you see it again. A simple trick and it is not just me
0:01:56 > 0:01:59that can do it. Businessman John Gould from Llantwit Major in the
0:02:00 > 0:02:04bail of Glamorgan is absolutely brilliant at making caravans
0:02:04 > 0:02:10disappeared. The trouble is he is not quite so good at making them
0:02:10 > 0:02:17come back again. He was director of Vale of Glamorgan Caravans. The
0:02:17 > 0:02:21company charged �1,000 or more to sell your caravan for you.
0:02:21 > 0:02:27Grandmother of eight Linda Davies it was one of his customers. She
0:02:27 > 0:02:31has been keen on caravans for years. We used to take the Grand children
0:02:31 > 0:02:38and we had some lovely holidays with them. It was a lovely way to
0:02:38 > 0:02:44spend your holidays. What changed? It was the price of petrol. We had
0:02:44 > 0:02:50quite a big car and you tow a caravan down to Cornwall and it was
0:02:50 > 0:02:56double in price. We were using it less and less. They took their
0:02:56 > 0:03:00caravan to John Gould's company to sell. He was going to have a look
0:03:00 > 0:03:06at it and see what needed to be done, there were a couple of dense
0:03:06 > 0:03:12and he was going to put them right and put it up for sale. I had no
0:03:12 > 0:03:16reservations leaving the caravan with him. That was in August 2010
0:03:16 > 0:03:21and slender was told she could expect a quick sale. She was due to
0:03:21 > 0:03:27make over �5,000, but one year later, she was getting impatient.
0:03:27 > 0:03:32In the end my son started to ring him and he said he sold it on June
0:03:32 > 0:03:3926th. We would get the money and he would be settling the finance.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Nothing. My son got a bit suspicious and decided to pay him a
0:03:43 > 0:03:50visit and when they got down the place was locked up and there was a
0:03:50 > 0:03:54liquidator's notice on the gate. What did you think? I was
0:03:54 > 0:04:00absolutely devastated. I could not believe it. No sign of any caravan,
0:04:00 > 0:04:05nothing. To make matters worse, lend it is still making monthly
0:04:05 > 0:04:10payments on the loan she took out to buy the caravan. Is it money
0:04:10 > 0:04:16that you can simply write off? I work, my husband works and we
0:04:16 > 0:04:21need to work because we have got a mortgage until I am almost 70.
0:04:21 > 0:04:27could have gone wrong with the company? The business seemed simple
0:04:27 > 0:04:32enough. Customers brought in their caravans. He serviced them and sold
0:04:32 > 0:04:40them on and then he would take his fees and give the remainder of the
0:04:40 > 0:04:44money back to his customers. Child's play. But by mid- 2010,
0:04:44 > 0:04:50before lender took her caravan to the company, there were signs it
0:04:50 > 0:04:54was in trouble. Bale of Glamorgan caravans were being taken to court
0:04:54 > 0:04:59over thousands of pounds of unpaid debts and they had not filed
0:04:59 > 0:05:03accounts with Companies House will stop on July 19th last year it was
0:05:04 > 0:05:10struck off the register of companies, its bank accounts were
0:05:10 > 0:05:20frozen and the business ceased to exist. This is the site today,
0:05:20 > 0:05:21
0:05:21 > 0:05:24little sign that it was once a busy caravan business. In the weeks
0:05:24 > 0:05:29after the business closed, customers were turning up here.
0:05:29 > 0:05:36Many of them it were in tears trying to find their caravans and
0:05:36 > 0:05:40some of them are still looking. Like Chris Callaghan from
0:05:40 > 0:05:49Caerphilly. He was trying to sell a caravan on behalf of his daughter
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Wendy. He took her caravan to John Gould's business in April. All of a
0:05:52 > 0:05:56sudden in July the firm was not answering and it went straight into
0:05:56 > 0:06:01answer phone message and this went on for quite some time. I left
0:06:01 > 0:06:06messages, I left messages on a mobile number and eventually I went
0:06:06 > 0:06:10down to the premises to find it was chained up and the Yard was empty.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15To this day I do not know where my caravan is and what has happened to
0:06:15 > 0:06:22it. Chris and Linda have both met with John Gould and put questions
0:06:22 > 0:06:27to him at a creditors' meeting. showed no remorse whatsoever, in
0:06:27 > 0:06:34fact somebody said, take that smug look off your face. Of all of us
0:06:34 > 0:06:38were surprised her casual he seemed to be. It was water off a De's back.
0:06:38 > 0:06:44I looked him in the eye and asked him how he slept at night and he
0:06:44 > 0:06:48could not answer me. They have not had any answers from John Gould, so
0:06:48 > 0:06:54they have reported their caravans as stolen and it turns out they are
0:06:54 > 0:07:01not the only four customers who are worried. In fact, we know of 11
0:07:01 > 0:07:05cases and in total they are owed more than �70,000. These debts are
0:07:05 > 0:07:12being treated by liquidators as part of the collapse of Vale of
0:07:12 > 0:07:17Glamorgan Caravans. But it turns out John Gould has a second company.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23That is the name which appeared on customers' contracts. That company
0:07:23 > 0:07:27is officially registered as dormant, which means it does not trade. But
0:07:27 > 0:07:32there is something a little bit odd about this supposedly non-trading
0:07:32 > 0:07:38company. I have done some digging and discovered it was taken to
0:07:38 > 0:07:43court at four times last year and ordered to pay debts of nearly
0:07:43 > 0:07:47�9,000. We have been asking John Gould are lots of questions, but
0:07:47 > 0:07:53all we have had his replies from his lawyers say he will not be
0:07:54 > 0:08:03talking to us right now, so I paid him a visit. But he played indoors
0:08:04 > 0:08:04
0:08:04 > 0:08:07as soon as he sought our camera. John Gould! We are from X-Ray. What
0:08:07 > 0:08:14happens to the caravans? I cannot believe he has just gone back
0:08:14 > 0:08:18inside. He is obviously not going to answer the question, so if you
0:08:18 > 0:08:22have got a caravan to sell in the future, give John Gould a wide
0:08:22 > 0:08:27berth. Not many answers, but we have heard
0:08:27 > 0:08:34from John Gould's lawyers who say he will be making a statement but
0:08:34 > 0:08:36not until the liquidators have completed their report. Last year,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40Tesco made lots of you very cross when they stopped giving green it
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Clubcard points for using your own bags. Tesco is back in the
0:08:44 > 0:08:52spotlight and this time it is their finest insurance policy that has
0:08:52 > 0:08:58been causing problems. From a fish fingers to fridges, it
0:08:58 > 0:09:02is a dilemma, do you go for the cheapest option or buy the best?
0:09:02 > 0:09:10Supermarket giant Tesco made it easy to understand what you are
0:09:10 > 0:09:15getting for your cash. There is the value brand, the standard, and
0:09:15 > 0:09:20finally their finest. And the choice is not limited to groceries.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23It has extended its range to include insurance policies, making
0:09:23 > 0:09:29buying insurance as simple as choosing which biscuits to have
0:09:29 > 0:09:33with your morning cup of tea. When working mums Sally Pritchard chose
0:09:33 > 0:09:38an insurance policy to protect her family home in Ponthir, she took
0:09:38 > 0:09:44out the best with Tesco's finest. When she came home to a flooded
0:09:44 > 0:09:50kitchen last May, she expected the service to live up to its name.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54What did you find? All the tiles on the kitchen floor or were soaking
0:09:54 > 0:09:59and water was coming down both sides of the walls. I could see
0:09:59 > 0:10:03electrics and I was frightened. called Tesco insurance straight
0:10:03 > 0:10:07away and they told her to call out a plumber to source the leak and
0:10:07 > 0:10:12stake out the kitchen units. How quickly did you think everybody
0:10:12 > 0:10:17would get sorted? I was thinking possibly a few weeks, they would
0:10:17 > 0:10:22take the kitchen out and they would be replaced in a few weeks. That
0:10:22 > 0:10:27would be it. With the kitsch and stripped bare, Sally and her son
0:10:27 > 0:10:31had to pack their bags and move back in with her parents. After
0:10:32 > 0:10:38years of being independent to move back to my parents was quite a
0:10:38 > 0:10:44shock. So much pressure for them to take on me, my little boy, my dogs,
0:10:44 > 0:10:50my cats, my chickens and ducks. It was a lot. Eight months on, Sally
0:10:50 > 0:10:54is still paying �40 a month to Tesco's finest insurance to promise
0:10:54 > 0:10:59if anything went wrong they would sort it out. I did not want that
0:10:59 > 0:11:05hassle because in their policy they would say take control of the
0:11:05 > 0:11:09situation. But Sally's hope of a hassle-free service was not to be.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14They took the kitchen out and after 10 days there was still a wet patch
0:11:14 > 0:11:19on the wall. They said check it in a couple of days, but the wet patch
0:11:20 > 0:11:24got bigger and the leak had not been sourced. Things went bad to
0:11:24 > 0:11:29worse when Tesco sent in the builders to try to get to the
0:11:29 > 0:11:34bottom of the problem. When I was in work my mum rang me and said the
0:11:34 > 0:11:39builders had contacted her and said the house was structurally unsafe
0:11:39 > 0:11:44because they had made a hole in the wall. I was devastated because I
0:11:44 > 0:11:49was on shift, you cannot leave the ward at I had to work the rest of
0:11:49 > 0:11:53the shift thinking my house might fall down. Sally called out a
0:11:53 > 0:11:58structural engineer. Tesco also sent someone to check out the
0:11:58 > 0:12:04property. It was declared safe but Sally refused to have the builders
0:12:04 > 0:12:11back. The confusion carried on for months. Eventually Tesco asked her
0:12:11 > 0:12:16to quit quotes from bus back -- two builders. In the policy they said
0:12:17 > 0:12:20they would sort this out for me and they refused both quotes. After
0:12:20 > 0:12:25they asked me to get them, why waste my time doing that when they
0:12:25 > 0:12:32are not going to accept them? Eventually in December Salih was
0:12:32 > 0:12:37offered a settlement of �5,650 by another claims management company
0:12:37 > 0:12:42employed on behalf of Tesco. This time there was no offer of a Bill
0:12:42 > 0:12:48to carry out the work as promised in the policy. The settlement would
0:12:48 > 0:12:55not even cover the builder and a new kitchen. Did you get a five-
0:12:55 > 0:13:00star service? No way. It is nowhere near it, it is not even one star.
0:13:00 > 0:13:06The stress has been unbelievable with people constantly calling, me
0:13:06 > 0:13:11having to rearrange my shifts. Ben was isolated living at my parents.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16Nine months on the Sally and Ben seemed no nearer to getting back
0:13:16 > 0:13:22into their home. He has missed home and especially in the evenings he
0:13:22 > 0:13:31says, when are we going home? I say it will not be long, but it is
0:13:31 > 0:13:36Tesco Insurance have got back to us. They apologised for the distress
0:13:36 > 0:13:39and inconvenience and they have offered to pay �8,000 to fit a new
0:13:39 > 0:13:42kitchen and to finish the other work that needs doing. They have
0:13:42 > 0:13:46offered to pay expenses for the time that Sally and her son, Ben,
0:13:46 > 0:13:52have had to spend away from home while the repair work is carried
0:13:52 > 0:13:57out. That at the moment mounts up to �5,000. So a fantastic result
0:13:57 > 0:13:59and a huge relief for Sally and Ben. Hopefully, they will be back home
0:13:59 > 0:14:09soon. Coming up: We will have the latest
0:14:09 > 0:14:10
0:14:10 > 0:14:16on the car park charges in Ebbw Vale. Next, Lucy is on the case.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20In April, Colette Chilcott went online to order a specialist
0:14:20 > 0:14:30computer. But the state-of-the-art equipment never arrived. Time to
0:14:30 > 0:14:30
0:14:30 > 0:14:40find out more. I paid almost �1,800 for a computer for my son. It
0:14:40 > 0:14:41
0:14:41 > 0:14:46hasn't arrived. I would like a refund. I'm on the case. Colette
0:14:46 > 0:14:54bought a computer for Chris who is studying car design in Italy.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Waiting for it to arrive has driven them both around the bend. Hello?
0:14:58 > 0:15:03How are you? Nine months ago Colette ordered a specialist
0:15:03 > 0:15:09computer from Surrey Stores, a company based in Dorking for her
0:15:09 > 0:15:13son. He's finished his degree in Swansea, then he went on to do the
0:15:13 > 0:15:18Masters in Milan on car design. He has always wanted to be a car
0:15:18 > 0:15:22designer. He's been doing quite a few projects for three different
0:15:22 > 0:15:27companies, Lamborghini, Audi and Volkswagen. This was a project that
0:15:27 > 0:15:32he did when he was in Swansea University. Wow! This was a project
0:15:32 > 0:15:37he did for Lotus. He designed that? Yes. Would he have done this on the
0:15:37 > 0:15:43computer? Or is this hand done? They start off with pencil drawings
0:15:43 > 0:15:49and then it comes in, they start to use CAD and all sorts of other
0:15:49 > 0:15:54software. As the advert shows, Wacom tablets are special. The one
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Colette ordered cost almost �1,800. He wanted this tablet which is an
0:15:58 > 0:16:03aid for him to draw and what he draws on the tablet then comes up
0:16:03 > 0:16:06on the computer rather than him doing pencil sketches and then
0:16:06 > 0:16:10having to scan those in and reproduce them that way. It was
0:16:10 > 0:16:14easier for him. When did you pay them? That was this April of last
0:16:14 > 0:16:17year when Chris was home for the Easter holidays. So you were
0:16:17 > 0:16:20expecting the computer to arrive soon after that? Well, we hoped
0:16:20 > 0:16:25that it would arrive within the weeks that he was home for Easter
0:16:25 > 0:16:31so he could take it back with him. Easter came and went but the
0:16:31 > 0:16:33computer didn't arrive. So Chris e- mailed Surrey Stores. They are made
0:16:33 > 0:16:37in Japan. They said it was something to do with the bad
0:16:37 > 0:16:42weather they have had out there, the tsunami and everything. We
0:16:42 > 0:16:46weren't too worried at first. He had used the company a few times
0:16:46 > 0:16:49before and no problems. Surrey Stores e-mailed again to say Chris
0:16:49 > 0:16:53could expect delivery by the beginning of September. As the
0:16:53 > 0:16:56weeks passed, there was still no sign of the computer. What is the
0:16:56 > 0:17:00current situation with Surrey Stores? Well, Christopher e-mailed
0:17:00 > 0:17:07them in September and asked them for a refund. We still haven't
0:17:07 > 0:17:15heard from them. He's e-mailed them since. I want my money back now.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20Colette, I'm on the case! I think Colette's been very patient.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23She waited five months for the computer to be delivered. Under
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Distance Selling Regulationss she could have cancelled the order at
0:17:27 > 0:17:34any point. When she did cancel in September she should have had a
0:17:34 > 0:17:39refund within 30 days. So where's her money? Well, Surrey Stores say
0:17:39 > 0:17:43they did issue a refund in September, but having checked they
0:17:43 > 0:17:48now realise the transaction wasn't completed. Surrey Stores say they
0:17:48 > 0:17:53didn't know the refund hadn't been received as they say they didn't
0:17:53 > 0:17:59hear from Colette or Chris. They have apologised and have refunded
0:17:59 > 0:18:04Colette her �1,798. And they have also offered her a �50 credit
0:18:04 > 0:18:09voucher as a gesture of goodwill. Thanks, Chris is looking to buy a
0:18:09 > 0:18:15new computer and he is on his way to becoming a car designer. That is
0:18:15 > 0:18:18another case closed! Colette really glad to get her
0:18:18 > 0:18:23�1,800 back. Now it is back to those annoying spam text messages
0:18:23 > 0:18:26that most of us have received on our phones at some point. Anne
0:18:26 > 0:18:30Jones is from the Information Commissioner's Office. You have
0:18:30 > 0:18:33been trying to track down the people responsible for sending
0:18:33 > 0:18:38these messages. How much of a problem is it? We think it is a big
0:18:38 > 0:18:42problem. We are doing what we can to track these people down. There
0:18:42 > 0:18:46are thousands of these things that have been sent out. What they are
0:18:46 > 0:18:50doing is trying to generate leads so they send out thousands in the
0:18:50 > 0:18:55hope they will get hundreds back that they can sell on for profit.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59It is something that annoying people. We have been talking to
0:18:59 > 0:19:03people in Barry about the kind of texts they have been receiving.
0:19:03 > 0:19:13friend of mine got billed hundreds of pounds off one number. I was
0:19:13 > 0:19:23like, "No, I won't do it." That was a saved one. Is your name Anthony?
0:19:23 > 0:19:25
0:19:25 > 0:19:29That's correct. How do you think they got your name? I have no idea.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33Would you have responded to it? mentioned a person's name as though
0:19:33 > 0:19:37I knew the person. I would have maybe thought it was someone that I
0:19:37 > 0:19:41- so if she hadn't stopped me, I would, yeah. Lots of different
0:19:41 > 0:19:47problems there. Let's look at the kinds of texts that people are
0:19:47 > 0:19:52getting. What about this one? I'm not so sure about that one.
0:19:52 > 0:19:56What looks suspect? They have a name on there which is fine if you
0:19:56 > 0:19:59are "Evans". They are randomly sending them out and they are
0:19:59 > 0:20:03hoping it will hit the spot with somebody. They sent out thousands
0:20:03 > 0:20:12and thousands of these things in the hope that some people will
0:20:12 > 0:20:17reply to them. OK, what about this, to opt out reply "stop"? Again, I
0:20:17 > 0:20:24would say that has got to be one of the spams. If you text back "stop"
0:20:24 > 0:20:27you are saying "yes, this is a live number". So people will then
0:20:27 > 0:20:32receive more and more of these texts. You are much better off
0:20:32 > 0:20:37deleting the thing, don't reply to them. Thank you very much.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41Now, last year we told you about the problems at The Walk car park
0:20:41 > 0:20:45in Ebbw Vale. Excel Parking agreed to refund many of its customers at
0:20:45 > 0:20:50the time. But it seems they didn't live up to their promises. Even
0:20:50 > 0:20:55more of you have been in touch, all unhappy about the Parking Charge
0:20:55 > 0:21:02Notices you received from Excel Parking. It was the story that
0:21:02 > 0:21:06rocked Ebbw Vale. People received letters out of the blue demanding
0:21:06 > 0:21:11large amounts of cash with the threat of legal action if the
0:21:11 > 0:21:16charges weren't paid. I'm going to court. I can't pay them. I haven't
0:21:16 > 0:21:22got �500. A new firm had taken over the running of The Walk, a popular
0:21:22 > 0:21:25car park in the town. Tensions were running high. It is upsetting a lot
0:21:25 > 0:21:31of people. They don't want to park here because they are too afraid to
0:21:31 > 0:21:35park. Motorists had received Parking Charge Notices, demanding
0:21:36 > 0:21:44�60 a time from Excel Parking Services Limited. They claimed they
0:21:44 > 0:21:48had broken the rules on parking at The Walk. Disgusting. Some of them
0:21:48 > 0:21:54were blue badge holders who hadn't paid to park there in the past and
0:21:54 > 0:21:59didn't realise the system had changed. People felt new signs and
0:21:59 > 0:22:02machines at The Walk were hard to understand. But Excel insist they
0:22:02 > 0:22:07follow the British Parking Association's rules on signs. We
0:22:07 > 0:22:13thought we got to the bottom of the problem after the landowner stepped
0:22:13 > 0:22:17in. The landowners made Excel improve the signs to make it
0:22:17 > 0:22:21clearer that all drivers had to pay to park. And they promised that
0:22:21 > 0:22:24blue badge holders who had received charges before the 23rd November,
0:22:24 > 0:22:31when they hadn't had a chance to get used to the new system, would
0:22:31 > 0:22:36have them cancelled or refunded. But weeks later, that promise
0:22:36 > 0:22:41wasn't kept. Excel Parking refused to refund some blue badge holders
0:22:41 > 0:22:47who had paid the unfair charges. And the confusion about parking at
0:22:47 > 0:22:54The Walk continues so I have come back to Ebbw Vale to find out more.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58We have invited people to tell us their stories of what's gone wrong.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02Many had got in touch with Excel after they heard on X-Ray back in
0:23:02 > 0:23:12December that the company had eventually agreed to refund many
0:23:12 > 0:23:15
0:23:15 > 0:23:20motorists. I applied to be refunded and they said no. Don't matter what
0:23:20 > 0:23:26position you are in, if you are a blue badge holder, every blue badge
0:23:26 > 0:23:30holder should have their money refunded so... Why did blue badge
0:23:30 > 0:23:34holders who didn't feel they should have paid Excel's charges in the
0:23:34 > 0:23:39first place hand over their money to the firm? I was afraid it was
0:23:39 > 0:23:44going to go up to �90. They said if I didn't pay, it would go to court
0:23:44 > 0:23:48and I was frightened, I was - I didn't know what to do. I said it's
0:23:48 > 0:23:53a lot of money to find before Christmas. Some of the people which
0:23:53 > 0:23:58received these notices didn't even use a parking space at The Walk.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03David Williams is a driver for GAVO, the Gwent Association of Voluntary
0:24:03 > 0:24:07Organisations. He transports people with mobility issues in specially-
0:24:07 > 0:24:15adapted vehicles. If it wasn't for me, I don't think old people would
0:24:15 > 0:24:21get out. Or disabled people. But in November, the charity received a
0:24:21 > 0:24:28letter from Excel, demanding �60 because David had taken too long
0:24:28 > 0:24:32dropping his passenger off. should we pay it? I have been doing
0:24:32 > 0:24:37it for four years. I have never had it like this before. It is
0:24:37 > 0:24:44disgusting. We have also heard from disabled drivers who insist they
0:24:44 > 0:24:48bought a valid ticket to park but still got a letter from Excel. It
0:24:48 > 0:24:57takes David Hambly at least 20 minutes to get in-and-out of his
0:24:57 > 0:25:02specially-adapted car. I have to press a few buttons, I have to
0:25:02 > 0:25:08transfer myself into that chair, wheel myself to the back of the car,
0:25:08 > 0:25:13host my motorised chair out, then take two wheelchairs to the front
0:25:13 > 0:25:17of the car, transfer myself, close the door, then go to the machine.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21He made sure he put the right details in the machine when he
0:25:21 > 0:25:26bought his tickets at The Walk in December. But received two letters
0:25:26 > 0:25:32demanding payment from Excel. quite shocked. Very shocked. I
0:25:32 > 0:25:38didn't know what to do, so I phoned my daughter. She phoned Excel.
0:25:38 > 0:25:45Eventually, she spoke to one of the girls, but she would not say how
0:25:45 > 0:25:49much time I'm allowed. I need half- hour to be on the safe side.
0:25:49 > 0:25:53have heard from people who have paid Parking Charge Notices they
0:25:53 > 0:25:59had from Excel but ended up being charged twice by the company. Julie,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03why do you have a blue badge? son has cerebral palsy. It is
0:26:03 > 0:26:08important for you to be able to park easily? Yes. He needs a lot of
0:26:08 > 0:26:13help for walking and getting around. Julie paid Excel the �60 charge as
0:26:13 > 0:26:17she was afraid of being taken to court. We had the letter and I
0:26:17 > 0:26:22didn't think anything of it, I paid it because I don't like fines and I
0:26:22 > 0:26:26had a bank statement where they took two which shocked me further.
0:26:26 > 0:26:32Others who definitely bought valid tickets still got letters from
0:26:33 > 0:26:39Excel asking for money. This is your paperwork? Yes. As soon as I
0:26:39 > 0:26:45knew, I had the right ticket, I was straight on to them, copy of the
0:26:45 > 0:26:51ticket, letter. Why should you have to be going through this process?
0:26:51 > 0:26:54You shouldn't. It must be a fault at their end. Lots of people
0:26:54 > 0:26:58affected there. What are Excel saying? In Anthony's
0:26:58 > 0:27:02case, they admit that on the day he parked at The Walk, the 10th
0:27:02 > 0:27:08November, there was a problem with the machines at the car park.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12led to some people like Anthony who had bought valid tickets getting
0:27:12 > 0:27:16Parking Charge Notices. They have now cancelled the charges.
0:27:16 > 0:27:24David's case, Excel's cancelled those charges. David will have up
0:27:24 > 0:27:27to an hour to buy a ticket. They have also granted the GAVO minibus
0:27:27 > 0:27:33extra time. They will only make allowances for
0:27:33 > 0:27:38people with mobility issues on a case by case basis. Julie's
0:27:38 > 0:27:44payments will be refunded and Excel promise that any blue badge holders
0:27:44 > 0:27:48who parked at The Walk before 23rd November 2011 will get their
0:27:48 > 0:27:51refunds. Admin charges paid by some people will also be refunded so if
0:27:51 > 0:27:57you have been charged, get in touch with the company and send proof of
0:27:57 > 0:28:05your claim. If you have any views on parking where you live... Or any
0:28:05 > 0:28:12unwanted texts, give us a call on 03703 334 334. Or you can go to our
0:28:12 > 0:28:16website - bbc.co.uk/xray. Or if you are a Twitter fan, you can tweet us
0:28:16 > 0:28:23- @bbcxray. Next week, we will be bringing you the inside story on
0:28:23 > 0:28:28how we helped bring this couple to justice. We exposed the activities