Episode 22 X-Ray

Hello, I'm Lucy Owen. I am at Rhodri Owen, welcome to the

programme. Tonight, another unhappy customer left in the lurch by

Newport builder Stephen Roberts. Canine confusion in a Nantyglo -

where the stock orders up in arms? Yes Loans - we have investigated

them for years. Now the Office of Fair Trading is pulling the plug.

Tonight at we're in the to Methley, home of the Scarlets. With the Big

Six Nations match this weekend, later we will be speaking to the

rugby fan's rugby fan, Rick O'Shea about the astronomical amount some

supporters are handing over for tickets. First, back in February,

Richill was on the trail of Newport builder Stephen Roberts. Since then,

we've been hearing from other unhappy customers.

When former army doctor at Tom Cayless decided to renovate his

first home, he called in at Newport based Buildtech Construction 33 Ltd

Ltd, run by Stephen Roberts. Tom was quoted �22,000 for an eight-

week job last April but 11 months and �34,000 later, the work still

is not finished. I cannot move in in the state it is then at the

moment. The electricity has not been completed, the central heating

is not completed so it is completely uninhabitable. After we

wrote to him, Stephen Roberts had a quantity surveyor who claimed the

finished work would be worth �35,000. Mr Roberts said there were

only two weeks' work lead on the job but are chartered surveyor, Tim

Davies, had a different view. would say this about six or eight

weeks to do this properly. To leave this just beggars belief. It is a

complete mess. He disagreed with the sums of money that Stephen

Roberts and his company quoted. can't see how you could justify

�34,000 worth of work having been properly completed in the property.

My view is that this is more likely to be around �20,000. It is not

just the money, Tim has issues about the standard and safety of

the work. My main concern is that a lot of work is still outstanding

and a lot of work that has been supposedly completed has not been

done correctly in the right sequence. I am very concerned about

things like lead pipework being left in, it is readily identifiable.

To leave the old lead piping is quite unforgivable. What concerns

me is they have no distribution pipework for hot and cold water.

From what I have seen, it does not convince me that this has been

carried out by experienced building professionals. It is a worrying

picture but Mr Roberts told us in February that he was always going

to finish Tom's property. At the time, Stephen Roberts told us his

business had run into difficulties because his previous business

partner had taken money from him. He reassured us verbally he would

finish the job and that it should take two weeks but he later seemed

to backtrack on that promise. Tom is not the only one to be left

severely out of pocket after harrowing Stephen Roberts. Here in

Cardiff, Charly Tabash has had the same experience. The landlord and

property developer wanted to renovate this House into two flats.

Stephen Roberts came highly recommended by a builder he had

used in the past. Think he was in safe hands, Charlie hired them both

last September, the same time Tom was waiting for his renovation to

be finished. How did he set himself, what did Stephen Roberts tell you

about himself? That he represented Buildtech and that it was a big

company and that they did a lot of work in Newport and all over the

country. He came across as a professional builder, became with

the tools, with the uniforms and the bans with the locals on the

vans. Stephen Roberts was displaying Guild of Master

Craftsmen logo was on his official paperwork and vans. Both Tom and

Charlie believed they were genuine but when we got in contact, the

Guild said Stephen Roberts was not a member. Charlie was quoted

�45,000 for a ten-week renovation and started paying from day one.

They have passed from the start to be paid half in cash, half by

cheque but every time I came to write a cheque for them, they

refused to ticket and they said they want to pay the wages for the

builders so in the end I had to run and get cash every time. There was

one big in particular when I had to go with them to the building

supplying merchant and I had to give them �2000 myself to the

supplier. No work on a property began well, Charlie soon found

himself in the same position as Tom, choosing the builders when they

started to disappear. Six months later, Charlie has paid around

�48,000 but he has not seen the builders since December. The last

three months, it has been a nightmare because I want it

finished to rent it out and since the beginning of December, nothing

has happened on this House. Like Tom, Charlie is still waiting for

the big jobs like plumbing to be finished. Stephen Roberts has told

him that the builder who introduced them has taken some of the money

but that builder told Charlie a different story. They are blaming

each other and I am right in the middle and I don't know who to

believe. Sounding familiar? Mr Roberts also told us that Tom's

renovation had fallen into difficulty because of previous

business associate had taken money. He stopped working with them but

yet didn't call the police. So is Mr Roberts and bad judge of

character when it comes to business partners? Either way, it is not

good news for customers left counting the cost of hiring him.

Let's get an update on this. These are definitely not isolated cases

because since we aired Tom's story and be filmed at Charlie, we have

heard from other unhappy customers and suppliers who feel let down by

Stephen Roberts. What has Stephen Roberts had to say for himself?

has been back to their properties and is promising to finish the work.

He has only done that since we got in touch because prior to that, Tom

and Charlie tried unsuccessfully to get him to go back to their

properties and finish the work so would he have done it if we hadn't

got involved? Who knows. What does Stephen Roberts say about what our

surveyor made of the work he had done on Tom's house? We have put

his findings to Stephen Roberts and he has declined to comment on them.

How did Stephen Roberts explained the problems? He is still blaming

these business partners who he says took money from him. However, we

have seen no evidence of that. will keep an eye on how the work

goes on Tom and Charlie's houses. A couple of weeks ago Lucy was in

Dolgellau where local sports pitches have been covered in dog

mess. I have been to Nantyglo were council attempts to tackle a

problem have made some dog owners very angry.

Meet Mac, a three-year-old Jack Russell. He might be small but this

little terrier has sparked a big row over where he and his friends

can play. This pathway in Nantyglo has been a public right of way for

decades and today it is very popular with dog walkers. Cherie

Morgan has walked her dogs here for 30 years. I have always walked here

and everybody in the area has always walk their dogs here.

January, her grandson it took Mac out for a walk on the playing

fields but he had a nasty surprise. He was approached by two security

guards and told that he was breaking the law. I grandson said,

what have I done? They said you are in the dock exclusion zone. They

issued him with a �75 a fixed penalty notice. They had not

realised the council had created a dog exclusion zone. It is part of

their new dog control orders which applied to several public places in

plano Gwent. I was so flabbergasted and so annoyed. We have used these

deals were for so many years, we didn't know we were breaking the

law. I phoned the council and told them there is no way of this fine

will be paid. I will fight them every inch of the way, I will go to

any court they say and they can put me in prison but I won not pay the

fine. The council says there was publicity for the new rules in the

lead-up to the changeover but Cherie says there are not enough

signs showing where you can and cannot walk your dog. This is the

entrance used for the park, where are the signs? This is my point, if

we don't know we are breaking the law, how can they find us? If there

was a sign here, we wouldn't use it. Cherie isn't the only one who was

unaware of the changes. Mr Jones has been walking his dog in the

playing fields for years and at the entrance he uses, there are no

signs either. Two chaps came across and said that the dog was off the

lead and in an exclusion zone and they were going to summons me. I

said, there are no fences or signs you to say I cannot bring the dog

here. Did you get a �75 find? I did. What are your thoughts on

that? It was hard for me to pay it because we are both pensioners but

we were so worried about it because it went to court, we would have to

pay extra. I have looked at the Welsh Assembly guidelines for dog

control orders. They say science must be placed at regular intervals

on or near land to which the order applies. That is not the case at

the entrance Cherie and Mr Jones used but what about other ways into

the fields? Here is an entrance that lots of the dog walkers use

and there is a sign so let's take a look. This green area is where you

can go with the dogs and the red area is where you cannot. Next

year? It is not quite that simple. Once you get into the park, there

are no markers to show where the exclusion zone starts or Ms and

local dog walkers are confused. From the designated zones, they

have got up, they are double Dutch. They have a green zone at the red

zone and they had no lines to say that you on the green. There is no

cut-off area at all. It is impossible. Looking around, there's

nothing to say whether we are in the exclusion zone are not so, for

all I know, this dog's left pocket now be in the exclusion zone at his

right porker be fine but there's nothing to say whether we are in

the right or wrong. The dog walkers in Llandudno and not a happy pack.

They say if they enter the park through the main gates, they have

to go through the exclusion zone to get to the area where they can walk

their dogs. It looks like there's only way to get there. It is no

wonder everyone, including the dogs, are up in arms. Why ever council

bringing these stupid rules in where they won't sign ass. If we

know we are breaking the law, obviously we won't. But if they

don't but the signs are, how are we supposed to know?

The council says that although the entrance Cherie Morgan uses is a

right of way, it is not an official entrance. They say there are signs

at the official entrances and they will look into whether they can

make it clearer for dog walkers to understand where they can and

Now, as these pictures taken in Victoria Park in Cardiff show, some

people are finding interesting ways to highlight their concerns about

dog mess in their area! They're using the website Flickr to

document all the dog mess on paths through the park, because they want

people to be shamed into scooping the poop! That's one idea! Next

week, I'll be in Tywyn in Gwynedd where a local businessman has his

own ideas about how to deal with the problem Next, Lucy's on the

Andy Collett and partner Sarah Williams from Abergavenny were

looking forward to a once-in-a- lifetime holiday to Las Vegas -

until Sarah became ill and they had We thought we were covered by the

insurance company but they won't pay out and we've lots hundreds of

Andy and Sarah knew a trip to Vegas would mean placing some bets. But

they didn't bank on their travel insurance being a gamble. Hi, Lucy,

The couple had always dreamt of a holiday to Las Vegas. They'd never

been on a long-distance trip so decided to save. We booked it in

May of last year. It was a dream holiday for us. We've never been to

somewhere so far away - it's always been a couple of beach holidays

here and there. They paid �2,200 for the week-long holiday, which

they booked at their local travel agent, and signed up online for a

travel insurance policy with Columbus Direct.

So you were looking forward to the holiday but then you had some bad

news? I'd had an ulcer that wasn't healing so I went to see my GP. He

diagnosed me with oral thrush with an ulcer and so he gave me some

antibiotics to clear it up. But it didn't so I went back a few weeks

later where I had a biopsy taken and then the following week it was

diagnosed as oral cancer. Sarah faced major treatment. It was 10

hours in surgery, where they removed about a third of the part

of the tongue. And then they replaced it with a graft from my

arm and I had to have my lymph glands removed. The holiday company

refunded half the cost of the break and suggested Andy contact his

travel insurance company for the rest. By now Sarah was recovering

from her surgery and was starting to feel better - until Columbus

Direct rejected their claim. They tried to say that we knew that I

had the cancer before we took out the insurance, because I'd visited

my GP, about what we assumed was just an innocent ulcer. And all we

want is the remainder of the money back and we'll be happy. A

conclusion to it all. Sarah, Andy - I'm on the case.

Well, it seems Andy and Sarah have done everything they can to get

their money back, so who can you turn to if you have a complaint

about your travel insurance? Well, the Financial Ombudsman can help.

They advise that you first register a dispute with your insurance

company, giving them eight weeks to look into the problem. If you're

still not happy, the Ombudsman will take up your case. Interestingly,

last year there was a 27% increase in complaints about travel

insurance. So what about Andy and Sarah? Well, Columbus Direct say

they refused the claim because they thought Sarah had bought her

insurance policy after she was diagnosed with cancer. They blame a

mix-up with the dates on her medical notes. However, they now

admit that the claim hasn't been handled satisfactorily and that

Sarah has suffered unnecessarily. Columbus Direct say they'll review

their procedures and have now settled the claim in full, sending

Andy and Sarah a cheque for �1,180. Thank you, Lucy and X-Ray. We've

got our money back from the insurance company and we've booked

our next holiday to Las Vegas. Great news for Andy and Sarah -

that holiday is long overdue. Now, we often get complaints from

viewers about companies who take up front fees over the phone. One

company that's been in our sights many times is Cwmbran-based Yes

Loans. Last Thursday, the company - along with two sister companies,

Blue Sky Personal Finance and Money Worries - were declared unfit to

hold a consumer credit licence by the Office of Fair Trading. The OFT

described their business practices as 'deceitful and oppressive'.

is a business we've been investigating for years.

Customers looking for loans found deals on offer weren't what they

expected. The loan they were offering me was more like 40%,

rather than 25.9. 40% - that's a crazy amount. Despite the name, Yes

Loans don't give out loans. They're brokers for other businesses, but

that hasn't always been clear - as we discussed with the group's

managing director at the time. The name itself makes people assume

that you actually lend money. says very clearly... Excuse me

while I find my glasses. This might tell you how clear it is! It is

very clear. They promised to clean up their act

- but nine months later we were still getting complaints from

customers upset that they couldn't get their fees back. I can't

believe companies are allowed to trade in this in this way.

years on, customers were still complaining. I'd just like to get

my money back but at the moment I've achieved nothing. And five

years ago one former employee spoke to us about how the firm was

reluctant to refund customers. people actually needed money to

arrange funerals or even medical treatment and it made me feel very

low to have to steer these people towards a service from us that

would mean they lost their �49.50. Today Yes Loans is run by this man

- Simon Chorlton. The Office of Fair Trading says it will withdraw

the company's credit license, although the business has 28 days

to appeal and can trade in the meantime. And the claims management

company we featured last week - We Fight Any Claim - is also run by

Yes Loans director, Simon Chorlton. And last week there was bad news

for them too. High Street banks were told to write to their

customers and tell them to claim back any missold insurance directly

from them. So will that mean an end to claims management companies?

Apparently not, because some of them are already finding new ways

to sign up customers. Last October, Douglas Vranch from Blackwood got a

phone call out of the blue from Toucan Claims, who have a base in

Bridgend. They said if his credit card limit had been increased

without him being informed, he could be entitled to compensation.

I said, "Really? I could get up to �1500"? Any pensioner would be

tempted by �1500 - maybe I had pound signs in my eyes! There was a

fee of almost �250 plus 10% of any compensation. The company took

Douglas's fee straight away, before he'd seen any paperwork - which is

against Ministry of Justice rules. But Douglas had second thoughts.

suddenly thought, "What if compensation is only a few hundred

pounds? If they take 10% of that and my fee, I could end up owing

them money. So Douglas cancelled and Toucan promised his money back.

But five months on he's still waiting. I can't believe I was so

gullible to fall for all their talk. I feel at my age I should have

known better. But Douglas isn't alone. We've had other complaints

about Toucan, and so has the Ministry of Justice. They suspended

the company's licence before Christmas - they're now trading

again, but aren't allowed to take upfront fees. Well, Toucan claim

the 10% they charge is lower than many rivals. They insist Douglas

DID see written information BEFORE he paid his fee - but Douglas

denies this. Toucan say they've authorised his refund but it's

stuck with their payment provider in Denmark! So can you claim claim

compensation from a bank, just because they've raised your credit

limit? Well, the answer is no, unless you've lost out financially

because of it. It makes you wonder offering to help you get money back

for something unusual, we'd love to We have a big weekend of sport

ahead. 75,000 fans will pack out the Millennium Stadium but for some

of them, it will be a very expensive day out.

It has been a great six nations and when Wales go for the Grand Slam

this weekend, the Millennium Stadium is the place to be. But

getting in there is not easy. Tickets like this for the big games

are like gold dust, but more expensive. Jon from poured Madog

loves travelling to Cardiff for the internationals. I have been

fortunate enough to see two Grand Slams. Thanks was quick to spot the

Biles-France game as the ticket of the tournament. -- Wales-France.

found a site that sold the tickets but they go for ridiculous kind of

money. Up to �700 a ticket, which has a lot of money to spend. It is

not just their. It is stopping real fans from going. -- it is just not

fair. A how do you feel about not going to the game? It is really

frustrating. I just can't do it. Fans have always been angered by

ticket touts. It is ridiculous, that you have to pay that amount

over the odds - absolutely terrible. Fans haggling with touts on street

corners became part of the match- day experience. But in the age of

the internet, ticket touting has become a multi-million-pound

business. There is no need to deal with dodgy touts. All you need is

an internet connection. Prices on the Net are not for the faint-

hearted and it is not just sporting events. Tickets for a Madonna gig

are on sale on one site for �5,000 each. These sites have loads of

tickets for the big match on Saturday. Have a look at this. 600,

901 here for nearly �1,000. -- and a one it here. I would ever pay it.

It is out of the reach of the public. For the average supporter,

they just haven't got the money. The website people used to resell

tickets are doing pretty well out of the market, charging around 25%

commission on each sale. But one of the websites cashing in it really

bothers Jon. Let's look at this website that you are concerned

about. Which one is it? This is GetMeIn.com. They have got tickets

for sale for the game, greeting from �280 to �660. -- ranging from

of. I can see quite clearly on the Web site GetMeIn.com and

Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster is the website that officially sells the

tickets. They allow people to sell them on and take a commission. It

means that they are effectively acknowledging that people have to

spend more. All this happens even those selling tickets at inflated

prices is against Wales rugby union terms and conditions. But it is not

actually illegal, so the union says they cannot stop the sales. But

they do say that fans buying touted tickets could be turned away from

the game. Jon will not be one of them. Disappointingly, we will

probably end up in a pub at home. It would be nice to be cheering on

the lads in the Millennium Stadium but it does not look like it is

going to happen. It is not as thanks who thinks

there should be a clampdown on ticket touts. The Welsh Rugby Union

say the same laws that apply to rugby tickets as football tickets

and a Olympics tickets, making touting illegal. The English rugby

union is currently fighting a high- profile legal battle to force one

online firm to reveal who is selling the tickets. A Scrum V

viewers will be familiar with Rick O'Shea. Good to see you. What is

your take on this? This is one of the difficult situations that you

get in sport. It is a combination of people wanting to watch rugby

and market forces. You have the Welsh Rugby Union who are in good

faith issue tickets for their product, and you have the end

consumer. Once you have the ticket in your hand, if you got it

legitimately, it is your property. What about the grassroots fans like

Jon who want to go to the big games but can't afford to pay �600?

have got every sympathy for Jon because it is their big games that

you want to be at. The Welsh Rugby Union give a lot of product for the

Welsh fan. Some argue that Wales macro give too many home games. It

is the big games that we all want to be at. Grand Slam deciders and

World Cup games. Your prediction for Saturday's game? Something like

23-18. You may remember we told you a few weeks ago about some unhappy

SCS customers. Since then, we have had complaints from all over Wales.

From Swansea to Bodfari, the Rhondda to Prestatyn, we have heard

from 18 customers unhappy with the sofas and customer-service they

have had from the firm. Once again, we will get in touch with SCS to

pass on these complaints. That is all we have time for tonight. If he