Episode 24 X-Ray

Hello, I'm Lucy Owen. And I'm Rhodri Owen. You are watching X-Ray.

Tonight, we ask why did this dog lose most of his ear after a visit

to a grooming salon? Rhodri has a spot of bother trying to deliver a

card to the boss of Peugeot. 212 if you could pass it on, that would be

great. Ever been tempted by a free offer on the internet? We uncover

the multi-billion-dollar scams and Hello, tonight we are in Ammanford

for the last in this series of X- Ray. But first, we have been

looking at lots of dog related stories in the last few weeks. So

when we heard that dogs had been injured at a grooming salon down

the road in Llanelli, we sent It's a dog's life, as the saying

goes. But these days, Britain's 8 million mutts are having a pretty

Here in Wales, you will find a dog in a third of homes. But instead of

roughing it in a kennel, modern pooches are more likely to be

There are 3000 salons in the UK. But they are not inspected and

groomers don't have to have any qualifications. So, how do you know

This is the Cutz 4 Mutz salon, in the centre of Llanelli. It calls

itself the most successful dog grooming academy in the UK, and

charges students up to �3,600 for Last year, owner Mandy Miller won

an award for New Business of the Year. But some customers are not

impressed. They say Cutz 4 Mutz is a fitting name for a salon where

they claim their dogs were injured. Who is this? Fat Boy. He is a

Yorkshire terrier crossed for the chop. Does he take a lot of

grooming? We wanted him to be like a little teddy bear. Clive Davies

thought he was getting a good deal from Cutz 4 Mutz last September.

doctor to King to Cutz 4 Mutz. -- my daughter took him. He had been

cut and a leg. Is that normal for that read, to be cut like that?

it is a teddy bear effect. Suppose to be. That is bake. Did they

mention this when he was picked up? Know. I took him home and I

realised he was out of character. Then I saw the cut. He would not

stay still. They did not mention it. Mandy Miller says she has no record

of the complaint and says Fatboy was shaved because his fur was

badly matted. That is something Clive denies. And Clive isn't the

only one complaining. Caroline Rees's Yorkshire terrier, Fizzy,

also visited the salon. The owner of the Sun said, we have had an

accident and Nick Telek. She said she had put shaving balm on it. --

nicked her leg. She kept licking her leg. Underneath, it was like a

hole had been gouged out of her leg. It was a deep cut. I took it to the

vet and she needed stitches. you go to the salon? I said to her,

you have cut my dog and I am left with a vet's bill. I said, are you

prepared to pay that? She said No She was quite offensive. Mandy

Miller claims Fizzy's coat was in a terrible state when she arrived at

the salon. She says Fizzy was not cut, but had a burst abscess.

Caroline disputes this, and there is no mention of an abscess on the

So, how common are accidents in the dog grooming industry? Karen Wright

runs a salon in Cardiff. Things happen, dogs fidget, they jump

around. They are sharp scissors, all these things have a potential

to harm, in theory. In the last year, 61 students have paid more

than �150,000 to train at Cutz 4 Mutz in Llanelli, some funded by

the Welsh Government. How important his supervision for a

trainee? There is no such thing as anything being the trainee's fault,

ultimately until the grimmer is qualified, and your team that

person up and running, you are So, if you want to become a top dog

groomer, is Cutz 4 Mutz the place to learn your trade? Well, you may

want to think twice before forking out thousands of pounds. Cutz 4

Mutz claim their courses lead to a recognised qualification. But

Lantra Awards, which accredits the courses, say that is not true. They

have told the salon to remove the claim from their website. Mandy

Miller insists trainees are constantly supervised. But not all

our customers are convinced. Mark Bull took his dog to the salon in

January this year. This is Arthur. He is very cute. What breed is he?

He is a Bichon Frise. Tell me about this one particular time you took

into the salon. I brought him back and he had green bows in his fur,

which we thought was in the fur. He looked pretty, he came at all

puffed up. We thought they did a decent job. We were happy. It was

not until the following morning, and he was wincing and shaking his

head. I was horrified when I saw that these two bands were around

his ears. So they had actually tied the bows around his ears? I tried

to cut them off and he was going for me, he was in that much pain, I

thought the vet is a good miles -- the closest place is a grooming

salon. The manageress saw me and she Cup tonight. And she said, they

will be all right and left them. who had actually done this? One of

the students. Within a couple of days, Arthur's ears swelled up and

began to turn black. And then came bad news from the vet - one of the

ears couldn't be saved. So he has had to have his ear

amputated? About three-quarters of his year had to be amputated

because it went gangrenous and black through the loss of blood to

his ear. When Mark complained to Cutz 4 Mutz, he says the salon

owner, Mandy Miller, asked him to keep quiet about the incident. But

he was not prepared to do that and posted comments on Facebook. He was

shocked by the reaction. The police visited twice, saying I was

threatening etc, and I had solicitor's letters. How do you

feel about what happened? I feel angry that I put my trust in having

my dog groomed and he had dizzier amputated, it should never have

happened. Poor Arthur, that ear looked terrible. Rachel, what does

the salon have to say about this case? Well, Cutz 4 Mutz are not

accepting any blame here, and say Arthur should have been taken to

the vet sooner. They insist the student who groomed Arthur didn't

tie bows around his ears, and that someone else must have done it

after the dog left the salon. Really? Yes, but of course,

Arthur's owner completely denies that. Does the salon owner have

anything else to say? Well, Mandy Miller says she has hundreds of

happy customers and makes every effort to follow all the health and

safety standards. She also put us in touch with former students who

said they were supervised well during their training courses.

business as usual at the salon? quite. Lantra, the organisation

which backs the training courses the salon gives to trainees, has

suspended its links with Cutz 4 Mutz. They are going to visit the

salon next month. Thanks, Rachel. Now, have you ever been tempted by

the offer of something for free on the internet? Well, Lucy has been

meeting some people who wish they Now, we all love to get something

for free, don't we? Chocolate, free chocolate, anyone

want to come and have a free chocolate? Who wants some free

chocolate? Come on! Now, when we said free, there is just one little

catch. Would you like a free chocolate?

And on, before you have one, can I have your credit card details?

Why not? It is private. You look like you might enjoy chocolate.

Would you like one? First of all, can you give me your credit card

details? Know. Why not? I do not know you. Before you do, could I

have your credit card details? Maybe up today. Why not? You look

lovely, but I do not do much might credit card details to a complete

stranger. Well, it is hardly surprising that people wouldn't

give me their credit card details. I mean, you wouldn't just give them

out to anyone on the street, would you? But are we that clever when it

comes to the internet? Karen Young from Cardiff regrets taking up a

supposedly free offer online, where she only had to pay the postage.

This advert popped up on the right hand side, so I just clicked on it.

I am, I know, terrible for beauty creams, and I saw this advert,

Revitaderm miracle wonder cream and it was a trial pack for �2.95, so I

ordered it. All she needed to do was fill in a few details,

including her credit card number. So, you entered your credit card

details. It was �2.95, you thought it was low risk. Absolutely, for

�2.95, I thought, it doesn't make a difference if I don't receive the

products. That, to me in my head, is the worst case scenario, off the

internet. But it was not just one payment. In under two months, a

company called Revitaderm took eight payments, totalling �417.

can remember standing up there, putting both hands on my head,

thinking, "Oh, my word!" I realised at that point that I had been

scammed. There is nothing I can do about it. I can't afford to lose

that kind of money. The company Karen signed up to has been in the

headlines, and the Advertising Standards Authorities have upheld

complaints about the marketing techniques. But after dozens of

phone calls, she did manage to get her money back.

But Newport pensioner Georgina Gibbons, who signed with a

different company, has not been so lucky. I was on Facebook and I saw

this advert, stating you could lose weight on a trial. �5.95, so I

thought, it is worth a try. I looked further and it had no

obligations, so I thought, I will try it, it is worth a try. She got

just two small bottles, but the company emptied her bank account.

They took �143.76 out, and that was everything we had. We are on a

pension credit and there was only about �16 left in the bank. That

was supposed to last us from Saturday to Saturday. It made me

really, really ill. Taking money like that, they don't care who you

So, what's happened? Well, these trials actually turn out to be a

subscription service, and when you give them your bank details, you

are actually signing up to something that is called continuous

payment authority., and legitimate form of regular payments, set up

between you and a business. But the power all lies with the company, so

it is like handing over your purse to a complete stranger and trusting

Unlike a direct debit, the company can change the amount they take out

of your account without telling you. Karen and Georgina had been

targeted by hi-tech internet Let me explain. I can walk down the

street and no-one will know what my mood is, might likes or dislikes,

and if I pop into a shop, they have got no idea what I wanted to buy.

No-one knows anything unless I tell them.

But on the internet, it is a different story. Every site I visit

online can help to build up a profile. And if I like or dislike

something on Facebook, advertisers will know about it. And if I visit

a store on line, they have the ability to remember what I was

looking at. This means companies big and small are very good at

targeting new online. -- targeting you. And while they might know

everything about you, some are very good at hiding their details.

Internet security expert Richard Cox is all too familiar with

individuals who abuse our trust on the internet. Well, on Facebook,

the adverts are quite frequently targeted, as they are on other

social media, by what you've actually viewed in the past and

what you've actually indicated that you liked. It forms a profile of

you, so that advert could be said to be targeted at you. The same

with some search engines like Great news - another good result.

What you make of the terms you are using on this site? It is very

aggressive. They are setting up an environment where they wanted to

make a mistake, and most people will make it. When it comes to

tracking down these companies, it's not easy. We have been

investigating the website Georgina used. The website only lists a PO

box in Scotland, but with a bit of digging, we have found that the

banking is based in Malta or, at the website is registered in

Germany, and if the customer service line in the Philippines is

to be -- be believed, the actual rate -- actual company is based in

Utah in the United States. It is a tangled web.

Would you describe it as a scam? Certainly the scam, right on the

borderline of fraud, and in some case at -- cases as we have seen,

it becomes fraudulent. It has been a costly lesson for Georgina. She

has given up on ever getting her money back. They can keep all their

free trials and deals. I don't want any of it, never will, now. That is

probably the best attitude to have. I know Karen and Georgina feel

silly after falling for these offers, but they are not alone.

These guns are a multi-billion dollar industry. Really? Just last

week authorities in the United States ordered man -- one man to

pay $650 million to customers who had lost out. Wow. That is just one

case. Remember you can call you back and get them to cancel this

type of payment but they are not always greater letting you know

that. We have some tips about say it -- then stayed on line on a

website. The details on the screen. Next, Lucy is on the case in

Newport. Berkeley Sampson thought buying a new-build house would mean

low maintenance, but his bathroom Sewage water has been leaking from

a bathroom toilette but Elway homes say it is not their problem. I'm on

When Berkeley bought this house he trusted the company he built it to

install the plumbing probably, but a bathroom elite has seen his trust

drain away. How are you? Cumin. Thank you. He and his wife Claire

bought their three-bedroom townhouse from Bell way homes in

2006. The plan was to move back home

closer to the family to start would then start a family of our own. A

couple of years later, Reece Craig -- came along. He has cerebral

palsy. Does he need a lot of care? Quite a bit of support. The

cerebral palsy have left -- has left him with motor skills issue so

his movement is way he struggles. Because of race's problems, the

family say that until recently they rarely use the pub -- bathroom on

the middle floor. When they did, but when it started to leak. We had

sewage water all over the bathroom floor, so a bit of a panic. Towels

on the floor trying to mop the water up and contend with the smell,

and then get on the phone to the plumber to repair the problem.

must have been horrible for you having waste water all over the

bathroom, especially with kids. Absolutely, not great. Obviously

the water got into the space between the ceiling and the floor

so the kitchen ceiling here, there's been some water damage to

that as well. An independent engineer found the problem with the

pipe work in the bathroom. This is the toilet that has been causing

the problems. What happened? league itself came out of the back

of the waste pipe, literally just behind the toilet. The plumber

repaired that and that is when it became obvious that there is a

problem with the slope of the waste pipe itself. It has got a pretty

obvious slope on it up hill. The Messiah was taught the laws of

physics wrong at school, that is the wrong direction for water to

flow. He got in touch with Bell way homes. Review was a surprise

because they felt there was no comeback on them or any problem

from their point of view as far as they could see. The main reason

being that they thought it couldn't be a major issue as it had taken so

long to show itself, but as we talked about, the bathroom has only

really started to be used over the last few months or so. How do you

feel about what they have said about the problem and the way they

have treated you? It has been very disappointing that they have not

been willing to come out and look at the problem themselves before

making a decision, even. It's pretty clear that there is an issue

caused by the original work and the property was built and all we are

looking for them is to put that work right. Okay. I am on the case.

He has hit a brick wall when it comes to bowl way homes, so what

are your rights when it comes to building disputes? The Supply of

Goods and Services Act covers work done by tradespeople, and it not

only applies to builders and plumbers, but also to dentists,

restaurants, hairdressers, in fact anyone who is supplying a service.

It means you should expect the service to be carried out with

reasonable care and skill. So why aren't they fixing his bathroom?

Well, they point out that the house is six years old, and as there

hasn't been a leak in the bathroom until February of this year, they

dispute they are at fault. They believe the leak is down to general

wear and tear. However, as a gesture of good will, they have now

agreed to repair the bathroom free of charge. Thanks Lucy, we are

really pleased that they have agreed to come out and fix our

bathroom. And that is another case closed.

Great news - another good result. And it's not the only success we've

had this week. Last week we brought you the

disturbing story of the Special Friends website. It's a bit like

Facebook but it can be used by children and adults with learning

disabilities. It's paid for with charity money and it claimed to be

one of the safest places on the web. But we found obvious security flaws

which meant children's personal details could easily be accessed by

sexual predators. Martin Harris, who runs the website, says he has

now written to the trustees of the charity Follow Your Dreams, which

has been funding the site. He's recommending that they cancel their

support. And for now, the website has closed its doors to new users,

and is undergoing a security upgrade. Let's hope it works.

Now, earlier this year, Lucy was On the Case helping a viewer who was

having problems with his Peugeot car cutting out. Well, it turned

out I had opened a can of worms - we've been inundated with

complaints from other Peugeot drivers. Rhodri's been

Since we last told you about Peugeots cutting out? Peugeot have

made good on their promise, and are fixing the cars. So John Vaughan

from Wrexham is a happier man. had a good result. Peugeot have

phoned me back, and they've took the car. Hannah Banks also got in

touch. Peugeot say her car had been badly maintained, but they are

But since you saw them on X-Ray, we've heard from a whole lot more

unhappy drivers all with the same People from all over Wales have

been in touch, some with 206s or 207s, some with 307s or 308s, but

all with the same problem - their car cut out or chugged along at a

slow speed. So we've been on the In the Valleys, we've been to

Pontardawe and Treorchy. It's happened a few times, my

warranty ran out in June last year, and all I've had is problems since.

I was driving on a quite a busy road over in Swansea with two

friends in the car. Everything cut out - the lights, the indicators,

the power steering. I just slammed my brakes on, and a car almost went

into the back of me. And we've been to Cardiff and Caerphilly. The car

just completely lost power, a warning light came on the screen

saying "anti-pollution fault." the electrics just died, and I was

in the third lane and I needed to pull over pretty quickly. I was

overtaking on the motorway at the Up North, we've been to Rhyl and

Wrexham. Driving through town up to a junction, I slow down, about to

turn the junction, and the car just cuts out. When I was driving to

work, it just totally cut out on me when I pulled onto a 60, so I had

to pull over into some cemetery gates. And in Mid and West Wales,

we've been to Llanwrtyd Wells and Crosshands in Carmarthenshire.

car just stopped on the middle of the road. To be honest with you, it

was very frightening. frightened one day something is

going to happen at a junction or a roundabout, and there'll be an

accident. Now, because of all your calls,

we've gone back to Peugeot. And they've agreed to take a look at

all the faulty cars. Some are already being fixed - they're even

doing some for free. But what about the reason behind the problem why

are these Peugeots cutting out? Peugeot say they've all broken down

for different reasons, and that some have been poorly maintained.

But some have suggested there is a common problem with the cars'

computers. Three weeks ago, I spoke to expert Gareth Rees.

Right, Gareth, any idea why these Peugeots are cutting out like this?

Well, not really, Rhod, simply because the fault, when it occurs,

isn't being logged on to the car's computer. So when people are taking

their cars to the garage, when they are cutting out, there's no

information on the computer to say what exactly is wrong with them?

The onboard computer isn't recording the actual fault, so when

it goes in for diagnostic testing it's not being picked up.

After the programme, a spokesman from Peugeot questioned the

significance of just one expert's view. So we've asked another one!

Tim Shallcross from the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

What are your thoughts on what Gareth's actually said? He's

absolutely right, if the computer hasn't recorded a fault and the

car's working in front of you, then it gets very difficult to figure

out what was wrong. And how familiar are you with this

particular complaint? Peugeots do something of a history of

intermittent faults, where the car cuts out and then starts again.

what should be done now? Peugeot need to get this diagnostic correct

and accurate and reliable. Peugeot say problems caused by things like

poor quality fuel or bad maintenance would not be expected

to show up on the cars' computers. They deny there is any problem. But

not everyone agrees. That's two experts and a whole load

of viewers' complaints. I think it's about time we paid a visit to

Their HQ is in Coventry. They've refused to speak to us face to face,

so I've come to deliver a card on behalf of all the viewers who've

contacted X-Ray. Hi, good morning, is it possible to

speak to Mr Tim Zimmerman, please, your managing director? OK, is he

expecting you? We're from BBC Wales's X-Ray.

OK, sounds promising. It was only a card, but nobody

seemed to want it. If I could just leave you with this

- it's a little list who've made a complaint. I'm not a Peugeot

spokesman. If you could pass it on to your MD, that would be great.

Well, Peugeot obviously not keen to talk at all. First of all it seemed

that MD was in, and then suddenly once the gentleman from security

arrived, he wasn't. But we've left the list of names, so hopefully we

shall have some response. Wow - they weren't very pleased to

see you, were they? No, and we travelled all that way! Well that's

all we've got time for this week... ..And this series! But because we

are off air, it doesn't mean we're on holiday. No - we're still going

to be investigating your stories, so if you've got anything you'd

so if you've got anything you'd like us to look at, give us a call.

Our number's 03703 334 334 - the lines are open now. Or go to our