Episode 3 X-Ray

You're watching X-Ray. Bringing you the stories that matter. On

tonight's programme: This family home in Ebbw Vale, left

in a shocking state by this builder. DIY-tattoo kits. They're becoming

more popular. Should they be banned?

And the ticketless Take That fans. Hello. Tonight we're in the Rhondda

and, later in the programme, we'll be finding out how some people

around here are losing weight and saving money at the same time.

First, we're looking at a builder with a difference. Not only has he

been paid huge sums and done a terrible job, he's done it to one

of his oldest friends. Rachel investigates.

You've grown up together. Played rugby, hung out as teenagers.

has known Darren a long time since perhaps the age of 13. They

effectively knew each other from youth rugby. Now you're older

you've become firm friends. They go out running together, they'd taken

their daughters out together, they've gone out socialising.

when Beverley Powell and husband Simon from Ebbw Vale needed work

done on the house, they got a quote from old pal Darren Watkins.

Because Darren was a longstanding friend, we trusted him and thought

he knew what he was doing and that he would be the right man for the

job. We never had reason to distrust him. They hoped he was

going to transform their house into a dream home for their family.

were really looking forward to having the loft conversion and

garage. Our house is our palace, really. The Powells were getting a

new garage, a loft conversion and some other works. It should have

taken three months. But, seven months later, it looks like this.

The ambitious improvement plans were drawn up by an architect. The

bungalow would get an upstairs bedroom and en suite, which meant

big changes downstairs to make way for the staircase. The new garage

would be used as a play area. In September last year, Darren Watkins

started the job. Darren was plausible Yeah, things are going

great. He would say, come here next week and you won't recognise the

place. November time, alarms bells started ringing. The work should

have been finished in time for Christmas, but this home video

shows what the house looked like on Christmas Eve. He has ruined what

should have been a magical time for the children. We promised these

wonderful bedrooms and what they went back to was effectively

something out of World War Two. wasn't just that the work was

behind schedule. There were no clean lines. Sub-standard work

throughout was extensive. So much filler. I think he basically put it

on with his hands. The shower was held on by gaffer tape. I couldn't

believe we'd been left with this awful mess. This is the honest

truth, I broke down and cried. I didn't believe Darren would do this

to us. But, was it really as bad as Beverly thought? We asked surveyor

Tim Davies to take a look. You can see that by putting the spirit

level here how plumb the wall is. This should have been filled with

concrete The builders should have used proper wall ties in the cavity.

They have just used off-cuts of Rendalath. This will do nothing to

hold these two walls together. What is the danger? I'm assuming there

is a fair bit of weight behind this wall. There is a lot of weight

behind this retaining ground in all this debris. Potentially it could

This window is ill-fitting and difficult to open. It has a large

gap, even in the closed position. You can see daylight? Yes. Other

surveyors who looked at the works said the war was not built

according to plans and would have failed building regulations. The

temporary weatherproofing had failed and leaked. How bad is this

compared to what you have seen? This rate so as a poor job. There

are problems and a lot of money has been paid for work that is

defective or not suitable. How much money exactly? He has had over

�50,000. That is a lot of money. awful lot of money. I would like to

know where some of it has actually landed. There is a lot of it that

is not accounted for. The couple sacked to their former friend in

December. An expert said he has JUN just �30,000 of work, �20,000 less

than they had paid him. What happened to all the money? Perhaps

it had been spent on building materials as claimed. The couple

said they gave him �2,600 for window and this door. But when they

went to the suppliers, there was still more than �1,000 to pay.

There are other suppliers to say they have not been paid. How do you

feel about it? Shocked, angry, very upset. Darren abused his friendship

and that was hurtful. Some body you think you know well, to turn around

and do this. It is hard to take. wanted to know what he had to say

about the work he had done at their house. He agreed to come to the BBC

to tell his side of the story. Tell me why the quality of your work was

so poor? Not given the opportunity to work in a comfortable

environment. I was constantly pressured. Simon asked me himself

to leave a lot of the work you can see now, which is not complete.

lost control? I did. Yes. I admit that. I had very good reason for

losing control. Tell me about the conversation you had with the

couple about agreeing to a three- month timescale. I spoke to Simon

with a four months' time scale. Things were delayed. You agreed to

three months and said you would get them in by Christmas. I told them I

would do everything I could to get them in. I was confident I could.

More about the standard of the work carried out by bricklayers? Why use

this beading as a watertight? not bring anybody else into this.

Why were you not supervising the work? I never saw them go in. I saw

them after. Why did she not take the wall down and build It Again?

I did not -- I did not have the opportunity. He denies receiving

�50,000 and says he was paid �47,000. Clerk of works said there

is only �30,000 of work. The cost we agreed was agreed between me and

Simon. What has happened to the money they thought he had used to

paid for the windows? She had already been let down and pay them.

Why did she not give her the money? With this situation involved I sent

a solicitor's's letter. This is �50,000. You could not resist?

is not the case. The only reason the job went like it was was

because I was not allowed to work in a comfortable environment.

did you not to walk away? I am not that sort of person. I tried to

help a friend and it backfired. This series we look at how on

people save money. We have come across an interesting scheme. This

is called a fat club. Why did you set-top? Are a group of people

decided to lose weight. We could not afford the money to join the

club in the village and we started one our cells. We started with six

people and we now have 30 members. Some people have lost two stones,

some people three stones. People learn to cook from scratch. Perhaps

they want to try something out they cannot at home. We paid 50p per

week. It goes towards food. later in the programme we will chat

to some of the success stories. Next, something worrying parents.

Celebrity culture has made tattoos are socially acceptable for

teenagers. Everybody from Robbie Williams to Cheryl Kohl seems to be

turning their body into a canvas and becoming a piece of living art.

But not everybody who wants a tattoo comes to a registered studio.

There are people active across Wales called up scratches.

Elizabeth, Jessica out and Charolais and our fans of body art.

They say they are choosy about who they choose to work on their skin,

but two of them say they have allowed friends to use DIY tattoo

kit sport on the internet to create these tattoos. Their heads on my

arms, the fish, the finger, my paw prints and one on the back of my

neck, which is a diamond. What are you not happy with? The size and

shaping. A friend did it at her house. It is permanent, why would

anybody let to a complete amateur tattoo their skin? I thought he was

learning and wanted to help him out. If you go into it with that mind

frame... They are just learning. If you understand what they are doing,

it is acceptable. Registered artists are concerned that amateur

tattoo artists are bringing the profession into disrepute. The main

issue with those who are not licensed is hygiene and

sterilisation techniques. The fact that its they will be re using

equipment that is not sterile and not cleaning down their work areas

is a concern. This is an environmental health officer who

inspects tattoo parlours. We have records of people who have con

tract did HIV, hepatitis B, they have wounds that do not heal. They

come back to tattoo artists saying, but look what you have done to my

arm and hold out an arm that is injured. Those who are not

registered are breaking the law and can face a criminal record. If the

Health and Safety Executive were able to prove there was work

activity, they could use health and safety legislation and the maximum

fine is �25,000. What you are fans of tattoos make of this

information? Under-aged drinking is illegal, but they still do it.

is not something that worries you? No. To be honest, I did not mind. I

said I will pay for it. He was using his equipment. I do not mind.

Would you consider reporting someone who is not registered?

It's actually surprising easy to set up as an amateur tattooist.

Anyone with internet access is just a few clicks away from getting all

the kit they would need for as little as �30. I went online and

found several companies willing to sell a tattoo gun, needles and inks.

Everything you'd need to become an amateur tattooist. So what does

professional artist Lee think of the kit I bought? The main issue

obviously is quality of the equipment. There parts made of

plastic, or materials which are unsuitable or likely to break

during a tattoo. The lack of advice given in the kit on applying

tattoos and sterilisation and hygiene during the process. What's

the answer for kits like this, what do you think should happen? Perhaps

there should be legislation put in place to stop people selling

equipment to unregistered tattooists. Bridgend MP Madeleine

Moon is campaigning for controls on the sale of tattoo equipment to

suitably qualified people. can't take blood in a GP's surgery

without undergoing years of training. Why on earth are we

allowing people to not just stick one needle in somebody's arm and

extract blood, but to inflict many needles going into the skin,

possibly scarring someone for life, no qualification, no minimum

standards of training before you can do it? That's crazy. Until

there is a change in the law, professionals like Lee are left

cleaning up the mess left by illegal amateurs. Not a day goes by

without people ask for cover-up or rework. If it's too scarred, it's

difficult to fix. Skin is not so elastic. People need to be aware,

they may never be able to have a decent tattoo in that area.

And if you've got anything to say on the subject, let us know. What

is on the menu? We're making pizza. This is all white making cheap

fruit healthy food. It is about healthy eating and knowing about

diet. People have an overload and are concerned about taste. Keep up

the good work. How are you benefiting? I have lost two pounds

this week. I have lost three stone and four pounds overall. How long

did that take you? One year and four months. I am really happy with

myself. I feel more confident. I am a sinner. My confidence was not

before because I didn't think people will -- people were

concentrating on my singing, just my body. It has helped me with my

walking. Well done. Next, we are on Caroline Walker from Cardiff booked

a romantic getaway last year, but the hotel wasn't as picture perfect

as she'd hoped. I'm on the case. carefully planned a holiday for

myself and my boyfriend to go to Turkey through On the Beach, but

when we got there it all went downhill. Right. Time to hit the

road. Back in October 2010, after months of research, Caroline booked

a week's holiday for her partner's birthday with a company called On

the Beach. But the surprise trip didn't go to plan and she has been

complaining since. So, Caroline, tell me about the holiday you

booked. I booked it in secret. I booked his leave with his boss

without him knowing, emailing him and texting him. I wanted to do

something like you see in the movies really, a complete surprise

and I put the tickets in a birthday card for him and when he opened it,

it was just, he didn't know what to say really. So, very romantic. Tell

me about the hotel that you booked. I originally saw it on the On the

Beach website. And I saw the Crystal Beach Hotel, and the price

seemed quite reasonable, and the description sounded wonderfu.l and

the pictures looked beautiful so I decided that that's where we'd go.

Caroline booked a seven-day all- inclusive trip to Crystal Beach

Bodrum Hotel, Turkey, for a total of �639. It was described as a four

star hotel, but the reality was rather different. We walked through

the door and immediately it struck us that this wasn't quite the

standard for the star rating. it didn't look like the hotel you

booked? No, we actually had to move hotels after a couple of days.

There was a note pinned to the door saying that the hotel had decided

that they were going to close three weeks early from the end of the

season and we're moving the entire hotel and all its guests to

somewhere else. And once we arrived at the other hotel it became

apparent that this is the one where most of the photographs were

actually taken from. And were advertised against the Crystal

Hotel. For Caroline and Bryan, their trip abroad was ruined and

she was bitterly disappointed with the whole experience. She's been

complaining to the company ever since. What are the company saying,

what are they offering you? Well, after six months of toing and

froing, with letters back and forth, they are currently offering 25%

refund as a goodwill gesture of the accommodation costs which amounts

to �33.29. And how do you feel about that? Really quite insulted,

to be honest. So, Caroline what would you like me to do? I'd like

to be able to take Bryan away for the holiday we were meant to have

and I would like for the companies to admit their errors and correct

what's wrong on the website. I'm on the case. Now, there are a

few things Caroline could have done differently. If she'd read the

small print she'd have realised that the star ratings were the

hotel's own. It's always a good idea to check as not all countries

have a standardised system. Caroline didn't complain to the

company till she came home. She could have contacted On the Beach

while on holiday to see if they could help. She did take some

pictures on holiday as evidence of her complaint. If a holiday company

or hotel uses photos to misrepresent their facilities, then

this kind of proof could help you win your case. So, let's see what

On The Beach have to say. On The Beach have got back to me they say

every effort is made to display the correct images of their hotels, but

on rare occasions they receive incorrect pictures from their

suppliers. On this occasion, one of the images displayed was

unfortunately incorrect. This has now been deleted and replaced. The

hotel in question had been overbooked and the management had

no alternative but to accommodate guests at the sister hotel. But

they say if Caroline had contacted them at the time they would have

done everything their power to provide her with a suitable

replacement hotel. -- in their power. On The Beach have apologised

and as a gesture of goodwill they've offered a voucher up to the

total cost of the original holiday. On the Beach have now given us a

voucher for the full cost of the holiday of �640 and we've now used

it to book another holiday to Crete in October. Well, that's another

case closed. Now, since we featured a company

called Aurora Logistics lots of you have been in touch. Last week, we

told you about Val Morris from Abergavenny. She was sold a

warranty she didn't need for her Sky box by Swansea based Aurora

Logistics. Paul de la Mare, the company's director, promised us

he'd refund Val's �80. But, guess what. She is still waiting for her

money. And it seems that Val isn't the only one. A number of you have

realised that you too have paid out for what you thought was a Sky

warranty. Sylvia Parsons from Newport was called by Aurora back

in March and agreed to buy a warranty for �79.99. Now she wants

her money back. We'll be passing her complaint on to the company.

We're also checking out some other companies you've told us about who

seem to be using these sales tactics. So, if you've been cold-

called by anyone trying to sell you a warranty for your Sky box, we'd

love to hear from you. In the meantime, Sky's tell us they have

only one approved warranty provider, Sky Protect, who will never cold-

call you. If you're in any doubt ask the person on the phone to

confirm your Sky account number. If they are from Sky, they should have

your details already. Now, where will you be tomorrow

night? Will you be amongst the thousands watching Take That at the

Millennium Stadium? I know I will be. Just try stopping her. We've

heard from a couple of fans who had more trouble than most getting hold

This front door in Cwmbran may look pretty ordinary as far as front

doors go, but it's actually the key to the curious case of the missing

Take That tickets. Tickets that Jane Morris, like fans across the

nation needed hours of cool, calm determination to snap up when they

went on sale last October. I was in work with three computers, two

phones. Clare had her phone, her house phone, her laptop. My sister

had phones, laptops and her husband we were all trying to get the

tickets. Ticket Master was down, nobody could get on there, but I

managed to get our tickets by 10am. The tour sold out within hours but,

certain they'd bagged four tickets to see Gary Barlow and the boys,

the friends just waited for their tickets to arrive. But things were

about to take a very strange turn. I received an email to say that the

tickets had been delivered on the Tuesday at 10:58am. On the

Wednesday, I had the email, but we didn't get any tickets. A baffled

Jane got on to SEE Tickets. They spoke to the courier company, DX

Secure, who offered a rather surprising way of proving the

tickets had indeed been delivered. Now, remember that average looking

door? I did ask if a signature had to be given, to which she replied

if you are not in they take a photo of your door. OK, time for a quick

game of spot the difference. First here's Jane's door and now here's

another door 300 metres away. DX Secure says human error meant the

tickets were delivered to this very similar front door. DX has

apologised and says it should've investigated rather than just

sending out the photograph. home from work and there was a note

on the floor from the Post Office to say that a parcel had been

delivered and it needed a signature, so I went straight over to the Post

Office. Nothing else mattered that day. I was getting my tickets.

Well hope they have a great time after all that! I am sure they'll

have a night they'll Never Forget. That's all we've got time for this

week. Remember, if you've got anything to say about tonight's

stories, or if there's anything you think we should investigate, then