Episode 9 X-Ray

I'm Lucy Owen. And I'm Rhodri Owen. You're watching X-Ray. High

pressure selling at a makeover and photo company - we go undercover to

find out what they are up to. I'm in Wrexham where a couple's dream

holiday turned into a financial disaster when there insurance

company refused to pay out. And I'm going to be finding out why taking

your smart phone on holiday can land you in thousands of pounds of

Tonight, I'm in Chepstow, right on the border. Over there is England

where Tesco gives out Green Clubcard points when you re-use

carrier bags. Here in Wales, they have stopped doing that and I'm

going to find out why. But first tonight, Rachel's been

investigating high pressure sales techniques at a makeover and photo

It is a model day out. A hairdo, and makeover and a photo-shoot. At

New ID Studios they are offering this at bargain-basement prices.

Too good to be true? Well, this isn't the first time the nationwide

chain had been on X-Ray. Earlier we met these women who were unhappy

with the experience they had. should be a pleasurable experience,

not something where you go inside a building and you feel like a

prisoner who cannot get out. After hearing their complaints, many more

have you got in touch with the same problem. To these the brown from

Cardiff pay New ID �160 in advance for makeovers, photo-shoots and for

photographs of herself and her daughter Mary, who wants to be a

model. It could have been the perfect treat for Mary then? Yes.

It was all about looks and fashion and been the centre of attention.

They both enjoyed the makeover and photo-shoot, but the problem

started when they went to choose which photographs they wanted.

was keen on are seeing all the photographs and then almost assumed

we were going to buy the whole package. That would have been about

�4,000. Of to refusing be offer of a 4,000 pound package, to Reza says

the atmosphere changed, especially when the salesman realised that

Mary wanted to be a model. He said it would be a good stepping stone

for her career. I was told if I walked out the images would be

deleted. I felt under extreme pressure. I had was telling me to

get out and not part with my money. But I did not want to seem like an

uncaring mother. Teresa agreed to pay over �1,000 for 50 images.

felt it was too much money to be spending. It is not just to read

that that has got in touch about the selling methods used by New ID,

here in Cardiff city centre. Caryl Lewis took her partner to New ID

after seeing a buy one get one free deal on a website. Before she went,

she spent �150 for the experience and six photos. I was under the

impression I was not going to spend a penny when I got there. I didn't

think I would have to put my hand in my pocket. Caryl and Maureen

enjoyed their photo shoot, but it became clear that things would not

be simple. They explained that if we only had those photos, they were

at their copies and not ours and they would have Copyright Britain

across every photograph in big bold letters. -- Copyright written. We

then spent another �900, which is extortion it. For more than �1,000,

Caryl got 56 photographs, including some that had been digitally

altered. A lot of pressure is put on you. They are talking so fast.

They just those so much information at you, which you have not got time

to absorb. She is now paying �75 a month on a credit agreement. So we

decided it give the New ID experience a try for ourselves. We

booked a package for two of our work researchers. First they said

it would cost �5 each and then they said it would be completely free.

The free package got them a 4 make over. Then it was into the studio

for a photo-shoot, and they had been promised a photo to take home.

They enjoyed the pampering and the pictures and then after a long wait

it was time to choose their photographs. Sure enough, it wasn't

long before the saleswoman was tried to persuade them to part with

So that his 23 photographs on a CD for �800. She also offered them

easy ways to pay on a credit agreement. And then came another

So she is telling us all the pictures are deleted straight away.

We showed hour footage to a legal expert. So, what did you make of

her. She is very persuasive and she is very skilled in speed. The

packages and offers are coming through it so thick and fast I

would defy any customer to really know what is on offer. So, could

New ID be breaking the law? In to his against the law to falsely

suggest to a customer they have a once only chance and this is it. We

no-one individual who had a photo shoot a year ago. She has been told

the photographs are still available. That lends evidence to the fact

that the photographs will not be deleted. Also, they are denying you

the opportunity to think again. Caryl is still paying �75 a month

to New ID and she will be until July next year. And how did you

feel as you walk out the door? Absolutely devastated. I felt quite

sick inside. There is no way I would sign up for that again. Why

would you want to put yourself through that. It appears to be a

pleasant experience and it was a nightmare. Some pretty unhappy

customers there. Rachel, what are the company have to say?

They admit they have made mistakes and they say they are investigating

whether members of staff had overstepped the mark.

That sounds promising. Not too fast. They say they make

sure customers understand their pricing policy and they say there

is nothing they can do for customers who have signed a legally

binding agreement. That means no refunds.

Is it business as usual? Not quite. They say they will

remove the Copyright mark of of the three photographs. Fingers crossed

we will see some improvements. Smart phone is like these have put

the internet into our pockets, at making Our mobile phones like

mobile computers. But if you do not know what to a smart phone is doing,

you could end up owing thousands, as Rhodri has been finding out.

Smart phones are everywhere. There could be as many as 20 million in

Britain. The phones like blackberries macros and iPhoness

will be at the top of a lot of Christmas present lists. I have

come to Swansea to meet a group of smart phone loving professionals.

do not go anywhere without it. can get my e-mails and social media

accounts. A use it for the internet all day long. We may love out a

smart phones, but how much do we know about them? These guys have

agreed to an experiment. We are going to monitor their smart phone

used to see how much state that they use. We are doing this because

this data can end up being very expensive. Grandmother Christine

Gordon discovered the pit falls by hard way after she lent her smart

phone to her son when he went on holiday to Turkey. My son wasn't

well and he was going over to recuperate. I wanted to keep in

touch with him. Christine contacted Vodafone about the cost of texting

and phoning abroad, but was not told about data. The Bill was over

�1,500. I was absolutely devastated. And there was no mistake, even

though her son says he used the phone sparingly. However, he used

data costing �1,425. Smart phones have apps. The world's most popular

one is Facebook. Who is a popular boy then? 70 notifications. In this

country, but cost of using those apps are included in your monthly

charges, but when you leave the country, you have to pay roaming

charges. Outside the European Union, data that would cost you �10 in

Britain can cost as much as �8,000. And some apps can quickly ratchet

up your bill. The tests we carried out that just opening phrase book

on your phone outside of the European Union can cost anything

from �1.20 up to �19. And the most useful thing when you get lost

abroad is a match that works like a Sat Nav. You could end up paying

more than �20 for the first time you use it on holiday. And using

could call her on holiday outside the European Union can cost as much

as �60. -- using Google Earth. thought these people had been on

the internet for hours. I didn't use it for the first few days, but

then I went on to the internet and started looking at Swansea City

website. How often way you on it and for how long? Only for two of

three minutes at a time. Were you on it every day? I wasn't. I must

have used it for five of the 10 days I was away. A few days after I

came back, I had my bill and it was �806. I rang Orange, spoke to a

gentleman and expected him to say the Bill was wrong. But it wasn't.

Do you think you used �800 worth? Never! You did not get value for

money? Definitely not. So how much state set it hour Swansea

professionals using 24 hours? -- So how much data did away at Swansea

professionals use in a 24 hours? would be pretty shocked if I had a

60 pound bill. I am absolutely shocked. I would expect an

expensive built on my return from holiday, which is not nice. It is

crazy. That is standard usage that I would do every day. To cut the

risk of future bills abroad, you need to switch off your phone's

data are roaming. Also, do not watch the television from your

smart phone when you are abroad. Watching X-Ray could end up costing

Worth every penny, of course. But what about the bills that the

people I met have been left with? Well, there's some good news for

James. Orange have agreed to refund �580 of his �800 bill. But

Vodaphone are only offering to cut 10% of Christine's �1,500 debt.

They say her son had turned off a service which would have warned him

about his spending. Now, if you want to avoid these sky high

charges for using the internet on your mobile abroad, check our

website, where there's lots of advice. Now, a few weeks ago I met

a couple whose car insurance soared after they moved around 60 yards to

a new home and a new postcode. Well, you've been sending us more of your

bizarre postcode experiences. Butt lives here near Brecon, but

she's struggled to get house insurance because of a flood risk

from a river 600 feet below. All because she shares a postcode with

some cottages near the river. in the programme, we're going to

lift the lid on the refund scheme that the banks don't want you to

know about. And more from here in Chepstow on the row about Tesco's

green clubcard points. But first, Lucy's on the case in Wrexham.

Nurse Carol Hughes was all set for a dream cruise with her husband

when some bad news forced her to cancel. Now, they can't get their

money back. I'm on the case. I've had to cancel a holiday because my

husband has been very poorly but the insurance company has decided

they're not going to pay up. Right, time for a trip to Wrexham. Last

year, Carol and her husband Andrew booked an exotic cruise. Well,

Carol, tell me about this fabulous holiday you booked? It was Andrew's

idea really. He wanted to go off to the Panama Canal and explore it. We

were going to go to Mexico and Acapulco. Fantastic. That's my type

of holiday. Lots of colours, lots of bright sunshine. They offered us

a good price and were quite excited and booked it. For 14 nights, the

couple paid a total of �3,267, paying their final bill in December

2010. Carol already had an annual insurance policy with Insure with

Ease so she thought they were all on track for a perfect getaway. But

then you had some shock news. Tell me what happened? We were going

away in February but at the end of January, Andrew was told he had

cancer. He was quite fit and healthy actually. He wasn't feeling

ill at all, but he just had a really sore tongue. I said to him,

you must go along to the doctor, and that's when the ball started to

roll with his treatment. Yeah, it was a very big shock. With just one

day left on their annual holiday insurance policy, Carol knew she

needed to act quickly. That day, she called Insure with Ease to make

a claim. She sent off the paperwork and was left waiting for news.

eventually had a letter from them saying hat we weren't going to be

paid any money because we were travelling outside the date of the

policy, even though I did cancel it within the policy. How did that

make you feel? Very sad really. We'd gone through such a traumatic

time and done the right thing, but with no outcome. So Carol, what

would you like me to do? I'd like you to contact Insure with Ease and

get our money back. Carol, I'm on the case. Well, let's see what

Insure with Ease have to say. Well, Insure With Ease have got back to

us. They say they're extremely sorry for the stress and

inconvenience that Carol and her family had suffered. But they were

sticking to their guns in rejecting the claim. They did admit they'd

given the wrong reason for rejecting it. The real reason was

that Carol had cancelled the cruise five days after the travel

insurance policy had expired. If she'd cancelled before the annual

policy ran out then they would have paid out. Now, we didn't think they

were right so we went back to Carol. She sent us her phone bill, which

proved she had cancelled in time. And when we sent Insure With Ease

the proof, they agreed. Insure With Ease have apologised to Carol for

the inconvenience and difficulties and said her claim will be paid in

full. And as a gesture of goodwill, Insure With Ease have also offered

Carol a further �320, 10% of the total claim value. Now we've got

our money back, we can look forward to booking a new holiday without

worrying about the cost. Well, looks like that's another case

closed! That was a great result. More than �3,500. But the best bit

is that Andrew's cancer treatment's going well, and the couple are

heading off on another cruise soon. Remember, if you've got a problem

you need a little bit of help with, let me see what I can do. Get in

touch on 03703 334 334, or go to the website and follow the link.

Now, here's something we're all getting used to in Wales - the bag

for life. I've certainly seen more around since shops were forced to

charge five pence for carrier bags. But look what it says on the side?

'Re-use me and collect green club card points.' At Tesco's in Wales,

like this one in Chepstow, you don't get club card points for re-

using bags any more. Over the border in England, just a couple of

hundred of yards away, Tesco stores still offer the points. It's a

subject which has been angering many of you, including Lindsay

Wilshaw from Newport. They've stopped giving their green club

card points. I was miffed, but then I discovered they are still giving

green club card points in England. And that really annoyed me because

it's prejudice against the Welsh. I know that sound ridiculous, but

that's what it feels like. Tesco have refused to come on the

programme and explain the policy but they sent this statement

instead. They say they're getting right behind the Welsh policy of

charging for carrier bags. And they say that if they carried on giving

green club card points in Wales, customers would get confused.

it confusing one side of the bridge and not here? You still get them in

Lydney, so why can't you get them in Chepstow? I think it's good that

we're being charged for carrier bags. I think that's brilliant. But

I still think we should get green points. It's not fair is it? No.

It's not fair. No, I don't think it's fair. It should be the same

right across the whole of Britain. But Tesco are not fair. Tesco's

policy is clearly not popular. But if you do still want points for re-

using bags, Sainsbury is still doing them! Now, we all know that

we get some protection when we pay by credit card. But did you know

you have some of the same rights with a Visa debit card? It seems

the banks aren't in any hurry to tell you about it. Rachel's been to

Porthmadog to find out more. In an ever-changing world, it's good to

know there are some things you can rely on. Your butcher will advise

you on the best cuts of meat. Your baker will make sure your bread is

fresh and delicious. And your bank manager will provide advice you can

trust, right? Well, that's not always the case. Gail and Ken

Hughes from Prenteg near Porthmadog certainly got bad advice from their

local bank. I was watching X-Ray and the people on there wanted a

holiday in a motor home and that fell through. Avril Pergrine and

Gerard Packer from Penllergaer paid for the motor home using Gerard's

Visa debit card. That means he's covered by Visa's chargeback scheme.

They got their money back, so I thought, hello, I've got a Visa

debit. Gail wondered if X-Ray could help get a refund from her Visa

debit card. The trouble had started last May. Gail and Ken were in the

market for some new furniture. They needed chairs for their dining room.

So while they were in Bangor, they headed to a well known store.

saw a name that we knew, Finney's Furniture Emporium. It was an

enormous building, a couple of floors, very posh. We spotted two

chairs that we really liked and we thought they would go very well.

Proud of their home comforts, Gail and Ken were willing to wait for

their chairs to arrive in store, and happy to pay for a product that

would last a few years. They were �129 each plus a delivery charge,

because they said they would bring them to Penteg. So the whole lot

came to �268. But while the couple waited for the chairs to come in,

the company which ran Finney's went into administration. At the time,

Finneys promised to honour orders and return deposits. But when Gail

and Ken contacted the liquidators, they were told to try and get a

refund from their bank. In the UK, purchases on Visa debit cards are

covered by a scheme known as Chargeback. It's not legally

binding like credit card guarantees, but banks issuing Visa debit cards

have to agree to the rules. Chargeback can be used if something

you've paid for using the card doesn't arrive, arrives damaged, is

not as it was described, or where the merchant has ceased trading.

There are some conditions, and you'll need to claim within 120

days of realising there's been a problem with the purchase. There's

no guarantee that your claim will be successful, but your bank should

be aware of their duty to investigate each case. Finney's

administrators advised Gail and Ken to contact their bank for a refund,

so they headed to their local branch of HSBC in Porthmadog.

went to the cashier's counter, I gave her the actual Visa debit card

and she took it back to the manager. She said the manager said you can't

have your money back, you could only have it if you paid by credit

card. We just accepted it and walked out, and sobbed! After

watching X-Ray, and realising she may have had the wrong information

from her bank, Gail got in touch with us. When we spoke to Visa,

they confirmed Ken and Gail were wrongly advised by their bank and

they should have been able to try and claim their money back via the

Chargeback scheme. So is this kind of bad advice from banks a common

problem? We decided to do a bit of secret shopping. We phoned all the

major banks and visited some of their branches in Pontypridd. Two

of the banks gave us completely the wrong information. On the phone,

Lloyds TSB told us that we couldn't get a refund on an item that hadn't

been delivered because we'd paid by Visa debit card. And in this branch

of Halifax, our researcher was given the same wrong information.

Lloyds Banking group, which runs them both, has promised to remind

their frontline staff about the scheme so they can pass the

information on to customers. Steve Bomford of Cardiff Trading

Standards says some banks don't do enough to let consumers know what

their rights are when it comes to getting a refund through Chargeback.

It's obvious that some banks aren't telling their staff or not training

their staff. So of course, when we advise people to go to their banks

and ask for chargeback, they're told if they bought it on credit

card they could have had a refund. So where does all this leave Ken

and Gail? We contacted HSBC, who've agreed that Ken and Gail were given

the wrong information and they are entitled to claim for their chairs

under the chargeback rules. Another shopping trip is planned for the

couple to finally get some dining chairs as they've received a full

refund from HSBC, who have apologised for the mistake.

seems ridiculous. I can understand us not knowing, but it's the banks'

business. I've never heard it mentioned. When we've related this

story to people, they say what a shame you paid on debit card. They

don't know. HSBC say staff made the error because they'd only recently

switched to issuing Visa's debit cards and they'll remind staff of

the Visa chargeback regulations. So hopefully, they'll give the right

That's all we've got time for this week, but where ever you are in

Wales, if you've got anything you want us to investigate, get in

touch. You can phone 03703 334 334, or go to the website and click on