Episode 1 X-Ray

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

�14,000 on a holiday club, and this couple say they still can't get

away. Selling your gold online. We meet the people who lost everything.

And this guy is doing eight years after his crimes were exposed by X-

Ray. Another of our old friends could soon be joining him behind

Hello. Tonight we're back for a new series on the clean streets of

Tredegar in Blaenau Gwent. Believe it or not this used to be the

dirtiest county in Wales - now it's one of the most improved areas in

the country. Yes. Blaenau Gwent's adopted a zero tolerance approach

to litter louts, but that means dropping a cigarette end or a sweet

wrapper could land you with a �75 fine. But not everyone's happy

about that - we'll be hearing from them later. First though, holiday

clubs sound like a great way to get away. If you listen to the sales

patter, membership can mean affordable breaks around the world.

But it doesn't always work out like that. Rachel's been meeting one

couple whose holiday dreams turned Diamond Resorts International -

once called the Grand Vacation Club - promises a sparkling deal with

holidays around the world. Choice, Today it's owned by flamboyant

American, Stephen J Cloobeck. came up with Diamond Resorts

International, a pretty spiffy name. We're going on our four and a half

year anniversary and going strong. Mr Cloobeck has friends in high

places. But he's not so popular in Ystrad, Rhondda. Meet John and Lee

Fletcher, who used to run the local chemist shop. You've joined the

more than 22,000 members who have secured a lifetime of great

holidays for themselves and their families. The couple were invited

to an open day in Monmouth back in 1998. They were adamant that they

wouldn't sign up for anything but ended up committing to the Grand

Vacation Club, as it was known then. The way it was presented, it was

the absolute solution the total solution to all the family's

holiday problems. You were sold points which had the total

flexibility of being able to be used anywhere you wanted to go in

the world. Sounded great, and the family were soon on their way to

Florida. But it wasn't perfect. first holiday we did actually book

with them was to Florida, and even then we couldn't get a fortnight in

one resort, we had to swap in the middle because there was no

availability. And that was the only foreign holiday they've had in 14

years of membership. We've had two long weekends in Staffordshire.

You've had three holidays, two of those were long weekends? Yes.

one was in the snow. One was in the snow, Christmas time. And that was

basically when we could go. Fletchers paid nearly �7,000 to

join the holiday club. That bought them points which they should have

been able to exchange for holidays around the world. Every year, they

also have to pay a maintenance fee which just keeps rising. This year

their bill was �762. In total, they've paid out almost �14,000.

don't mind paying for something that you know what you're paying

for and the other side comes up with the goods, but we are paying

money and not getting what we are paying. So Lee and John have told

us that their holiday availability is really limited. So let's see

exactly what is on offer for them. Time to test the company's claims.

So when our couple book a holiday they put in the number of points,

so let's put those in there, choose a destination. Say Florida, for a

week next April, and let's see what we get. No, no availability. And if

we try - say - Thailand, same result. And Mexico - nada. Remember,

Diamond promises holdays when, where and how you want and a

worldwide list of destinations. But all we could find were resorts in

four European countries. This fairly limited choice is costing

the couple �760 a year in fees. But what if you are not a member? Lee

and John could get a studio apartment in this resort through

Diamond. But online we found the same room for just �534 - more than

�200 less than the fees they pay to Diamond. Cases like this haven't

dented that American boss. I will one day have thousands of resorts

worldwide and will be synonymous with the legacy of Mariott and

Hilton. I will be that great hotelier. In Ystrad, Lee and John

just want out of his business empire. You've obviously written to

complain to get out of the contract. What did they tell you? Not very

helpful at all. You can say that again. There are four way out of

Diamond: Death. Terminal Illness. Bankruptcy. Or if you're over 75.

In three of these, the membership could pass to your family, if have

got any. The couple are instead trying to sell their points, but

despite slashing the price - nobody wants them. Originally these points

were advertised for 20p. In the meantime, we've reduced that 20p to

10p, which is a fraction of the price that we've paid for them. So

be it. But saying that, if I could offer them for a penny I would. If

somebody wanted them, they are welcome to them. If somebody said

to me tomorrow, well I'll take the points of you, I'd say well have

them. I just want out of the contract.That is such a frustrating

situation. Yes - and we've written to Diamond - and they've refused to

respond to any of the allegations we've put to them. The Office of

Fair Trading have issued advice on these holiday clubs, and they say

you should never sign up at one of their marketing events. Take

everything home and make sure you have all the promises clearly in

writing. Now, if you've got any problems you want us to investigate

- with holiday clubs, or anything else - give us a call. 03703 334

334. Lines are open until half past eleven. Or send us an email at

[email protected]. You can find all our details on our new look website.

Still to come: We'll be hearing from the woman fined �75 for

dropping a cigarette end. But first, with the price of gold and silver

soaring a lot of people have been tempted to cash in old jewellery.

Many websites are making tempting offers to get you to part with your

valuables. But sending your gold off to an internet dealer isn't

always such a good idea. Rachel's been finding out more. I've had a

bit of a root around and I've come across some items I think might be

worth something. But how to sell them? Here we go. I've found loads

of companies online that say I can send them my items and they'll

value them for free. Result. They will even send a courier to pick

them up. Here we go! Bye now! But hang on, I've just handed over my

valuable possessions to a complete stranger. What happens if they go

missing? Meet Lana and Chris Cook from Tonypandy. They were left a

collection of valuable coins by Chris's father who died 2010.

was a typical Welsh Rhondda miner who had worked hard for his money

and this collection which he'd kept for me and my brother. So did he

take a lot of pride in this collection? Oh yes. They sold half

their coins at the time, but kept the rest for a rainy day. Back in

November 2010 I was involved in a coach accident, which left me

somewhat out of pocket shall we say because I was on the sick. So that

was your rainy day really? It was, it was. So did you approach that

jeweller the second time round? we did and he gave us a price and

we thought it was fair, but we decided to go onto the computer and

see what they suggest. I went on to this site and it seemed the best

deal. It says smooth, free and financially satisfying service, did

you get that? No, not at all, in fact all we've had since dealing

with this gentleman, is hassle. courier came to pick up the coins

and one of Lana's necklaces to take them to GSK for the free valuation.

But two days after the courier had been, Lana received a phone call

from GSK Limited, and they had some shocking news. He said

unfortunately you and two other people who wanted their gold valued,

well, the van had been hijacked. course all sorts of things go

through your head then, what's going to happen to the valuables?

GSK deny ever saying the van was hijacked. They told police the

courier had left the valuable package under a car on a driveway

in Coventry. That's when they say it went missing. So what did he say

to you about getting the value of the coins back? Initially he said

an offer of �1,000, and I said no straight away. And then after a

telephone conversatiom with gentleman in Coventry, he said

�2,000. �2,000 seems like a lot of money, why turn it down? Well, the

initial jewellers in Tonypandy offered a broad offer of around

�3,600. So that's why the �2,000 was �1,600 short. Eventually, Chris

and Lana decided this was the best offer they'd get and tried to

accept it. But GSK said they were too late - and gave them nothing.

When we've been in touch with GSK, we've had trouble getting a

straight answer out of them. The insurance company GSK say they made

the claim with say their policy ran out a year and a half before the

incident. And the well-known courier company GSK say they used

have no record of this journey. But the fundamental problem is, how do

the Cooks prove what was in that box and how much it was worth? They

say the items they sent were worth �3,600. When the goods went missing,

the first offer from GSK was for �1,000. Then they were offered

�2,000. And now, GSK have told us that the coins were actually worth

�550. But now they've gone missing, there is no way we'll ever really

know. Professor Margaret, you're an expert in consumer law. How safe is

it for consumers to send their valuables off for valuation?

potentially very unsafe. The biig problem proving what's in the

parcel, because you have evidential buren of proving what was in there

if it gets lost or damaged and that's a huge hurdle to overcome.

So what would your advice be then to someone looking to send on their

valuables. All I wanted to sell, I would go to the high street. It is

easier to deal with a local trader, face-to-face over the counter. So

just go to way reputable jeweller. The Cook family say the risks were

never made clear. Or they say is what a great deal they can do for

you. Send us your valuables, as much as you can, we will give you a

free valuation. But it doesn't tell you that if you lose them, that is

your tough luck. It does not tell you that. So, it seems unlikely

that they will see their family heirlooms or their money again. We

spoke to GS K and they were adamant that the couple had missed their

chance of compensation. So, really Tonight, we're in Tredegar in

Blaenau Gwent. Two years ago, it was branded the dirtiest county in

Wales, marred by old drinks bottles and dog mess. Not very nice. Today,

it's still not the cleanest county in Wales. But it is the second most

improved. And one of the things they've done is crack down on

litter louts. Yes, in just eight months, they've issued 1,500 fines

to people who've dropped litter. They've been fined �75 each.

seems to have cut the litter. But not everyone's happy.

When I finished my cigarette, there was nowhere to put it. But next to

me, there was a piece of fenced off waste ground. So I threw it in

there. Immediately, a guy approached me and said that is a

�75 fine. It is a lot of money, but people should care for their

community. We need to keep the streets clean. You you think it is

making a difference? Yes, but some of those go too far.

A mixed view here in Tredegar. But some other councils are still doing

this. Gwynedd gave 150 fines last year. And Rhondda Cynon Taf 450.

And followers on Twitter seem to want more councils to do it. Scott

Euden from Cardiff says it should have been happening across Wales

for years. And Jamie Rees says he's desperate for these kinds of fines

where he lives. Let us know what you think. Call us on 03703 334 334.

More contact details on our website. Next, Rhodri's been to

Carmarthenshire. For some people, parking in your driveway could

Do you remember the days when you could walk down a street without a

car in sight? Well, things have definitely changed. Today, there

are more than 28 million cars on the road. And to take the stress

out of street parking, many have turned their own front gardens into

their own private car parks. Gary Jenner in Pontyberem built his

driveway more than 20 years ago. But now it could cost him dear.

Why did you need a driveway? Mainly to get the cars off this hill. It's

a dangerous hill. There's traffic coming up and down here. If we all

parked on the road then you wouldn't get ash carts down here.

You wouldn't get the ambulance down here, fire brigade. So, I mean, it

was really out of necessity. you have to get permission to build

it? No, I went to the local council. They asked me questions on whether

it was going to be this, that and the other. They said no need for

planning or nothing. It's not just here in Pontyberem. Across Wales,

gardens have been turned into driveways. But many of these handy

parking spots could be breaking the law. It turns out that, if you want

to drive from here to here, you need to get permission or a licence

from the local highway authority. They'll make sure it's safe. And if

they give you the go ahead, they'll usually ask you to install a

dropped kerb, like this one. If you keep driving across the pavement

without a licence, you could be fined. Now it looks like Gary could

be in trouble. Carmarthenshire County Council have written to him

saying he needs to get a new kerb. That will cost �500.

That's a lot of money. It's a hell of a lot of money, yeah. Money that

I can't afford to pay. And probably money that a lot of people on this

site can't afford to pay. And it's not just Gary that's being driven

to distraction by these letters. They've been getting his neighbours

revved up, too. And especially those who have a home-made ramp on

their kerb. You're quite scared whether you're going to get a fine

for not removing the ramp. But you don't really know what to do, to be

honest. When you're a single mum trying to hold down a job and

mortgage, you just can't afford it these days. These have been down

for years and years and years. And all of a sudden, everybody has to

knock them out. If everyone parked on the road, there'd be chaos.

Highways expert, Alun Rees, says it's unusual for a council to

target an entire neighbourhood like this. It's not a situation I've

come across before where they've taken this blanket approach. They

generally tend to use the powers of this act where there's damage or

danger from an access being used unlawfully. Could the residents

here be forced by the authorities to have to pay this money? There is

an appeals procedure that can be taken. And the appeals might be

successful if it can be proven the access has operated safely for very

many years without any damage or any danger. The council is sticking

to its guns. It says the homemade ramps which many homeowners have

installed are a danger to walkers and cyclists. And they say their

offer of a dropped kerb for �500 is a good deal. Now the council also

says that the pavements aren't strong enough to hold the cars'

weight. I guess there's only one way to find out if that's right or

Gary, how's it looking? It's looking as good as it was 30 years

ago! Is the pavement crumbling away? No, it certainly isn't. It's

looking fine. Doesn't look like you caused too

much damage there. No, thank God. But seriously, those people were

really worried about these bills. And they are determined not to pay

them. We'll keep you posted on their campaign.

Now, X-Ray's had a bit of a break. But that doesn't mean that the

rogue companies we feature have had an easy ride. Justice has finally

caught up with some of our least favourite people. Rachel's got the

story. It was one of our most shocking

investigations. The bogus therapist and his wife who claimed they could

cure cancer. Two members of the X- Ray team went undercover to expose

Reg and Leila Gill. Gill boasted to our researcher that he could cure

cancer, even though he knew it was After our investigation, two women

came forward to say they'd been sexually abused after Gill told

them they had cancer. One of them told her story to X-Ray. Her words

are spoken by an actor. He started to press my lower abdomen. And then

he moved his hands up from my tummy and started to feel my breasts. He

looked me in the eye and said, Well, my dear, I'm sorry to say you have

cancer. A jury at Swansea Crown Court found both Reg and Leila Gill

guilty of sexual assault and fraud. Leila was given six months in jail.

Reg was sentenced to eight years. That's quite a result following an

X-Ray investigation. And another old friend of the programme could

soon be locked up. In February, we brought you the

story of Harby Panesar and his worthless car warranties. Since

then, he's been hitting the headlines. He ran Llantwit Major-

based Motorcare. He flaunted his wealth on a TV show, spending a

reported �20,000 on his daughter's 15th birthday party. But his

customers didn't get the same VIP treatment. It makes me very angry

to think I actually worked for a living to get money. And there's

people like him out there who's taking money off working class

people. But Harby Panesar wasn't keen to speak to us.

Have you got nothing to say to your customers? At this point, no.

now, it's not the way he treats his customers that has got Harby into

trouble. This is a court judgement from 2010. It involved Harby's

previous company Motorcare Warranties and a firm called

Templeton Insurance Limited. The judge said Panesar was an

unreliable witness, who was implicated in forged documents and

party to dishonest misrepresentation. When the case

started in 2008, Panesar was banned from moving any assets out of his

company. But less than a week later, he set up a new firm and continued

trading. A court ruled that, by doing this, he'd broken the terms

of the ban and found him in contempt of court. Harby Panesar

will be sentenced next month. But the judge has warned that he could

soon be behind bars. We'll let you know what happens

when Harby Panesar goes back to court. It's not only Harby Panesar

and Reg Gill who have been feeling the long arm of the law? Remember

Yes Loans? Yes, we've featured them loads of times over the years,

because customers paid fees and then never got the loans they

expected. Well, earlier this year, we told you that the Office of Fair

Trading decided they used deceitful and oppressive business practices.

And they announced plans to shut them down. Well, the good news is

they decided not to appeal against the decision. They have finally

closed their doors. Next, Lucy's on the case.

Harold and Anne Bellamy insure their boiler. So when it packed up,

Our heating has failed. We are having to pay out more money

on top of the insurance. And we can't get our money back. Can you

help us? I'm on the case! Harold's wife has severe arthritis.

If their home isn't warm, her condition gets worse. So when their

heating cut out during a cold snap, he was keen to get it fixed in a

hurry. Hello, Harold, lovely to meet you. Can I come in? Hello,

Lucy. Harold used to be a backstage theatre steward. Now he's retired,

he was hoping there would be no more dramas. So, Harold, this is

the boiler, tell me what happened? On that particular morning, it was

cold. We were having a cold snap and the boiler obviously wasn't

working. So what did you do? You called the insurance company,

didn't you? Yes. They said, OK, we'll call you back and the

engineer will be with you shortly. So what did the engineer say then

when he came? Immediately, he said, there's no pressure. I've ordered

the part. It's in stock in Swansea. I will go along tomorrow morning

and pick it up. And he would come along and fix it as soon as he

could. Over the next three days, Harold chased insurance company AXA.

They assured him the part was on order. He was told they'd pay for

two electric heaters to keep them warm in the meantime. But on day

four, they discovered there was an extra �38 to pay and the part

hadn't been ordered after all. felt betrayed, really. We had been

told up until then that the part was on order. Everything was going

according to plan. And then, suddenly, nothing's been done. And,

you owe us �38 and, until you pay that, we won't make any move.

Because of the cold, Anne's arthritis pain was getting worse.

She broke down in tears and was completely distressed. She couldn't

see an end to the problems we were going through with the cold. You

can't understand how much it affects you when somebody, you

know... A part of your family is so affected by something like this.

you decided to take matters into your own hands? That's right. We

said we can call our own engineer. He looked at it and said, yes, I

think I don't need to replace the whole pump. All I need to do is

place this small part at the top, which is virtually a few pounds.

And, in fact, his bill with call- out charge and everything came to

less than �100. And they were saying it was �338. It took 20

minutes and it was done. Well, at least the boiler is working again.

That's good news, Harold. But what would you like me to do? Well, now

we need to get our money back from the insurance company. Harold,

don't you worry, I'm on the case. Well, Anne and Harold appear to

have done everything right. When their insurance company failed to

fix the boiler quickly, they asked their local engineer to step in.

They got permission from AXA first before they paid out for the

repairs. But the company has taken months to reimburse them. Now AXA

apologise for the delay. They admit they should have done more to fix

the boiler quickly in the first place. They're also changing their

policies to speed things up in the future. And they've refunded Anne

and Harold for the repairs and the electric heaters and given them

�165 in compensation. So that's a grand total of �311.22. A fantastic

result! Hello, Lucy. Thank you very much indeed. We have now got our

cheque from the insurance company and all is well. And that's another

Nice one, Lucy. Get in touch if you have any story she would like us to

deal with. The lines are open for another half-an-hour. Or you can

email us - [email protected]. And we're on Twitter - @bbcxray.