Episode 10 X-Ray

Have you been ripped off? Conned or just short changed? We're here to

fight for your rights. Spotting the latest scams and making sure you

make the most of your money. It does make you feel well, who is

benefiting out of this? It is obviously the person that owns it.

Exposing the rogues and confronting the con men, we are here to help you

fight back. Tonight, the companies cashing in on

the Government's green deal. We are putting the spotlight on one boss in

particular as an MP demands action. So-called green companies jumping on

the bandwagon with the green deal. It is becoming a huge issue.

How much food do you waste every week? This much? This much or even

this much? We will be finding out what goes in your bin.

Eye watering bills from NPower. NPower have done nothing about it,

and it is beyond a joke really. It is a big business right now. The

First Minister's trying to cash in on the Government's green deal. It

has been raised at Parliament by the local MP here: He named and shamed

one company in particular, Cardiff based Becoming Green. We mentioned

them back in the summer, but it seems we only scratched the surface

back then. This is the story of a businessman

whose previous companies sent convicted prisoners into your homes

unsupervised. And employed his drug dealing brother as a manager. And

whose latest firm misled scores of X-ray viewers. This is the man in

the spotlight. In a minute, I will be trying to get some answers. We

first told you about his current business back in May. Becoming Green

UK is the firm that charges ?299 to help customers join the Government's

green deal even though you can get the ball rolling yourself for free.

Lesley was one of the first batch of customers who got in touch with us

to say she lost money. The money was safe. The cheque wouldn't be cashed

for 14 days. An assessor would be out during that time or within a

couple of days he said. He made it sound as though you couldn't lose

basically. After that broadcast, we were

inundated with scores of complaints from other Becoming Green customers.

People like David and his family from Cardiff. It sounded a great

deal. You pay up ?300 or ?299 and you had double glasz glazing done

and loft insulation and boiler, whatever is necessary to be done.

Were you told that you were taking a out a loan? No. Not at our time of

life. You don't want to give over that sum of money, no.

David was so convinced by the salesman's claims that he signed his

daughter up. He paid ?598 and waited almost six months for an assessment.

X-ray helped them get their money back. Had I known the full facts, I

wouldn't have taken the deal out in the first place. The Green Deal is a

legitimate scheme. Offering households a loan up to ?10,000 to

pay for energy-saving improvements. The loan is paid back using the

savings made on energy bill. Before that, you sign up with an assessor

or provider, who you can find yourself for free. But you have been

telling us Becoming Green UK limited don't make that clear. Their

salespeople don't tell you about that loan. It is not just customers

who have been getting in touch because as part of a response to our

story, we have heard from people on the inside. I worked as a salesman

for Becoming Green UK limited when they started doing the Green Deal.

We had little training. We were never told that the Green Deal

involved taking a out a loan. The telesales people told people it was

a grant. The company was set-up in January

this year, but look further into the owner's past and you will find a

list of failed firms. Knowing that people are getting sort

of, you know, ripped off and the like and vulnerable people, it is

not fair. It is not fair. Sue worked for a short time in the HR

department of the owner's previous company. Similar names and it seems

the old company had the same way of doing business. The focus really was

just making money. It was about getting people, calling people,

cold-calling and just target and the company making money. I don't think

it had anything to do with customer satisfaction, it was about money.

Same old story then, but we have heard shocking revelations we

weren't expecting. Because it turns out the owner was hiring staff from

a surprising source - the prison. Work experience schemes like this

are designed to rehabilitate prisoners. The Ministry of Justice

told us the prisoners were always supposed to be supervised with spot

checks to make sure. But the owner said the scheme allowed Becoming

Green Limited to send a small number of inmates out unsupervised to

people's homes. The company didn't really know who was where and what

people we did have in the business. Nobody knew what was going on. I was

aware that prisoners were going out. They were being called surveyors, so

they were going out and surveying people's properties. If it was me, I

don't think I would like the thought of somebody who I know has been a

serving prisoner or is a serving prisoner coming into my home when

you don't know what they have done. It is just wrong.

It turns out prisoners weren't just sent alone to people's homes to work

as surveyors, at least one was given a management job. I was interviewed

by the job who I later found out was the owner of Becoming Green and he

was a HMP prisonerment He was actually serving an eight

year prison sentence for his part in leading a heroin dealing gang, but

that the didn't stop the owner employing his brother as Becoming

green's Limited commercial and trade manager. Something he says was to

rehabilitate him. His current firm, doesn't use prisoners, but that

leaves questions for the owner and the businesses. It does make you

feel well who is benefiting out of this? It is obviously the person

that owns it. Well, the owner has agreed to talk

to us. Why did you allow your staff to mislead customers? We never

allowed our staff to mislead customers at any point. We had

always been, you know, if anybody has known us, we have been

compliant, we always had 99.9% customer satisfaction.

Your customers didn't realise they were entering into a loan and under

the Becoming Green Deal, they could be taking a out a loan of up to

?10,000 under the Government's Green Deal. All the presentations that we

have had given to our sales guys states that and there is interest

going to be charged. We have had people getting in touch

who haven't had any of the updates to their house that your company has

promised to deliver and they have not had their money back when they

have asked. Why haven't they had the money back? There has been 71,000

customers in the UK. Only 12 customers have had the insulations.

It has been a frustration for ourselves to not have the

installations done. Why have you carried on taking a

money from customers when you know that you are going to be unable to

deliver? Well, no. We did not know. When the Green Deal was set out,

nobody knew the installation was going to take eight months and nine

months. Nobody knew these things and as soon as we found out which was at

the May and beginning of June, we stopped taking a customers on. We

are services r servicing the existing customers.

Why was your company accepting unsupervised prisoners to people's

homes? All prisoners have been given the relevant training. And have, you

know, been supervised and shadowed with a civil to work in a customer's

house. As soon as they have passed those conditions, they are allowed

to work unsupervised and that was something they we had been given

permission to do. Your company is the facilitator and

if you have not been able to deliver, why can't people have their

money back? Well, we are delivering on our promises. Even though it has

been delayed and because the delays of industry, within the next four

weeks I would say all customers would have their Green Deal

assessments. Thank you. Well, later, we will be

hearing from Paul Murphy, the MP, who will be telling me the rules on

delivering the Government's green deal need tightening.

Still to come: The credit ratings quiz. Asking you

what can turn a bad rating into a good one. Are you up for my little

true or false quiz? Yes. There have been shocking statistics

about how much food we waste. How much of your weekly shop ends up in

the bin? This much? A little bit more. Or even a full basket and what

sort of things do we throw away? On average which one of these baskets

would you say is the ampling amount of food wasted by a family in a

week? Well, I would say the middle one there. It is the large one

there. Is it? It is a lot of food, isn't it? It is a lot of food.

I would say the end one because I have got a family of young children

and we waste a lot of food. What sort of things are you guilty of

wasting? A lot of fruit. Packet ham. People buy one get one free and they

don't really need it. It is a gimmick. Just to buy it and when

they have got it, they waste it. I would say more of the middle one.

What sort of things do you waste? Bread and fruit. You tend to buy it,

but I find when we are buying it, it is not as fresh as you think it is.

Have you tried to make it work and buy less? Yes, we are doing that,

but you are shopping every day. Do you fancy a banana? Yes. Thank you

very much. Award winning chef, Stephen Terry is with me now. Why

are we wasting food It is too easy. One someone offers you two things

for the price of one, you pa feel foolish not to take it and often we

don't need it which is cre aing the mountain of wastage which has been

identified. People used to use the leftovers and throw them together

and create a shepherd?s pie or something. Is it that we have

forgotten how to do these things? It is not that we have forgotten to use

things up and make other things, it is that people aren't doing it

because they don't have to because there is so much more convenience

food there for people. Everyone is short of time. So instead of having

to use something up and make something, we will waste it and buy

something. With imagination, there are things that we can do? Ya. You

don't have to be a trained chef to use stuff up. To make a simple soup

is an easy procedure. Again, it is having the time and being bothered

to do it. It involves are boiling water and vegetables and a food

processor. It is as simple as that, a bit of seasoning and bread and you

have got a descent meal. What about buy one get one free? For me, I

would rather buy one now and have the best price made available to me

by the person selling it by the supermarket or the shop selling it

so I know I'm get a quality product at the best price.

Remember, if you have got a story you would like us to look at. If you

bought something that hasn't lived up to the hype or a company let you

down, get in touch: The lines are open now. Or you can

e-mail us at: Next, Rachel has been to meet a

viewer who got in touch with us after her energy bill went up by a

whopping 300%! When it comes to standing up for her rights, Sian

Morgan likes to think she is canny. I expect the company to provide

adequate customer services and look after their clients and customers.

But that determination has been put to the test by one of Britain's

biggest energy companies. Sian has been a customer of NPower for four

years and buys her gas and electricity through the firm. Her

monthly direct debit come to over ?170. But in July, Sian noticed a

huge difference in the payments NPower were taking a from her bank.

They shot up to over ?670. I realised this is an awful, awfully

huge amount to be paying every month especially when I have been paying

it during the summer months as well. When Sian checked, she found NPower

had been taking a that amount since April. Stacking up over ?2,000 of

her money and she wanted answers. The explanation was that the company

had changed the way that they were reading meters so I said, "Well, you

have got over ?2,000 of my money, I would like you to sort of work out

how much I actually owe and then reimburse me the remaining amount."

Refusing to take their excuses at face value, Sian complained to

NPower, but their slow response would soon have her reaching boiling

point. I contacted them on several occasions and each time they said,

"We are looking into it. We are dealing with it." They would come

back to me within 28 days. But ten weeks later, Sian was still waiting

and by this time the firm had taken more than ?3500. Every time I ring

them, they say yes, we are sorting this out, but it seems to me how

long is this going to take to sort out because I have been talking to

them now for over three months and nothing is done about it. It doesn't

add up because it is a ridiculous amount of credit? It is tedious and

NPower have done nothing about it and it is beyond a joke really.

It seems that Sian isn't alone. NPower may have millions of

customers, but when it comes to customer satisfaction they have the

lowest ratings. Been voted Britain's worst energy supplier for the second

year in a row. Richard Murphy from Cardiff and Vale Citizens Advice

Bureau spends his day helping people fight their corner against the

energy giants. They come to us if they feel they aren't getting

anywhere. A miscalculation in the number of kilowatts used. It maybe

that the reading has been taken from a wrong meter or from an incorrect

property or it has been miscalculated. Sian got to the point

where she was banging her head against a brick wall. What can you

do when you get to that point? You have to pursue it and pursue it and

be persistent and after a he certain time limit, you can take your

complaint to the energy ombudsman. We have had some positive responses

and results using the energy ombudsman.

As Sian found out, standing up to the big boys is not always easy. You

never speak to the same person so you have to start again from scratch

explaining t situation and they will said, "You need to speak to someone

in customer relations." It is always passing the buck and it is

frustrating that I've always have to be the person who is making the

contact. You are swimming against the tide.

What is even worse for Sian, this sorry saga could have been so easily

avoided. Because NPower have held up their hands to their mistake and

guess what? It is down to a so-called system error. To you and

me, that's one of their staff typing the wrong number into a computer

somewhere. Here is a typo error really. I mean, it makes me lose

faith really. Well, I shall be changing this is ridiculous.

I the can't believe that. Not what you would expect from a big company

like NPower. But they have now said they are refunding Sian nearly ?35

UN and -- ?3500 and they are giving her ?100 as a goodwill gesture. One

thing Sian was worried about was her credit rating, but what gives you a

good or bad rating? I have been finding out. Chances are if you have

applied for a loan, awe new credit card or even a mobile phone

contract, you have probably heard those dreaded words. I will just do

a credit check. You can get a bad credit rating at the slightest thing

today. It does worry me that somebody else can go and check what

you have been spending your money on.

Zblenders want to look into your financial history to suss out

whether you are a responsible or a risky customer. They are looking at

how request I cannily you pay off your debts, how often you miss or

make late faments and whether you have been made bankrupt or owe any

county court judgements. A poor credit rating means you will get

declipd for the credit -- declined for the credit or you will get

higher interest rates or not get the amount you applied for. Jason works

for the charity, Step Change. It is important to check your rating, when

you are looking to have those milestone purchases, your first car,

your first house, the dream holiday, it is good to know that you, when

you are applying for the credit, that you are going to get it. I

reckon it is time I checked out my own credit rating. The companies

that hold your credit rating know all your financial history from

mortgages to car loans. The main ones are exqa fax and ex-peerion and

I need to fill in some personal details and I can access a report

online for just ?2. This is really interesting. It is the first time

that I have looked at my credit report online and I can see every

bank account, every car finance deal, mobile phone contract,

everything that I have had over the past six years. So how does that

data help lepders to make a decision? Well, it can come down to

a single number. Lenders will ask to look at your credit rating report

and use it to determine their own credit score for you. This score is

a points system based on how well you are coping financially, how

stable your life appears to be and any history you may have with a

lender. Pay off a loan and your score gets better. Have too much

debt on too many credit cards and it will get worse. And every time you

take out a form of credit, your score will dip. Your risk is

increased because you have got more financial pressure on you. So here

on the streets do people know enough about credit ratings? Welcome to the

great Welsh credit rating quiz! First question, true or false, if

you miss ale payment on a loan or a credit card, it will stay on your

credit report for a year? Is that true or false? I think that's true.

I think it is true. True or false? More than I imagine.

True or false? True. Yes, I would have thought so.

I think it is longer though. False. It is a lot longer than a

year. Any missed payments on a credit commitment will stay on your

credit file for six years and could impair you getting credit in the

future. You are the only person that affect

your caed rating? -- credit rating? True or false? I will go for false.

No, that's false. Yes, that would have to be true, wouldn't it? I will

have to push you? True. False again. Be careful about who

you take out a joint bank account with. By living with someone who has

got bad credit and been financially linked to those people if you have a

joint account and mortgage or any credit commitment it could have an

impact on your credit rating. If you have an ex-partner that you have a

financial link to, it is important you break ties to those people.

Applying for credit just applying for credit can affect your credit

rating? True. I would say it is probably false

just from my personal experience I would say false again. I don't think

it could. I'm wrong again. This one is true. Applying for

credit too often drives down your rating. E-when applying for credit,

you are agreeing for the lender to put a marker or a pot print on your

credit file. The more credit you apply for, the more footprints that

are on your credit file meaning the less likely you are to get credit.

It is possible to be blacklisted? Are you or false? That's false. You

can be blacklisted. That's true. You can get blacklisted, can't you? Yes.

False. True. True, you cannot be blacklisted, but a poor credit

rating can do damage. There is no such thing as a

blacklist, but there is such a thing as a poor credit rating and that

will have an impact on your credit report and credit file. Now, we have

exposed the myths, the important thing is to how to improve your

credit rating? Not having too many credit searches and not having too

much debt. Close any account you are no longer using. The more stable

your circumstances, the better your credit rating will be.

Back to our main story, becoming Green UK limited and the business

history of the man running it. The local Trading Standards team had

loads of complaints here and I am joined by Hannah Phillips and her

mum Susan and grandfather, Walter. Three again races of thes same --

generations of the same family. How much have you lost? ?299.

?299. ?299. How did the company get in touch

with you? By the telephone. They contacted me.

Cold called? Yes and gave it the spiel and said it was Government

granted so I thought well, ask questions and sounded a good idea at

the time. I had a word with my father and my daughter and we said

we would do it together. You signed up for it and that was back in

March. Did you hear anything after that? They came and did the

assessment in June after a long time of ringing to ask when they were

coming, but we have not heard anything since the end of July and

we have called about six or seven times. No one is answering and it is

going to voicemail. Or answering machine. No one has rung back.

We will be passing on their complaints to Becoming Green UK

Limited. Now let's talk to the local MP who has been campaigning on this.

How much anger is there over this here? How much of a problem is it?

What are people telling you? The anger is growing. I discovered at

the when people came to this room to talk to me about the issue which you

are dealing with and other people came and I thought something is

happening seriously here and having talked to my Welsh colleagues in the

House of Commons, I discovered the issue of so-called green companies

jumping on the bandwagon of the Green Deal is becoming a huge issue

in terms of vulnerability of the people they are dealing with, older

people in particular. In this small borough alone, there have been 62

complaints about this sort of company. 44 of them dealing with one

company, Becoming Green. What do you think needs to be done

to stop the companies ripping people off? Well, the first thing is to do

what you are doing and that is to publicise it so that more and more

older people in Wales are aware that there are companies out there with

what I term sharp practise. Secondly, if they come across people

like this, they should go to the CAB or to the Trading Standards

departments in their local authority and thirdly, I think, there is a

case for the Government itself to look at how the deal is being

managed. So that companies which actually involve themselves in the

green deal are validated and approved thoroughly.

Mr Murphy, thank you. Well, X-ray will be keeping a close

eye on the companies cashing in on the green deal. And that's it for

this week. Next week, are you too casual with your mobile? Why

hundreds of us are having our phones stolen every month.

And if you have got a story for us, if you feel like you have been

ripped off or short changed, please get in touch. You can give us a call

on: Or you can drop us an e-mail:

We will see you next week. Bye-bye. Hello, I'm Riz Lateef with your

90-second update. Four people are dead after the worst UK storm for

years. Hurricane-force conditions left almost half a million homes

without power. In some areas wind speeds reached up to 99