0:00:00 > 0:00:02You're watching X-Ray. On tonight's programme:
0:00:02 > 0:00:04Five star or fake? Rhod the builder finds out how much we should trust
0:00:05 > 0:00:07the reviews on ratings sites. These customers thought they were
0:00:07 > 0:00:09joining the government's Green Deal, but ended up paying money for
0:00:09 > 0:00:12nothing. And the council workers who asked
0:00:12 > 0:00:22X-Ray for help when their hotel cancelled their Beatles trip at the
0:00:22 > 0:00:27
0:00:27 > 0:00:30Hello, and welcome to X-Ray. We're in Pontypridd this week with lots
0:00:30 > 0:00:33of great stories for you! First tonight, Rachel's been
0:00:33 > 0:00:43looking into the Cardiff company which claims to sign you up to a
0:00:43 > 0:00:44
0:00:44 > 0:00:47government energy-saving scheme. But instead of joining the Green
0:00:47 > 0:00:51Deal, some customers say they've had a reaw deal.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54We've had a fair share of tricky companies on X-Ray over the years.
0:00:54 > 0:01:01You know the type, they'll find clever ways to conjure up something
0:01:01 > 0:01:11that looks like a bargain. And all too often you hand over your hard
0:01:11 > 0:01:14earned cash. And it mysteriously disappears!
0:01:14 > 0:01:19And that's exactly what happened to Lesley Moule from Cardiff in
0:01:19 > 0:01:22January. I was cold-called by someone who
0:01:22 > 0:01:32said they were doing this scheme for the government and that I
0:01:32 > 0:01:33
0:01:33 > 0:01:36basically I could have double glazing done at no cost.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41And Cardiff-based Becoming Green UK Ltd certainly seemed to have the
0:01:41 > 0:01:43best of intentions. The firm says it's dedicated to making all of its
0:01:43 > 0:01:53customers financially and environmentally richer, with the
0:01:53 > 0:01:59
0:01:59 > 0:02:02aim of making the world a better But it seems their main aim is to
0:02:02 > 0:02:07line their own pockets, for a service you can set up yourself,
0:02:07 > 0:02:12for free. What did they tell you about how much it would cost you up
0:02:12 > 0:02:17front? �299 as a joining up fee for the Government scheme. The money
0:02:17 > 0:02:20was perfectly safe. The cheque wouldn't be cashed for 14 days. An
0:02:20 > 0:02:28assessor would be out during that time, within a couple of days he
0:02:28 > 0:02:32said. It made it sound as though you couldn't lose basically.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35So what is the Green Deal? Well, it's a Government backed scheme
0:02:35 > 0:02:40which allows you take out a loan to pay for home improvements like
0:02:40 > 0:02:48solar panels and double glazing. The money you save on your energy
0:02:48 > 0:02:51bills is then used to repay that loan. To take up the Green Deal, a
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Government-approved assessor has to check out your house. Becoming
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Green UK Ltd aren't qualified to do that.
0:02:58 > 0:03:04So they say they'll put you in touch with someone who is. But it
0:03:04 > 0:03:08seems they don't always stick to their side of the deal. So did the
0:03:08 > 0:03:14assessor come? No. I was getting really really suspicious so I went
0:03:14 > 0:03:18to the bank and discovered the cheque had already been taken out.
0:03:18 > 0:03:24I started phoning the company and could never ever get through. And I
0:03:24 > 0:03:28was beginning to wonder whether a real company existed.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30And it seems the company's been very busy pulling the same trick on
0:03:30 > 0:03:37customers all over Wales Gillian and Gwyn Jones from Tonyrefail had
0:03:37 > 0:03:42a visit from a Becoming Green salesman in February. Just like
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Lesley, they were asked to pay up front. If we give him a cheque for
0:03:45 > 0:03:49�164, when the assessor came out if we, or he, decides that the Green
0:03:49 > 0:03:58Deal isn't for us, we have the cheque back and we could just rip
0:03:58 > 0:04:03it up. 100% gain! And he said that the assessor would be out in about
0:04:03 > 0:04:07two weeks time. But soon after the salesman's visit, Gillian and Gwyn
0:04:07 > 0:04:10had a nasty surprise. The cheque was cashed but no surveyor ever
0:04:10 > 0:04:15turned up. And once again, getting hold of Becoming Green was an
0:04:15 > 0:04:22impossible feat. So this pair of determined
0:04:22 > 0:04:29pensioners took matters into their own hands. Armed with their buses
0:04:29 > 0:04:32passes, and a steely resolve, they headed to Cardiff. Becoming Green's
0:04:32 > 0:04:38headquarters are at this Cardiff office block, and when Gillian and
0:04:38 > 0:04:41Gwyn came here they demanded to speak to the man in charge.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46But instead of giving them their money back, the head of operations
0:04:47 > 0:04:52had the cheek to ask for even more cash! He said, so if you give me a
0:04:52 > 0:04:57cheque for �135, we'll arrange now for the assessor to come out. And
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Gwyn said, no way we've come for our money back.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Their visit did the trick and the firm soon coughed up the money.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07But take a look at the company records and it's not hard to see
0:05:07 > 0:05:10why director Abdul Muhith may be reluctant to give customers their
0:05:10 > 0:05:13money back. We've discovered that Abdul Muhith
0:05:13 > 0:05:15has more than �34,000 worth of unpaid county court judgements
0:05:15 > 0:05:25against him, plus a whopping �61,000 against another company he
0:05:25 > 0:05:29
0:05:29 > 0:05:31owns. Trading Standards say they're concerned too, and are
0:05:31 > 0:05:36investigating lots of complaints from people who say they've been
0:05:36 > 0:05:39deceived by the company. And Becoming Green customer Lesley
0:05:39 > 0:05:44fears she'll never see her money again.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47I feel really ripped off and very aggrieved.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51So what's going on? Well, Becoming Green UK Ltd insist that they offer
0:05:51 > 0:05:57a unique and valuable service. But Lesley, Gillian and Gwyn don't
0:05:57 > 0:06:00agree! We put their complaints to the company and they blamed
0:06:00 > 0:06:03financial problems and rogue sales people, who they've now sacked. The
0:06:03 > 0:06:13firm has now given our viewers all their money back, though about time
0:06:13 > 0:06:13too! We'll be keeping a close eye too! We'll be keeping a close eye
0:06:13 > 0:06:18too! We'll be keeping a close eye too! We'll be keeping a close eye
0:06:18 > 0:06:24on this story too. So if you've had a similar experience, let us know.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27Or if there's anything else you'd Or if there's anything else you'd
0:06:27 > 0:06:30like us to look into, get in touch. Lots of you did get in touch after
0:06:30 > 0:06:33seeing our report on dishwasher fires last week. In case you missed
0:06:33 > 0:06:35it, here's a reminder. When the Gittins family from
0:06:35 > 0:06:41Llanfyllin turned on their dishwasher one morning in March,
0:06:41 > 0:06:48they could never have imagined what was about to happen. 16-year-old
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Zoe was the first to return home. I went to the door and it was dark
0:06:51 > 0:06:59and black so I opened the door carefully and you just got hit with
0:06:59 > 0:07:03this horrible smell of smoke and stuff.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Zoe rang and she just blurted out, Mum you've got to come home, the
0:07:06 > 0:07:09dishwasher's exploded and the dogs have died. The fire, which
0:07:09 > 0:07:15devastated the kitchen and killed the family's two dogs, was caused
0:07:15 > 0:07:18by a faulty control panel in the Bosch dishwasher. It wasn't a one
0:07:18 > 0:07:24off, other fires had already led Bosch to recall more than 600,000
0:07:24 > 0:07:31dishwashers. The company says it wrote to Ruth but she's adamant she
0:07:31 > 0:07:34never received a letter. I had absolutely no idea. This is a
0:07:34 > 0:07:37potential time bomb that has been sat in the kitchen and we didn't
0:07:37 > 0:07:40know known anything about it. Because most of us don't register
0:07:40 > 0:07:45our details when we buy electrical goods, the average success rate of
0:07:45 > 0:07:50a product recall is less than 20%. And there are also worrying
0:07:50 > 0:07:53inconsistencies in manufacturer's recall policies. We've discovered
0:07:53 > 0:07:56that one of the biggest names in electricals has decided not to
0:07:56 > 0:08:03recall one of its dishwashers even though it's got exactly the same
0:08:03 > 0:08:05fault as the Bosch machines. Some Hotpoint dishwashers made between
0:08:05 > 0:08:141999 - 2003 were actually manufactured by Bosch so have the
0:08:14 > 0:08:19same fault. But Hotpoint say very few would still be in use now so
0:08:19 > 0:08:21they're not recalling them. And with no government plans to
0:08:21 > 0:08:30improve the recall system, it's up to individuals to protect
0:08:30 > 0:08:33themselves. The important message we really
0:08:33 > 0:08:37want to get across with all of this is please everybody check your
0:08:37 > 0:08:40dishwasher. Rachel's here now. Rachel there's
0:08:40 > 0:08:43been a big reaction to this story, hasn't there?
0:08:43 > 0:08:46There has, we've heard from loads of viewers wanting to know more
0:08:46 > 0:08:49about the recall and in particular whether their machine is one of the
0:08:49 > 0:08:51ones affected. So just to clarify, if you've got a machine
0:08:51 > 0:08:54manufactured by Bosch, Siemens or Neff dishwasher which was
0:08:54 > 0:08:59manufactured between 1999 and 2005, you'll need to check your serial
0:08:59 > 0:09:03number. Now you'll find that on the inner edge of your dishwasher door,
0:09:03 > 0:09:13probably going to be starting with an S, you can go along to the
0:09:13 > 0:09:13
0:09:13 > 0:09:16Repair action website, and check that number.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19We also raised questions about Hotpoint dishwashers. What's the
0:09:19 > 0:09:22latest situation with those? Well, Hotpoint have recalled some of its
0:09:22 > 0:09:27dishwashers made between 2006 and 2007, with model numbers beginning
0:09:27 > 0:09:29FWD. That was because of a small number of fires. But the batch of
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Hotpoint dishwashers that we referred to in the film were
0:09:32 > 0:09:40different, so they were manufactured between 1999 and 2003,
0:09:40 > 0:09:42the DWF series. They have not been recalled. Remember these are
0:09:42 > 0:09:47machines that were actually manufactured by Bosch and contained
0:09:47 > 0:09:50the faulty control panel. Now, Hotpoint argue that very few will
0:09:50 > 0:09:57be in use, but the Electrical Safety Council are concerned and
0:09:57 > 0:10:00they are worried that people could be put at risk.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03And we've heard from concerned Hotpoint owners?
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Yes, including two viewers who say their Hotpoint dishwashers caught
0:10:07 > 0:10:12fire. One of those incidents was really serious. Neil Fowler from
0:10:12 > 0:10:15Risca had a Hotpoint dishwasher made in the year 2000. Now, last
0:10:15 > 0:10:19May, he put it on before he went out to work and the dishwasher
0:10:19 > 0:10:22caught fire. The whole house was also smoke damaged and covered in
0:10:22 > 0:10:25black soot. It meant the family had to move out for six months while
0:10:25 > 0:10:28that was renovated. Of course, we'll be passing his story and all
0:10:28 > 0:10:33the others we've received onto Hotpoint who say they'll look into
0:10:33 > 0:10:37them. But this a story we're going to be keeping a very close eye on,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40so any updates, we'll keep you posted. In the meantime, all the
0:10:40 > 0:10:46current advice and contact details for the two manufacturers, Bosch
0:10:46 > 0:10:49and Hotpoint, are on our website. Great, Rachel, thanks very much.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54Still to come: Need a good builder? Well, think
0:10:54 > 0:10:57twice before trusting the reviews on some ratings websites.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01And we'll put you on the right track to finding the cheapest train
0:11:01 > 0:11:03tickets. Next, Lucy's been to Neath to meet
0:11:03 > 0:11:13a group of council workers whose special weekend away turned into a
0:11:13 > 0:11:20
0:11:20 > 0:11:28After 35 years of dedicated service, Jean Davies is retiring as the
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Manager of Neath Port Talbot Council social services. It's going
0:11:31 > 0:11:35to be quite hard because it's been a big part of my life, working full
0:11:35 > 0:11:38time. Over the years Jean's been quite an
0:11:38 > 0:11:44inspiration to her team. Well, Jean isn't just our manager and
0:11:44 > 0:11:48colleague, she is a good friend as well.
0:11:48 > 0:11:56And you can probably guess from the music, Jean is a pretty big Beatles
0:11:56 > 0:12:01fan. I think it was just the era, the short skirts, the songs, it was
0:12:01 > 0:12:04my youth. Jean's team wanted to mark her retirement with something
0:12:04 > 0:12:11she'd really love. So what better than a trip to the fab four's home
0:12:11 > 0:12:14town of Liverpool. Susan and Charlotte stepped up to
0:12:14 > 0:12:21the task of organising the biggest social outing Jean's team would
0:12:21 > 0:12:25ever experience. 30 people wanted to say their goodbyes. This was
0:12:25 > 0:12:29going to be tricky. Everybody made the effort, we
0:12:29 > 0:12:32wanted to go and have a fabulous weekend with a fabulous friend and
0:12:32 > 0:12:37boss. And they knew exactly what Jean
0:12:37 > 0:12:44would enjoy doing. It's always been a dream of mine to go to Liverpool,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48to go on the Beatles trail. To do the whole Magical Mystery Tour, a
0:12:48 > 0:12:50trip down the Mersey, go to the Cavern. And stay in the Adelphi
0:12:50 > 0:12:53because it's such a well known hotel.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Back in September all 30 team members signed up to the Beatles
0:12:57 > 0:13:06extravaganza weekend. Susan hired a coach and booked 15 rooms at the
0:13:06 > 0:13:13Adelphi Hotel. Job done! With six months still to go Charlotte and
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Susan relaxed, confident that Jean would have a great time. It was
0:13:17 > 0:13:24lovely, I was really, really moved. But at the last minute disaster
0:13:24 > 0:13:30struck. Just ten days before the trip, the Adelphi cancelled. And
0:13:30 > 0:13:38their Beatles weekend was ruined. The Adelphi had double booked them,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42blaming a computer system error. didn't really want to tell anyone
0:13:42 > 0:13:45when I first found out and I waited and worried all night and I had to
0:13:45 > 0:13:48tell Jean then and break the news to her and the rest of the
0:13:49 > 0:13:53colleagues and friends that we weren't actually going to Liverpool.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56But then the company offered a possible solution. They could go to
0:13:56 > 0:14:05another hotel in the Britannia chain, the Roundhouse Hotel in
0:14:05 > 0:14:09Bournemouth. The Britannia hotel said we'd have a whale of a time,
0:14:09 > 0:14:11they would really make us enjoy our stay there. To get that many people
0:14:11 > 0:14:15together again to go away for a weekend would be virtually
0:14:15 > 0:14:18impossible. So a few days later they all headed off to the opposite
0:14:18 > 0:14:23end of the country. But when they arrived in Bournemouth, there was
0:14:23 > 0:14:26another blow. Straight away my heart sank. The first thing to hit
0:14:26 > 0:14:31you was the smell of smoke. The curtains had stains on them and on
0:14:31 > 0:14:35the walls and on closer inspection some of it was blood. The windows
0:14:35 > 0:14:39were filthy, there were dirty net curtains flying outside.
0:14:39 > 0:14:45The bathrooms were dirty and grubby with tiles all cracked. And the
0:14:45 > 0:14:49complaints kept coming from other team members as well. When we saw
0:14:49 > 0:14:53the hotel it was oh my word. Oh, it was just stains everywhere it was
0:14:53 > 0:14:55just really, really horrible. a look online and you'll see these
0:14:55 > 0:14:59complaints aren't one-offs. X-Ray's even investigated the Roundhouse
0:14:59 > 0:15:06before. Two years ago Arwyn Williams told
0:15:06 > 0:15:10me about his grotty stay in a filthy room. The team returned to
0:15:10 > 0:15:20Neath a little dejected to say the least. It wasn't the weekend that
0:15:20 > 0:15:27
0:15:27 > 0:15:30we wanted to give her, she deserved pennies, still hoping to visit her
0:15:30 > 0:15:34heroes home town very soon. Well you can rest assured Lucy wasn't the
0:15:34 > 0:15:36fifth member of the Beatles! Now the Britannia hotel group say if they
0:15:36 > 0:15:41can't offer a certain hotel they'll find accommodation of the same
0:15:41 > 0:15:43standard or better. They do say they had no other complaints from guests
0:15:43 > 0:15:46at the Roundhouse in Bournemouth that weekend. But there is some good
0:15:46 > 0:15:50news. They've offered Jean and her friends a special discounted rate to
0:15:50 > 0:15:58stay at the Adelphi in Liverpool, or any of their other hotels, in the
0:15:58 > 0:16:02future. So maybe Jean will still get her magical mystery retirement tour
0:16:02 > 0:16:12after all! Now how much should you rely on ratings websites? Rhod's
0:16:12 > 0:16:17
0:16:17 > 0:16:19or any sort of tradesmen you can trust can be a bit of nightmare. If
0:16:19 > 0:16:25your friends and family can't recommend anyone, it becomes a bit
0:16:25 > 0:16:30of a lottery. There's the good old phone book or you can take your
0:16:30 > 0:16:35chances on the internet. How do you go about finding your builders
0:16:35 > 0:16:39normally? Well, this guy lives opposite me. To be honest I'd ask my
0:16:39 > 0:16:44dad. He used to be a builder. you any good at finding builders?
0:16:44 > 0:16:47No, I trust anyone who comes in my door! Now, if you're looking for a
0:16:47 > 0:16:51safe pair of hands, you might be tempted to try one of those rating
0:16:51 > 0:16:54websites which say they take the risk out of finding a good builder.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57One of biggest and best known is Rated People. With property guru
0:16:57 > 0:17:04Phil Spencer as their celebrity 'ambassador', it's no wonder people
0:17:04 > 0:17:06are putting their faith in the company. Rated People claim that
0:17:06 > 0:17:11with their help, homeowners can confidently hire a tradesman they
0:17:11 > 0:17:15can trust. But some of their customers have been telling us a
0:17:15 > 0:17:18different story. Penny Loos bought her house near Abertillery nearly
0:17:18 > 0:17:25two years ago, but she's only recently felt able to move in after
0:17:25 > 0:17:30being badly let down by builders she found through Rated People. She was
0:17:30 > 0:17:33reassured by their good ratings. They painted a good picture of their
0:17:33 > 0:17:39work. But after the first week it seemed like their true colours came
0:17:39 > 0:17:44out. They began to slack with the work, and there were days when they
0:17:44 > 0:17:48wouldn't show up. Penny had set aside �10,000 for the work on her
0:17:48 > 0:17:53home. She says her builders spent twelve and only did half the job.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58Hardly the quality local tradesmen Rated People promise. They obviously
0:17:58 > 0:18:01don't vet the builders that they allow to advertise on their website.
0:18:01 > 0:18:08Another not so convinced Rated People customer is Barbara Smith
0:18:08 > 0:18:11from Ystrad in the Rhondda. I saw this advert on the television for
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Rated People.com and I thought, well, OK, if they're on the TV you
0:18:15 > 0:18:19take everything as gospel. Two people, roofers, got in touch with
0:18:19 > 0:18:27me, and they came round and told me what it would cost to have the job
0:18:27 > 0:18:30done. She paid �4,000 to one of the firms. For that she got a new roof,
0:18:30 > 0:18:36her outside walls painted, and less than a year later some problems she
0:18:36 > 0:18:39could have done without. The paint's been coming off. The green where all
0:18:39 > 0:18:46the mould is coming through on a paint that's supposedly 15 years
0:18:46 > 0:18:52guaranteed. That paint cost nearly �90 a tub. It's a mess, a complete
0:18:52 > 0:18:55mess. I doubt Phil Spencer would be impressed by either of those jobs,
0:18:56 > 0:19:01yet both builders had good reviews. So do Rated People check their
0:19:01 > 0:19:06tradesmen and the accuracy of their ratings? Time for a little
0:19:06 > 0:19:10experiment! Lucy will tell you I'm not the best at DIY, so let's see
0:19:10 > 0:19:17how easy it would be for a complete amateur like me to set myself up as
0:19:17 > 0:19:26a professional tradesman on Rated People. We're going to create our
0:19:26 > 0:19:31own building firm, X-Ray Builders. Hard hat, check. Hammer, check. Not
0:19:31 > 0:19:34so much Bob the builder as Rhod the builder. We were amazed how easy it
0:19:34 > 0:19:39was to set ourselves up on Rated People. We just needed an address,
0:19:39 > 0:19:42driving licence number and a credit card. No requirement for any
0:19:42 > 0:19:51professional qualifications or insurance, in case we have an
0:19:51 > 0:19:54accident on the job. No, Lucy, of course I know what I'm doing? No
0:19:54 > 0:20:04awkward phone calls from Rated People to check we are who we say we
0:20:04 > 0:20:06
0:20:06 > 0:20:09are or if we know one end of a saw running, we just need some ratings!
0:20:09 > 0:20:14Of course we don't have any real customers, so let's find out whether
0:20:14 > 0:20:17Rated People allows us to give ourselves some fake reviews. Our
0:20:17 > 0:20:25researchers posed as homeowners and posted some building jobs on the
0:20:25 > 0:20:29website. Not too far to travel, I like that. So now X-Ray Builders,
0:20:29 > 0:20:34that's me, bids for those jobs, the ones we made up. And, guess what, we
0:20:34 > 0:20:40get them. Wait a few days, long enough for the job to actually be
0:20:40 > 0:20:50done if it existed, and we can then invent some glowing reviews. Five
0:20:50 > 0:21:00stars, I think. X-Ray Builders were very professional. Their work was of
0:21:00 > 0:21:00
0:21:01 > 0:21:04a high quality, and they cleaned up after themselves. Tidy! In just a
0:21:04 > 0:21:14few weeks, we've set ourselves up on Rated People, been sent hundreds of
0:21:14 > 0:21:16
0:21:16 > 0:21:26potential job leads, and given to the checks they make, are Rated
0:21:26 > 0:21:28People any better or worse than rival websites was just as easy.
0:21:28 > 0:21:37Others though demanded references, public liability insurance and
0:21:37 > 0:21:41professional trade qualifications first. A few even wanted before and
0:21:41 > 0:21:51after pictures of our work and to speak to us on the phone. That could
0:21:51 > 0:21:53
0:21:53 > 0:22:00Rated People. We've proved that anyone could pretend to be a builder
0:22:00 > 0:22:03and use fake reviews to convince would-be customers. Scary stuff!
0:22:03 > 0:22:13It's definitely time to say goodbye to this hard hat. No more X-Ray
0:22:13 > 0:22:14
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Builders. Oh well, I was pretty rubbish anyway! Well, Rated People
0:22:17 > 0:22:19say they're looking into the issues we've raised about their site. They
0:22:19 > 0:22:23say they're sorry Penny and Barbara don't feel their complaints were
0:22:23 > 0:22:25dealt with properly, and they're working hard to improve the way they
0:22:26 > 0:22:35vet tradesmen and make sure their ratings system is more rigorous in
0:22:36 > 0:22:36
0:22:36 > 0:22:46Rachel's been checking out the best way to track down a cheap train
0:22:46 > 0:22:53
0:22:53 > 0:23:01train journey for the most romantic way to get from A to B. But for most
0:23:01 > 0:23:04of us riding the rails, the main issue is getting the best deal. If
0:23:04 > 0:23:08you'd pick rail over road, there's a trick for buying tickets that could
0:23:08 > 0:23:10save you more than just a few pennies. It's used by the canniest
0:23:10 > 0:23:17of train travellers but isn't something the rail companies shout
0:23:17 > 0:23:22about. You might hope you'd always be offered the cheapest ticket from
0:23:22 > 0:23:28the station you start at, to your final destination. But that's often
0:23:28 > 0:23:36not the case. So if you want to keep the costs down, here are our top
0:23:36 > 0:23:40tips for train-travellers. The trick is called split-ticketing. It's not
0:23:40 > 0:23:44new but it's amazing how many people don't know about it and it works
0:23:44 > 0:23:54like this. Instead of buying one ticket for your journey from A to B,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58
0:23:58 > 0:24:03you break it down into sections and apps which can help you break down
0:24:03 > 0:24:08the journey to work out the cheapest way to travel. But you've got to be
0:24:08 > 0:24:11savvy to get the best deal. The problem is rail websites and station
0:24:11 > 0:24:17staff won't tell you about splitting your journey, it's up to you to do
0:24:17 > 0:24:27your homework. But if you ask for split tickets that's exactly what
0:24:27 > 0:24:29
0:24:29 > 0:24:33journey but when it works, the savings can stack up. And here's the
0:24:33 > 0:24:40proof. A single from Abergavenny to Liverpool Lime Street at 11:27 can
0:24:40 > 0:24:42set you back �63. But split the journey, by buying one ticket from
0:24:42 > 0:24:52Abergavenny to Leominster and a second from Leominster to Liverpool,
0:24:52 > 0:24:57and you'll only pay �43.10, saving almost a third! Ah, that makes the
0:24:57 > 0:24:59view all the sweeter! What's not so relaxing is getting your head around
0:24:59 > 0:25:06the incredibly complicated reason why splitting your ticket can save
0:25:06 > 0:25:12you money. Life used to be much simpler. Until the late 1960s,
0:25:12 > 0:25:15British Rail priced all train journeys per mile. But now
0:25:15 > 0:25:20individual train operators set the costs for using different sections
0:25:20 > 0:25:25of the railway. And that makes ticket pricing very complex,
0:25:25 > 0:25:30particularly for longer journeys. Thankfully, the rules on buying
0:25:30 > 0:25:34split tickets are much simpler. The only thing you have to remember is
0:25:34 > 0:25:37that the train stops at all the stations named on your tickets. But
0:25:37 > 0:25:44you don't actually have to get off the until you reach your final
0:25:44 > 0:25:50destination. And once you know about split ticketing, there are other
0:25:50 > 0:25:54ways you play the system to see if you can cut costs. If the train you
0:25:54 > 0:25:59want to catch leaves at a peak time, why not see if you can split your
0:25:59 > 0:26:02ticket and get a non-peak fare for the later part of the journey. An
0:26:02 > 0:26:09anytime return ticket from Caerphilly to Leeds, leaving at
0:26:09 > 0:26:1209:25, will set you back at least �233.00. But if you buy an anytime
0:26:12 > 0:26:15return from Caerphilly to Cardiff for six pounds forty, you can catch
0:26:15 > 0:26:23the same Cardiff to Leeds train using an off peak return costing
0:26:23 > 0:26:31just �112.30. Althogether you'll pay �118.70 for the same journey and
0:26:31 > 0:26:36save almost a half! Ticket splitting works best when you're buying a
0:26:36 > 0:26:43walk-on fare at short notice. But passengers who like to plan ahead
0:26:43 > 0:26:45can make big savings too. Advanced tickets can be the cheapest of all.
0:26:45 > 0:26:52You might think they are only available several weeks before you
0:26:52 > 0:26:55travel but you can get them any time until 6.00pm the day before you go.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59These money saving tips are great but is all the hassle really
0:26:59 > 0:27:09necessary? Why can't the train companies just give us clearer
0:27:09 > 0:27:11signals about how to get the Companies says it's not a case of it
0:27:11 > 0:27:18hiding the cheaper split fares, but that giving customer every
0:27:18 > 0:27:21permutation of every journey would be impossible. But don't let that
0:27:21 > 0:27:31stop you in your tracks. It really is worth shopping around to get the
0:27:31 > 0:27:32
0:27:32 > 0:27:42save yourself lots of money for your next railway adventure, or at least
0:27:42 > 0:27:43
0:27:43 > 0:27:53for this week! Remember, if there's anything you'd like us to
0:27:53 > 0:27:57