0:00:02 > 0:00:03Have you been ripped off? Conned?
0:00:03 > 0:00:04Or just short-changed?
0:00:04 > 0:00:08We're here to fight for your rights.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Spotting the latest scams -
0:00:10 > 0:00:14and making sure you make the most of your money.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17It makes me feel angry and it makes you...
0:00:17 > 0:00:21very untrustworthy of buying anything else in the future.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25Exposing the rogues and confronting the conmen -
0:00:25 > 0:00:27we're here to help YOU fight back.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Mark Davies?
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Tonight, Rachel gets an earful
0:00:43 > 0:00:45as she confronts a company boss.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48You're a Jeremy Kyle-type television.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50You're a load of rubbish.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53We've heard about airlines charging
0:00:53 > 0:00:55to correct spelling mistakes on bookings before.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58But is £500 a new record?
0:01:00 > 0:01:04And can this man save you money?
0:01:04 > 0:01:06If I can say to you I'm going to get you some money at the end of
0:01:06 > 0:01:10the month, you're going to be quite happy with that, yes?
0:01:10 > 0:01:12First tonight, we're returning to an investigation
0:01:12 > 0:01:15into a company we featured in February.
0:01:15 > 0:01:16Back then there were concerns
0:01:17 > 0:01:20about what had happened to thousands of pounds
0:01:20 > 0:01:21of customer deposits.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Now we've discovered there are many more questions
0:01:25 > 0:01:26for the company to answer.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Appearances can be deceptive -
0:01:32 > 0:01:33and that was certainly the case
0:01:33 > 0:01:36with Swansea-based Cleary Energy UK Ltd.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41On the face of it everything was looking good.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42Business was brisk, with customers
0:01:42 > 0:01:44across Wales and England
0:01:44 > 0:01:46signing up for solar panel systems
0:01:46 > 0:01:49costing anything from a few thousand
0:01:49 > 0:01:51to tens of thousands of pounds.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Last June, they told the world that they were growing so fast
0:01:57 > 0:01:59they needed high calibre staff
0:01:59 > 0:02:01to run a brand-new 30-strong call centre.
0:02:04 > 0:02:09But in reality, Cleary Energy was already in trouble.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Instead of recruiting staff, ten were made redundant.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16They were told the company was going into liquidation.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20There was already a long list of customers who had paid
0:02:20 > 0:02:23thousands for solar panels, which simply never arrived.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31Olwen Davies from Tregaron spent nearly £15,000
0:02:31 > 0:02:34and never got her panels.
0:02:34 > 0:02:35I'm annoyed.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38I feel a fool for trusting this company.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42The company told us they'd had financial problems
0:02:43 > 0:02:46and stopped selling solar systems in August.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48But weeks later, in September,
0:02:48 > 0:02:53farmer Gwyn Davies handed over nearly £3,000 to the company
0:02:53 > 0:02:55for his system, which never arrived.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59We went in good faith and we shook hands on the deal.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Well, it was totally wrong.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04What can you say? It was just totally wrong.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Since then, we've spoken to many more customers
0:03:09 > 0:03:11and we've discovered that - for some of them -
0:03:11 > 0:03:14even when the company installed solar panels,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16things were far from clear with Clear Energy.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Peter Weekes paid Clear Energy
0:03:22 > 0:03:25£30,000 for this solar panel system.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28The company gave him an official certificate
0:03:28 > 0:03:31to show the work had been completed.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33The system was designed to earn extra cash
0:03:33 > 0:03:36by selling excess power back to the National Grid.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40He's a good boy.
0:03:40 > 0:03:41Good boy.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46But it turned out his system wasn't connected to the grid.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48For an entire summer
0:03:48 > 0:03:51he earned nothing from his panels.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55We have lost at least six months of generation
0:03:55 > 0:03:56for our own use,
0:03:56 > 0:04:00and have had to go back to the electricity board.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02By the time Peter had sorted the problem,
0:04:02 > 0:04:05the rate he could get for the solar power had dropped,
0:04:05 > 0:04:07hitting the farm even harder.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11Farmer Huw Cotton paid Clear Energy
0:04:11 > 0:04:15even more money - £43,000 -
0:04:15 > 0:04:18for a system on his farm near Fishguard.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Some of that money was meant specifically
0:04:20 > 0:04:24for the electricity company Western Power.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27Back in March last year, Huw gave Clear Energy
0:04:27 > 0:04:30a cheque for £15,000.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33Now he expected them to hand it over to Western Power
0:04:33 > 0:04:37straightaway to pay for his solar system to be connected to the grid.
0:04:37 > 0:04:42But Clear Energy actually held on to that money for five months.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45I was waiting for Western Power to come,
0:04:45 > 0:04:49and days, weeks and months went by
0:04:49 > 0:04:51and there was no sign of Western Power.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55You could see the long, hot, sunny days
0:04:55 > 0:04:58and the potential income going out of the window.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04But what about the panels themselves?
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Huw had paid for a German brand - Antaris.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Now, he's checking what he actually got.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Center Light Panels.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21The panels turn out to be Chinese imports.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22They do work -
0:05:22 > 0:05:24but they're not ones Huw paid for.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27You buy something in good faith
0:05:27 > 0:05:28and it makes me feel angry.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34It makes you very untrustworthy of buying anything else in the future,
0:05:34 > 0:05:37cos it's not what it says on the tin.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43Olwen Jones should also have had German Antaris panels.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Her finance company released her £15,000 payment
0:05:46 > 0:05:49after Clear Energy provided details
0:05:49 > 0:05:51of the panel serial numbers.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54But we've now discovered that these numbers
0:05:54 > 0:05:57do not belong to genuine Antaris solar panels.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03I just can't believe that Clear Energy has done this to us
0:06:03 > 0:06:05and to other customers.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08They've actually misled our finance company as well.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10Lots of unhappy customers.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14So just who's been running Clear Energy?
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Well, the company's registered director was John Davies.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20But it was son, Mark,
0:06:20 > 0:06:22that sent out the dismissal letters.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25And we’ve seen evidence that it was Mark,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27an un-discharged bankrupt,
0:06:27 > 0:06:28that was actually running the show.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Mark Davies took over as director
0:06:32 > 0:06:36when his bankruptcy was discharged in February this year.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38He's not been keen to speak to me,
0:06:38 > 0:06:40but I've found him at home in Swansea.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43Mark Davies?
0:06:43 > 0:06:45We're from X-Ray.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48What's happened to the money?
0:06:48 > 0:06:49What money?
0:06:49 > 0:06:51The money, the tens of thousands of pounds
0:06:51 > 0:06:54you've taken in deposits from customers of Clear Energy.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56We haven't taken any money from customers
0:06:56 > 0:06:58without the intention to install the systems.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02In July, you sent a letter to your employees
0:07:02 > 0:07:04saying that you were being forced into liquidation.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07In September, your company, you took money...
0:07:07 > 0:07:10Do you know what happened between then?..from Gwyn Davies.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Let me ask you a question. Do you know what happened in between?
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Well, you tell me. Do you know?
0:07:14 > 0:07:16You don’t know, you don't know,
0:07:16 > 0:07:21because you're a Jeremy Kyle-type television journalist.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22You're a load of rubbish. It's not rubbish.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24I don't have to answer to you. Yes, it is.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27If there is anything wrong with what our business has done,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30or is doing, other than what you are doing to it,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33then that will come out under the proper authority
0:07:34 > 0:07:36with proper people and proper investigation.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Do you know why Clear Energy got itself into the position it is?
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Because customers didn't pay it on time. That's right!
0:07:41 > 0:07:43It's cash.This is rubbish! It's not rubbish.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Olwen and Rhys Jones paid you £15,000.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49It's not rubbish!They never had solar panels, that's not rubbish.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51That's not rubbish. I didn't say that was rubbish.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Well, it is rubbish. It's absolutely atrocious.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55There is no scandal here you know, Rachel.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58If the company was in financial difficulty,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00why did you keep taking deposits from people?
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Again I don't have to answer you.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05You've been running the company.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08I absolutely reject that allegation.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Why is your name at the bottom of this letter? Tell me that.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12I don't have to tell you anything
0:08:12 > 0:08:14and that's the end of it, so thank you very much.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16This is Mark Davies signing out for X-Ray, goodbye.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26So that is Mark Davies, the man in charge of Clear Energy,
0:08:26 > 0:08:30and a man who his customers wish they'd steered well clear of.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33I don't appreciate being called a liar either, Rachel,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35so I will be taking you to task for that.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36Thank you very much.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43Now, since we confronted Mark Davies, he's been back to us.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46He says he's concerned that we have been given inaccurate information.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49He also says that the losses suffered by his customers
0:08:49 > 0:08:53are dwarfed by those incurred by his family.
0:08:53 > 0:08:56But things aren't looking up for Mr Davies.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58Swansea Trading Standards have told us
0:08:58 > 0:09:01they're investigating Clear Energy...
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Still to come tonight, raindrops keep falling on my head -
0:09:05 > 0:09:07but could they add up to a big saving?
0:09:08 > 0:09:14They said I would get between £200 to £500 back from Welsh Water.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Now, if your name was spelled wrongly on an airline ticket,
0:09:19 > 0:09:21it can cost you a packet to put it right.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23But Lucy's been hearing about one airline
0:09:23 > 0:09:26who seem to be taking these charges to astonishing new levels.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Australia.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34For most of us it’s the holiday of a lifetime,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36destination of dreams
0:09:36 > 0:09:40and about as far flung and expensive a trip as you can make.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45This is the story of a couple with a very special reason
0:09:45 > 0:09:49to go down under - a visit to see their son.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53But one little letter would throw their plans into chaos.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Ray and Sandra Hartill from Ogmore-by-Sea
0:09:59 > 0:10:02regularly fly across the world to Adelaide
0:10:02 > 0:10:05to visit their son Robert who runs an alpaca farm.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09He's such a nice boy. He'd do anything for anybody.
0:10:09 > 0:10:14It's expensive and it's a long journey, but it's worth it.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16We like to see him and the family.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21In February, Ray and Sandra started planning their next trip -
0:10:21 > 0:10:24this time they wanted to take their 13-year-old grandson, Jake,
0:10:24 > 0:10:25to see his uncle.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29When we go away he just wishes he could come with us every time.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32And I've promised him. I said, “I’ll take you again”.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35As the years go on, he'll get too old to take.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37We love him so much. I enjoy taking him.
0:10:37 > 0:10:38I enjoy his company.
0:10:38 > 0:10:39He likes being on the farm.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Driving the tractor and walking around with an alpaca.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45I just can't wait to take him.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46To book their flights,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49Ray and Sandra headed to their favourite local travel agent -
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Thomas Cook in Bridgend.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55This time Ray booked three flights from Gatwick to Adelaide
0:10:55 > 0:10:58this summer, at a cost of £2,600.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02Now remember this little fellow?
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Well, what the Hartills hadn't realised
0:11:05 > 0:11:09is that somehow at the travel agents an extra "u"
0:11:09 > 0:11:12had been added to their grandson's surname,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15meaning it was now spelt incorrectly on their booking.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23I was filling Jake's VISA out and I had a look at the paperwork
0:11:23 > 0:11:26we'd had off Thomas Cook and it was wrong.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29And do you have any idea how that could've happened?
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Not really, unless there was confusion in the shop, I don't know.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39I know I don't spell his surname wrong anywhere.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45Ray was sure that throwing the problem back to Thomas Cook
0:11:45 > 0:11:48would sort this simple spelling error and that would be it.
0:11:48 > 0:11:54Instead, the problem came flying straight back at him. Just like a...
0:11:54 > 0:11:55Well, you get the picture.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00Thomas Cook got onto the firm they'd booked the flights with.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03But they said they were tied by the rules of the airline, Emirates.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06And that meant some very bad news for Ray.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10I thought I'm probably going to have to pay money out for this.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Perhaps £25 or something.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14About a week later they phoned me back she said,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16"We've been in touch with Netflights
0:12:16 > 0:12:19"who've been in touch with Emirates.
0:12:19 > 0:12:20"And there's a charge."
0:12:21 > 0:12:24I said, "Oh, yeah." I was waiting for it now.
0:12:25 > 0:12:26They said £476.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30I was shaking.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35I just couldn't believe £476 to delete the letter “u”
0:12:35 > 0:12:37from a ticket which I hadn't even had yet.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42So, £476.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45And that's even more unreasonable when you realise
0:12:45 > 0:12:47that's more than half the cost
0:12:47 > 0:12:49of their grandson's original flight!
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Crikey! I know!
0:12:51 > 0:12:53What were the other options that they gave you?
0:12:53 > 0:12:56We can have a note put on the ticket
0:12:56 > 0:12:58saying that the spelling of Jake's name is wrong.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02And when you go to the airport,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05they may let you on the plane, and yet they may not.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07It's all according to who you see at the check-in.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10I said, “Well, that's not very good.
0:13:10 > 0:13:11"What if they say he can't get on?
0:13:12 > 0:13:16"Do I leave a boy at the airport and I jet off to Australia?”
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Very strange.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Gatwick Airport told us that passenger safety is so vital,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25there's no way an airline would let someone through check-in and boarding
0:13:25 > 0:13:29if their ticket details didn't match their passport.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32So why was anyone even suggesting that Ray
0:13:32 > 0:13:33just turn up at the check-in
0:13:33 > 0:13:37with incorrect documents in the hope that his grandson
0:13:37 > 0:13:39would be allowed on the plane?
0:13:41 > 0:13:44Ray and Sandra now face a tough dilemma.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48It's almost getting to the point where you think, "Well, we won't go."
0:13:49 > 0:13:52I can't see me paying £400, if that's what it comes to.
0:13:54 > 0:13:55It's crazy.
0:13:55 > 0:13:58And yet, I can't let Jake down.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01If that's what it's going to cost, we'll have to pay it.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Well, we've got some great news for the family.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05After we got in touch,
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Emirates have agreed to waive their fees -
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and they have now changed the name on Jake's ticket for free.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Thomas Cook have apologised to the family for any inconvenience.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17A fortnight ago, we featured a Swansea call centre
0:14:17 > 0:14:20that was making big promises.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Staff there were telling customers they could get thousands of pounds
0:14:23 > 0:14:26back on their mortgages and credit cards.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30Now several former employees have come forward to tell us
0:14:30 > 0:14:32what's been going on behind the scenes.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Two weeks ago we told you about the Swansea call centre
0:14:38 > 0:14:41making promises it just couldn't keep.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44They cold call promising thousands
0:14:44 > 0:14:46off your credit card bills or mortgages.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52Customers like David Parry saw it as a way out of his financial crisis,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55but ended up thousands deeper in debt.
0:14:55 > 0:15:00I was just about treading water, I'm now, as I say, worse off.
0:15:00 > 0:15:01I'm actually in a position now
0:15:01 > 0:15:04where I am going to have to sell my house.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06The call centre in the basement of this building
0:15:06 > 0:15:10has been selling similar products for several years,
0:15:10 > 0:15:15though the name has changed, from Consortium Reclaim, to CCS Advice,
0:15:15 > 0:15:17CCS Review, CCS-Review
0:15:17 > 0:15:21and most recently The Full Financial Review.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27Now a number of former workers have come forward
0:15:27 > 0:15:32to expose what was really going on behind the doors of the call centre
0:15:32 > 0:15:34in the basement of this building.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39None of the whistle-blowers wanted to be identified
0:15:39 > 0:15:41so we've disguised their identities.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45This former employee - who worked for Consortium Reclaim and CCS,
0:15:45 > 0:15:47is played by an actor.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51When you first go in, you're very young and naive.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54You just think you're selling the dream.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58And the dream they were selling was aimed at people who were in debt.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02They give you a script on the screen in front of you.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06The main thing you want to go for was unenforceable credit agreements
0:16:06 > 0:16:08because that's where we get the most money from.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Another ex-employee, who worked there at around the same time,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14tells how they would get as much money
0:16:14 > 0:16:16as they could from customers.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20You'd ask them how much on their loan ability was left
0:16:20 > 0:16:21and we'd ask that early on,
0:16:21 > 0:16:24because then we'd know how much there was to take as a fee.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30For example, if they had a £5,000-limit credit card
0:16:30 > 0:16:33with £2,000 on it, we'd know we had £3,000 to play with.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38A new company took over the call centre last year,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41but this former worker says tactics didn't change.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Basically we had to find out whether they had any credit card facilities
0:16:46 > 0:16:47to be able to pay the fee.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50So if there was a fee of £2,000,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54we had to find out whether they had any credit cards to put the fee on.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59But it seems all the companies that operated this call centre
0:16:59 > 0:17:03had pretty high standards when it came to making money.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08The minimum they were hitting was probably £90,000 a week
0:17:08 > 0:17:10and that was probably bad weeks.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15At one point, our sales target was £200,000 a week.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21What was the most you heard being taken off a person?
0:17:23 > 0:17:29I heard one deal going through which was £11,500-£12,000 for one customer.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32I think that was probably the most I'd seen.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36But it seems that no matter how much money the workers brought in,
0:17:36 > 0:17:37the bosses wanted more.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41They'd call you in on a lunchtime, there'd be meetings,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44saying you haven't met this, you haven't met that.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49For many of the workers, there was only so much selling they could take
0:17:49 > 0:17:51before the reality of what they were doing sunk in.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57When I think back on some of the things that I heard...
0:17:57 > 0:17:59I had people crying on the phone.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03It was the older people I felt sorry for.
0:18:03 > 0:18:04If someone phoned up my grandparents,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07I'd feel quite sorry and quite angry.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10It was a fun place to work,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14but when you look at the other side it's just horrible.
0:18:14 > 0:18:15I feel awful.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19It just eats at you, you know, your conscience. It's just not very nice.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Well, the people who ran the call centre until last autumn
0:18:24 > 0:18:26haven't responded to any of our letters.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Simon Helliwell who runs it now as The Full Financial Review,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34says he is confident their operations are fully compliant
0:18:34 > 0:18:36with the regulations.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39He says they don't target vulnerable people.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42It seems everyone's feeling the pinch at the moment -
0:18:42 > 0:18:46prices keep going up and nobody seems to get much of a pay rise.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48But I've been meeting a man
0:18:48 > 0:18:50who thinks he can help you bridge the gap.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00Is it me, or does everything these days
0:19:00 > 0:19:02just seem to be getting more and more expensive?
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Everything - cost of food's going up,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06energy bills are going up.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Yeah, right across the board, it's getting very expensive.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12And you think you can save absolutely anybody money?
0:19:12 > 0:19:16100%. Yes, I can. Categorically I can say that.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Gerald wants to analyse your spending
0:19:23 > 0:19:26and give tips on how to save money.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29But can he help balance the books for shoppers here in Llanelli.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34First up, father-of-five Colin Lloyd.
0:19:35 > 0:19:39To manage five boys, there definitely isn't enough money
0:19:39 > 0:19:43at the end of the month left for us to meet the needs of the boys
0:19:43 > 0:19:45like we would like to meet the needs of the boys.
0:19:45 > 0:19:50I'd like you to take a look at some bank statements for me,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53see if you could help us save some money.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57One thing that stands out on here is your cable television.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00At the moment you're paying out £60.42 a month.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Obviously, after a year
0:20:02 > 0:20:04you're going to look around the market place as well.We will.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Because what tends to happen with any provider with cable,
0:20:07 > 0:20:08now this is a real good tip, OK?
0:20:08 > 0:20:10That if you're thinking of leaving them
0:20:10 > 0:20:13they usually come back with a much better deal.Right.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Colin also spends a lot on petrol.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Price comparison websites could save him money.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22You literally put in your postcode, type it in,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24and for every week they will send you an e-mail -
0:20:24 > 0:20:29what is the cheapest petrol for that week in your immediate area.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31And you'll be quite surprised.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34But if Colin's serious about cutting his spending,
0:20:34 > 0:20:37he needs to keep a spending diary.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40One of the things that I'm trying to get across today
0:20:40 > 0:20:44is that people do what is known as a spending diary for one month.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46At the end of the month you add up all those receipts,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49all those bits of paper and it identifies clearly
0:20:49 > 0:20:52where your money is going.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54I can guarantee you if you do that,
0:20:54 > 0:20:56you can identify areas where maybe
0:20:56 > 0:20:59you might be able to make some savings.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Let's hope it works for Colin.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Next up - Elizabeth and Joanna Price.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Excuse me, have you got two minutes to spare? Come round.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10Do you find at the end of each month you have no money left,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12or the end of the week whenever you get paid?
0:21:12 > 0:21:14Yeah, normally the end of the month I'm skint.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17If I say to you I'm going to get you some money at the end of the month
0:21:17 > 0:21:19you're going to be quite happy with that, yeah?
0:21:19 > 0:21:21One of the first things I'd look at -
0:21:21 > 0:21:24with your food, plan it a week in advance, OK?
0:21:24 > 0:21:26That's what I start off doing at the start of the month
0:21:26 > 0:21:28and then by the end of the month I just go shopping,
0:21:28 > 0:21:30buying whatever, and I've got my little girl with me,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32she just chucks loads of stuff in the trolley.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Is it fair to say that you and me could save a fortune
0:21:35 > 0:21:36by not taking our children shopping with us?
0:21:37 > 0:21:38Definitely. Yes.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41We could save a fortune! That's a really good tip.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43Leave them at home!
0:21:45 > 0:21:49Finally, Gerald's meeting 24-year-old Steffan Warren,
0:21:49 > 0:21:51who seems pretty canny with his money.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Me and my wife, we try and sit down every week or so.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57We plan, we kind of look forward,
0:21:57 > 0:22:00but you know, things don't always go to plan, do they?
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Steffan's so good with his cash,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05he's brought along a budget plan on his tablet.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Has Gerald met his match?
0:22:07 > 0:22:10You're obviously a very organised person, you've got it all laid out.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11Just quickly going through it,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14you've got an awful lot of direct debits there.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Does that cause any issues as far as your budgeting is concerned,
0:22:17 > 0:22:18some weeks or months?
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Sometimes it can,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23but what we tend to do is move a lump of money into another account
0:22:23 > 0:22:27and we only use that money then so we know that we've budgeted for that.
0:22:27 > 0:22:28Excellent.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30Do you shop weekly, or do you shop monthly?
0:22:30 > 0:22:33We're quite chaotic when it comes to shopping, to be honest,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36because I'm quite disorganised on buying food.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38One thing it might be worth you considering
0:22:38 > 0:22:40is planning out your food for the following week.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44And one way of doing that is like a very cheap chalk board
0:22:44 > 0:22:46up in the kitchen, or whatever.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Planning out your food for the full week.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52That way when you do go shopping you're only buying
0:22:52 > 0:22:54what you can actually eat for that week,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56using up ingredients you already have,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59and that could be a way of potentially saving money.
0:23:00 > 0:23:01So, Gerald, how's it gone?
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Absolutely fantastic, really.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05Some lovely people I've met here today.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07So the one month challenge really does work.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09It really does work.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13I go back to when I was growing up in Port Talbot with my parents,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16they were very good, they kept a spending diary all those years ago,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19the old-fashioned book where they'd write down what was coming in
0:23:19 > 0:23:21and wrote out what was going out.
0:23:21 > 0:23:22Even my pocket money, you know.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26That way the budget was always accurate, it was always right.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28My mother did it indefinitely,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30I'm only asking people to do it for one month.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33Mothers are always right. Always right, Rhodri, always.
0:23:35 > 0:23:36Some good advice there.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Now, one way we'd all love to save money
0:23:38 > 0:23:41is by cutting our utility bills.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Lucy's been looking into a company
0:23:43 > 0:23:46promising to help its customers get a water rebate.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57When it does this. Rains, that is, on your home - where does it all go?
0:23:59 > 0:24:01For most of us that's pretty obvious -
0:24:01 > 0:24:05the water will simply drain down into a public sewer.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10OK, that's enough.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Thank you.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15And if that is the case here's something you might not know -
0:24:15 > 0:24:19you're paying £50 as part of your annual water bill
0:24:19 > 0:24:23to cover the cost of all that water running away into the sewers.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Some homes, though, aren't linked to a public sewer -
0:24:28 > 0:24:32instead all that rain water runs off elsewhere,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35say a soakaway or a nearby stream or river.
0:24:35 > 0:24:39Those people could be due what's called a surface water rebate.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45That's a fact a company from Swansea seems to be making good use of.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49They're called Utility Cost Savers, and they've been phoning people up
0:24:49 > 0:24:52offering to save them money on their water and utility bills.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55PHONE RINGS
0:24:55 > 0:24:59They cold-called Pamela Thomas from Swansea last October,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02and persuaded her to part with nearly £100.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08They said that you'd probably get between £200 and £500 back
0:25:08 > 0:25:11from Welsh Water by doing this.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16But if they couldn't remove, you know, there's no surface water,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19you'd have a refund for this in six weeks.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Pamela may have paid out nearly £100 for the service,
0:25:26 > 0:25:30but checking if you're due for a rebate is actually free.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33It just involves filling in a quick form from Welsh Water.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Marion Thomson was also unhappy with Utility Cost Savers
0:25:38 > 0:25:42after they cold-called her brother in Denbighshire.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45He has learning difficulties and mental health problems,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48but they talked him into paying over £199.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52They should never have phoned him
0:25:52 > 0:25:54because he's on the Telephone Preference Service.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59Angry because they'd taken almost £200 from him,
0:25:59 > 0:26:01from somebody that's vulnerable,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04has mental health issues, and that has very little money,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08very little savings, and £200 effectively
0:26:08 > 0:26:09is two weeks' money for him.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13The company has agreed to refund her brother,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16but Marion says they told her it could take 28 days.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21It's crippling for him. He doesn't have the money.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25He's having to use an overdraft, which he's having to pay for.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27They should pay him back straightaway and not wait.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Back in Swansea, Pamela discovered
0:26:31 > 0:26:33she didn't qualify for a rebate.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35But when she tried to call Utility Cost Savers
0:26:36 > 0:26:38to get her money back, she had problems.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Just ringing, ringing, ringing for ages.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45And then when they did answer,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49they were just putting me off with different things all the time.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52Pamela tracked down Utility Cost Savers
0:26:52 > 0:26:57to this shared office block in Swansea's Wind Street.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59This big fellow came to the door,
0:26:59 > 0:27:05and he looked quite shocked because I said my name.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08I said, "I've come for my money because you haven't paid me yet."
0:27:09 > 0:27:11It's three and a half months.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14I'm not going anywhere without my money.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18The company's director is this man - Clive Davies.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20When Pam visited his offices,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23she was given a letter by staff at Utility Cost Savers
0:27:23 > 0:27:26to take to her bank so she could get her money back,
0:27:26 > 0:27:28except she says it didn't work.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33It was worthless, they couldn't do nothing with it at all.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37I done a lot of crying, you know, getting upset about it.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41I did, you know, in the beginning. It really did frighten me.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45I thought, "I'm not going to answer that phone any more."
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Utility Cost Savers have told us they offer a valuable service
0:27:49 > 0:27:51and say water companies aren't doing enough
0:27:51 > 0:27:53to make sure people get the money they are due.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56They say Pamela's refund was delayed
0:27:56 > 0:27:58because the company's account had been frozen.
0:27:58 > 0:27:59But there is some good news.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02Since we wrote to Utility Cost Savers,
0:28:02 > 0:28:05both Pamela and Marion's brother have now had their money back.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Brilliant. Well, that is it for this series.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10We'll be back in the autumn.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14In the meantime, keep in touch with us through Twitter and our website.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17Yes, let us know if there's anything you'd like us to investigate
0:28:17 > 0:28:18later in the year.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20Until then, goodbye. Bye-bye.