:00:12. > :00:21.tonight's prasm The student -- - Programme. The students paying to
:00:21. > :00:31.Barclays for courses they never signed up for. And the free video
:00:31. > :00:42.
:00:42. > :00:48.games tempting children to spend Hello. Welcome to X-Ray. It is half
:00:48. > :00:55.term. We have come to the beach in sunny Port crawl. We will tell you
:00:55. > :01:00.how to make -- Porthcawl. We will tell you how to make sure thieves
:01:00. > :01:05.don't ruin your holiday. We have met some students who say they are being
:01:06. > :01:10.made to pay a fortune for courses they never signed up for. Remember
:01:10. > :01:15.those school days when you couldn't remember to hear the bell ring and
:01:15. > :01:19.remember to hear the bell ring and signal the end of the lesson?
:01:19. > :01:23.Of course, you sometimes don't appreciate the value of an education
:01:23. > :01:29.until your school days are behind you.
:01:29. > :01:32.But these day, it is never too late to learn and there are plenty of
:01:32. > :01:36.training courses available for those of us looking to juggle work and
:01:36. > :01:46.of us looking to juggle work and family with studying.
:01:46. > :01:47.
:01:47. > :01:53.Father of two and DVLA worker Kayne Romano was hoping to abouting
:01:53. > :01:57.accelerate his work with a course in advent training in 2008. Why was it
:01:57. > :02:02.so important to you? It was for my family. The job prospects would be
:02:02. > :02:07.great. I could treat them to a better life. He could not afford the
:02:07. > :02:14.course fee of almost �5,000. He turned to one of our biggest banks -
:02:14. > :02:22.Barclays, who had a partnership with Advent. I thought I would be in safe
:02:22. > :02:28.hands. That would not come cheap. A student loan with Barclays partner
:02:28. > :02:33.finance could cost him �10,000 - double the original course fee. He
:02:33. > :02:40.started his studies and passed modules with flying colours. In
:02:40. > :02:47.January, 2010, he got an unexpected report card from Advent. There was
:02:47. > :02:52.an e-mail saying Barclays had pulled the plug on Advent and they had gone
:02:52. > :02:57.into administration. Barclays decided to stop loans to those
:02:57. > :03:03.applying for adult training. Advent said it could not survive without
:03:03. > :03:10.them and went under. Barclays agreed to find students a like-for-like
:03:10. > :03:15.course, , but they were not in any rush. He was in limbo, not sure he
:03:15. > :03:25.would be able to complete the course, until March, when he got a
:03:25. > :03:31.letter from a different firm called Computeach. Kayne noticed a big
:03:31. > :03:36.difference - the cost. He was paying more than �200 a month. Now Barclays
:03:36. > :03:43.were asking him to pay more to carry on with his studies. They were
:03:43. > :03:47.asking for nearly �150 again, which was impossible. Kayne felt he had no
:03:47. > :03:53.other option but to abandon his studies. He had given up on his
:03:53. > :03:59.dream of better qualifications, but Barclays had other ideas. They
:03:59. > :04:02.insisted he continue his repayments, or risk breaching his contract.
:04:02. > :04:09.or risk breaching his contract. So, you have actually had to keep
:04:09. > :04:14.paying So you don't affect your credit rating? Vy to keep paying it.
:04:14. > :04:24.We live with my parents at the minute and not able to afford a
:04:24. > :04:26.
:04:26. > :04:31.mortgage at the moment. It is not just Advent students like Kayne.
:04:31. > :04:38.Robert Williams from Pontardawe was hooked on the idea of becoming a
:04:38. > :04:42.plumber and signed up to Access 2 Trade Careers in October 2009.
:04:42. > :04:47.working in factories. I just felt like I was going nowhere and decided
:04:47. > :04:53.to look into plumbing or electrical work. He was reeled in with promises
:04:53. > :04:58.of a no-fuss credit agreement with Barclays partner finance. It would
:04:59. > :05:02.cost him more than �12,000. someone of their calibre and size, I
:05:03. > :05:08.thought it would be a sure thing that there would not be any problems
:05:08. > :05:13.and if there was, a company of that stature would be able to help or
:05:13. > :05:18.sort things out. His relationship with Barclays hit troubled waters.
:05:18. > :05:21.Weeks after he signed up, access to trade careers went under, blaming
:05:21. > :05:26.their downfall on the bank's decision to pull out of the training
:05:26. > :05:30.sector. I pleaded with them to let me out. They basically refused. They
:05:30. > :05:35.said you are now one of our students, you have to deal with it.
:05:35. > :05:39.Barclays said they found a new training provider, so he would have
:05:39. > :05:43.to go with them and continue paying back the loan. Robert did try to
:05:43. > :05:46.carry on with his studies, but far from being a like-for-like
:05:46. > :05:53.replacement, he said the new course was run very differently to the one
:05:53. > :06:01.he signed up for. They are nothing alike. The course was Superintendent
:06:01. > :06:06.posed to fit -- supposed to fit in with my job. I have to plead to
:06:06. > :06:10.awith my manager to attend a course. He tried to cancel again last year,
:06:10. > :06:15.but Barclays refused, instead offering him a two-year extension.
:06:15. > :06:20.You could give me ten years. It does not change the fact I cannot attend
:06:20. > :06:24.the dates they are offering. Robert and Kayne are not alone. They are
:06:24. > :06:28.two out of thousands of students still paying back a loan to Barclays
:06:28. > :06:33.after their courses have been cancelled. Many of those are unhappy
:06:33. > :06:38.at being forced into paying for a substitute course they never agreed
:06:38. > :06:42.to. But the bank has refused to back down. They deny they were
:06:42. > :06:47.responsible for the two firms going under. They say they have honoured
:06:47. > :06:50.their credit agreements by providing alternative courses.
:06:50. > :06:55.The problem with independent training providers is that just like
:06:55. > :06:59.any business there is a chance they could go under. If that happens,
:06:59. > :07:08.students can be left without any support. They are there to make
:07:08. > :07:12.profits. You don't get that support you would with a Government-funded
:07:12. > :07:16.programme. The name of the finance company involved here would have
:07:16. > :07:20.perhaps given people reassurance about the course. I am sure the
:07:20. > :07:23.reputation of the particular finance company involved might have led
:07:23. > :07:25.people to believe there was more protection than turned tout be the
:07:25. > :07:30.case. And they have learnt the case. And they have learnt the
:07:30. > :07:34.hashed way. They have been -- the hard way. They have been left
:07:34. > :07:38.without any qualifications and thousands out of pocket. Actually
:07:38. > :07:42.parting that money every month, how does that feel? It's the worst
:07:42. > :07:48.feeling ever. If you are paying something and seeing something at
:07:48. > :07:53.the end of it, at least you can appreciate it. At the moment it is
:07:53. > :07:57.going into Barclays's hands and I am not getting anything for it.
:07:57. > :08:01.asked Barclays why they are insisting they are paying for
:08:01. > :08:09.courses they cannot complete. They insist they are like-for-like
:08:09. > :08:11.courses. In Robert's case they say the financial om bud s Financial
:08:11. > :08:16.Ombudsman Service agrees. We will keep you posted on any developments.
:08:16. > :08:26.If you feel let down by a company or a rogue trader has ripped you off,
:08:26. > :08:30.
:08:30. > :08:40.we want to know. Give us a call, You can e-mail or send us a tweet.
:08:40. > :08:40.
:08:40. > :08:47.Lots of you got got in touch after watching last week. Some customers
:08:47. > :08:57.have told us a different story. Back in January, Lesley Moule said
:08:57. > :08:57.
:08:57. > :15:21.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 383 seconds
:15:21. > :15:25.becoming green offered her free could buy with real money. Lilly is
:15:25. > :15:29.just one of many children will have hit the headlines after running up
:15:29. > :15:34.massive bills. The office of fair trading is whether that some games
:15:34. > :15:37.companies are not playing baby grows. They have launched the
:15:37. > :15:43.investigation into so-called free games which ask you to stump up cash
:15:43. > :15:49.once you have started playing. We decided to check out the most part
:15:49. > :15:53.sub -- popular games. Lots of these games can be played for free but to
:15:53. > :15:58.do that, you need to be very patient. That is because the games
:15:59. > :16:04.makers deliberately built in time delays too many games. Just as you
:16:04. > :16:09.are getting into it, base by the van and make you wait. If you want to
:16:09. > :16:12.continue playing straightaway, you have to pay. And some experts are
:16:12. > :16:19.worried that those most likely to give in to that pressure our
:16:19. > :16:23.children. Instead of putting the game to one side and then coming
:16:23. > :16:33.back to it later and perhaps the time has kicked into play at that
:16:33. > :16:33.
:16:33. > :18:02.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 383 seconds
:18:02. > :18:12.level, they are more impulsive and heady how she had acquired so many
:18:12. > :18:15.
:18:15. > :18:25.things. She didn't realise she was doing it. Parents are advised to
:18:25. > :18:26.
:18:26. > :18:33.disable purchases. Free downloads do not always mean three to play.
:18:33. > :18:36.not think it is fair. Scary stuff. We ask the manufacturers of all the
:18:36. > :18:43.games we mentioned in the report why they seem to encourage children to
:18:43. > :18:48.spend large amounts of real money. The makers of the applications did
:18:48. > :18:52.not want to answer our questions. We spoke to the Association of UK
:18:52. > :18:57.interactive entertainment which represents lots of games makers
:18:57. > :19:00.including the Simpsons. They insist the games industry takes its
:19:00. > :19:05.responsibility to children very seriously. They encourage the use of
:19:05. > :19:10.password blogs and parental controls to stop children making purchases.
:19:10. > :19:14.If you have been affected by this, the office of fair trading wants to
:19:14. > :19:22.hear from you. Go to our website and you can follow the link to their
:19:23. > :19:26.survey which runs until the end of June. An a Sunday, the beach behind
:19:26. > :19:36.me is usually packed with people enjoying a day out. Rachel has been
:19:36. > :19:36.
:19:36. > :20:37.Apology for the loss of subtitles for 383 seconds
:20:37. > :20:41.checking out a few things you need advantage of trusting visitors who
:20:41. > :20:50.leave keys not attended. In recent months, there has been a spate of
:20:50. > :20:54.months in the car park. Crooks spied on drivers to see where they hide
:20:54. > :20:58.their keys. Then they snatched them and steal their cards. Even those
:20:58. > :21:06.who have taken steps to secure their keys are being watched and targeted
:21:06. > :21:11.like surf instructor Nigel Jones. had three players who had three cars
:21:11. > :21:15.and they left their keys in my glove compartment which was locked. My
:21:15. > :21:20.vehicle got broken into and the glove compartment got broken into
:21:20. > :21:25.and the three vehicles got stolen. They had no warm clothing,
:21:25. > :21:35.telephones, house keys. They were wondering how they would get to work
:21:35. > :21:36.
:21:36. > :21:39.the following morning. It caused a whole lot of absurd. -- upset.
:21:40. > :21:43.insurers have refused to pay out because the keys were with the cars
:21:43. > :21:49.at the time of the theft. But it seems the tide is beginning to turn
:21:49. > :21:57.against the criminals. Humanity has set up a key save which any visitors
:21:57. > :22:01.can use for free. We encourage people, if they have an electronic
:22:01. > :22:05.key fob which they can take into the water, we give them a band and a
:22:05. > :22:11.number and the keys are safe when they are in the water. We will give
:22:11. > :22:21.them the keys back when they come out. Police have stepped up their
:22:21. > :22:21.
:22:21. > :22:29.patrols. They tell visitors about another way. We issue packs which
:22:29. > :22:35.keep keys safe. These thefts and not just happening here. Beaches across
:22:35. > :22:43.Wales have been hit. If you are planning on taking the plunge, the
:22:43. > :22:53.message is clear. Do not assume that other visitors have good intentions
:22:53. > :22:59.
:22:59. > :23:02.and never leave your car keys or isn't up to scratch? Lucy has the
:23:02. > :23:08.story. Balancing the household budget can
:23:08. > :23:13.be a real juggling act. Many of us struggle to put money to
:23:13. > :23:19.one side. Tom knows what it is like to live on
:23:19. > :23:24.a tight budget. The 20-year-old is looking for work, but survives on
:23:24. > :23:30.his Disability Living Allowance. am on just under �400 a month, that
:23:30. > :23:36.is gas, elect, water. I have to pay all my bills out of that. There was
:23:36. > :23:45.one luxury item Tom dreamed of owning - an Xbox. Costing around
:23:45. > :23:50.�190 new, it was a lot to find. have ADHD and Asperger's. It helps
:23:50. > :23:55.me stay still and relax. With no savings or access to credit, buying
:23:55. > :24:05.new was out of the question. He turned to the one name on the high
:24:05. > :24:10.
:24:10. > :24:20.street which seemed willing to help - BrightHouse. With 18 shops over
:24:20. > :24:23.
:24:23. > :24:29.Wales, they sale fridges to Xboxes. Enjoy it now and pay a little bit at
:24:29. > :24:36.a time. Taking out a hire purchase agreement was a new world to him,
:24:36. > :24:40.but Top and his dad thought the week -- Tom and his dad thought the
:24:40. > :24:44.weekly repayments were possible. They said it would be �7 a week. I
:24:44. > :24:50.thought it would be OK, he could manage that. They explained I would
:24:50. > :24:56.pay �262 back. They do not just charge for the item. His annual
:24:56. > :25:04.interest rate was 29%, plus damage liability cover and a delivery and
:25:04. > :25:14.installation charge. So the refurbished Xbox would cost �347.
:25:14. > :25:15.
:25:15. > :25:20.50. Around �100 more than a new one. Tom insists BrightHousse did not
:25:20. > :25:25.make it clear to him. The first day it was fine. The next day it turned
:25:25. > :25:29.itself off. A red ring comes up and it turned off and the fan started to
:25:29. > :25:33.try and spin, but it was not spinning. It came up on the screen
:25:33. > :25:37.it had overheated. This happened then for about four days. I took it
:25:37. > :25:43.back to the store. They turned around and went, "There is nothing
:25:43. > :25:49.we can do because you don't have optional service cover." I said,
:25:49. > :25:54.what can I do? They said to have it repaired myself. That is an expense.
:25:54. > :26:00.They said, if you take out the cover now, we will send it out today and
:26:00. > :26:06.have it fixed for you. The fact that Tom's machine was refurbished and he
:26:06. > :26:10.was paying by hire purchase did not affect his consumer rights. He was
:26:10. > :26:15.protected under the supply of goods and services act, which means he
:26:15. > :26:19.should have got it fixed for free. Tom didn't know that. He paid the
:26:19. > :26:26.extra charge expecting to get his console back. The only game he has
:26:26. > :26:31.played in the last few months has been a frustrating one, with
:26:31. > :26:34.BrightHouse. I rang them every day. I asked them to find out, they would
:26:35. > :26:42.say they would ring me back this afternoon, but no-one would ever
:26:42. > :26:47.ring. Two weeks later he did get his Xbox back. All was not well.
:26:47. > :26:53.turned it on. Half an hour later it reheated. Took it back to them
:26:53. > :26:59.again. They sent it back again. Got it back. It had the same problem
:26:59. > :27:04.again. Even when he didn't have his Xbox Tom had to keep paying them.
:27:04. > :27:08.After three months and two repairs, it was game over for his machine.
:27:08. > :27:13.This time, they said they would replace the product. I said OK.
:27:13. > :27:18.Brought this one back and the disk tray kept opening and closing on its
:27:18. > :27:25.own. Halfway through a game, it would just open. I had to take that
:27:25. > :27:30.back again. Thankfully his thishd replacement Xbox does work. He's had
:27:30. > :27:34.an expensive few months paying for an item he has hardly used and
:27:34. > :27:39.paying for items which should have been free. How long have you had a
:27:39. > :27:42.working Xbox? A week and a half, maybe. It seems like you have to
:27:42. > :27:48.keep on to them before they will tell you anything. What do you think
:27:48. > :27:54.about the way they have treated Tom? The least I would have thought, a
:27:54. > :28:01.bit of common courtesy, here's a new machine, sorry for all the trouble.
:28:01. > :28:04.Well, we asked what went wrong and they have apologised to Tom for
:28:04. > :28:09.falling below their usual high standards and they will waiver all
:28:09. > :28:14.future payments on his Xbox, saving him well over �200. Tom is finally
:28:14. > :28:20.happy because he has an Xbox now which works. If you have a sorry you
:28:20. > :28:25.would like us to investigate, please give us a call. Our number as usual:
:28:25. > :28:32.03703 334 334. You can drop us an e-mail: Xray@bbc.co.uk. Next week,