:00:09. > :00:20.Have you been ripped off? Conned? Or short-changed? We're here to fight
:00:20. > :00:24.for your rights. Spotting the latest scams and making sure you make the
:00:24. > :00:34.most of your money. You're not conning me now, I said. No, no,
:00:34. > :00:35.definitely. Exposing the rogues and confronting the conmen. We are here
:00:35. > :00:53.to help you fight back. You're not prepared people to tell
:00:53. > :00:59.-- are not prepared to tell people what's happened with their money? On
:00:59. > :01:01.the trail of the businessman who promised you free boilers and made
:01:01. > :01:06.off with hundreds of pounds of your cash. I have been ripped off big
:01:06. > :01:12.time and I wouldn't want this to happen to anybody else.
:01:12. > :01:18.We're helping you live longer. Find out how much sugar's in those foods
:01:18. > :01:23.you think are healthy. Four... Five spoonfuls of sugar.
:01:23. > :01:32.That's a lot of sugar! It cost £15,000. Microwave door doesn't
:01:32. > :01:40.open. So why won't Wales leading caravan dealer put things right?
:01:40. > :01:43.Over the past few months, you've probably spotted those newspaper or
:01:43. > :01:48.television ads offering to help you save money by making your home more
:01:48. > :01:52.energy-efficient. What you might not have spotted is that some companies
:01:52. > :02:02.who promote these schemes are much more keen to help themselves to your
:02:02. > :02:09.money as Rachel's been finding out. I was going to have a new boiler.
:02:09. > :02:16.And I could have new windows and even a new front door. I wouldn't
:02:16. > :02:22.have to pay anything apart from £249. All the work would be
:02:22. > :02:30.completed by August. When they were here, I said to them, " you're not
:02:30. > :02:41.conning me now, are you? " "no, no, it's true. "
:02:41. > :02:50.lots of us are worrying about the cost of keeping warm this winter.
:02:50. > :02:54.Most of us rely on boilers like these to keep the cold at bay. If
:02:54. > :03:00.yours has seen better days, you might fancy a new one. Until you
:03:00. > :03:05.look at the prize. And that is without fitting. When customers were
:03:05. > :03:11.offered a new boiler for just £250, they thought it was a hot deal. They
:03:11. > :03:15.got this money available from the government. And then you can have
:03:15. > :03:21.any number of things done. I could even have a new door, new windows.
:03:21. > :03:28.And a new boiler. Marion Williams had the offer from Cardiff-based Eco
:03:28. > :03:33.Green Deal Solutions. The company had a simple and seductive sales
:03:33. > :03:39.pitch. A free boiler in return for £249. They told customers about a
:03:39. > :03:45.scheme called Affordable Warmth, which is genuine enough and does
:03:45. > :03:51.offer free boilers to people on certain benefits. But people we have
:03:51. > :03:55.spoken to who signed up through Eco Green Deal Solutions have had
:03:55. > :04:05.nothing for free at all. In fact, they've ended up hundreds of pounds
:04:05. > :04:09.out of pocket. Noreen Reilly from Brackla heard of the company through
:04:09. > :04:14.a friend. They sent out a person to collect her fee of £249 and explain
:04:14. > :04:20.the scheme. He told me they had a grant from the government and there
:04:20. > :04:25.was an amount of money to be spent. And this was part of it. Was there
:04:25. > :04:29.certain criteria you had to qualify for? I think if you was working, you
:04:29. > :04:40.would have to pay but if you wasn't working, but if you was on benefits,
:04:40. > :04:44.it would be £249. But pensioner Noreen wasn't eligible. To get a
:04:44. > :04:50.free boiler, you have to be on means tested benefits like Pension Credit.
:04:50. > :04:56.And that wasn't the only thing he got wrong. He told me that an
:04:56. > :05:04.assessor would come out within two weeks. To assess the property. And
:05:04. > :05:10.then I heard nothing. And it went quiet? When an assessor finally
:05:10. > :05:19.turned up two months later, he told her she would never get a free
:05:19. > :05:22.boiler. How did you feel? I was quite upset. Because I'm not a
:05:22. > :05:32.gullible person, I don't normally fall for things like this. And it's
:05:32. > :05:37.not just Noreen who has been taken for a ride. Miranda Morgan was
:05:37. > :05:41.called called by the company in March and they offer the same deal
:05:41. > :05:51.even though she wasn't eligible for the free boiler either. I paid them
:05:51. > :05:55.£249. And he said it'd be all with an assessor coming in a fortnight.
:05:55. > :06:02.And then it would take six weeks and everything would be done. But four
:06:02. > :06:07.months went by with no sign of a boiler. Miranda kept phoning but
:06:07. > :06:12.couldn't get any answers. I was getting edgy and fretting. I told
:06:12. > :06:19.her, the reason is because you've had my money since March. They got
:06:19. > :06:27.in touch with me. All these telephone numbers here I've got, I
:06:27. > :06:32.can't get through to none of them. From their flashy offices in this
:06:32. > :06:36.Cardiff Bay building, Eco Green Deal Solutions have created a trail of
:06:36. > :06:40.misery across Wales. We have spoken to eight people who have been
:06:40. > :06:47.promised boilers and not had fun. The company's director is this man,
:06:47. > :06:51.Kris Patel. Customers have heard all kinds of stories about what's
:06:51. > :06:56.happened to the company. Some have been told it's close down. But the
:06:56. > :07:03.records show it's very up and running. So, what's going on at the
:07:03. > :07:09.company HQ? The phone line might be dead but I'm going to see what they
:07:09. > :07:16.say at reception. The receptionist tells me the company has moved. She
:07:16. > :07:20.can't actually Tommy where they've moved on to but customers are being
:07:20. > :07:27.advised to speak to trading standards. Just like its customers,
:07:27. > :07:29.we have tried to contract man -- we have tried to contact Kris Patel but
:07:29. > :07:35.he's refused to explain what happened to the money. It is not
:07:35. > :07:40.looking good. I thought he was a nice chap and I thought it was all
:07:40. > :07:43.kosher. But I don't think so now. I think I have been ripped off big
:07:43. > :07:50.time and I wouldn't like this to happen to anyone else. But we were
:07:50. > :07:54.not going to give up. Turns out that Mr Patel runs a corner shop in
:07:54. > :08:04.Pontypool so we are on our way now to ask him some questions. OK, so we
:08:04. > :08:07.think we've spotted him. Hello, we are from X-Ray. What's happened all
:08:08. > :08:12.free boilers you've been promising people? You haven't got anything to
:08:12. > :08:15.say? You don't want to tell people what happened to their boilers? Have
:08:15. > :08:22.you been promising people free boilers? You've got nothing to say
:08:22. > :08:27.at all? You just going to run away? Is that right? You've got absolutely
:08:27. > :08:31.nothing to say to the people whose money you've taken on the promise
:08:31. > :08:48.that they are going to get a free boiler? Pensioners money?
:08:48. > :08:55.There we are. That was Kris Patel, who has got very little to say for
:08:55. > :08:58.himself. One thing we do know is that this business is very much up
:08:58. > :09:05.and running and at least when we go in there, you do get what you pay
:09:05. > :09:09.for. So, not many answers there. It seems these customers have had a
:09:09. > :09:13.pretty bad deal. They have and it gets worse because there's one thing
:09:13. > :09:17.that most of the customers of Eco Green Deal Solutions did get was one
:09:17. > :09:21.of these energy reports. Unfortunately, we've discovered they
:09:21. > :09:25.are totally unnecessary if you're applying for help under the
:09:25. > :09:29.Affordable Warmth scheme. All in all, a total waste of money. Is
:09:29. > :09:33.there any chance customers could get any of their money back? Two of the
:09:33. > :09:39.people we approached have had their money back but the others have heard
:09:39. > :09:42.nothing. Noreen was one of those two but the money didn't come from Mr
:09:42. > :09:45.Patel and it didn't come from Eco Green Deal Solutions. Instead, it
:09:45. > :09:53.came from a totally different company called Diversity Network
:09:53. > :09:57.Ltd. Why would they do that? That's what we are asking. Why would a
:09:57. > :10:00.company do that? It's based in the same office block you saw me walk
:10:00. > :10:03.out of in the film and we've discovered there are also lots of
:10:04. > :10:10.other links between the two companies they are an independent
:10:10. > :10:14.company. Why are they paying the refunds? The answer they give us is
:10:14. > :10:17.that it is a gesture of goodwill to the customers of Mr Patel's
:10:17. > :10:22.company, a company they used to do business with. Very unusual. Thank
:10:22. > :10:27.you. Just because there are people making money out of energy-saving
:10:27. > :10:30.schemes doesn't mean you should miss out on legitimate ones. There is
:10:30. > :10:33.government money for the -- available if you're on benefits and
:10:33. > :10:39.if you want to find out how to access that help, but our website
:10:40. > :10:45.will give us a call. Since we filmed, Mr Patel has been in touch.
:10:45. > :10:48.He says his company tried its best to provide the service they set out
:10:48. > :10:53.to off and made every effort to keep customers informed. And if you think
:10:53. > :10:56.you've paid money and had your home assessed but haven't heard anything
:10:56. > :11:07.back from the company, we need to hear from you. Give us a call now.
:11:07. > :11:15.We are here to investigate the problems affecting you. Tonight, BBC
:11:15. > :11:19.Wales is launching a series of special programmes to help us all
:11:19. > :11:24.live longer. Taking a look at what we eat and how much we exercise.
:11:24. > :11:28.Today we've come to Merthyr Tydfil, a town which unfortunately has more
:11:28. > :11:32.overweight people than any other town in Wales. But, as you can see,
:11:32. > :11:36.there are lots of people here trying really hard to get fit. And we've
:11:36. > :11:40.got a bit of a quiz for them. What do you think they make of those
:11:40. > :11:47.products which claim to help you lose weight? Weight loss slippers.
:11:47. > :11:51.Do you think they do the trick? Rhod has been to spend the day with one
:11:51. > :11:56.family in Llanelli. They are taking a close look at the foods which they
:11:56. > :12:03.think are a healthy choice the kids. Like any parent, I know how
:12:03. > :12:06.difficult it can be to get your kids to eat healthily. Now there is a
:12:06. > :12:10.whole range of food and drinks available with a claim to not only
:12:10. > :12:18.taste great but also be good for your kids. But does what they say on
:12:18. > :12:24.the label actually reflect what's inside? Tonight of Mike are some of
:12:24. > :12:30.them hiding a bittersweet secret? I come to meet the Davis family. I'm
:12:30. > :12:33.going to find out how much sugar seven-year-old Doug two and
:12:33. > :12:41.five-year-old layer can get through if mum Kelly feeds these kids
:12:41. > :12:44.healthy alternatives for lunch and dinner. And we will do it with the
:12:44. > :12:55.help of this, the trusty X-Ray Sugar-O-Meter. It is breakfast time
:12:55. > :13:02.and Anya and Leah are tucking in. I have to say, it looks like a fairly
:13:02. > :13:10.healthy breakfast. It is. It is the most important meal of the day. We
:13:10. > :13:14.have juice. And cereal. Are these alternatives as healthy as they
:13:14. > :13:18.seem? Nestle suggests you have 30 grams of Cheerios with a small
:13:18. > :13:23.amount of milk which is just about enough to growing girls but not such
:13:23. > :13:31.a generous portion for a grown-up. Let's see now how much sugar is
:13:31. > :13:38.actually in each serving. That is a lot of sugar. Orange juice can be
:13:38. > :13:41.one of the best ways to get vitamins C and our diet but you might be
:13:41. > :13:52.surprised to learn it also contains quite a bit of sugar. There can be
:13:52. > :14:02.up to... One... Toomac... Three... Four. But
:14:02. > :14:07.up to... One... Toomac... Three... sugar. That is a lot of sugar. So,
:14:07. > :14:13.one meal down and were already 32 grams of sugar in. The girls are off
:14:13. > :14:19.to school with dad. And in a few hours, they will be enjoying a
:14:19. > :14:24.packed lunch made by Kelly. But just how much sugar is packed into this
:14:24. > :14:34.box? The first surprise is the bread. What about these Dairylea
:14:35. > :14:38.Dunkers? One small serving has five grams of sugar. And these baked
:14:38. > :14:44.crisps have less fat but more sugar than the fried version. I'm sure you
:14:44. > :14:48.know what this is. Fruit Shoot. They love them. They all love them.
:14:48. > :14:54.Instead of a fizzy drink, they have love them. They all love them.
:14:54. > :14:58.Fruit Shoot. And it says it's one of your five a day. But what the makers
:14:58. > :15:04.aren't keen to shout out about is how much sugar is in every bottle.
:15:04. > :15:08.16 grams. How many do they have? Sometimes to or three a day. Next
:15:08. > :15:15.up, the fruit flicks covered in your Sometimes to or three a day. Next
:15:15. > :15:21.gut. Per 100 grams, these contain more sugar than Maltesers. Oh, my
:15:21. > :15:26.gosh! The Sugar-O-Meter has been filling up throughout the day, and
:15:26. > :15:30.there's still one more meal to go. They come home from school, and then
:15:30. > :15:36.there is something, swimming lessons or something that they go to. So I
:15:36. > :15:47.have to make a quick tea, a quick meal for them before they go out.
:15:47. > :15:52.OK, then. Today that is tomato soup. We'll Kelly be keen on it when she
:15:52. > :15:56.finds out how much sugar is swimming around in the bowls? They have both
:15:56. > :16:02.shared a can. Each serving contains ten grams of sugar. That's the
:16:02. > :16:10.equivalent of two teaspoons of sugar. Frubes made from fromage
:16:10. > :16:20.frais are on the menu the pudding. It contains six grams of sugar.
:16:20. > :16:27.That's the most shocked I've seen you today. I am shocked.
:16:27. > :16:30.OK, girls, its time now to see how much sugar exactly you've both gone
:16:30. > :16:44.through each today. Ready for this? OK here we go. One, two. 12
:16:44. > :16:48.spoonfuls of sugar. Do you think that's it?
:16:49. > :16:59.Please. There's more. Today you've got
:16:59. > :17:02.through 20 spoonfuls of sugar each. It's a shocking amount. Well above
:17:02. > :17:07.the recommended daily amount of 85 grams. So what does Kelly think now
:17:07. > :17:12.about those healthy choices she'd been making?
:17:12. > :17:17.Now I feel deceived and cheated really that the foods that I've been
:17:17. > :17:22.buying are full of sugar. You think you're giving them a healthier
:17:22. > :17:26.option, don't you? That's a serious amount of sugar to
:17:26. > :17:30.get through in a day and all in products that claim to have health
:17:30. > :17:33.benefits for your kids. So what have the manufacturers got to say for
:17:33. > :17:36.themselves? Nestle who make Cheerios and Britvic who make the My5 Fruit
:17:36. > :17:40.Shoot both say their products are clearly labelled with nutritional
:17:40. > :17:43.information. Fruit Bowl say their snacks are not a fruit substitute
:17:43. > :17:46.but they can help parents who struggle to get enough fruit and
:17:46. > :17:49.vegetables into their children's diet. Dairylea say their cheese
:17:49. > :17:54.spread naturally contains lactose - which is milk sugar - and is a great
:17:54. > :17:59.snack as part of a balanced and varied lunchbox. And Yoplait have
:17:59. > :18:02.told us they consider that their little tubes of Petit Filous provide
:18:02. > :18:19.many essential nutrients and a reasonable amount of added sugar.
:18:19. > :18:25.And it is all was difficult to know what health claims to believe. They
:18:25. > :18:32.say wrapping yourself in cling film can help you lose weight.
:18:32. > :18:39.The big question is, does this actually work? Lets see what people
:18:39. > :18:44.here think. Certain types of berries and green
:18:44. > :18:59.tea, I have heard. Absolute nonsense. Would you give it a go?
:18:59. > :19:08.The green tea, yes. Most of it is myths. I have tried the super
:19:08. > :19:14.berries but it is easier to eat fresh fruit.
:19:14. > :19:21.Whenever you feel hungry, you put these crystals in your hands and you
:19:21. > :19:31.won't feel hungry. I wouldn't have thought so.
:19:31. > :19:40.We used to wrap a bag around us but I don't think it worked.
:19:40. > :19:47.Lots of scepticism about these products but let us find out what we
:19:47. > :20:00.should put our faith in. Prof Jonathan Richards is a GP here in
:20:00. > :20:04.Merthyr. If people are eating a balanced diet with the right balance
:20:04. > :20:11.of the two men's and Merrill 's and are taking the right kind of
:20:11. > :20:22.exercise and doing it in the right way, why would they want to try any
:20:22. > :20:35.of these things? -- vitamins and minerals. I cannot see there is any
:20:35. > :20:41.magic benefit in these kind of things. When people go for these
:20:41. > :20:46.things when they are not doing the simple, cheap and affordable things,
:20:46. > :20:49.that doesn't make sense to me. Jonathan, thanks very much. And
:20:49. > :20:52.remember, the next programme in the Live Longer season, called The Shape
:20:52. > :21:07.of Wales, will be on later tonight, after the Ten O Clock News.
:21:07. > :21:10.Next, if you bought a brand new caravan, you'd expect to spend more
:21:10. > :21:12.of your time actually enjoying it than writing complaint letters about
:21:12. > :21:16.it, wouldn't you? As a lorry driver, Simon Price from
:21:16. > :21:20.Port Talbot spends much of his life on the open road. But it hasn't put
:21:20. > :21:27.him off touring the countryside on his days off, caravanning with this
:21:27. > :21:33.partner, Leah. It was our means of escape, to get
:21:33. > :21:37.out and get away. Peace and quiet. And after Leah suffered a stroke,
:21:37. > :21:41.the couple relied on their caravan as a place for her to recuperate. So
:21:41. > :21:44.much so that in February this year they decided to trade in their
:21:44. > :21:45.existing van for a newer, bigger model.
:21:46. > :21:48.Leah had disabilities and just comfort making it easier on
:21:49. > :22:04.ourselves, more space to move around in.
:22:04. > :22:08.3A's Leisure are a well established family business who have been
:22:08. > :22:11.trading for twenty years. And this is the company the couple
:22:11. > :22:16.turned to. 3A's Leisure - your one stop shop
:22:16. > :22:19.for caravans and motor homes. As their advert suggests, these guys
:22:19. > :22:26.seemed the perfect choice. So, back in February, Simon and Leah paid a
:22:26. > :22:32.visit to 3A's Leisure in Carmarthen. And this is the van they chose, the
:22:32. > :22:37.£15,000 Elddis Riva. It seemed just the job.
:22:37. > :22:41.We just kept coming back to this one, it suited us, everything was
:22:41. > :22:46.right about it, we loved it, we just wanted to get in the van, get using
:22:46. > :22:50.the van, excited about the van. But when the couple picked up the
:22:50. > :22:53.van a fortnight later there was a little hitch.
:22:53. > :22:56.Once we had paid and everything, we were then informed about the shower
:22:56. > :23:01.wall being broken, but it would be sorted ASAP at a time and place to
:23:01. > :23:05.suit us. Within a couple of days someone would ring and start the
:23:05. > :23:13.ball rolling but a day became a week and another week and you start
:23:13. > :23:17.getting itchy feet now, don't you? By now it was Easter and Simon and
:23:17. > :23:21.Leah were looking forward to a week in their brand new van caravan at
:23:21. > :23:24.this tranquil site on the banks of the River Teifi. But sadly it wasn't
:23:24. > :23:28.the relaxing experience they were expecting. They began to find other
:23:28. > :23:47.faults. It wasn't just the shower that was broken. I noticed this
:23:47. > :23:55.straightaway. Its peeling away here. The microwave door is loose. The
:23:55. > :24:00.floor moves up and down. You can hear it and feel it as well.
:24:00. > :24:03.At the end of a disappointing week, the couple returned home and Simon
:24:03. > :24:09.set about writing to 3A's Leisure. Not once but three times.
:24:09. > :24:12.Tell me how you felt about the company at this point?
:24:12. > :24:21.Fed up, disgruntled, stressed and not easy at all, especially when you
:24:21. > :24:26.are just ignored. Simon didn't get a satisfactory
:24:26. > :24:32.reply. But then, in June, Leah took a phone call. It was 3A's offering
:24:32. > :24:37.the couple a brand new caravan. She was buoyant, she was. Oh, I have
:24:37. > :24:41.spoken to the right person, he agrees, he said I don't blame you
:24:41. > :24:44.for not wanting your van to be fixed, you're within your right to
:24:44. > :24:50.ask for a replacement and he was looking into it.
:24:50. > :24:54.The couple began to look forward to spending time together in the
:24:54. > :25:00.replacement van. But just a few days later their problems with the
:25:00. > :25:03.caravan paled into insignificance. Actually everything changed, didn't
:25:03. > :25:13.it, because around this time Leah's health massively deteriorated. Can
:25:13. > :25:16.you tell me about that? Turned out she had had a
:25:16. > :25:19.catastrophic haemorrhage and spent the next week in intensive care
:25:19. > :25:25.which was a week that I can't remember anything about really. They
:25:26. > :25:30.basically decided that there wasn't anything more that they could do. I
:25:30. > :25:42.went back in for 45 minutes, sat with her and said goodbye.
:25:42. > :25:46.Since Leah's death, Simon has been determined to fight on as the
:25:46. > :25:52.caravan was so important to them both. Over the summer he's written
:25:52. > :25:55.to to 3A's Leisure again and again but the company now seems reluctant
:25:55. > :26:01.to replace the van - offering to repair it instead.
:26:01. > :26:07.I think most people would have thought, forget about the caravan,
:26:07. > :26:13.not important, but you didn't. You kept on. Why did you do that?
:26:13. > :26:18.Principles because the caravan has never been right and it should be
:26:18. > :26:22.right. We spent over 15,000 on it and also I can't let it lie because
:26:22. > :26:32.Leah would have wanted me to and I want me to get it sorted out.
:26:32. > :26:37.Since August, Simon says he's heard nothing from 3A's. In fact, many of
:26:37. > :26:43.his letters appear to have simply fallen on deaf ears.
:26:43. > :26:48.Obviously, you only had one proper holiday in the caravan with Leah.
:26:48. > :26:51.Yeah, it's meant the overhanging issues, worried about using it,
:26:51. > :26:57.instead of being enjoyment and, oh, we're in the van, oh, look, this is
:26:57. > :27:13.wrong, What's wrong with this? And it's just gut wrenching to think
:27:13. > :27:16.we've spent all the money. Right, well, 3A's have written to us
:27:16. > :27:19.and apologised for the issues surrounding Simon's van. They tell
:27:19. > :27:22.us they've been respectful and sympathetic towards his situation
:27:22. > :27:26.and have repeatedly asked him to bring the van in for repair. They
:27:26. > :27:29.also tell us they posted Simon a letter dated 14 August offering to
:27:29. > :27:35.discuss a refund, repair or replacement. But Simon says he never
:27:35. > :27:40.received this letter. Watch this space - we'll let you know how
:27:40. > :27:44.things develop. That's it for tonight. Next week,
:27:44. > :27:46.we'll be tackling BT Openreach. They're the company responsible for
:27:46. > :27:51.keeping Wales' phone and broadband infrastructure up and running. So
:27:51. > :28:00.why did they leave all the residents of Tregarth near Bangor cut off for
:28:00. > :28:04.weeks? People would be told that it will be
:28:04. > :28:11.mended by next week or want to be mended until next month. They don't
:28:11. > :28:14.have a clue what's going on. They do not communicate well.
:28:14. > :28:16.And remember, if you'd like us to investigate something that's
:28:16. > :28:20.worrying you, we're here to help. You can call us now on 03703 334
:28:20. > :28:24.334. Or e-mail us at x-ray@bbc.co.uk. The team will be
:28:24. > :28:26.reading through all your e-mails in the morning.
:28:26. > :28:27.We'll be back next week, tackling the problems that affect you.
:28:27. > :28:33.Goodnight.