Episode 8 X-Ray

Sporting the latest scams and making sure you make the most of your

money. I have been not just sorted it out? Exposing the rogues and

confronting the conmen. We are here to help you fight back.

Tonight, the village left with no phones or internet for six weeks -

why did BT Openreach take so long to fix the problem? We were really let

down. Took so long. They really don't care. I don't think they care.

Special milk maker toddlers is flying off the shelves, but is it

really any healthier than good old-fashioned cow 's milk? Why are

they promoting it's rich in calcium when it's no better than cow's milk?

And we all love a takeaway. But can you guess how much fat is in them?

First tonight - over the last few months we've heard a lot about the

poor service being offered by the company who keeps our landlines and

broadband up and running. You've told us that when these

essential services break down, it's very hard to get the company

responsible - BT Openreach - to act. On this farm near Usk, the phone

line's been faulty for three years. We'll be hearing more about that

later. But first, the story of a village left struggling to

communicate. Nestling in the hills outside

Bangor, the picturesque village of Tregarth certainly has a lot going

for it. But there's one thing it doesnt have much of - a mobile phone

signal! For local residents like Della Fazey, a landline is

all-important. It's part of life to have a landline. There are some

elderly people who don't know how to use a mobile phone and don't own one

so they are completely reliant on their landline.

But in May, that lifeline was broken when a lorry lost control on this

tight bend and hit the pole carrying the phone line. 17 properties were

affected, and it wasn't just the landline they lost. We lost the

broadband connection as well. So our main means of communication were

gone. It must have been a nightmare for you to lose everything in an

area like this. It's not until you lose it that you realise how much

your life revolves around it. And particularly because mobile phone

reception is so variable, so there are a number of people who can't get

mobile phone reception in their houses so when the landline goes

you're sort of lost. Everyone was keen to get the problem fixed.

So they all contacted their phone company. But it wasn't that simple,

because the company who provides your phone line doesn't repair it

when it breaks. Only one company does that - BT Openreach. It's their

job to maintain the infrastructure that keeps your phones working. So

if something should go wrong with your phone line it will be them, and

not your phone company, who shows up. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Not

quite. Because BT Openreach won't take your call. So first you have to

contact your phone company, who will then contact BT Openreach to arrange

an appointment on your behalf. Days and then weeks passed by

without any sign of the services getting back up and running.

Eventually, Della and her neighbours decided to follow BT's well-known

slogan "It's good to talk". The community started to hold

regular meetings, hoping they'd be able to come up with a plan to get

it all sorted. And it was during these meetings that they discovered

they weren't all getting the same story. People would be told that it

will be mended by next week, or it won't be mended until next month, or

it's because BT Openreach can't get a pole. Just had basically three

weeks of excuses of why they couldn't do anything. They didn't

have a clue what was going on. I gave up in the end. I got more

information from coming to this group. There was little or no

communication from the phone companies, and the residents had to

get used to living without their usual means of communication too.

I don't think they quite grasped how big a problem it is for a rural

community like this. You would just go around searching for internet so

you could carry on your life in some sort of a normal way. It's not

possible to have any sort of Skype conversations. This would result in

a 14-hour trip to Cardiff. Huge working days to compensate for not

being able to use the technology that supports rural working.

The Livingston family could just about get a mobile signal at the end

of their garden. Sick of having to brave the elements just to make a

call, Mel and her family built a temporary phone box complete with a

comfy chair. If you're coming up here in the evening, leastways

there's a light in there and a seat. And when Mel was sitting in her

tent, trying to get the problem sorted, she realised just how little

the companies were talking to each other. They couldn't find out what

was going on until there was an updated report from Openreach. In

the end, I think it was a communication problem from

Openreach. But for some residents, being

without a phone line was more than an inconvenience. It became a matter

of life and death. My father-in-law had just passed away and he lived in

the Outer Hebrides. He was the sole carer for my mother-in-law, who's

got end-stage Parkinson's disease. We had to basically stand at the top

of our drive where we could get a signal using a mobile phone to try

and arrange the care. It was very difficult.

Sick of the stories and delays caused by a system that wasn't

working, Della decided to skip the middlemen and go straight to the

top. She contacted the Chief Executive of BT Openreach, Liv

Garfield. And that seemed to do the trick. Six weeks after the line went

down, it was fixed. But why did it take so long? It kind of made me

angry and a bit baffled why they hadn't just sorted it out. Cos it

seemed like such a simple thing to do, considering they managed to fix

it in a day. We were really let down, you know, that it took so

long. Considering it's the largest communication company in the

country, they really don't communicate very well. They've got

to learn how to better talk to each other and with themselves. But while

the lines above Tregarth are now back up and running, the residents

are still getting mixed signals, this time over refunds.

So have you had any money back yet? I haven't received anything at all.

Because the phone company that I'm with said that they weren't getting

any, so they won't give me any. It seems strange we have to fight for

it. We had to fight for a reconnection. They had told me there

would be a compensation package, but that package turns out to be giving

your line rental costs back and that's basically it. I put more than

?100 worth of credit on my phone during that six-week period. They

just don't care. I really don't think they care.

We'll have more on that story later in the programme. LAst week, we

focussed on a company called Eco Green Deal Solutions who offered

customers free boilers if they paid up to ?250 for an energy survey. The

company director was this man, Kris Patel. You're not prepared to tell

people what's happened to thier money. No?

We've had a huge response to that story. Dozens of you have been in

touch to say that you also paid out but didn't get a free boiler. We

reckon that between you, you've paid Eco Green Deal Solutions over

?10,000. We've also discovered that a number of other companies seem to

be offering similar energy assessments you may not need, so if

you've got any information, do get in touch. The phones are open now on

03703 334 334. Or you can e-mail us at [email protected] Still to come on

tonight's programme: Do you use free wi-fi when you're out and about?

Well, here's why you shouldn't! Here's all the information. Here's

your passwords. Oh, wow. Now, you might have noticed, this

month, BBC Wales is running a series of special programmes to help us all

live longer - taking a look at what we eat and how much we exercise.

Today we're in Newport, a city which has more than its fair share of

takeaways. One in five of us will have one once

a week, so we've come to a call centre in the city - let's find out

what people here choose as an after-work treat. Do you enjoy

takeaways? Everything. If my wife doesn't want to eat it, generally,

I'd like to have it. It macro one macro what about fish and chips two

Cemetery yeah, that's a gate. I enjoy fish and chips when their

word. Chicken biryani. Korea soars. For Popper dons and mint sauce.

Balti, some chips, some rice, some non-bread as well. Indian seems

popular then, but we want to put these workers to the test. Do they

know which popular takeaway contains the most fat? I'd say pizza. I'd say

pizza. I reckon fish and chips. Pizza. 100%. It's between the Indian

and the pizza, because the Indian has a lot of cream in, a lot of

cheese. On the pizza. Instinctively, I'd say fish and chips. So which

takeaway do you think has the most amount of fat in it? So who's right?

Well, the takeaway with most fat in is the fish and chips. This portion

contains a massive 104 grams of fat, equivalent to this much lard.

is the fish and chips. This portion contains a Pigeon chips. So macro

oh. Next up is the Indian with 83 grams, then the Chinese with 79

grams and - surprisingly - the pizza with 64 grams.

Well, that's pretty shocking stuff. Sioned Quirke is a dietician. She's

joining me now. Good to see you. Looking at all these foods, a lot of

fat. What makes it hit home is the lump of fat. When it comes to

takeaway, everyone likes a treat. People don't realise how bad

takeaway czar, and this demonstrates how much fat is in them. The

equivalent lump of fat present in the meal really brings it home.

Absolutely. The one that stands out is the fish and chips. The fact is

able to 11th chocolate digestives, and nearly three and a half hours

worth of walking, which is a lot for one meal, isn't it? That the a lot

of work to burn off one meal. Everybody loves a treat. What can we

do to make those treats slightly healthier? Absolutely. Look at the

frequency, so cut it down from once a week to once a month, maybe. Look

at your portion sizes, so instead of having one meal each, share a

portion, and the other thing is, don't go overboard. We tend to have

a kind of carbohydrate overload, so we have rice, chips, non-bread,

Popper dons. Just don't go as crazy as you normally would, and that

helps save the fact and the calories. Thank you very much.

Next. Rachel's been out on the streets here in Newport, finding out

why free Wi-Fi could end up costing you a lot more than you bargained

for. It's on every High Street, and most

shopping centres - free public Wi-Fi. The cheap way to get banking

or shopping done when you're away from home? or is it? I have an

online business, so I use it a lot for that. And obviously social

networking and all that sort of stuff. Any kind of banking, online

shopping? Oh yes, I do a lot of online banking with it as well.

Facebook, Twitter, maybe I might go on Google to find something. I go on

Facebook and check my emails. I've got online banking, yes, with Royal

Bank of Scotland, so I use it to check my balance and overdraft and

all that, like. But those few minutes on free public

Wi-Fi can really cost, and it's not just your cash. You wouldn't dream

of advertising your personal details to everyone, but when you're using

free Wi-Fi, that could be exactly what you're doing. Excuse me, I

don't suppose I can just give you my bank account details, can I? Would

that be all right? Passwords? Jason Hart is an expert in computer

security. People are really hungry for Wi-Fi now, using their mobile

phone, their tablets, their laptops, public places, hotels, cafes, etc.

However, it's a hacker's haven. People are so vulnerable if they've

connected into what I call a rogue wireless hotspot. The attacker can

essentially suck up all the personal information, credit card details and

passwords. That's exactly what happened to restaurant owner

Iftekhar Haris. He was hacked using free Wi-Fi whilst on holiday in

Portugal. I used the hotel foyer computer to access the internet and

all was fine until I actually came back home and a couple of months

later when I actually got my statements. I was horrified there

were these transactions on my credit card statement saying that I had

made three transactions to companies I had no idea who they were, what it

was for. The only time while I was away that I've used my card was

putting it into this particular computer at the foyer of that hotel,

so I believe at that moment I had compromised my details. Others

aren't so lucky. Apparently, over half of us don't know whether the

wi-fi we log onto is secure or open to anyone and over 10% of us do

internet banking on public wi-fi. Figures that every e-criminal wants

to hear. So just how easy is it to be hacked using public wi-fi?

Jason's agreed to set up a fake wi-fi site in this Newport bar. All

he needs is his laptop and a gadget easily available on the internet.

Tucked away in a quiet area, you'd never guess he's engaged in an

illegal activity. How many people will fall So let's have a look and

see how many phones you've got connected. We switched the

particular device on two minutes ago, we have, two, four, we have ten

devices that have connected automatically. Ten already? As you

can see, we have androids, we have iPhones, we have an iPad. Once

theyre hooked on, what are you talking about that you could you get

from this? So, If you were connected now and you were going online

shopping, we could capture your credit card details, your passwords.

Everything. Of course, we destroyed the data. But what will the

unsuspecting wi-fi users make of our discoveries? I'm Jason. I'm what

they call an ethical hacker. You've just actually connected to a fake

wi-fi hotspot where an attacker can actually capture all the information

from your phone. You've just been surfing Facebook, Google, looking at

Google analytics, dropbox, correct? Yeah. So, basically, everything

you've just done from your iPhone I could essentially see what you've

done, on top of that, all your passwords as well. Honest? Yes! So I

do online banking, could you potentially take my information?

Potentially, yes! Wow, that has shocked me completely, oh, wow. Your

phone actually connected automatically without you knowing,

so on your settings you want to get your device or your phone to ask you

to join to that wi-fi hotspot. Here's all the information. That's

all your passwords, these are where you've been connecting, that's your

password in there. Can you delete that then? And he wasn't the only

one. Hi, are you Sophie? You've just been connected to the wi-fi? Yes!

Would that be your user name and your password? It would, how did you

get that? You actually connected to a rogue wireless hotspot and what a

hacker can do as I showed you here is get your username and password

and anything else you do on your device. Oh, my God! Instead of

giving our details to just anyone, we can all be a bit more wifi savvy.

These tips could save you thousands. Wait. Do you really need to use the

internet right now? Or could it wait until you're on a secure network?

Internet sites. Internet sites with an s in the address are more secure,

so HTTPS. No, so don't risk it. It's very easy for the hackers to get

your phone to switch to their fake site so if the wi-fi on your phone

is switched to on, you're at risk. And finally, if you're in any in

doubt about how safe a site is, don't use it. And you can see more

advice on that on our website. Now earlier we heard about the problems

the people of Talgarth in Bangor faced with their phones and

broadband connections. We've also heard from viewers in Carmathenshire

and on Anglesey who've been trying for months trying to get BT

Openreach to sort out their problems and John Bowler here in Usk is at

his wits end. Aren't you, John? Yes, certainly. So how long have you been

haveing problems with your phone line? Nearly three years. That's a

long time, three years. What kinds of problems are you having? Whenver

there's a bit of a storm, the phone line crackles or cuts out altogether

and there's no internet service at all. You're in quite an exposed spot

up here, so I imagine that's quite often? We're very exposed, we catch

the wind in all directions. And John, I know you've had some serious

health problems. How much of a worry is it when you don't have a reliable

phone line? I'm often here on my own, I've had a couple of heart

attacks in the past, and I have had a need to telephone for an

ambulance. There's no mobile signal here and my nearest neighbours are

almost half a mile away. So if I have a problem, I've got to use my

phone line. And what's it been like dealing with BT Openreach? You've

been trying to get this problem fixed for three years. Unbelievable.

It's a complicated issue, you can't write to them about it. If you

phone, you've got to wait for half an hour to speak to somebody and

then when you do it's a different person every time and they never

seem to understand the rural situation. So very frustrating for

you? Extremely. Well, John, you're not the only one who has been having

problems. I think it's time I had a word. Well, we have asked BT

Openreach repeatedly for an interview but they say it's

impossible for them to find a spokesperson at the moment. So it

looks like the only way I'm going to reach them is by using this.

Hello! BT Openreach can you hear me? Do you think it's OK to leave people

cut off for six weeks? Why don't you think it's good to talk to your

customers? Hello! Hello? Well, what can I say! BT Openreach, the company

that aren't exactly open to being reached!

Right, well, not much joy there then. But they have sent us a

statement. They say they regret the inconvenience caused to the

residents of Tregarth but it was difficult to sort out the incident

quickly because of the major and costly engineering work that was

needed. They say the planning for that work had mostly been done by

the time Della got in touch with their Chief Executive Liv Garfield

and they did keep the different phone companies updated with

information. Unfortunately, they're not allowed to contact customers

directly. So what about the phone companies involved? Well BT say they

did compensate a number of customers and they did offer Della some money.

Sky say they have refunded Robert Cramp and the Phone Co-op will now

be offering Coryn a refund. The Post Office have refunded Val and Brian

Burgess but they'll now be offering them a goodwill payment too. And

there's good news for John Bowler from Usk too. BT Openreach have now

arranged for the work to fix his line to take place. At last! Last

week, we told you about the hidden sugars in children's food. And

earlier in the programme dietician Sioned Quirke had some shocking

revelations about takeaways. She's also been helping Rachel investigate

whether toddler milks are as good for your kids as they claim to be.

Cow's milk, it's natural, it's cheap and the government says it's

suitable for children from the age of one. But this cow's got

competition, in the form of these toddler milks, aA relatively new

product from some of our biggest baby brands.

They're aimed at toddlers, who in years gone by would have been given

good old cow's milk to drink. We asked these mums in Blackwood what

they made of the product. I've used them for both my daughters, and all

my friends that I bother with they've used it as well. It just

seems like an easy way to get iron and nutrition into them as well.

Well, when I seen the advert I thought, well that will be something

good for my daughter. The way they portray it on telly and all the

advertising, but thats what brings the people in, they don't advertise

cow's milk as much. The marketing is designed to convince the mums

they're doing the best for their kids and that's no coincidence. All

the branding gives just that message. Every word on that

packaging will help persuade consumers to buy. Look at the sort

of words they are using. So words like Pronutra, words like unique,

advanced, gold all of those words are there to reassure parents that

the product should be for their child. Is it quite a deliberate

thing the numbering of these to tie you in? Completely, so if you take

the numbering on these products here, one month from birth for one

month and beyond and then two, three to six months, one to two years. The

parents will naturally move from one to the other very consciously as you

hit those key dates. And it's even clearer really here, one two three.

Absolutely. It's recommended that toddlers drink 300ml of whole milk a

day and eat a balanced diet. So how much does that cost if you rely on

the white stuff you've got in your fridge?

Over a year, it's around ?48. So for three years, from age one to four,

that'll be around ?144? What would you guess for the Toddler Milk? If

it was about one a week, well a lot! Probably about ?150, somewhere

around there? That's not far off. On average a year's supply of growing

up milk will cost just under ?200. If you stick with it for three

years, the SMA will cost you over ?700. Ooh, that's a lot! And if you

buy ready mixed cartons it's even more pricey. Our research found the

most expensive is SMA with around ?590 per year or just over ?1,770

for three years. Yeah, it does surprise me. Crazy, well that's one

reason why I chose not to use them because it's just, they're just

selling the brand really. So is it worth spending the extra? For most

parents, the advice seems to be no. They do tend to be the parents where

their children have got a lovely healthy balanced diet and they think

that that is going to add to it, it doesn't! You're wasting your money.

Cow's milk is a great addition to a healthy balanced diet. It is really

only under guidance that toddlers will require these types of milk.

Toddlers have milk for that all important calcium. Every 100ml of

cow's milk has 122 milligrams of calcium. But the toddler milks

contain less, with SMA the lowest with just 78mg. It's a bit of a con

really, to me it does seem like a bit of a con cos you can see on the

front it the boxes iron and calcium. You can see it is on all of them. So

why are they promoting that they are so rich in calcium if it is no

better than cow's. And the toddler milks contain more sugar than cow's

milk. It may be naturally occurring lactose, but it's still sugar. Cow's

milk has a low 14.1g. SMA is the highest again with 37g. And two

brands, Cow Gate and SMA even have vanilla flavouring to make them

taste even sweeter. We advise parents to wean with more savoury

foods right from the beginning, so more of your vegetable puree rather

than the fruit puree because we know that children can develop a

preference for sweet tasting food and with the rates of obesity in

Wales we don't want that to be the case.

This is all giving our parents food for thought. You're buying it for

your toddler thinking that you are giving them the most nutritional

milk you can, when actually you haven't been, so, no it's not very

nice. So what are the toddler milk

manufacturers saying? Well, they point out that thier products are a

convenient and popular option, helping parents ensure children are

getting the nutrients they need. Nestle who make SMA say it's

misleading to compare the price with cow's milk as they're not comparable

products and children would need to take multivitamins with cow's milk

to achieve the same level of nutrition. They all say their

product provides more iron than cow's milk and that's important as

30% or small children may not have enough iron in their diet. They

acknowledge that their products do have higher levels of sugar than

cow's milk. But they point out that their product contains less protein

which they say is a good thing because high levels of protein is

now being linked to childhood obesity. They don't deny that the

formula is lower in calcuim, but they say that the Vitamin D in

toddler milk helps children absorb the mineral. Well, that's if for

tonight. Next week, Rachel's on home territory in Saundersfoot, the

seaside village that's become a target for fraudsters. All the

indications are our addresses are being hijacked for an insurance

scam. If you'd like us to check out anything that's bothering you,

remember we're here to help. We'll see you next week. Same time,

same place. Goodbye.