Episode 13 X-Ray

You're watching X-Ray, the programme that fights

are on your side. Exposing the truth and tracking down the rogues. We

won't take no for an answer. The builder

who ripped off countless customers and wrecked their homes.

He's had a catastrophic effect It's the UK's biggest ever safety

scare, but the company behind these defective dryers is leaving

customers in a spin! You're sat there watching the dryer

just not knowing whether its going And the average house throws away

?700,000 worth of food every year. I'll be cooking up some hot tips

on how to save your pennies. First tonight, the return of Rob

the Builder, the Cardiff based cowboy who hardly ever

gets the job done. It's been a long, hard year

for Maureen and Denis Hodge as they battled to make this

home fit to live in. Such a difference from the last time

we were here, what an improvement This extension has wiped out

the family s savings! They've had to pay a second builder,

after the first one, Robert Hayel, took ?60,000 and let

them down catastrophically. It's messed our retirement up

basically, we re going to have to work a lot longer

than we planned. Last year, Rob Hayel abandoned this

job, claiming he was too depressed He promised to pay Maureen

and Dennis back, but never did. She'd paid him ?5,000 for a new

kitchen which he never ordered. You start to realise then that

you've been left. His customers may be miserable,

but Rob's a man who enjoys a life of luxury -

a Greek wedding and a new When we went looking for answers,

he wasn't in a chatty mood? He doesn't seem very keen to talk

to us, that's a bit of a surprise, I think? We've had plenty

of bad builders on X-ray, but Rob Hayel is the worst rogue

we've ever investigated. After our last film,

more and more angry customers came forward - in fact, enough complaints

to fill a very unhappy street. We'll call it Rob Hayel Avenue,

a road paved with his broken In total, we've now spoken to 11

unhappy families who wish they'd He gave each of them excuse

after excuse, and then walked away with their cash,

leaving them to pick up the pieces. Last summer Rosie Oretti

and Craig Wall, from Penarth, hired Rob Hayel to extend their family

home and fit a new kitchen. It seemed like he knew exactly

what he was doing. Very nice guy, very motivated,

really keen to do the job. They were reassured when Rob put

them in touch with one He praised Rob really highly,

I think he said there'd been a few little issues but Rob was really

accommodating sorting it out. But before long, Rob's builders

were failing show up on site. And when his workers did bother

to turn up, things A few months into the building work,

disaster struck? Rob said to me, 'Don't look up, don't look up,

its not as bad as it looks!" Part of the back of their home

was starting to collapse. I just looked up and it was just

a state of carnage. It was quite frightening and I just

had that gut-wrenching feeling something major has

happened to the house. That was the point where I think

we lost all faith in Rob. Later in the programme,

we ask an expert to inspect I'm incredulous that this part

of the building is still standing, looking at the extent of movement

and cracking, it's mindblowing. There's worse to come

later in the programme, and if you've had a bad

experience with a builder, Cutting the waste

and enjoying the taste, Rhod's checking out a cafe

with a difference! Some people don't quite get

what we're doing and some people are very scared by it but we're

here to try to educate people about how good and safe

this food is to eat! Now doing your laundry isn't

something you'd usually think But thousands of families

across Wales say they're frightened And many aren't impressed

with the way the problem's It's the safety scare that

keeps getting scarier. Millions of families are warned

that their tumble dryers could be These are potentially dangerous,

we know from these fires. A significant number of tumble

dryers sold in the last eleven years The defective tumble dryers

which could end up like this, It's the UK's biggest ever product

safety scare, at least 750 fires have been caused by a fault

where excess fluff builds up around the heating element.

More than five million units are affected, across 113 different

models of Hotpoint, Creda and Indesit tumble dryers sold

between 2004 and 2015. Parent company Whirlpool has

promised to send out Not surprisingly, people

are pretty worried. You can even keep using your

machine! The owners of this house in Surrey had been given that advice

- and were waiting for their Indesit dryer to be fixed when,

earlier this month, it caught fire, In spite of fires like this,

Whirlpool still insists the affected the machine until an engineer has

undertaken the corrective You might think that an army

of Whirlpool engineers would be rushing out to fix these

potentially dangerous machines. But the speed of the company's

response has got many Suzanne Dymond from Neath only

bought her tumble dryer in July 2014 and was shocked to hear

about the safety concerns. I checked the make and model

on the Hotpoint website found out it was one of the ones affected

so I registered my I just had a confirmation email

from them saying I would hear something within eight weeks,

I m still waiting. Suzanne tried to chase Hotpoint

but found dealing with their three to four different departments

and nobody able to give any information, you just want to scream

at them. she can still use her dryer,

but she's concerned about the risks. You're sat there watching the dryer

just not knowing whether it s I mean, we live in Wales it rains

a lot so we've got to use it. Mel Davies from Pontardawe

was told her dryer would be fixed And the delays are

causing her big problems. It's not the easiest thing for me

as you can see to hang things high I have to have Mike,

my husband s, help to do that. And it's not very practical either

for you is it? No, especially being,

you know, in the chair I need the space and I keep

falling over clothes. You're lucky the toilet roll

is actually free I had stuff hanging And she's not impressed

with the options the company I put it to them that they had

supplied us with a faulty, dangerous appliance and they wanted

us to pay ?99 to put that right. That's gilding the lily

somewhat, isn't it? We've been in touch with many more

disgruntled dryer owners. So here it is, the Whirlpool

washing line of shame, all customers we've spoken

to who say they've been left hung out to dry when trying

to get a repair? In November, Amanda Townsend

was told she'd be seen within five And Michelle Moreton's been given

a repair date for June, by then So with a long line of unhappy

owners, let's hope the company can At the moment, most

of their customers feel all they're getting from Whirpool is a lot

of hot air. Well, Whirlpool, the parent

company of Hotpoint, Indesit and Creda, have

apologised to Suzanne, Mel and to all customers

who've experienced delays. So far they say 1.2 million people

have signed up for a free repair and they're urging other affected

customers to register They admit there is a backlog,

they say they're working hard to tackle it, they've signed up 350

people to work in their call centre and another 350 engineers,

who are repairing almost 4,500 And there is some good news

since we contacted them, Suzanne has had a full refund

and Mel's tumble dryer Now Whirlpool insist that the dryers

included in the safety notice are still safe to use,

as long as customers clean the lint filter after every cycle and do

notleave it unattended. We've put a list of all the affected

appliances on our website. Now, as well as tumble dryers,

hundreds of other products have had safety scares in recent months,

but are people really aware of them? Let's see whether people

here in Newport recognise some So there was an insect found

in the pack, so they did a safety recall on that I guess

with your little baby I bought that, I think it's

the same one! Have you ever had a product that's

needed a safety check? Yes, once on a car, took it straight

back to the garage, something that I've got that's got

to be recalled, I will take it back. If you had something recalled

would you take it So recalls aren't on

everyone's radar then! But if you want to keep yourself

safe, there are steps you can take. So, Dave, how can people make sure

they are notifed if a product is recalled?

So, if you buy a product and there's a guarantee card or registration

card in there, complete the registration card,

send it back to the manufacturer and if there's something wrong

they can contact you directly If a company chooses not to recall

a product and Trading standards service thinks it should be

recalled, Trading Standards It depends on how manufacturer does

that recall process, some place adverts in newspapers,

some place notices in windows, The Trading Standards Institute has

a complete list of recalls However there may be instances

where food products have been recalled and those may have been

delivered through the retailers, so you need to have a look

in supermarket window when you go there and just make sure there's

nothing you've bought that's been Thanks so much, and from risky

products to something we may think We spend hundreds of pounds

on food every month, but chances are, it

won't all get eaten! I do throw away like quite a bit

of food especially when it comes to sort of bread and

perishables and stuff. I know how much I'm going to use

for the week so I try to buy I'd say I used to do that a lot

but I was starting to get annoyed The food we throw away adds

up to a small fortune. The average family bins around

?700 worth every year! Well, it could be because one

in four people in Wales admit that they get confused between 'use

by' and 'best before' dates. Fresh items, like meat,

fish and dairy products have a 'use by' date, which you should stick to,

for safety reasons. You can often freeze these foods

though, so you won't always have 'Best before' dates on packets

or tinned food, are all So this pasta is out of date,

but it's still safe to eat. Food waste is a political

hot potato too! In France, supermarkets will soon

have to give leftover grub to food But I'm off to Cardiff cafe,

which is ahead of the game! The Real Junk Food Project opened

three weeks ago and works with supermarkets, restaurants,

caterers and charities to rescue What kind of things

are you rescuing? We get a big mix of everything,

root vegetables, potatoes, I can see a lot of

cauliflower on menu today. kilos of cauliflower last night

Cauliflower soup, curry, cauliflower pasta, can't beat a bit

of cauliflower No, it's great, very underrated, we're trying

to introduce people to new things. So is the food here almost out

of date or out of date? We work with food which is passed

its best before dates. We don't use anything

passed its 'use by'. Any meat or dairy we get

in are all frozen Any vegetables and fresh fruit,

we use our professional judgement to make sure it's still perfectly

good and safe to eat. The cafe's unusual

in another way too. Customers pay what they like,

or what they can afford and the idea seems to be a big

hit with the diners! A lot of food gets thrown away

in this country you know, How are you when it comes

to the dates and things do you take this message home,

this ethos home? Yeah, I mean like, I have

changed my aspect on food because I used to throw everything

away like when it had passed the used by date, now I've kind

of changed my view on it and I've We're constantly trying

to encourage our customers to really think about what they've got

in their fridges and with so many We can't afford to just

be throwing food away. And a few small changes

to our habits could help us all bin less 'and save more' Make sure

you plan your meals for the week ahead - you could make

one a 'leftovers' meal. Check your fridge to make sure it's

at the correct temperature to keep But then not everything should be

confined to the fridge! You might think it'll last

longer in the fridge, So if you aren't going to use it

in time, freeze it! And did you know you can also freeze

eggs approaching their use by date? Not in their shells obviously,

but if you crack one Pop it in the freezer

for a few hours and bingo! Perfect for all you

scrambled eggs lovers. Well, with all those great tips

I thought I'd rustle up a little Guys, who fancies a nice plate

of Rhod s pepper surprise? I've tried Rhod's cooking,

I can't say I blame them! But lots of useful tips on cutting

down on food waste there though - Now, back to our investigation

into one of the worst rogue builders When it comes to dodgy builders,

Rob Hayel's in a league of his own. We've heard from 11 furious families

who say he's ripped them off. Rosie Oretti and Craig Wall

hired him to build their extension. I just looked up and see huge cracks

in the underside of He tried to reassure me

it was superficial and could A huge section of the house

was crumbling away, because Rob Hayel had apparently

ignored plans from a That was the point where I think

we lost all faith in Rob and the job Rob didn't seem too worried

that the job was behind schedule In fact, he only had one thing

on his mind - money. Just before Christmas he sent me

an email saying I'll It's all about how far can he push

people to give him money, and how far do they get into it

that they feel they have to keep giving him money to

get the job finished. When Rosie and Craig refused to pay,

Rob Hayel didnt bother turning up, leaving their home and garden

in a shocking state. He's got no pride

in his work at all. So this is the makeshift

kitchen that we've got. We're surviving on a microwave,

and a camping cooker, For months, the couple have been

washing their dishes in their bathroom because Rob Hayel

never ordered the kitchen they'd In all, they handed him around

?60,000 - almost half And the stories of many

other Rob Hayel customers David Hawes paid him ?4,000 as part

of a renovation job - We lost all contact with him the day

after that payment was made. Essentially he just disappeared

off the planet. Angela and Andrew Rudge

are owed ?17,000. Their extension leaks and doesn't

have proper drainage. Once again, Rob Hayel walked off

the job, leaving it unfinished. Because there was no drainage,

the water level was rising. We both went outside with wellington

boots and we were just grabbing the water and throwing

it down the drive. It wasn't making any difference,

so we phoned the fire brigade. I've sat here and I've

cried some nights. I've just looked at things

and thought I don't want to be Richard Powis and Rebecca Robinson

paid Rob Hayel ?11,000 He promised he'd ordered them,

but yet again he hadn't. We have five young children

that we cannot feed, We have no means of replacing

the money to pay somebody else Yeah, he's had a catastrophic effect

on our lives. Four of the 11 families X-Ray has

spoken to have taken They have unpaid judgements

against him to the tune of ?30,000. But the real total for all

of the families is closer to ?125,000 - that's for work Rob

was paid for but never did. So how has Rob Hayel managed to do

this to so many people? We've pieced together

the web of lies he's used In the space of eight months

he claimed to have everything He texted one customer to say

that he was about to But on the day of his alleged

surgery - he was asking another And the day after he was promising

to be at work! Which is strange, as he told

the first customer he was still In the end, he left all these people

in the lurch and his empty promises We've also learned that the glowing

customer reference he gave The mobile number they were given

by Rob Hayel actually belonged Rosie and Craig now have

to pay another builder But before work starts,

we asked surveyor Tim Davies to inspect the mess

Rob Hayel's left behind. The roof isn't flat -

then there's the retaining wall Rob had knocked down at the edge

of the house. Basically the garage

is almost hanging in thin air where the retaining wall has been

taken down and all that It's only kind of held

together by the tree roots. Next Tim, inspects the massive

cracks inside the house. I'm incredulous that this part

of the building is still standing with looking at the extent

of movement and cracking. And in the extension,

things are even worse. It defies belief really

to leave it in such They haven't put a padstone in,

a padstone is a concrete bearer that goes under the steel beams

and takes the weight, they've just used a concrete block

off cut, so it could crumble and split, the masonry

above could all drop. A devastating verdict

on the work of Rob Hayel. For victims like Rosie and Craig,

it will take a very long time to get over the way this callous

builder betrayed them. We do really feel stupid,

naive, angry, upset. It makes me sick to think of him

now, he knew what he was doing, he doesn't care about us

in any shape or form. So many people have been caught up

in this mess. What has Rob the builder had

to say for himself? A big fat nothing I'm afraid

is what he's had to say for you know, when we've

confronted him before, This time, we wrote to him,

he did sign for our letter, I went back to his home

to try to get some answers and we were told by a family member

told us he was no longer living there, which is a bit unusual,

as he signed for our letter at the house just

a few days earlier! And we've spotted him driving around

that area very recently. So, I'm afraid, no more answers

as to what's happened And you've been in touch

with another company. I have yes, so four of the 11

customers we spoke to had given Rob the Builder for kitchens from a big

firm called Howdens but Rob never ordered their kitchens,

instead he kept So, I've spoken to Howdens,

which only does business with trade customers, whether they've taken any

steps to stop this happening again, They did say that they'd encourage

people to undertake their own due diligence when looking

for a builder. So all in all, not

very helpful really. There is, yes, Trading Standards

are taking this very seriously and their special investigations

team are now looking at Rob Hayel. They've interviewed several

of the customers featured Fingers crossed, the authorities

will stop him doing this to anyone Well, we'll keep you posted on that

Trading Standards investigation, and if you know where Rob Hayel

is working at the moment Next week: Sean and Michelle

trusted their garage to sell them a safe family car,

but they've ended up Next week: Sean and Michelle

trusted their garage to sell them a safe family car,

but they've ended up It is really disturbing to think

you have driving round in this car as a family, particularly

with a young baby, it's lethal. Find out more on next

Monday's X-Ray.