:00:00. > :00:00.You're watching X-Ray, the programme that fights
:00:07. > :00:25.In a scam or dealt a raw deal, we are on your side. Exposing the truth
:00:26. > :00:33.and tracking down blokes, we will not take no for an answer.
:00:34. > :00:40.Tonight: They picked a top travel company
:00:41. > :00:41.to arrange their wedding in paradise.
:00:42. > :00:48.They said that they'd been there that the pictures were good,
:00:49. > :01:00.This stairlift is the key to Dora's independence.
:01:01. > :01:07.Pins have actually worked their way out, if those pins do come out this
:01:08. > :01:08.part of the rail can actually collapse.
:01:09. > :01:11.And, fed up juggling passwords, Could this be the answer?
:01:12. > :01:22.First tonight - Rachel's been to meet a couple whose dream wedding
:01:23. > :01:29.in the Caribbean didn't turn out quite as they'd hoped.
:01:30. > :01:38.Every couple dreams of a fairy tale wedding.
:01:39. > :01:41.Emily and Tommy Tsiattalou from Penarth near Cardiff
:01:42. > :01:48.It all started with a romantic proposal in Majorca.
:01:49. > :01:51.We always go over to this little island.
:01:52. > :01:55.Proposed to her when we climbed to the top of the mountain.
:01:56. > :01:59.I remember thinking, wow, he'd thought about that.
:02:00. > :02:10.With the ring on Emily's finger the wedding planning began.
:02:11. > :02:12.I didn't want a big fuss, just intimate family,
:02:13. > :02:17.We both agreed somewhere abroad would be ideal.
:02:18. > :02:21.I wanted to do something that wasn't a traditional wedding,
:02:22. > :02:27.Emily and Tommy visited the Thomson Holiday Superstore
:02:28. > :02:37.They were sort of really over zealous about how amazing everything
:02:38. > :02:39.was over there and how much we would not be regretting
:02:40. > :02:51.With their minds made up Emily and Tommy booked an all-inclusive
:02:52. > :02:54.holiday with Thomson's sister company First Choice -
:02:55. > :03:00.staying at the five star Azul Fives resort on the Caribbean coast.
:03:01. > :03:02.Their wedding would take place at the same venue on 9
:03:03. > :03:08.That was it then it was all weddings, weddings, weddings.
:03:09. > :03:10.We were talking about it all the time.
:03:11. > :03:13.Counting down the months, then it was counting down the days
:03:14. > :03:24.The happy couple paid ?17,000, for themselves, their five children
:03:25. > :03:28.and close family members - everyone else who was invited
:03:29. > :03:34.The venue was booked, the date was set and
:03:35. > :03:41.All Emily and Tommy had to do was jet off and tie
:03:42. > :03:47.But the couple's five-star experience hit turbulence as soon
:03:48. > :03:56.First the kids weren't allowed to join them in the VIP Lounge.
:03:57. > :04:01.Then the vegetarian in-flight meal wasn't exactly five star!
:04:02. > :04:06.All the way on an eleven hour flight.
:04:07. > :04:11.He was so wound up on the plane I said don't worry just relax,
:04:12. > :04:15.Tom, when we get there, we'll be just fine.
:04:16. > :04:17.When they arrived at their five star resort they intended
:04:18. > :04:25.But what they found in their room left them feeling very flat.
:04:26. > :04:32.We found mouldy plates of food from the previous guests.
:04:33. > :04:37.We had to use all of our bath towels to dry the floor.
:04:38. > :04:40.The light shades were hanging off, the plug sockets fell out
:04:41. > :04:45.There were so many things wrong with that room.
:04:46. > :04:52.We started to see rat droppings around the bath area.
:04:53. > :05:05.She was sorry for the problems we had had so far and would log
:05:06. > :05:09.We didn't have much faith in the hotel to even get anything
:05:10. > :05:11.right, so we were praying the wedding would go
:05:12. > :05:17.But when the big day finally arrived Tommy began getting nervous
:05:18. > :05:24.I was supposed to have transport from the room,
:05:25. > :05:25.to the wedding, but that didn't arrive.
:05:26. > :05:31.Eventually the hotel sent a golf buggy to take him to the ceremony.
:05:32. > :05:34.The couple took their vows in the Caribbean sunshine.
:05:35. > :05:43.On their wedding night, they got a new room.
:05:44. > :05:48.It had an interesting water feature...
:05:49. > :05:50.There was severe health and safety issues with water running down
:05:51. > :06:02.It should have been the holiday of a lifetime.
:06:03. > :06:12.They'd spent ?17,000, but - after a lot of haggling -
:06:13. > :06:15.all First Choice offered was ?2,000 worth of vouchers towards another
:06:16. > :06:22.of their holidays - which they didn't want!
:06:23. > :06:25.We essentially were sold the dream by the company,
:06:26. > :06:32.and it turned out to be a nightmare when we got there.
:06:33. > :06:35.We trusted them that they'd been there, that the pictures were good,
:06:36. > :06:37.that it was going to be special for us.
:06:38. > :06:46.So, have the tour operator First Choice had to say?
:06:47. > :06:49.Well they've apologised to Tommy and Emily for the problems they had
:06:50. > :06:52.- and say they did try to do everything they could to resolve
:06:53. > :07:02.And they have now agreed to inprove their offer
:07:03. > :07:13.Now, I'm joined by consumer law expert Professor Margaret Griffiths.
:07:14. > :07:15.Margaret - this isn't the first time we've come across cases
:07:16. > :07:17.where companies have offered compensation in vouchers.
:07:18. > :07:22.Well, they are allowed to in that it's not illegal, but,
:07:23. > :07:28.Whatever the compensation is that you're due, you're entitled to have
:07:29. > :07:32.If you choose to accept it in vouchers, that's your business,
:07:33. > :07:34.but there's no obligation on you to do so.
:07:35. > :07:37.So what's your advice then, Margaret, if the holiday doesn't go
:07:38. > :07:39.according to plan, what should you do?
:07:40. > :07:43.Well, first off you must, must, must complain to the rep
:07:44. > :07:49.Make sure they know all the details, exactly what the problem
:07:50. > :07:51.is and what you're looking for them to do.
:07:52. > :07:53.Also, of course, make sure you take lots of photographs,
:07:54. > :07:55.videos, comments from other people at the hotel who have
:07:56. > :08:02.And we do get a lot of complaints about package holidays.
:08:03. > :08:05.Realistically, can you expect to get the full value
:08:06. > :08:13.If it's been an absolute disaster from start to finish, then yes.
:08:14. > :08:15.But in practice, if the flights have been fine, there's no
:08:16. > :08:20.If you've been staying in a hotel for 14 days,
:08:21. > :08:24.and there was a problem for three of them, and the rest was perfectly
:08:25. > :08:27.OK, then the compensation reflects the problem on those three days,
:08:28. > :08:31.and that's quite a reasonable approach for them to take.
:08:32. > :08:38.And straight after the programme tonight, Margaret's going to be
:08:39. > :08:40.on the BBC Cymru Wales Facebook page, answering any questions
:08:41. > :08:46.It could be how to avoid a scam when you're booking,
:08:47. > :08:50.or what your rights are if things don't meet your expectations.
:08:51. > :08:53.So that's on the BBC Cymru Wales Facebook
:08:54. > :08:58.page at eight o'clock, straight after this programme.
:08:59. > :09:00.Still to come tonight - Linda thought this ?500 computer
:09:01. > :09:05.would help her to rehome these rescued dogs.
:09:06. > :09:18.Next - Rhod's investigating the new technology which could mean
:09:19. > :09:24.you no longer have to remember passwords for everything!
:09:25. > :09:29.Keeping our money safe can be a bit of a juggling act.
:09:30. > :09:34.Dozens of accounts all needing a password -
:09:35. > :09:36.that's a lot of balls to keep in the air!
:09:37. > :09:40.Many of us base our passwords on personal information
:09:41. > :09:46.But that also makes it easy for criminals to crack our codes -
:09:47. > :09:55.I think I use the same password for everything,
:09:56. > :10:08.But soon you might not need a password at all!
:10:09. > :10:10.Imagine being able stay one step ahead of criminals
:10:11. > :10:12.by using your own body as a secure password!
:10:13. > :10:14.It's called Biometrics - using things like fingerprints
:10:15. > :10:21.or the patterns in your eyes to identify you.
:10:22. > :10:23.The latest technology to hit the mainstream promises high grade
:10:24. > :10:28.It's voice biometrics and it uses our speech patterns
:10:29. > :10:44.It's already widely used in Australia and Canada.
:10:45. > :10:46.In a few months' time, HSBC and First Direct will be
:10:47. > :10:50.offering this technology to 15 million UK customers who use
:10:51. > :11:00.So what we have here is a voice biometric system that
:11:01. > :11:02.analyses your voice and that can determine that you are
:11:03. > :11:04.who you say you are, based on the characteristics
:11:05. > :11:24.Such as the rhythms of your speech. We pick up these characteristics.
:11:25. > :11:28.The voice biometric algorithms look for over 100 different
:11:29. > :11:29.characteristics, some of those are physical,
:11:30. > :11:32.some of those are behavioural, such as the rhythm of your speech,
:11:33. > :11:35.do you speak in peaks and valleys, do you speak in a monotone
:11:36. > :11:39.These are all characteristics that we're picking up to make sure
:11:40. > :11:43.OK, well let's put this to the test, let's give it a go.
:11:44. > :11:48.The first thing I needed to do was register my voice so the system
:11:49. > :11:52.So - will it allow Brett to access my account?
:11:53. > :11:55.Computer: Please say your passphrase again.
:11:56. > :11:57.It's basically not letting me through.
:11:58. > :12:00.Next, it was time to hit the streets so I could test the system.
:12:01. > :12:02.Brett stayed in the office to monitor the calls.
:12:03. > :12:06.I'm in the centre of London, a noisy street, building works
:12:07. > :12:11.Hello, it's Rhodri Owen here from BBC Wales' X-Ray.
:12:12. > :12:15.We're sorting out security features where it's all down to the voice.
:12:16. > :12:17.We're collecting the audio - and we've got a positive match,
:12:18. > :12:22.Right, I'm going to complicate this a little bit more now with a little
:12:23. > :12:26.Rhodri Owen sydd fan hyn yn Llundain.
:12:27. > :12:29.When he was speaking in a normal fashion in Welsh or in English,
:12:30. > :12:31.it's the same voice characteristics, even though the words
:12:32. > :12:40.I was determined to cheat the system so I played a little trick on it.
:12:41. > :12:44.I made a high quality recording of my voice.
:12:45. > :12:45.Would the Biometric software recognise that
:12:46. > :12:57.Now, it's suspicious that this was a recording, so it's asking me
:12:58. > :13:02.to say a completely different random phrase before it will let me in.
:13:03. > :13:04.And there's no way I'll have a recording of THAT
:13:05. > :13:11.It looks pretty good - so could the days of juggling
:13:12. > :13:19.Unfortunately, there isn't really such a thing as a fail-safe system
:13:20. > :13:25.in the world, let alone in technology and security.
:13:26. > :13:28.If our passwords get hacked, we're in trouble.
:13:29. > :13:33.But with biometrics, the stakes are even higher.
:13:34. > :13:36.It does get more serious if you're building up a data base of people's
:13:37. > :13:39.digital profiles, which includes their fingerprints,
:13:40. > :13:45.That becomes incredibly serious and people perhaps need to be more
:13:46. > :13:47.serious about understanding what exactly they would do if their
:13:48. > :13:56.So when it comes to keeping our financial data secure,
:13:57. > :13:58.biometrics is a pretty exciting step forward to a brave new world.
:13:59. > :14:09.But the tried-and-tested password will be around for a while yet.
:14:10. > :14:13.And voice recognition is really starting to take off.
:14:14. > :14:15.In the last couple of days, Telecoms giant Talk Talk
:14:16. > :14:17.has just started using the technology.
:14:18. > :14:20.If you sign up for it - let us know how you get on.
:14:21. > :14:22.Now, we've been getting tweets about Mothers' Day flowers
:14:23. > :14:28.which still haven't arrived three weeks later!
:14:29. > :14:32.Rob Evans from Usk in Monmouthshire wanted to say it with flowers -
:14:33. > :14:35.so he ordered an ?18 bunch from a website called
:14:36. > :14:42.But he was far from delighted with the service he received.
:14:43. > :14:45.When you've gone to the trouble of organising flowers,
:14:46. > :14:54.when you're having to ring on the Monday and Tuesday
:14:55. > :14:57.and they still haven't arrived, erm, you, uh...
:14:58. > :15:01.Under new consumer laws, if you order something
:15:02. > :15:04.for a specific occasion and it doesn't arrive in time,
:15:05. > :15:11.Now we've got in touch with Delightful Bouquets -
:15:12. > :15:14.and they admitted there was a problem with a supplier.
:15:15. > :15:16.They've agreed to give Rob a full refund.
:15:17. > :15:28.Next, I've been to meet the owners of a kennels in Llandysul,
:15:29. > :15:34.whose experience of buying a computer turned out to be a bit
:15:35. > :15:39.If you are anything like me, when you need to replace
:15:40. > :15:41.or fix your computer you call in the professionals.
:15:42. > :15:43.And you'd assume hiring someone who calls themselves
:15:44. > :15:49.an IT Consultant would be a safe pair of hands.
:15:50. > :15:51.Linda White and Tony King from Llandysul rely
:15:52. > :15:57.on their computer to run their kennels and animal rescue service.
:15:58. > :16:00.It is our lifeline, we're in the middle of nowhere,
:16:01. > :16:04.we cover the whole of the UK with our rescue dogs.
:16:05. > :16:10.Advertising, invoicing, everything is done on the computer.
:16:11. > :16:13.But back in January last year, it was them that needed rescuing
:16:14. > :16:18.when their old computer went to the dogs.
:16:19. > :16:22.They turned to a local computer firm, MY IT Matters,
:16:23. > :16:27.He said he would build us a new one, an upgrade,
:16:28. > :16:30.he said he was going to put Windows 7 on it, he said
:16:31. > :16:38.Tony and Linda agreed to pay him ?500.
:16:39. > :16:41.He took the old one away to download all the data and transfer
:16:42. > :16:47.He brought the computer and set it up.
:16:48. > :16:50.I asked had he got my old computer and he said,
:16:51. > :16:55.it's no good to you, you don't need it.
:16:56. > :16:58.He has got the hard drive with all our personal details on it
:16:59. > :17:02.which we want back right now, really.
:17:03. > :17:05.I lost a load of data when he transferred the stuff,
:17:06. > :17:11.I have lost a lot of my photographs of my rescue dogs from 2014 that
:17:12. > :17:18.I need, it's my records of what I had in.
:17:19. > :17:22.A month later, there were yet more problems.
:17:23. > :17:25.I get a sign coming up saying my Windows 7 Professional
:17:26. > :17:30.needed a code put in, which I haven't got.
:17:31. > :17:34.I now get a black screen saying the copy of Windows is not genuine.
:17:35. > :17:36.It crashes at least five times a day
:17:37. > :17:40.and slow, a snail could beat it.
:17:41. > :17:45.Linda and Tony have complained to MY IT Matters 16 times,
:17:46. > :17:52.So they called in a PC expert to inspect their computer.
:17:53. > :17:55.He said the Windows was only the trial version
:17:56. > :17:58.and that it was just a complete and utter waste of money.
:17:59. > :18:01.I feel as though I have been ripped off.
:18:02. > :18:05.I decided to do some digging into MY IT Matters.
:18:06. > :18:08.The website certainly looks impressive.
:18:09. > :18:11.The company's been trading for 12 years, they have three offices
:18:12. > :18:16.in west Wales and lots of expert staff.
:18:17. > :18:20.But we couldn't find any addresses for those three offices.
:18:21. > :18:24.And despite claiming to be a Limited company, it's not.
:18:25. > :18:31.Trading Standards told us this is misleading and breaches
:18:32. > :18:39.We took Tony and Linda's PC to a cyber forensics research lab
:18:40. > :18:45.Let's have a look and see what's inside.
:18:46. > :18:52.This is a minimalistic board, 4GB of RAM, your processor is not
:18:53. > :18:56.that powerful, it is a low-power pc board.
:18:57. > :19:01.Well, there's about ?100-?120 worth of components there
:19:02. > :19:04.so if I was buying that from a shop I would expect to pay somewhere
:19:05. > :19:16.This micro PC which children are using in school today,
:19:17. > :19:21.which retails for about ?30-?40, is as powerful as Tony
:19:22. > :19:27.He's conceivably committing a criminal act under the Theft Act
:19:28. > :19:33.IT consultant is quite a glamourous title, isn't it?
:19:34. > :19:41.But the real victims are the rescue dogs.
:19:42. > :19:44.Without an effective computer, Linda can't put them online,
:19:45. > :19:53.Just like the dogs, Linda feels she's been abandoned.
:19:54. > :19:56.He has just swept me under the carpet.
:19:57. > :20:02.I have asked him for help but he's just not interested any more.
:20:03. > :20:05.Well, after Tony and Linda wrote to us we took up their case
:20:06. > :20:11.He says he's sorry they're not happy with his work but insists he did
:20:12. > :20:15.everything he could for them, including some work free of charge.
:20:16. > :20:17.Matthew insists he discussed the specifications of computer
:20:18. > :20:23.with them and gave them a genuine Windows 7 access code.
:20:24. > :20:27.He hasn't said where the old hard drive is, but says the data on it
:20:28. > :20:35.Next, I've been to Denbighshire to meet an elderly couple who paid
:20:36. > :20:42.thousands for a stairlift they are now too scared to use.
:20:43. > :20:46.We all get old, and when we do we sometimes need a little extra
:20:47. > :20:55.help with everyday things, like climbing the stairs.
:20:56. > :20:58.For Gwyn and Dora Hughes from Ruthin, a stairlift was vital
:20:59. > :21:02.if they were to stay in their own home.
:21:03. > :21:05.My mother, who's 85, had a fall outside her home,
:21:06. > :21:09.broke her hip, was in hospital for seven weeks.
:21:10. > :21:11.But it was crucial really that we had a stairlift installed
:21:12. > :21:15.at home for my mother to come home as she wouldn't have been able
:21:16. > :21:21.Gwyn and Dora's daughter Olwen found a contractor -
:21:22. > :21:26.the very regal-sounding Balmoral Stairlifts.
:21:27. > :21:29.Director Quinn O'Loughlin came out and offered to install
:21:30. > :21:36.a reconditioned Stannah chair for ?3,500.
:21:37. > :21:40.The family paid their deposit and hoped for a fine level
:21:41. > :21:49.But instead, they ended up in a right royal mess!
:21:50. > :21:51.They say they asked for the stairlift to end
:21:52. > :21:54.on the landing so Dora could step off easily.
:21:55. > :21:59.Balmoral even removed the old radiator to make way for it.
:22:00. > :22:02.Instead, the chair stops short of the landing,
:22:03. > :22:11.The power-assisted swivel doesn't work either so 91-year-old husband
:22:12. > :22:20.It just doesn't make sense for us, safety-wise.
:22:21. > :22:23.As you can see, we feel it's dangerous stopping here.
:22:24. > :22:25.If my mother opened this belt, safety belt here,
:22:26. > :22:28.before swivelling the chair, she could really fall and be
:22:29. > :22:36.They used to be here safe in their own home.
:22:37. > :22:43.And now we feel they're not and it's a constant worry.
:22:44. > :22:47.Left with a potentially dangerous stairlift,
:22:48. > :22:51.the family complained to director Quinn O'Loughlin.
:22:52. > :22:56.But he told them it was a "standard finish" and if they wanted it
:22:57. > :23:01.altered, they'd have to pay another ?1,000!
:23:02. > :23:06.So, what would an expert make of Balmoral's installation?
:23:07. > :23:09.First being the base leg is not secured at all.
:23:10. > :23:13.It's just sort of left flapping around.
:23:14. > :23:17.There's a lot of movement on the chair.
:23:18. > :23:22.Yeah, it does seem very unstable, loose.
:23:23. > :23:26.These pins that are sticking out there.
:23:27. > :23:29.Those have actually worked their way loose out of the rail.
:23:30. > :23:32.If those do come out, this part of the rail
:23:33. > :23:36.And the whole thing could drop which would put you in
:23:37. > :23:48.Steve's also worried about the electrics.
:23:49. > :23:50.There's been a hole drilled into the battery charger
:23:51. > :23:51.and the wires have been shoved inside.
:23:52. > :23:54.That's a safety concern, obviously - electricity, fire, things like that.
:23:55. > :23:57.That is not the standard way of fitting the battery charger.
:23:58. > :23:59.And in your opinion that is a danger?
:24:00. > :24:03.That needs to be rectified straightaway.
:24:04. > :24:05.I'm sorry, that was a shock, wasn't it?
:24:06. > :24:13.Thank you very much for exposing it all.
:24:14. > :24:18.I was concerned for it as it was but now its made us more
:24:19. > :24:26.The family is devasted by the quality of the work.
:24:27. > :24:30.But Balmoral Stairlifts has posted pictures of their lift online -
:24:31. > :24:36.and describes them as "very happy customers"!
:24:37. > :24:40.They are not the only people fed up with Balmoral.
:24:41. > :24:48.86-year-old Derek Hine from Rhos on Sea wanted a repair to his lift.
:24:49. > :24:50.He couldn't get it working so off he went.
:24:51. > :24:54.He came back for a third visit and decided the transformer
:24:55. > :25:04.He then asked for ?300 for the batteries and transformer.
:25:05. > :25:07.But after Balmoral fitted the new parts, the stair-lift
:25:08. > :25:15.Anyway, he came back for a fifth visit and wasn't getting anywhere.
:25:16. > :25:19.I said I'm not spending any more money on it,
:25:20. > :25:26.So Balmoral left, taking the new parts Derek had paid for.
:25:27. > :25:29.In the end, the family brought in another company who fixed
:25:30. > :25:32.the lift in one visit but Quinn O'loughlin never returned
:25:33. > :25:40.We've got court order against him and he's ignored that too.
:25:41. > :25:43.He had a deadline and he's just ignored everything.
:25:44. > :25:47.So what do you think of the way that your dad's been treated?
:25:48. > :25:50.It's just disgusting, isn't it, to think that people think it's OK
:25:51. > :25:57.Back in Denbighshire, Dora, Gwyn and their daughter Olwen
:25:58. > :26:07.It's very stressful for us, we are concerned that are parents
:26:08. > :26:11.aren't safe in there own home which they have been for 60 years.
:26:12. > :26:13.It's very disappointing that a company can treat someone
:26:14. > :26:20.We've taken up these complaints with Quinn O'Loughlin of
:26:21. > :26:25.In Derek's case he has apologised for any distress he's caused
:26:26. > :26:28.but says he went through the correct procedures to fix the problem.
:26:29. > :26:31.Even though he visited the house five times,
:26:32. > :26:34.he says he wasn't allowed to finish the job.
:26:35. > :26:39.But there are no apologies for Gwyn and Dora.
:26:40. > :26:41.And he's offering them no further help.
:26:42. > :26:44.He does say he discussed the specifications of the stairlift
:26:45. > :26:48.before it was installed and says they were always going to get
:26:49. > :26:54.If you - or your elderly relatives - have had dealings with
:26:55. > :26:58.Quinn O'Loughlin we'd like to hear from you.
:26:59. > :27:07.Why did it take a furniture chain a whole year,
:27:08. > :27:15.I don't know how they could get it so wrong.
:27:16. > :27:29.Now we are nearly at the end of this series, but we are planning some
:27:30. > :27:30.special holiday programmes in the summer.
:27:31. > :27:40.So if you have something you want us to investigate give us a call.
:27:41. > :27:45.And you can find us on twitter @BBCXray.
:27:46. > :27:48.But if you want some expert advice before that -
:27:49. > :27:50.Professor Margaret Griffiths - one of Wales top consumer law
:27:51. > :27:58.experts is live on Facebook right now giving advice on any
:27:59. > :28:05.The session - which is on the BBC Cymru Wales page -
:28:06. > :28:09.not the news page - runs until half past eight -
:28:10. > :28:14.Remember, don't include company names!
:28:15. > :28:17.We won't be able to answer if you do!
:28:18. > :28:20.And that's it for this week - see you next Monday.