Episode 4 X-Ray

You're watching X-Ray, the programme that fights for your rights.

Tonight, Halloween's just round the corner and customers

of one Pontypridd builder are living in a house of horrors.

Everything in this has got to be completely and utterly ripped

Wales is through to the Euros, but what's the best tactic for football

Whilst most airport parking companies have no problem looking

after your car while you're away, we've heard about one that's

Tonight, these construction students are hoping to become

the next generation of builders, but on X-Ray we're hearing an awful

And some of them are not doing a very good job.

Rachel's been investigating one from just up the road in Pontypridd.

Massive holes, piles of rubble, a dangerous tangle of wires.

It may be Halloween this week, but a house of horrors was certainly

not what customers of one south Wales builder were expecting.

It was the worst decision of my life.

He comes across as a very good businessman in the beginning,

but then after a couple of weeks the cracks start to appear.

The man responsible for their nightmares is Pontypridd

He seemed to offer his customers a great deal but, once he had their

The Cilfynydd Inn was a pub which held special memories for

So much so that when it was put up for sale, she bought it.

She planned to divide it into two homes,

In July last year she hired Andrew Kelland to do the job.

He just said, well, actually, I'm a builder, I've got loads

of people, and we could get this done for you in no time.

But, 15 months on, this is what more than ?17,000 worth of

Not only is the job unfinished but the builders have caused huge

The one thing they were told, don't damage the floor.

Basically, this all has to be ripped up, the

furniture, damage to the furniture, the ceiling is very bumpy.

I've got to rip everything down and have it done again.

And the electrics are truly shocking.

Not one wire can be reused because you can't trust it,

so everything in this has got to be completely and utterly ripped out

It is, and it's just money after money that I just haven't got.

OK, so watch the hole as you come in.

When the property was divided, Emma Jane gave Kelland ?5,000

He was supposed to pass it on to Welsh Water,

So I give him the money, expecting that's going to get paid, and this

is going to be done within a months' time, and it's gone, yeah.

And the dangerous hole has caused other problems too.

I hurt my back, I hurt my neck, I hurt my knee.

To add to Emma's woes, when the boiler that was installed

by Kelland's team was inspected by the government's Gas Safe Register,

Not only does it say the boiler and pipework have 'significant

'safety defects', the inspector fears the work has

been carried out by a fitter who is not Gas Safe registered.

The Health and Safety Executive are now investigating what could be

Chartered surveyor Noel Iveson says that much of Kelland's work now

needs to be ripped down and replaced, starting with the dividing

I would expect to see two layers of concrete block, I'm only seeing one.

A building inspector wouldn't pass it.

Immediately below there's these pipes, which are

The floorboard won't fit back down without sitting on top

of the pipes, so I think it's really shoddy workmanship.

And Emma's not the only one who's been chasing Kelland for their cash.

Last December, Kelland began work on a double-storey extension

I was 24-weeks pregnant at the time so we wanted

Andrew Kelland could do it within six to eight weeks,

which was perfect, which meant we had time to do our finishing touches

But after paying him ?15,000, the due date for Kelland

and his builders became far less predictable.

Certain days they would just no show, they wouldn't turn up.

No phone calls to say why they weren't here.

You just felt frustrated and very upset about the fact that

what you wanted for your new arrival wasn't actually going to happen.

Baby Livvy arrived safely, but Rachel's extension was still in

a shocking state with an unfinished roof and missing windows.

We were now five of us living within two bedrooms.

We were just living in a building site - it was a mess.

Andrew phoned us when she was two and a half weeks old.

He said that he would no longer be returning to do any of the work

and if we wanted any of our money back that we paid him,

Rachel and Stuart were then forced to find new builders to

After battling with Kelland's insurers, Emma Jane received ?13,000

But finishing the building work will still cost her many thousands more.

I'd like it to be over, to be honest.

Really, it's the worst decision of my life to trust Andrew Kelland.

Andrew Kelland insists Emma Jane and Rachel will get

their money back but Trading Standards are also investigating

So how does Andrew Kelland explain this catalogue of problems?

Well, he's sent us lots of e-mails blaming

delays with planning permission and saying Emma Jane then expected

That's why he says he kept the ?5,000 she paid him

He's also refusing to accept responsibility for her dodgy boiler

because he says another plumber worked on it after it was fitted.

As for Rachel's extension, he said he couldn't finish it after her

Andrew Kelland has now left south Wales and headed

across the sea to Ireland, but I've got plenty more questions for him.

Can you explain why you did such a shoddy job for Emma Jane Mantle

I've given you a statement already that I'm standing by.

But you still haven't explained why you did such a poor job for them.

You take people's money, you start jobs but you don't see them through.

It's not just Emma Jane and Rachel, there are others.

Well, I've said to you, I've made a statement.

I am not going to have a trial by TV.

The trial, or anything that's thought to have

been done wrong by me, will be dealt with by Trading Standards,

Are these customers going to get their money back?

They have had to prove what they're owed.

They've been asked to prove it and to date they have not done that.

Are you going to be doing more building work in the future?

There will be no more future building work taking place anyway.

So, Andrew Kelland is adamant he is blameless in the situation.

Amazingly, he thinks he did a good job for his customers.

He says Rachel and Emma Jane will be getting their money back,

Now, nobody wants to find themselves in a situation like this.

So if you're planning to have work done on your property, how can you

Well, surveyor Tim Davies is here to give us a few pointers.

Tim, how do you go about finding a good builder?

I think the first thing you've got to do is try

and get a personal recommendation from friends or work colleagues that

If they don't mind, go and round and look at a project to see how

Look at the quality of it, have a chat with them

What about looking on online review sites?

I have serious reservations about them because, basically, you

can write a review yourself and put in online and say how good you are.

Really, builders online, it's an unknown quantity

How can you make sure you don't get stung on price?

It's very important to make sure you have a quotation

A quotation is fixed price for work they're carrying out

Yeah, ideally you should have a contract in place -

This is how much it's going to cost, you can get a simple contract

Well, it basically sets out the rights and obligations

for both parties in terms of the progress of the work, paying

for extras, the price of the work, what happens if the job goes bad.

In essence, it's a very good document and very useful to have.

Tim, are there any absolute dos and don'ts?

Make sure you've got your planning permission and your building

regulation approval in place and make sure any party wall agreement

If you don't, that could put the job on stop.

Hold a little bit of money back at the end of the job to pay for

Take photographs, keep a diary if there's any dispute.

You've got a record of problems and you can refer to it.

And if you've had any problems with building work, give us a call.

The number as always is 03703 334 334 or email [email protected].

The airport parking firm which denied damaging Kelly's car

There was a dent in the door here and that had split along there.

The further round you went, there was just more and more damage.

Now, the whole country is celebrating

the fact that Wales' football team has qualified for Euro 2016.

But if you're hoping to follow the national team to France next

summer, there are a few things you should know.

They're through to their first major football championships since 1958.

In June, hundreds of thousands of supporters from right across Europe

But getting to a game could prove tricky.

There'll be 25,000 to 30,000 people wanting to go.

There's 500 fans who go all the time and know what to do

so then there will be 24,000 people who don't know what to do.

It's not like going on holidays, it will be more difficult than

The games will be spread across ten venues, all over France.

At the moment, no-one knows when or where Wales will be playing and they

won't know until the draw final draw is made on December 12th.

We asked fans at a training session in Swansea

We're just waiting to find out where Wales will be playing.

Wait until after the draw and decide which game I am going to watch then.

But waiting until then isn't the best strategy,

I can tell you, the worst strategy, which is the one that many fans

will be adopting, is to wait until the 12th of December

Immediately, there will be the most massive surge on December in prices

for airline tickets and hotel rooms because fans of every other team

booked into that particular group will be trying to find rooms and

trying to find transport to get them there. Hotels and flights.

So how can you get ahead of the game?

Well, you could follow the lead of super-fan Wayne Dibbs Anderson

Well, we've got six coaches booked, then our hotels.

They've now been booked in two regions of France.

One which will cover the southern games and one which

The finalising of the hotels will take place once we

By booking early there is no payment needed

So, you could book early on a website

I reckon go for the gastronomic hub of France that is the city of Lyon,

where there is a 50% chance Wales will play at least one game or

Even if Wales is playing hundreds of miles away in Lille or Marseille

you can just hop onto a high speed train and be there

A train from Lyon to Lille takes just three hours.

Paris is two hours away and Marseille,

If hotels are out of your price range, here's another suggestion.

You just pack a car with your mates, pack a tent or two you then plan to

And fan Tony Sharpe is planning to splash out

I have been talking to my mates, we will get a camper van in the new

year and then just camp then, wait and see where we will be first

Doesn't it worry you at all that you might end up paying over the odds if

you book later I think it might be worth it, paying over the odds.

If you're hoping to hire a campervan though, don't delay.

Lots of rental companies are already booked up.

But the biggest challenge of all could be getting

The biggest block of tickets were released back in June.

But fans didn't know which matches they were bidding for.

More tickets for named matches, including Wales games,

Then, from March, fans can buy and sell tickets

But be warned selling elsewhere could mean trouble.

It's against the law to resell football tickets

Anyone convicted of ticket touting could face a fine of up to ?5,000.

And whilst it's not illegal to buy black market tickets,

you could end up being conned,

and lots of you have been in touch on Twitter about this.

Alan says he has booked his flight to Paris and is backpacking around

France. And Mark said he cannot wait for the draw.

If you're planning to travel to the Euros,

tweet us to let us know what you're up to!

Time now for an update on a story we brought you last October.

John Williams from Mold had high hopes for his campervan.

He bought it nine years ago at a cost of ?25,000.

We were hoping to be able to use it to go away for weekends and travel

But, over the years, John's had huge problems with the paintwork.

Straightaway, I can see patches there.

Yes, and there's a patch here by the door, on the other side

in the guttering, you can see where it is just peeling.

We showed John's campervan to a vehicle inspector

What he found on the roof was shocking.

There's not much you can do other than start again.

That would mean stripping the paint completely off the vehicle

You could be looking at something upwards of ?8,000 to

So a very expensive job, which John couldn't afford.

I'm on a pension now and I don't think I should have to pay out.

Fiat are producing these vehicles they must know there is a problem.

I think they should step up to the mark and fix it.

When we contacted Fiat at the time, they told us that they weren't

going to put things right, because John's warranty had expired.

But, after seeing our programme, they changed their mind

And there's been progress on another story, too.

Last October, we told you how lorry driver Graham Williams,

from Cardiff, had been persuaded to transfer a ?100,000 pension to

I feared the worst, I thought that I had been scammed.

Carpenter Des Lewis, from Pontardawe,

was convinced by the same sales team from Liverpool to move

his pension to a scheme called the Henley Retirement Benefit Scheme.

In total, the two pension schemes got hundreds

of people like Graham and Des to invest nearly ?20 million.

Well, now, a High Court judge in Manchester has described

the schemes as "illegitimate" and the companies which persuaded

The Official Receiver is now trying to trace any assets

Now, you might think that booking valet parking at the airport would

But some customers of a Gatwick based firm have had a bumpy ride!

When you leave your car at the airport, you trust the

parking company to take good care of it, to park it safely and securely.

And for it to be in the same condition when you

Or at least, that's how it should be!

Whilst most airport parking companies have no problem looking

after your car while you're away, we've heard about one that's

Valet parking company Absolute Meet and Greet is based near

The website boasts that they give "commitment" and "confidence" to

But we have heard from people who think otherwise.

When they've come to pick up their vehicles after their holiday,

they weren't quite the same as they were before.

Kelly Owen and her family from Bridgend used Absolute Meet

and Greet Parking when they booked a holiday to Florida in May.

To Kelly, it seemed a perfect stress-free option.

So when you arrived at the airport what was

They took photos because normally they do a handwritten inspection,

which we thought was quite good, because they had the proof then.

And we were literally minutes and took the car and we were

The family had a great holiday in the States.

And when they returned to Gatwick, Absolute Meet

and Greet were waiting for them with Kelly's beloved Mercedes E Class.

We literally put all the luggage in the car,

We just couldn't wait to get home, cos we had another three-hour

When did you first realise that there was a problem with the car?

When we got to the Severn Bridge, a motor bike pulled alongside us

and was beeping and frantically waving and...

he pulled us over and said, "Your bonnet's open, your bonnet's open.

When she got home, Kelly had a closer look

at the car and was horrified to discover a trail of damage.

It seemed that someone had tried to repair it...badly.

The first time I spotted it, it was here where the badge had been taken

off and glued back on and there was all runs down there and there was

a dent in the door here and that had actually split along there.

And the bonnet looked like it was open by that much of a

gap and you could see then that all the wing was a slightly different

And the further you looked, you could just see more and more damage.

But, because Kelly had signed a form to say she'd checked her car

when she collected it, Absolute Meet and Greet weren't keen to help.

After a number of phone calls, eventually

the manager rung me back two days later and denied it immediately.

I asked him for the photos of the vehicle that they took.

And since then myself and the insurance company have had

But, instead of giving up, Kelly turned detective.

I started to do some investigation work to find out who repaired

Kelly phoned around garages near Gatwick Airport

and found that a replacement grill for a Mercedes with her exact number

plate had been purchased whilst she was out of the country.

Kelly gave her evidence to her insurer, so they could claim

But the company still denied it and refused to pay up.

How much was the repair damage for the car?

So, a one-off mistake by Absolute Meet and Greet?

X-Ray has found more complaints from customers claiming to have had

their cars damaged after leaving them with the company.

He booked Absolute Meet and Greet for his family holiday

Unfortunately, the day before he was due to travel,

The car was safe to drive, just now dented and scratched.

When we picked the car up, everything was as normal.

You know, why would I, really, knowing it was damaged?

Signed the form as quickly as possible, as most holiday makers

But the next morning, Carwyn was in for a shock when he looked

The wing was the wrong colour, the doors didn't shut properly,

There was a rattle on the front on the wing mirror and, obviously, then

you start worrying about whether there's been more damage to the car

than the dents and the knocks that had happened to it previously.

And, bizarrely, the dents and scratches caused by the lorry

A car that was dropped off already damaged appeared to be

Could someone at Absolute Meet and Greet thought they had caused the

Well, that's certainly what Carwyn thinks.

My insurers, they had to strip back everything that had been done to

check that the car was alright to kind of re-repair it, so it did cost

Luckily for Carwyn, his insurers covered the cost.

But, in Bridgend, Kelly wasn't so lucky.

Her repair bill stood at more than ?10,000 and Absolute

Kelly's insurers did pay most of the costs, but she was hit with

We're just really annoyed that we put our trust

in a company to look after your vehicle while you go on holiday.

And they've left us ?450 out of pocket

and they're just not accepting any responsibility with it at all.

Well, Absolute Parking aren't budging on this.

They deny damaging or repairing Kelly and Carwyn's cars.

They say both customers checked their vehicles before leaving

the car park and failed to point out any problems at the time.

And, as for the garage invoice, which showed that a radiator grill

was ordered for a car with Kelly's exact registration number,

Well, Absolute Parking say the garage could have incorrectly

But, remember, we're here to help you.

Send us an email, or follow us on Twitter.

we go undercover to expose the roadside car dealer

Selling write-offs, with no guarantees,

With this, it hasn't been in any accidents?