Episode 1 X-Ray

Tonight - he was the Mr Big of Newbridge.

We unmask the smooth-talking salesman who betrayed a whole town.

He was so plausible and so lovely.

I couldn't believe that it was the same man who had done it.

Stuck in the mud - the family music festival

which turned into a fiasco.

It's really disappointing that this is really a flood plain and it

shouldn't have been used.

And I'll be talking to customers who've had to deal with even more

paint than this after a trip to their DIY store.

Hello.

Welcome to a brand new series of X-Ray.

It's fantastic to be back.

We'll be fighting for your rights throughout the autumn.

And we're kicking off here in Newbridge, where a mysterious

businessman has made a big impact for all the wrong reasons.

I believed he was my friend.

I believed he really cared.

I can't find words to say about him.

I really can't.

It was a scandal that rocked the close-knit community

of Newbridge, near Caerphilly.

Just before Christmas last year, a mysterious figure arrived in town.

Eric Harvey.

In a few short months, he opened a string

of new businesses, to the delight of the locals.

Here he set up a travel agent.

Across the street a new cafe.

Just above it, a beauty salon.

And up the road a new firm of accountants to help

balance the books.

He was everywhere.

Not only was he breathing new life into the town,

Eric Harvey offered hope to locals like Lesley Jones,

who'd been struggling to find work.

I wanted to have a job and people were sort of, "Hey,

"it's great to have this in Newbridge."

Lesley became

the manager of Newbridge Travel and warmed instantly to her boss.

He was just very bubbly.

He seemed the nicest guy.

Just seemed really warm and always happy.

And it seemed he couldn't do enough for his customers,

like pensioners David and Korean Tonge.

I explained that my husband's knee's a bit sore sometimes

for walking and he said, "No problem.

"I'll come and pick you both up."

He was very charming, very nice,

so we went back a week later and booked the holiday.

The couple chose a short break in Dorset and handed over ?362.

I felt it was good to give the money to help this business that

had only just started.

Best friends Keren Parfitt and Joan Churcher also wanted

to support the new venture.

They paid ?500 for a trip to Scotland.

We were so thrilled to bits.

This was on our doorstep.

Easy access to book a holiday then pay for it.

But then cracks in Eric Harvey's empire began to appear.

Newbridge Travel had made dozens of bookings with local transport

firm Gibbons Coaches, worth more than than ?13,000.

But Eric Harvey wasn't passing customers' money

on to owner Adrian Gibbons.

We received a cheque and in a few days the cheque got sent back to us

We received a cheque and in a few days the cheque got sent back to us

saying it had bounced.

One more cheque arrived but for a larger amount.

It got bounced as well.

He started ignoring my phone calls.

I realised then there was something very wrong.

Adrian raised the alarm, telling customers that

their holidays were in jeopardy.

We got a phone call from Gibbons saying we must go down

to the travel agent in Newbridge and get your money

back straight away.

I couldn't believe it.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, to be honest.

Within hours, customers were queuing up, demanding their money

back from Eric Harvey.

He said, "I'm so sorry, we have gone bankrupt and you can

have your money back."

And my husband put his card

in and he gave us a receipt and he said, "Don't worry,

you'll be fine."

But like many other customers, refunds for David

and Korean, and Keren and Joan's never materialised,

and neither did their holidays.

I can't find words to say about him.

I really can't.

And the failure of the travel company was just the

tip of the iceberg.

Eric Harvey's cafe closed down, just days after opening.

And the tanning salon never got off the ground.

A long line of people were chasing him for money.

Lesley says she was owed ?2,000 worth of wages.

Contractors were coming in for money.

Plumbers, electricians.

They hadn't been paid or they had been paid a cheque

which had bounced.

It was very hard for me to see these people upset.

We've spoken to clients of Harvey's accountancy firm who say

they paid him to do their books, but that money was never passed on.

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs and the police later

raided his business premises.

But Mr Harvey had vanished.

When Eric Harvey's empire collapsed, some people here thought it was just

another business gone bust.

Until some digging on the internet uncovered this bombshell

on the Youtube website.

Hello, I'm Andrew Mackenzie.

It turned out the man the people of Newbridge had trusted

was a convicted fraudster.

And he wasn't called Eric Harvey.

His real name was Andrew Mackenzie.

In his online video, the jack of all trades admits

he fancies becoming a TV presenter and to demonstrate his skills,

he interviews himself.

I didn't actually start committing offences until I was 24.

I've become a professional deceiver, a deceiver of myself,

a deceiver of others.

This bizarre confession was recorded four years before his

time in Newbridge.

It was a huge blow to former employee Lesley.

Was it quite a shock?

Massive shock, yeah.

Quite sickening, actually.

Andrew Mackenzie seems proud of his criminal past,

boasting that in 2008 he was convicted of 14 counts of fraud.

In an effort to make the end justify the means.

We showed the video to victims Korean and David Tonge.

Yes, that was the man who's taken our money.

The name of that man is Andrew Mackenzie

and he is a convicted fraudster.

Amazing.

Who would have thought that in a little local travel shop.

And one of Andrew Mackenzie's promises is particularly

hard for the people of Newbridge to swallow.

I'm happy to say that I don't commit crimes anymore and I don't

choose to commit crimes.

Thank you, Drew.

I'm Andrew Mackenzie.

Thank you for watching.

Such a bizarre story.

Well, this cafe is one of Andrew Mackenzie's failed businesses.

It's now in new hands.

And over here, watching that film, are just some of the people who he's

left out of pocket.

Hello.

How do you feel about what he's done to you?

Well, we were devastated because we were really looking

forward to the holiday.

I don't think it's so much the money as the way

he's done it, you know.

The calculated, cold way, and he was so plausible and so lovely.

I couldn't believe that it was the same man who had done it.

Now you've got to think, when you're handing money over,

is it going to go where it should do or not?

It's horrible.

He should have the book thrown him.

Well, I do have an update for you.

When Andrew McKenzie vanished from Newbridge, he went on the run.

But in July he was arrested and charged with four

unrelated fraud offences.

He's now in Cardiff Prison, waiting to be sentenced.

So he is off the streets for now.

Is that some comfort?

Yes, it is.

To me it is anyway.

I hope he goes down for a long time.

Well, we've written to Andrew McKenzie in prison

to ask him about what he did to you and other people here in Newbridge.

But his solicitor's said that investigations are ongoing so it

wouldn't be appropriate to comment at the moment.

So no answers yet, I'm afraid, but we're going

to stay on this case.

Thank you so much for talking to us.

Still to come, the relaxing retreat which became a noisy nightmare.

It was like an assault course.

We had cables, wheelbarrows, grinders.

And why are so many B customers crying over spilled paint?

I opened the boot and there was literally paint everywhere.

You've never seen anything like it.

Now, we were pretty lucky with the weather this summer,

but in Wales rain is never far away.

And when the heavens opened at a music festival

in Gwynedd, visitors got more than they bargained for.

Music festivals are renowned for being a bit muddy sometimes.

It's all part of the experience.

But fans at this year's Festival Number 6 in Portmeirion

weren't expecting this.

Instead of singing along to the Kaiser Chiefs

and Noel Gallagher, hundreds of people and their cars were stuck

in a mudbath in what was supposed to be the festival's park and ride.

This is clearly a flood plain and it shouldn't have been used.

The organisers denied poor planning.

The use of this has been going on for four years and it's not

a decision we take lightly where we're going

to put our car park.

It took hours, even days, for tractors and 4x4s to pull cars

out of the axle-deep mud.

200 people even spent the night in the local leisure centre.

In the end, the tractors were getting stuck and towing each

other out, so we tried again this morning and after

a couple of hours got out.

Pete Henley had travelled to north Wales from Bristol.

When his car was freed, he started to drive home,

but didn't get far.

Only went short distance, 10 miles or so, and the car

started shuddering.

It was basically undriveable.

I got the rescue services to come out and they cleared an incredible

amount of mud.

Pete got back on the road and has since paid a garage to sort

out his wheels and tracking.

But the mud keeps appearing.

One of my concerns is that corrosion could be a future problem.

And Pete's just one of many drivers left seriously out of pocket.

I'm not entirely optimistic that they're going to reimburse me.

We'll wait and see.

What a mess.

And it seems the organisers of Festival Number 6 agree.

They've sincerely and unreservedly apologised to everyone affected.

They insist they did monitor the weather but weren't

expecting the River Glaslyn to burst its banks.

When it did, they say they acted quickly to tow

people out of the mud.

If you've been left with a damaged car as a result, the advice

is to keep all receipts and make a claim to the festival's

insurers, who'll look at each case on its merits.

We've put all those details on our website.

And we want to know how you get on.

Call us about this or any other story on 03703 334 334.

You can email [email protected] or send us a tweet.

Now after a story like that, a tropical escape sounds very

tempting.

But I've been to meet two Llanelli couples whose restful holiday didn't

turn out to be very peaceful.

The paradise island of Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean,

is the kind of place many of us dream of visiting.

With its luxury hotels, white beaches and blue skies,

it's hard to imagine a more relaxing retreat.

Nev and Cynthia Gilasbey from Llanelli couldn't wait

for their two-week break in May to celebrate Cynthia's birthday.

They booked their ?3,000 to stay at the Riu resort through Thomson,

part of global travel giant, Tui Group.

We stayed at the Riu Creole.

It was a four-star hotel.

The actual website itself showed some fantastic photos of the pools

and the dining rooms and the different rooms and the bedrooms.

That's what swung it for us.

This is the holiday the Gilasbeys thought they were getting.

Just look at that amazing pool.

And the first week of your holiday was brilliant, was it?

Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Fantastic.

It was really good.

The pool was nice.

It was warm.

Because I don't like going in a cold pool.

But as the second week began, some unexpected visitors

moved into the hotel.

Builders.

They actually drained the pool totally, the main pool itself,

totally drained it.

Scaffolding.

There was dust absolutely everywhere, every single chair,

table, the bar area was all covered in this dust, this thick dust,

it affected our chests.

I suffer from asthma.

They all had the masks on while they were grinding.

And what was it like?

Was it noisy?

Was it disruptive?

Very noisy, all day.

Extremely noisy, yeah.

Did you know anything about the work when you

booked the holiday?

Nothing at all.

Not even an email.

Nothing.

And on their website it doesn't mention anything whatsoever.

And this wasn't a one off.

Three months earlier, other holiday makers

at the same resort had also complained about,

yes, you guessed it, building work.

Back in February, Garry Williams and Jackie Lewis, also

from Llanelli, set off on their ?6,000 trip.

They booked through First Choice, also part of the TUI group.

It was my 50th birthday, so we decided we'll push the boat

out for one special holiday, but it didn't materialise.

Like Nev and Cynthia, the couple stayed at the Riu resort,

at the neighbouring Le Morne Hotel.

We thought it was going to be an absolute stunning hotel,

which it seemed to be when we arrived, until

the following morning, when all the building work

was going on.

It was like an assault course.

We had cables going across the gangways,

wheelbarrows, grinders, boxes of tiles, tins

of paint all in the walkway.

It clearly stated in the brochure, totally refurbished in 2015.

Had it said that it was undergoing refurbishment then we would never

have booked it at all.

When the couple wrote to complain, TUI said that some building work

was maintenance for the health and safety of all holidaymakers.

The company did offer Jackie and Garry some compensation -

?100 in vouchers and a ?70 cheque, but it didn't go down too well.

To be offered vouchers for their airline when I clearly

stated I would never use Thomsons again.

I thought that was so undermining.

TUI did apologise to Nev and Cynthia for not telling them

about the building work.

But they weren't offered a penny in compensation.

It was just as if they didn't care.

It's just one of those things - tough.

Let's see what our consumer law guru makes

of the way TUI has handled this.

Oh, I think terribly.

I mean, it was clearly very important to the

Gilasbeys that they had

access to the swimming pool, it was one of the things that

attracted them to that particular holiday, and the fact it's

in the brochure means contractually they have a right to expect it to be

provided, so I think they were understandably upset

when they got there and discovered that it wasn't available after all.

Do companies have to tell you if there is work

going on at your hotel?

If it's actually happening on-site where either they or someone they've

subcontracted to is having work done then yes, really they should tell

you, because that's relevant to whether you want to

continue with the holiday.

I can't imagine that this could've gone on for a few months

without head office knowing.

Some pretty strong words from Margaret there!

So will TUI reconsider?

Well, they told us they're sorry both couples are unhappy

and they rely on their hotel partners to tell them

about maintenance work.

They admit this didn't happen in Garry and Jackie's case.

But they don't explain why, three months later, Nev and Cynthia

weren't warned either!

TUI have now increased their offer of compensation to ?525 in cash -

or ?600 in vouchers - for Nev and Cynthia

But just ?200 for Garry and Jackie, for their ?6,000 holiday!

Not surprisingly, both couples say they're not impressed.

Time for our X-Ray update, and banks are under fire for failing

to protect customers from scammers.

Unlike credit or debit cards, there's no legal protection

for fraud victims who pay by bank transfer.

Consumer group Which? says that's not good enough!

We don't think that's right and that's why we're

complaining to the regulators.

We're issuing a super-complaint using our formal legal powers.

They've got responsibility for this

and they've got 90 days to get back to us.

We want them to make sure that banks better protect you from

this sort of fraud.

New changes to the Consumer Rights Act this week give rail passengers

more clout when claiming for delays - even short ones!

Payouts should be quicker too - and you can demand cash

instead of vouchers!

And two bogus builders from Cardiff are off the streets at last.

The father and son charged one elderly man ?65,000

for this tiny wall, and ripped off many others.

Jeffrey Tawse was jailed for six years and son James for two.

Great news!

Next, Omar's been meeting customers who feel they're getting

the brush-off from Britain's biggest DIY chain.

Doing up your home shouldn't be something you go to war over.

But a small army of X-Ray viewers has been battling it out

with the UK's largest DIY chain.

Right, let's do this.

In their sights - a ?40 product

that's caused thousands of pounds' worth of damage.

It's a problem they've been complaining to

the company about for months.

Now I'm taking up the fight.

And this is what's been driving customers mad.

A simple, five litre tin of paint.

But you may not want it anywhere near your car - unless you want

it to get splattered!

In July, salon owner Craig Williams from Bridgend decided

it was time for a makeover.

Not this kind - he does enough of that in work.

He fancied a fresh, new look for his bedroom.

Now, Craig's choosy about his colours -

so he plumped for a specially-mixed shade of cream Valspar paint -

which is sold exclusively at B

The guy behind the counter mixed some paint for us.

He brought the paint back, he opened the lid and showed us.

We were happy with the colour.

Craig put the paint in the boot of his car and drove home

from the Swansea store.

Job done.

But when he got there he was in for a shock.

I opened the boot and there was literally

paint everywhere.

It's only a small car and the paint was, well,

you've never seen anything like it.

It was just horrendous.

The engine in a Smart car is below the boot,

so unfortunately the paint also got on to the engine.

And the car was smoking for quite a few weeks as well

until it kind of burnt off.

Craig had to fork out ?250 to get his car professionally cleaned.

He believes he knows exactly what caused the spillage.

So this is a Valspar five litre, exactly like the one we had.

And you literally just pull the top like that.

And it comes off.

No clips or anything like that unfortunately.

It's just not secure enough.

When Craig contacted B customer services to complain,

they told him:

"We're unable to accept liability for paint spillages once

a container has left our store as we have no control

over its handling."

So to all the other Craigs out there who are thinking, right,

I'm doing the house up, I need some paint,

what would your advice be?

Take a plastic box!

For Craig, the battle lines were drawn.

And he's not alone in his fight.

Other B customers have been seeing red too.

Damion Narbeth, from Maesteg is - ironically - a qualified decorator!

He also bought a five-litre tin of Valspar from the paint

counter at B in Weymouth.

I think you can guess what happened next...

We were driving along 30 miles an hour.

I just turned a corner and I could just hear, thump.

I didn't think about what I'd find when I opened the boot.

It was just everywhere.

This is my car now.

I cleared some of it off with a jet wash but it's going to have to be

specialist cleaned because it's gone all the way under the seats.

It's still wet on the lock of the car.

I had the car two weeks before this happened,

so it's a bit gutting.

Damion wrote to B to complain.

But, just like Craig, they told him:

"We cannot accept responsibility for the handling

of the paint once it has left the store."

And Damion and Craig aren't the only ones who've

had a brush with B

Let's get Damion to paint the bigger picture.

Very nice!

We've spoken to nine more B customers from across Britain,

whose Valspar paint pots have spilled in their cars.

Kelly from Dumfermline wanted to decorate the nursery

for her new arrival.

But here's how her car looked by the time she got

home from the store.

She's been quoted ?8,000 to get it put right.

And after a trip to the B paint counter, John from Newcastle's car

took on a whole new shade of blue.

From Chelmsford to Cheadle, vehicles across the country have

been getting a fresh lick of paint.

So what's going on?

I've come to meet an expert in product design and research

to see what he makes of this messy situation.

It becomes quite obvious, quite quickly, where some

of the problems lie.

It's not a great seal.

It's very much like a plastic food container or something you might

have on a takeaway meal.

It's a bit more serious than a korma!

If I take the example of a standard paint tin.

Most paint tins out there have got a lid a little like this

that fits down inside.

You certainly can't peel that back with your fingers.

We have to design everything with normal use in mind.

And normal use has to include putting it into your car, taking it

home, driving round roundabouts.

So to design it to allow it to fall over and spill paint -

that suggests to me that it's not quite fit for purpose and that

would be a problem.

We decided to test the tin.

And Jarred didn't have to push too hard before this happened.

That is a lot of paint!

It's dripping down as well.

That's not good.

That is not good.

When we simulated, very crudely perhaps,

hitting an obstacle - in this case my hand -

it fell over and the lid, as you can see, came straight out.

We put our findings to Valspar.

But they insisted their tests have found no problems...

When tins are transported "correctly" - whatever that means!

So, it seems B customers are facing an uphill battle.

As for me, I just need to get the hang of this paintballing thing.

Are you ready for this?

Ah, give me a break!

I think he enjoyed that!

It's not good news for Craig and Damion, though.

B aren't backing down.

They say fewer than one in 100,000 tins of Valspar

have led to a complaint.

And there are no plans to change the design of the container -

which has passed "rigorous" testing!

They also say many paint tins sold at B carry

warnings to store them in a secure, upright position.

But there are no warnings on the five-litre tin

of Valspar we bought from one of their stores!

So, B have now agreed to look at putting clear warnings

on all paint tins in future.

About time too!

And that's it for this week - but remember, we're here

to fight for you.

So if you need our help, get in touch -

the details are on the screen now.

Next week...

Massive fees and broken promises.

We're in Swansea, investigating one of the UK's most

complained-about claims firms.

Under our government license, we can only leave you in a better

position or the same.

We can never leave you running at a loss.

We'll see you next Monday.

Bye bye.