Episode 3 X-Ray

You are watching X-Ray, the show that fights for your rights. If you

have been ripped off, or that deal turns out to be dodgy. We will

battle it out on your behalf. We are here to fight your corner.

Tonight - the heartless conman, using fake names and false promises

The biggest liar I've ever met in my life.

They say the camera never lies - but taxi driver

I feel quite annoyed and it's so worrying

And how will you pay for your funeral?

I'll be finding out how you can avoid the rising cost of dying.

Tonight, we're in Bridgend - and this new housing estate

in Brynmenyn on the outskirts of town may seem like a perfect

place for families and young couples to set up home, but one local

businessman just saw it as an opportunity to rip people off.

Finding a new place to live can be an exciting time -

Back in June, Liam Swain and Chloe Stone from Bridgend

decided to take the plunge and move in together.

We decided to move in because it was our own place, own freedom.

At the time I was at my mum's house in a one-bedroom flat.

So when they spotted an advert for a property they liked

on the Gumtree website, Liam phoned the landlord -

He sent me photos over, it did look really nice

and yeah, we said we'll meet at the property,

have a look round, obviously excited.

The flat they came to see was on a prestigious Redrow development

The property seemed to be just what they were looking for.

And the landlord only too keen to show them around.

Shook Liam's hand, came in and gave us a hug.

It was really modern - open plan, massive bedroom for us both.

We requested we pay first month's rent and the bond for the property.

So we obviously gave it to him in cash.

He gave us the keys and said that was ours, you know.

But the next day, as they started to move in, they made

It was a letter addressed to a Mr D Sparey -

demanding payment of rent arrears to the housing association

So if they were the landlords, who had Chloe and Liam

So I rung him, and he was like, Hello, Dale

speaking." I was like, Dale?

'Shane' was actually this man - a local businessman called

Dale Sparey, who was the tenant of the flat.

What did you think when you found out he'd used a different name?

Liam said, I want our money back now straight away.

You haven't been gone long, come back and give our money back,

When the couple threatened to call the police, Dale gave them

But they've still been chasing him for the rest.

In total he's given us ?350 - not quite ?900.

We spoke to the real landlord - Valleys to Coast

They confirmed that Dale Sparey 'illegally' sublet the flat

and when they found out they took action to evict him.

But the slippery Mr Sparey isn't just a lying, fake landlord.

In the last four years, he's been behind five failed

Last summer, he ran an insurance claims company, Protect Smart Ltd,

And it seems Dale wasn't very 'smart' when it came

The landlord told us he left owing ?1,000 in rent.

Three of his employees told us Dale never paid their wages -

one says she nearly lost her home because of it.

And the list of Dale's debts doesn't end there.

You only have to cross the road to find more victims!

Last summer, Dale stayed at the Villa Guest House

Owners Clive and Delyth thought he seemed genuine.

He was a nice man, didn't see any harm at all.

He paid cash for the first two nights, and then we came

to a deal that he would pay at the end of the week,

But when Clive tried to bank the first cheque,

It was sent back because the cheque had bounced.

He said his it was an error on his accountant's part

and he said he'd pay cash, but he never ever paid any cash.

In total he owed Clive and Delyth almost ?1,000.

And other people were chasing him too.

They came knocking for him, 7am one morning and we were informed

Dale had also used the guest house address and a fake name -

Dale Conway - to join the local gym, but didn't pay them either.

He is a liar a born liar, the biggest liar I've ever met

in my life, and I think people should be very careful

about any dealings with him, because unless the system

stops him he will do it over and over, it is appalling.

So, lots of people wanting answers - and their money back.

Dale Sparey knows we're looking for him, but he's ignored

We hear he's left town - he's not answering any

Seems he's very happy to talk to people when he wants their money

but very slippery to get hold of when you want to ask

If you know where he is, do let us know.

There is some good news though - because Liam and Chloe have now

Now Jennie Bibbings is here from Shelter Cymru.

How common is it that someone would rent out a property

when they have absolutely no right to?

We do sometimes come across this situation.

It's not very common but it is a risk.

So something that we advise people to do if you've

got any doubt at all, you can go online go

to the land registry website and you can do a search.

It costs about ?4 and then you can find out if the person

that owns that property is who they say they are.

Now, Dale Sparey was a fake landlord,

landlords who aren't up to scratch too, aren't there?

That's true, there are a lot of good landlords out

there but unfortunately there are still a small number

of rogues and they give the whole sector a bad name and they keep us

Private sector work is about a third of our casework which is

There are new regulations coming in though, aren't there,

Jennie, that we hope might improve things?

Yes, so from 23rd November, Rent Smart Wales is coming online

and this is a real game changer, because what it means

is for the first time, all landlords and letting agents

They have to pass a fit and proper person test and they have to do

basic training on how to be a landlord, so from 23rd November

we would strongly advise tenants if you're looking for somewhere

to live, don't sign anything, don't hand over any money until you've

gone on to the Rent Smart Wales website and checked

If you find that they're not licensed, don't let them

in and in fact if you find that your existing landlord isn't

on the list, you might want to let Rent Smart Wales know about that.

Jennie, thank you very much - and we'll put all that information

And if there's anything you want us to look into for you,

You can email [email protected] - or send us a tweet!

Still to come - the bodged building job which left Shahida

The roof wasn't put in properly so it was flapping

And with funeral costs rising fast, Omar finds out how to get

Next, to Ebbw Vale, and a car park saga which has been driving one

So today is a bit like Groundhog Day for me, because I'm back at The Walk

Five years ago, we were flooded with complaints about this place.

Disabled drivers who'd parked for free in the past,

The machines were causing confusion - and there weren't enough signs.

Now we thought we'd brought peace to that particular patch

of troublesome tarmac, but, we were wrong.

Local taxi driver Steven O'Connell has always enjoyed his job -

but recently life has got more stressful - thanks to these!

It appears they've clocked me going in, they don't seem

to clock me going out that particular time.

And then when I've gone in at a later time of the day then,

they seem to clock me back out as if I've been parked

In total, Steven's had three parking charge notices, - just

Because he hasn't paid, the costs have now spiralled

But Steven says his diary proves he's played by the rules.

So you write all of this down now then?

So you've got 5.24 in, 5.25 out, so that tallies and then you've got

6.20 in and 6.25 out so yeah, you've made two trips in that time

but they've only got you down as making one.

The signs here clearly state that car park users don t need a ticket

if - like Steven - they're here for less than ten minutes.

Right, so we are going to have a try at going into this car park.

See the post on your right, look by here with the camera on.

So that's the camera that clocks you coming in,

that says taxis only, so obviously you're

So you stop briefly, your passenger would get out.

I guess, sometimes it takes a little while, doesn't it?

Would it be an option, to drop your customers outside

No, when I've got wheelchair-bound people in here I have to go

as near to the shop as possible with them and pick them back

If I can't drop people in there, I'm losing money every day then.

I feel quite annoyed and it's so worrying about going to court

and whatever, you know, it's made me sort of feel down

So a bit of a nightmare for Steven, who's just trying to do his job.

Now, Excel say they have an appeals process but Steven didn't

They deny there's a problem with their system, they say

the confusion is down to Steven's personalised numberplate -

which is a non-DVLA approved format which car park cameras can

sometimes struggle to read, but that's come as a bit

of a surprise to Steven who's had it for ten years and says he's never

But there is good news - one of the charges has now been

dropped completely, the other two on hold until Excel can look again

So, fingers crossed he won't have to pay up but he might have

Now, here on X-Ray, lots of you tell us about problems you've

So I've been finding out how you can avoid getting

Wales may be a long way from the Wild West -

but we still get our fair share of cowboys.

We do our best to let you know about the baddies -

but we also want you armed with the knowledge to avoid them.

So I'm roping in the expert help of Chartered Surveyor Tim Davies.

We're here to witness the tale of the Calamity Build -

the conservatory which cost ?3,000 but has a leaking,

flapping roof, dodgy wiring and is a bit of a mess.

We can't name the builder behind this for legal reasons.

But Shahida Khan's the one having to live with it.

We were trying to organise my daughter's engagement party

and we wanted to do it at home because it's the kind of thing

we normally would do with very close friends and family so,

I thought it would be nice to have the conservatory done

I ordered a cooker and he was the delivery guy

And he said that he's done loft conversions and he can do

all the conservatory work, so basically he told me that he can

do everything and he's qualified to do it as well.

Well, Tim, Shahida trusted everything that builder told her.

Yeah, it's a common mistake Lucy, trusting somebody,

The best thing to do is get a personal recommendation

from a friend, a colleague who knows the history and has had a good

experience of a builder like that in the past.

I'm not a great fan of them if I'm honest with you,

mainly because you can write your own review and you can

give yourself a glowing reference. OK, should we keep watching?

As I showed him the conservatory that was there, he said

he could rebuild it for me for under ?1,200 and I thought that's the kind

of amount maybe I can afford and I thought we'll

He would keep asking for more money because he would make

mistakes and then he would have to redo the job.

So I sat down to work out how much we actually paid him so far

and I was shocked when I it worked out over ?3,000.

I had to keep paying him the money that he was asking

for because I was desperate to get the job done.

Hmm, so Shahida just had a verbal agreement on the cost

of the conservatory - seems like that's left her vulnerable.

Yeah, it has, I mean really she should've had

something in writing, preferably a quotation -

because a quotation is a fixed price, an estimate can vary.

With a quotation the builder is bound to do the work

for the price he's quoted, unless you instruct

What about a contract, Tim?

You can download them from the internet -

standard contract for domestic building work, both parties sign

them and you've got a written agreement about what will be done

for how much and what sort of timescale, so yes,

This was a really cheap price for the conservatory, wasn't it,

Tim, and you can see why Shahida would've been tempted,

You're not going to get a lot for the amount she was quoted.

That sort of money would buy you a couple of French doors maybe

and some roof lights, certainly not a lean-to

conservatory, so yes, alarm bells should definitely have

The roof wasn't put in properly so it was flapping over with the wind.

I spoke to him and said nothing has been completed and I just don't want

you to do any more work because I'm out of pocket.

He said initially that all of the job would be

done in two weeks' time but it was going into months.

We then had to decide to have the engagement elsewhere.

Now the wedding is on hold until we can save up

I really feel for Shahida, don't you?

What do you make of the builder's work?

The work is truly appalling. She's had a really bad job.

What can people do then to protect themselves

while building work is ongoing? Photographs are really good.

A good diary, written notes - times, dates.

You know then when they're asking for more money,

what are they asking it for? What work have they carried out?

You've got all this written down and photographic evidence

Is there anything that Shahida can do now?

Yeah, well, you know, she has got the option of taking it

to Trading Standards, and the other option she's got

then is County Court, small claims, where there's a good

chance she could win her case and recover some of her money.

Some sound advice from Tim there. We'll put those tips on our website.

Samsung has scrapped its Galaxy Note 7 handset, after some

They hadn't yet been released in the UK, but thousands of people

If you're affected, Samsung says you can change

to a different model - or get a full refund.

Before winter sets in, it is worth shopping around

for the best deal on your energy bills.

If you've never switched supplier before, you could save

And in Merthyr and Rhondda Cynon Taf, bogus door-to-door salesmen

have been trying to sell used, dirty mattresses for hundreds

of pounds each! Yuck.

If it's happened to you, let us know.

Next - it's not something most of us like to dwell on,

but with funeral costs in Wales rising fast, it could really

Let's see whether people here in Bridgend are prepared

Have you ever thought about your funeral?

Yeah, actually I discussed last week with a financial adviser,

Really, so, have you got plans in place to pay for it?

Not at the moment no but I'm looking into it.

It takes pressure the off your children, doesn't it?

If the money's there, they haven't got to worry

about sorting it out with your finances, getting

a loan or anything for it, so it's easier.

It's a massive bill for someone to be left with, isn't it?

Not quite yet but I think I will in the near future, yeah.

I really don't see the point of having a plaque

or anything to visit. I think that's a waste of money,

I really do, you know, to have a plaque in...

I've got to find someone to put him up in a rocket.

Find a firework place, isnt it? Bonfire night is on its way.

Ah, do you know what, I don't think I have,

he's put me on the spot! I will do after doing this though!

Cardboard box, fire, crazy songs, everyone dressing up,

jazzy times, I wouldn't really want it to be a morbid affair.

Sounds really fun. Can I come?

It's a tricky topic - but one you can't afford to ignore!

It's the ultimate elephant in the room.

The one thing we can't avoid and can't prevent but we just don't

There, I said it. We're all going to die one day.

And in Wales the cost of dying is rising faster

The average price of a funeral here is now ?3,461.

Wrexham is the most expensive place for a burial,

As for cremations, Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taff

As for cremations, Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf

proves the priciest - at ?3,353.

And those prices are just for a basic funeral -

a simple coffin with a simple service.

No wonder one in ten people in the UK is struggling

According to one charity, the price of a basic funeral has

almost doubled in the last ten years and low income households

We have to get away from the squeamishness which stops

us from seeing this as any other than a consumer issue.

You know buying a funeral, it's the fourth most expensive thing

that we're going to buy after a house, car and wedding.

So people often make very rash decisions at that point.

You know, they go to payday lenders, they put it on the credit card,

Angela Bates from Cardiff knows all about funeral poverty.

In July her brother Peter died suddenly in Reading.

She couldn't even afford to bring his body back to Wales.

Lots of tears, panic, worry. Peter died with no money.

I've got no money. I've got nothing to sell.

And I kept thinking, God, is he going to go

But Peter's work colleagues came to the rescue.

They set up a page on a crowdfunding website to help Angela raise

My brother had amazing, amazing friends and I kept saying

We can bury him now, we can bring him home from Reading.

To be honest, he had the most amazing, fantastic send-off.

If you'd have paid ?10,000 it couldn't have been any better,

Death can be unexpected - but it's also inevitable.

And when it comes to funeral fees we don't always feel comfortable

But here's the thing - if I wanted to spend

a few grand on a car - not one of these, a normal car -

the first thing I'd do is go online, I'd shop around, I'd make sure

Now that is exactly what you should be doing with a funeral director.

There are websites that list the different prices charged

And that's pretty useful, because not all funeral firms put

And don't be afraid to challenge your Funeral Director

on their prices, because you don't always have to pay as much

If I wanted to do it on a shoestring, what's

You can have all sorts of materials, from very simple veneer

timber coffins to natural products, recycled cardboard.

Very popular nowadays are the wicker and natural fibre type coffins.

They start at a few hundred pounds, very often used for green burial,

So you can have something that's dignified, suitable, inexpensively.

Celebrities have also influenced how many of us plan our send off.

There was no funeral service and no fuss.

Direct cremations are whereby somebody can arrange

a cremation, typically with a direct cremation provider.

Direct cremations are not attended by mourners.

They will arrange for the collection of the deceased from

a point and conveyanced to a crematorium of their choice.

Remember - a cheaper funeral doesn't mean a bad one,

just as spending thousands of pounds doesn't guarantee

And there are plenty of ways to keep those costs down.

There are things like leading the service.

We don't need to pay for a minister or a celebrant to lead the service,

that's something that a friend or member of the family can do.

And that's a way of saving costs and also kind of taking control

and making it a really kind of personal service.

Many crematoria will have an early morning slot that's more affordable,

so if you're happy to have your service at around 9.30am

in the morning you could save yourself a good few hundred pounds.

So although funeral costs are rising, so too are the different

options available to keep those costs down.

At the end of the day, the size of the bill has

nothing to do with how much you love your dearly departed.

The most important thing you can do is have that conversation

with your loved ones, so at least they know what kind

So that way, you can address the elephant in the room,

But if you need our help with a consumer problem,

however big or small, do get in touch - our details

Next week - we investigate the state of our railways.

Why are so many people feeling the strain when they take the train?

Overcrowding is horrendous at the moment you never get a seat

on the mornings or the evenings on the commute, it's

We'll be back next Monday at our usual time of 7.30pm.

Your task is to come up with an advertising campaign for jeans.

You can't vote for yourself. Please stop talking, please.

That looks ridiculous. We haven't got what we should have.

What do you mean, you can't find the jeans? I'm sorry.