:00:11. > :00:20.You're watching X-Ray. The show that fights for your rights. If you have
:00:21. > :00:26.been ripped off or the deal turns out to be dodgy, we will battle on
:00:27. > :00:31.your behalf. We're here to your corner. -- to
:00:32. > :00:41.fight your corner. Tonight, the Big city hotel
:00:42. > :00:44.where a good night's sleep is far If anyone mentions The Big
:00:45. > :00:48.Sleep I just shudder Rhydwyn was persuaded
:00:49. > :00:54.to move his pension and was shocked to discover it had been invested
:00:55. > :00:56.in the Ukraine just before He told me not to worry about it -
:00:57. > :01:03.he said it was in Kiev and it was miles away
:01:04. > :01:05.from any fighting. And we're in Swansea checking
:01:06. > :01:07.out Christmas trees, finding out how to keep them looking
:01:08. > :01:16.good well into the New Year! First - booking a night away
:01:17. > :01:20.from home is often a bit of a treat. But one Cardiff hotel has been
:01:21. > :01:22.giving guests a truly unforgettable experience -
:01:23. > :01:27.and not in a good way. Now, you may not know this -
:01:28. > :01:34.but as well as championing your rights on X-Ray,
:01:35. > :01:38.I spend a lot of my time on the road performing stand-up
:01:39. > :01:44.comedy all over the UK. And that means I spend
:01:45. > :01:47.several nights a week Now, I don't expect luxury,
:01:48. > :01:53.I don't need a jacuzzi in the bathroom, but what I do need
:01:54. > :02:00.is a room that's quiet and clean. That's what Jan Jones
:02:01. > :02:07.from Porthcawl wanted too. Back in January, she was invited
:02:08. > :02:10.to a friend's birthday She paid ?68 to stay
:02:11. > :02:13.at The Big Sleep Hotel But when she got there, she was far
:02:14. > :02:29.from impressed with her room! I opened the door and it was an
:02:30. > :02:32.absolute mess. There were empty food containers
:02:33. > :02:35.in there, there were empty beer bottles, the mattress
:02:36. > :02:37.was exposed and it was stained. And the smell was awful
:02:38. > :02:40.because obviously there was stale Jan complained to staff at
:02:41. > :02:46.Reception. No other rooms were available,
:02:47. > :02:49.so they gave her a refund - I was very, very angry
:02:50. > :02:56.when I was out on the streets freezing cold, when I really wanted
:02:57. > :02:59.to be in my bed. If anyone mentions The Big
:03:00. > :03:01.Sleep I just shudder Now if, like me, you're
:03:02. > :03:11.from Cardiff, or even if you've just visited the city,
:03:12. > :03:12.you'll probably have heard Not just because it dominates
:03:13. > :03:16.the skyline, but because back when it opened,
:03:17. > :03:21.it made headline news. In 2000, its owner -
:03:22. > :03:23.Hollywood actor John Malkovich - It now has new owners,
:03:24. > :03:34.but the actor's name And he may not be too
:03:35. > :03:38.impressed with some We've spoken to travellers
:03:39. > :03:41.from around the UK, who were hoping for a good night's kip at the Big
:03:42. > :03:44.Sleep. Becky from Hay-on-Wye,
:03:45. > :03:46.discovered blood stains Sharon from Essex had a shocking
:03:47. > :03:53.shower curtain, a cracked sink, and a heated towel rail
:03:54. > :03:57.with exposed wiring. And spare a thought for Josh
:03:58. > :04:03.from Staffordshire. When he stayed at the
:04:04. > :04:05.Big Sleep he found... I noticed this kind of brown
:04:06. > :04:09.patch in the top corner of the duvet, I thought,
:04:10. > :04:12.ooh, I wonder what this is. Peeled back the duvet cover
:04:13. > :04:14.to have a look and, horrifyingly, saw this huge black,
:04:15. > :04:16.brown patch in the And Lina from Greece felt she had
:04:17. > :04:23.to take matters into her own hands! When I entered my room
:04:24. > :04:26.it was in a really bad condition. I went to the convenience store
:04:27. > :04:28.and took some cleaning products Cleaning the bathroom and finding
:04:29. > :04:39.previous tenants' hair from all over the body is not exactly what you
:04:40. > :04:43.expect from a room. I felt
:04:44. > :04:45.disgust, I felt deceived. It's time I checked out
:04:46. > :04:53.The Big Sleep hotel for myself. We have just booked a room here,
:04:54. > :04:56.just as anyone else would. I don't know what is
:04:57. > :05:02.on the other side of this door. And someone knows it's
:05:03. > :05:28.broken because they've And someone has said,
:05:29. > :05:38.I've got a solution, And it wasn't any
:05:39. > :05:52.better in the bathroom. Not only do we have mould,
:05:53. > :05:54.but encased within the mould colony, And you're standing under
:05:55. > :06:02.it, having a shower. A blood stain on the wall,
:06:03. > :06:10.hairs on the bedding, thick dust on the skirting boards,
:06:11. > :06:12.and stains in not one but both I don't quite know
:06:13. > :06:22.how to describe this. And there's quite clearly what can
:06:23. > :06:29.politely be called an intimate body I think I'm going
:06:30. > :06:36.to put it down now. The room was so dirty,
:06:37. > :06:40.it turned my stomach. And this is supposedly a three star
:06:41. > :06:43.hotel - according to The only bodies that can run
:06:44. > :06:51.a grading system for hotels in Wales Now, we checked with both of them
:06:52. > :06:55.and they haven't given All in all, it's a grim
:06:56. > :07:02.state of affairs. And I'm going to do
:07:03. > :07:08.something about it. For the sake of all Big Sleep
:07:09. > :07:11.customers past, present and future, I'm from BBC Wales X-Ray
:07:12. > :07:28.programme, my name's Omar. I've got a little present from some
:07:29. > :07:31.of your customers. Hopefully this
:07:32. > :07:33.will be enough for you to clean Let's hope they finally
:07:34. > :07:37.take the hint! Well, the Big Sleep
:07:38. > :07:40.Hotel has apologised. They admit these 'lapses in quality'
:07:41. > :07:44.are unacceptable - and have promised to take action
:07:45. > :07:47.to improve their housekeeping. They say they're tackling poor
:07:48. > :07:51.management and they're confident the hotel will be 'transformed' once
:07:52. > :07:53.this current refurbishment As for that mysterious
:07:54. > :08:00.three star rating - well, they admit they awarded
:08:01. > :08:03.that to themselves! There is some good news though -
:08:04. > :08:06.all the unhappy guests we spoke Now, Kasha Minor is a lecturer
:08:07. > :08:13.in hospitality at Cardiff's Kasha, what do you make
:08:14. > :08:17.of the situation at It shouldn't happen at all -
:08:18. > :08:26.cleanliness is something No matter what is the price that
:08:27. > :08:32.you pay - whether it's ?15 or ?100 - cleanliness is something that
:08:33. > :08:40.shouldn't be compromised on. And yet the Big Sleep was able
:08:41. > :08:43.to award itself three stars! Unfortunately, there's nothing
:08:44. > :08:47.to say that they can't do it. It's just up to the customer to be
:08:48. > :08:50.informed that actually when you are looking for that
:08:51. > :08:52.particular star rating, look for accredited schemes such
:08:53. > :08:54.as AA and Visit Wales - who incidentally have the same
:08:55. > :08:57.quality standards all across. So what's your advice to anyone
:08:58. > :09:00.who checks into a hotel room and finds it's just not
:09:01. > :09:01.up to scratch? First of all go downstairs
:09:02. > :09:04.and complain before you use anything at all, so give a chance
:09:05. > :09:07.to the hotel to rectify If they do that, well yes they have
:09:08. > :09:13.rectified it and it's all fine you have to pay
:09:14. > :09:16.because you've used a service. However, if you don't complain
:09:17. > :09:18.straight away don't expect Really good advice,
:09:19. > :09:21.Kasha, thank you so much. Remember, if there's anything
:09:22. > :09:24.you want us to look into, we're here to fight your corner -
:09:25. > :09:30.so please do get in touch. The number to call is 03703 334 334,
:09:31. > :09:33.you can email xray@bbc.co.uk - This talented lot know their way
:09:34. > :09:43.around the dancefloor - but how are their skills when it
:09:44. > :09:47.comes to spotting a bargain? More moist and more
:09:48. > :09:52.filling, I thought. Now, it won't be long before this
:09:53. > :10:01.Swansea street will be buzzing with people celebrating their office
:10:02. > :10:03.Christmas "dos" - but Rachel's been to meet one party organiser whose
:10:04. > :10:06.celebrations this year Claire Haile and her colleagues
:10:07. > :10:13.in Caerphilly's Community Learning Disabilities team had been looking
:10:14. > :10:19.forward to their Christmas party for months -
:10:20. > :10:21.an 'under the sea' themed extravaganza at Sophia
:10:22. > :10:25.Gardens in Cardiff. It was just a jam-packed evening -
:10:26. > :10:30.acrobats, a spectacular event, it was something you know
:10:31. > :10:33.going on all the time you had a live At ?68 a head it wasn't cheap,
:10:34. > :10:43.but the team members - including Hayley Stevens
:10:44. > :10:45.and Louise Reed-Gibbs, had a plan We thought we'd save throughout
:10:46. > :10:49.the year and it was something Yeah, so we devised an in-house
:10:50. > :10:55.savings plan which we They booked through an agent called
:10:56. > :11:00.Office Christmas, also Last month, Claire paid the final
:11:01. > :11:06.balance for the party - which the company claimed would be
:11:07. > :11:09.'the talk of the office Opened up my emails
:11:10. > :11:16.and there was an email saying We couldn't quite grasp it,
:11:17. > :11:26.we were like, are you sure? The team had paid more than ?1,700
:11:27. > :11:30.between them and turned to the company hosting the event -
:11:31. > :11:32.Best Parties Ever - They told me that only the deposit
:11:33. > :11:36.had been paid and the I was hoping for a bit of goodwill -
:11:37. > :11:42.a discount, or just some negotiation in possibly the price or any kind
:11:43. > :11:45.of help really seeing as we'd lost But Best Parties Ever insisted
:11:46. > :11:50.the team would have to fork out It's left them with
:11:51. > :11:56.a sinking feeling. I do feel very responsible
:11:57. > :11:59.for everyone losing their money, although you know I'm in the same
:12:00. > :12:01.situation, I've lost mine, but it's a lot
:12:02. > :12:06.for people this time of year. So, a real disappointment
:12:07. > :12:08.for Claire, Haylie, Louise But, Rachel, you've got
:12:09. > :12:12.an update, though, for us. Well, we have tried contacting
:12:13. > :12:15.Office Events Ltd - but their website no longer exists
:12:16. > :12:19.and we can't get hold of anybody. And what about the hosts
:12:20. > :12:23.of the event - Best Parties Ever? Well, they've confirmed
:12:24. > :12:28.that they have received our viewers' deposits -
:12:29. > :12:30.but crucially they haven't received the final balance that Claire paid
:12:31. > :12:32.to Office Events Ltd. Well, Best Parties Ever tell us
:12:33. > :12:36.that they've also lost a significant amount of money
:12:37. > :12:39.because of all of this, and what they're doing is urging
:12:40. > :12:42.all the people who booked with a credit card to
:12:43. > :12:44.try and get a refund But our viewers paid by bank
:12:45. > :12:51.transfer, didn't they? They did, and unfortunately that
:12:52. > :12:53.offers you no protection But Best Parties Ever say they DO
:12:54. > :12:59.want to help - and after we got in touch, they've offered everybody
:13:00. > :13:02.a 50% discount on their outstanding balance if they can
:13:03. > :13:07.provide proof of payment. Claire and her colleagues are really
:13:08. > :13:10.happy with that, so they WILL go That's brilliant news,
:13:11. > :13:18.Rachel, thank you so much. Next - planning for retirement
:13:19. > :13:20.is a bit of a minefield - but we've been meeting customers
:13:21. > :13:23.who fear they could have Meet the introducers -
:13:24. > :13:33.unregulated, often unqualified, and probably coming
:13:34. > :13:40.to a street near you soon. It might start with a cold call -
:13:41. > :13:43.before someone knocks on your door When it comes to introducers -
:13:44. > :13:52.the clue's in the name. They're meant to introduce
:13:53. > :13:55.you to regulated financial advisors. But some can overstep the mark -
:13:56. > :13:58.and steer you towards That's what happened
:13:59. > :14:04.to Rhydwyn Price, In 2013, he was visited
:14:05. > :14:12.by an introducer called Max Lezar. He's not allowed to give financial
:14:13. > :14:15.advice, but Rhydwyn says he told him exactly what he should do
:14:16. > :14:21.with his ?44,000 pension. He persuaded me to move my money
:14:22. > :14:24.and he said it would be a lot better where it's
:14:25. > :14:29.going than where it's been. Gordon Hart is a carpenter
:14:30. > :14:33.from Abertillery. Three years ago he was visited
:14:34. > :14:36.by someone working for Max Lezar. He says he was persuaded
:14:37. > :14:39.to merge his three pensions worth His whole job was to come here,
:14:40. > :14:48.give me financial advice so I could transfer my pensions
:14:49. > :14:51.into something that I thought was a far better deal
:14:52. > :14:53.than what I had. Max Lezar was one of a number
:14:54. > :14:57.of introducers receiving a whopping commission -
:14:58. > :15:02.a tenth of people's pensions - when they introduced
:15:03. > :15:05.customers to a fund managed by a Cardiff company,
:15:06. > :15:09.Cumulus Investment Management Ltd. Sounds like a fluffy, friendly sort
:15:10. > :15:12.of company, doesn't it? But the outlook for Cumulus
:15:13. > :15:15.at the time could best be described as stormy -
:15:16. > :15:18.because they were investing heavily Shortly before the conflict
:15:19. > :15:27.began there in 2014, the Cumulus fund had been snapping
:15:28. > :15:32.up property in the capital Kiev. Rhydwyn says he had no idea
:15:33. > :15:36.until he saw his pension statement - He told me not to worry about it -
:15:37. > :15:44.he said it was in Kiev and it was Gordon also says he got a shock
:15:45. > :15:49.when he saw his pension statement. I was never told anything
:15:50. > :15:52.about dealings in the Ukraine, Deeply worried, Gordon
:15:53. > :15:58.drove to Cumulus' offices He spoke to one of the company's
:15:59. > :16:06.directors, Cefyn Stephens. He said my money was safe,
:16:07. > :16:09.there was nothing to worry about, but in the back of your mind
:16:10. > :16:12.you still had that feeling that And if investing in a country that
:16:13. > :16:20.then ends up at war wasn't enough to worry about - it turns out Gordon
:16:21. > :16:23.and Rhydwyn should never have been Cumulus runs what's
:16:24. > :16:28.called an unregulated And because they're SO risky,
:16:29. > :16:34.they're not suitable for ordinary But they can legally be sold
:16:35. > :16:42.to what are called high Someone with a quarter
:16:43. > :16:46.of a million pounds in assets Gordon and Rhydwyn insist
:16:47. > :16:51.they don't qualify, but They were sent these -
:16:52. > :16:58.forms they'd apparently signed, confirming they were wealthy enough
:16:59. > :17:03.to join the scheme! I never signed no piece
:17:04. > :17:16.of paper to say I was worth. They were also surprised
:17:17. > :17:19.that their signatures were on forms saying they hadn't received
:17:20. > :17:22.financial advice from Max Lezar By this time Cumulus had told
:17:23. > :17:27.customers they couldn't It was looking as if we were
:17:28. > :17:36.going to lose it all. I'm trying to get out from it
:17:37. > :17:39.and they're telling me Gordon complained to
:17:40. > :17:48.the Financial Ombudsman Service. In a preliminary adjudication,
:17:49. > :17:51.they've just upheld a complaint Cumulus Investment Management Ltd -
:17:52. > :17:58.whose office is now empty - We've also discovered that
:17:59. > :18:04.Max Lezar, the supposedly independent introducer,
:18:05. > :18:07.was also based in this The ombudsman service says there may
:18:08. > :18:15.have been a conflict of interest between Max Lezar and the directors
:18:16. > :18:20.of Cumulus Investment Management Ltd But Cumulus say all the introducers
:18:21. > :18:28.were independent, and they relied on them and the signed forms
:18:29. > :18:32.to confirm customers As well as investing in the Ukraine,
:18:33. > :18:41.the Cumulus fund spent ?1m buying this - a former hospital
:18:42. > :18:43.in Budapest in Hungary - with a further ?3m going towards
:18:44. > :18:47.turning it into a luxury hotel. We showed Rhydwyn where some
:18:48. > :18:52.of his pension may have ended up. I'm shocked - how anyone can invest
:18:53. > :18:56.in that building is beyond me. Cumulus director Cefyn Stephens says
:18:57. > :19:06.the hotel should be ready He says the properties
:19:07. > :19:11.in the Ukraine are on the market - and when sold, customers like Gordon
:19:12. > :19:13.and Rhydwyn should be able to withdraw their investments
:19:14. > :19:16.if they wish. It's my little nest egg for
:19:17. > :19:23.when I get a bit rickety-rickety. It's money I've worked
:19:24. > :19:25.for all my life, ever since I've left school I've
:19:26. > :19:27.put into this pension. To see it end up there
:19:28. > :19:35.is pretty gutting. Well, Max Lezar, the 'introducer'
:19:36. > :19:40.responsible for signing up Gordon and Rhydwyn,
:19:41. > :19:43.says he doesn't believe he's acted 'illegally
:19:44. > :19:48.or improperly' And the directors of Cumulus Investment Management Ltd
:19:49. > :19:50.- Andrew Lucas and Cefyn Stephens - Cefyn Stephens told us the hotel
:19:51. > :20:01.in Budapest has doubled in value and he's confident that investments
:20:02. > :20:03.made by Cumulus customers will be Let's hope so - and we'll keep
:20:04. > :20:08.you posted on any developments. The Electrical Safety First charity
:20:09. > :20:16.is warning about dangerous electrical goods this Christmas,
:20:17. > :20:18.after they tested counterfeit Fake Nutribullet blenders,
:20:19. > :20:26.mobile phone chargers and GHD straighteners might look genuine,
:20:27. > :20:28.but some are missing key safety Rogues are trying to cash
:20:29. > :20:38.in on the bad weather by offering to repair damaged
:20:39. > :20:43.roofs and guttering. Neighbourhood watch group OWL Cymru
:20:44. > :20:46.has issued an alert about cold callers after elderly people
:20:47. > :20:47.at sheltered accommodation And Swansea is to become the first
:20:48. > :20:55.place in Wales to have new ultrafast Thousands of homes in the city
:20:56. > :21:00.will be connected up next year and get download speeds
:21:01. > :21:13.more than ten times the UK average. Now, I've headed out
:21:14. > :21:16.of the city centre to Gower - and one of the biggest Christmas
:21:17. > :21:20.tree farms in Wales! There are more than 300,000 trees
:21:21. > :21:23.here, many of which will soon be heading to homes right
:21:24. > :21:26.across the UK. Rob, what can we look out
:21:27. > :21:34.for when we're going to buy The first tip I would say
:21:35. > :21:38.is don't buy too early. Christmas comes to Swansea earlier
:21:39. > :21:40.every year, I think, You need to somewhere that's selling
:21:41. > :21:46.good fresh trees, to be honest. This was cut today -
:21:47. > :21:49.you can see how fresh it is, smells nice, it's green,
:21:50. > :21:51.lush, the colour on it - It's got a lot of moisture
:21:52. > :21:56.in it...the key to a good tree If I could lift that
:21:57. > :22:01.up easy now that means It'll look good when you buy it,
:22:02. > :22:06.but in a couple of weeks it'll just Do you have to spend a lot of money
:22:07. > :22:12.on a tree to make sure you get one that's going to last and isn't
:22:13. > :22:14.going to shed its needles? This is your classic non drop
:22:15. > :22:18.tree. You're looking at
:22:19. > :22:20.about ?36 for this. But a Norway Spruce,
:22:21. > :22:23.a traditional tree, you're Is there anything we should be doing
:22:24. > :22:28.once we've got it home? It's a good idea to cut
:22:29. > :22:31.a little bit off the bottom. That will stimulate the tree
:22:32. > :22:33.to start drinking water again, put the tree in a very good tree stand
:22:34. > :22:37.that holds a lot of water cos you'd Try not to put it next
:22:38. > :22:41.to under floor heating, You've got to treat them like cut
:22:42. > :22:45.flowers because they'll just dry Now, once your tree is trimmed up,
:22:46. > :22:54.you need to start planning what food you're going to serve
:22:55. > :22:56.to your guests! Many of us splash out
:22:57. > :22:59.on top of the range grub - but I've been finding out
:23:00. > :23:01.whether cheaper alternatives And if you're the one who has
:23:02. > :23:20.to sort out the festive food shop, But - do you really need to spend
:23:21. > :23:27.a sleigh-load to make it a Christmas cracker rather than
:23:28. > :23:31.a Christmas turkey? These tea dancers are having
:23:32. > :23:34.a Christmas Party and I've been put Shirley Ferris runs the Tea Dance
:23:35. > :23:41.here at the Paget Rooms Unfortunately he died two years ago
:23:42. > :23:49.so I'm keeping the dance Our oldest member is Ted who's 96
:23:50. > :23:55.and he's up for every dance I wonder what the rest
:23:56. > :24:05.of the dancers buy I go and visit relatives so it's
:24:06. > :24:10.whatever they splash Do you go for luxury brands,
:24:11. > :24:15.do you spend a bit more? No, we don't, we always go
:24:16. > :24:18.to the cheaper brands. On some things like mince pies
:24:19. > :24:23.and cake - M Well, I'm going to let them get
:24:24. > :24:28.back to their dancing. And it's time for me to put my pinny
:24:29. > :24:33.on and get the party started! I've brought along a selection
:24:34. > :24:36.of luxury and premium party foods And I'm going to ask the dancers
:24:37. > :24:41.to compare a pricy product with a cheaper alternative -
:24:42. > :24:51.to see which they prefer. And we'll reveal whether it's
:24:52. > :24:54.a save or a splurge! Now I usually say no sweets before
:24:55. > :24:56.dinner but because it's Christmas I'm going to start
:24:57. > :24:58.with my favourite - Let's see what our first set
:24:59. > :25:05.of judges make of plate one. I like number one, I thought
:25:06. > :25:17.the pastry was nicer. Number two, more moist and more
:25:18. > :25:20.filling I thought in there. I preferred number two because it
:25:21. > :25:23.wasn't so sweet And they've The prize for the pies goes
:25:24. > :25:34.to the SAVE option. Those moreish mince pies
:25:35. > :25:36.were from Iceland and cost ?1.50 for six - a pound
:25:37. > :25:39.cheaper than the ones Time for some new judges to take
:25:40. > :25:48.a turn - and it's not rock Maybe she'll prefer
:25:49. > :25:59.option two. They've cast their votes
:26:00. > :26:05.and chosen plate number one The pricier Marks and Spencer
:26:06. > :26:15.sausage rolls have beaten the cheaper, Taste the Difference
:26:16. > :26:21.ones from Sainsbury's. All change on the dancefloor -
:26:22. > :26:24.and our next judges will be I think it's gorgeous and I'm
:26:25. > :26:35.thoroughly enjoying it. It had a taste to it
:26:36. > :26:42.which I didn't particularly like. The winner is Number 1 -
:26:43. > :26:55.and the icing on the cake is that grams, it beat the Tesco Finest cake
:26:56. > :27:03.which cost ?4.00. All this festive feasting -
:27:04. > :27:11.and dancing - is thirsty work. I prefer that one, I think that's
:27:12. > :27:21.probably the most expensive. So which bubbles do
:27:22. > :27:27.they think are best? Carol, could you reveal your
:27:28. > :27:28.overall favourite please? The SAVE option has
:27:29. > :27:37.popped THEIR cork! At just two pounds a bottle,
:27:38. > :27:39.this Asda Bucks Fizz costs ?1.50 And at that price it would be rude
:27:40. > :27:44.not to finish the bottle! So it's a 3-1 victory
:27:45. > :27:51.to the cheaper items! Just goes to show you don't HAVE
:27:52. > :27:54.to spend a fortune on your I don't think they'll be doing much
:27:55. > :28:00.rocking around the Christmas They did say they'd help me clear up
:28:01. > :28:11.though - ah, where've they gone? Well, that's all from us this week -
:28:12. > :28:14.and for this year! But just like Santa -
:28:15. > :28:17.and these guys - our team will be So if there's a story you think
:28:18. > :28:22.we should look into, let us know. Have a great Christmas -
:28:23. > :28:25.we'll see Hello, I'm Riz Lateef,
:28:26. > :29:01.with your 90 second update. This is the man who's been elected
:29:02. > :29:04.as the new leader of UKIP.