Episode 9 X-Ray

You're watching X-Ray. The show that fights for your rights. If you have

been ripped off or the deal turns out to be dodgy, we will battle on

your behalf. We're here to your corner. -- to

fight your corner. Tonight, the Big city hotel

where a good night's sleep is far If anyone mentions The Big

Sleep I just shudder Rhydwyn was persuaded

to move his pension and was shocked to discover it had been invested

in the Ukraine just before He told me not to worry about it -

he said it was in Kiev and it was miles away

from any fighting. And we're in Swansea checking

out Christmas trees, finding out how to keep them looking

good well into the New Year! First - booking a night away

from home is often a bit of a treat. But one Cardiff hotel has been

giving guests a truly unforgettable experience -

and not in a good way. Now, you may not know this -

but as well as championing your rights on X-Ray,

I spend a lot of my time on the road performing stand-up

comedy all over the UK. And that means I spend

several nights a week Now, I don't expect luxury,

I don't need a jacuzzi in the bathroom, but what I do need

is a room that's quiet and clean. That's what Jan Jones

from Porthcawl wanted too. Back in January, she was invited

to a friend's birthday She paid ?68 to stay

at The Big Sleep Hotel But when she got there, she was far

from impressed with her room! I opened the door and it was an

absolute mess. There were empty food containers

in there, there were empty beer bottles, the mattress

was exposed and it was stained. And the smell was awful

because obviously there was stale Jan complained to staff at

Reception. No other rooms were available,

so they gave her a refund - I was very, very angry

when I was out on the streets freezing cold, when I really wanted

to be in my bed. If anyone mentions The Big

Sleep I just shudder Now if, like me, you're

from Cardiff, or even if you've just visited the city,

you'll probably have heard Not just because it dominates

the skyline, but because back when it opened,

it made headline news. In 2000, its owner -

Hollywood actor John Malkovich - It now has new owners,

but the actor's name And he may not be too

impressed with some We've spoken to travellers

from around the UK, who were hoping for a good night's kip at the Big

Sleep. Becky from Hay-on-Wye,

discovered blood stains Sharon from Essex had a shocking

shower curtain, a cracked sink, and a heated towel rail

with exposed wiring. And spare a thought for Josh

from Staffordshire. When he stayed at the

Big Sleep he found... I noticed this kind of brown

patch in the top corner of the duvet, I thought,

ooh, I wonder what this is. Peeled back the duvet cover

to have a look and, horrifyingly, saw this huge black,

brown patch in the And Lina from Greece felt she had

to take matters into her own hands! When I entered my room

it was in a really bad condition. I went to the convenience store

and took some cleaning products Cleaning the bathroom and finding

previous tenants' hair from all over the body is not exactly what you

expect from a room. I felt

disgust, I felt deceived. It's time I checked out

The Big Sleep hotel for myself. We have just booked a room here,

just as anyone else would. I don't know what is

on the other side of this door. And someone knows it's

broken because they've And someone has said,

I've got a solution, And it wasn't any

better in the bathroom. Not only do we have mould,

but encased within the mould colony, And you're standing under

it, having a shower. A blood stain on the wall,

hairs on the bedding, thick dust on the skirting boards,

and stains in not one but both I don't quite know

how to describe this. And there's quite clearly what can

politely be called an intimate body I think I'm going

to put it down now. The room was so dirty,

it turned my stomach. And this is supposedly a three star

hotel - according to The only bodies that can run

a grading system for hotels in Wales Now, we checked with both of them

and they haven't given All in all, it's a grim

state of affairs. And I'm going to do

something about it. For the sake of all Big Sleep

customers past, present and future, I'm from BBC Wales X-Ray

programme, my name's Omar. I've got a little present from some

of your customers. Hopefully this

will be enough for you to clean Let's hope they finally

take the hint! Well, the Big Sleep

Hotel has apologised. They admit these 'lapses in quality'

are unacceptable - and have promised to take action

to improve their housekeeping. They say they're tackling poor

management and they're confident the hotel will be 'transformed' once

this current refurbishment As for that mysterious

three star rating - well, they admit they awarded

that to themselves! There is some good news though -

all the unhappy guests we spoke Now, Kasha Minor is a lecturer

in hospitality at Cardiff's Kasha, what do you make

of the situation at It shouldn't happen at all -

cleanliness is something No matter what is the price that

you pay - whether it's ?15 or ?100 - cleanliness is something that

shouldn't be compromised on. And yet the Big Sleep was able

to award itself three stars! Unfortunately, there's nothing

to say that they can't do it. It's just up to the customer to be

informed that actually when you are looking for that

particular star rating, look for accredited schemes such

as AA and Visit Wales - who incidentally have the same

quality standards all across. So what's your advice to anyone

who checks into a hotel room and finds it's just not

up to scratch? First of all go downstairs

and complain before you use anything at all, so give a chance

to the hotel to rectify If they do that, well yes they have

rectified it and it's all fine you have to pay

because you've used a service. However, if you don't complain

straight away don't expect Really good advice,

Kasha, thank you so much. Remember, if there's anything

you want us to look into, we're here to fight your corner -

so please do get in touch. The number to call is 03703 334 334,

you can email [email protected] - This talented lot know their way

around the dancefloor - but how are their skills when it

comes to spotting a bargain? More moist and more

filling, I thought. Now, it won't be long before this

Swansea street will be buzzing with people celebrating their office

Christmas "dos" - but Rachel's been to meet one party organiser whose

celebrations this year Claire Haile and her colleagues

in Caerphilly's Community Learning Disabilities team had been looking

forward to their Christmas party for months -

an 'under the sea' themed extravaganza at Sophia

Gardens in Cardiff. It was just a jam-packed evening -

acrobats, a spectacular event, it was something you know

going on all the time you had a live At ?68 a head it wasn't cheap,

but the team members - including Hayley Stevens

and Louise Reed-Gibbs, had a plan We thought we'd save throughout

the year and it was something Yeah, so we devised an in-house

savings plan which we They booked through an agent called

Office Christmas, also Last month, Claire paid the final

balance for the party - which the company claimed would be

'the talk of the office Opened up my emails

and there was an email saying We couldn't quite grasp it,

we were like, are you sure? The team had paid more than ?1,700

between them and turned to the company hosting the event -

Best Parties Ever - They told me that only the deposit

had been paid and the I was hoping for a bit of goodwill -

a discount, or just some negotiation in possibly the price or any kind

of help really seeing as we'd lost But Best Parties Ever insisted

the team would have to fork out It's left them with

a sinking feeling. I do feel very responsible

for everyone losing their money, although you know I'm in the same

situation, I've lost mine, but it's a lot

for people this time of year. So, a real disappointment

for Claire, Haylie, Louise But, Rachel, you've got

an update, though, for us. Well, we have tried contacting

Office Events Ltd - but their website no longer exists

and we can't get hold of anybody. And what about the hosts

of the event - Best Parties Ever? Well, they've confirmed

that they have received our viewers' deposits -

but crucially they haven't received the final balance that Claire paid

to Office Events Ltd. Well, Best Parties Ever tell us

that they've also lost a significant amount of money

because of all of this, and what they're doing is urging

all the people who booked with a credit card to

try and get a refund But our viewers paid by bank

transfer, didn't they? They did, and unfortunately that

offers you no protection But Best Parties Ever say they DO

want to help - and after we got in touch, they've offered everybody

a 50% discount on their outstanding balance if they can

provide proof of payment. Claire and her colleagues are really

happy with that, so they WILL go That's brilliant news,

Rachel, thank you so much. Next - planning for retirement

is a bit of a minefield - but we've been meeting customers

who fear they could have Meet the introducers -

unregulated, often unqualified, and probably coming

to a street near you soon. It might start with a cold call -

before someone knocks on your door When it comes to introducers -

the clue's in the name. They're meant to introduce

you to regulated financial advisors. But some can overstep the mark -

and steer you towards That's what happened

to Rhydwyn Price, In 2013, he was visited

by an introducer called Max Lezar. He's not allowed to give financial

advice, but Rhydwyn says he told him exactly what he should do

with his ?44,000 pension. He persuaded me to move my money

and he said it would be a lot better where it's

going than where it's been. Gordon Hart is a carpenter

from Abertillery. Three years ago he was visited

by someone working for Max Lezar. He says he was persuaded

to merge his three pensions worth His whole job was to come here,

give me financial advice so I could transfer my pensions

into something that I thought was a far better deal

than what I had. Max Lezar was one of a number

of introducers receiving a whopping commission -

a tenth of people's pensions - when they introduced

customers to a fund managed by a Cardiff company,

Cumulus Investment Management Ltd. Sounds like a fluffy, friendly sort

of company, doesn't it? But the outlook for Cumulus

at the time could best be described as stormy -

because they were investing heavily Shortly before the conflict

began there in 2014, the Cumulus fund had been snapping

up property in the capital Kiev. Rhydwyn says he had no idea

until he saw his pension statement - He told me not to worry about it -

he said it was in Kiev and it was Gordon also says he got a shock

when he saw his pension statement. I was never told anything

about dealings in the Ukraine, Deeply worried, Gordon

drove to Cumulus' offices He spoke to one of the company's

directors, Cefyn Stephens. He said my money was safe,

there was nothing to worry about, but in the back of your mind

you still had that feeling that And if investing in a country that

then ends up at war wasn't enough to worry about - it turns out Gordon

and Rhydwyn should never have been Cumulus runs what's

called an unregulated And because they're SO risky,

they're not suitable for ordinary But they can legally be sold

to what are called high Someone with a quarter

of a million pounds in assets Gordon and Rhydwyn insist

they don't qualify, but They were sent these -

forms they'd apparently signed, confirming they were wealthy enough

to join the scheme! I never signed no piece

of paper to say I was worth. They were also surprised

that their signatures were on forms saying they hadn't received

financial advice from Max Lezar By this time Cumulus had told

customers they couldn't It was looking as if we were

going to lose it all. I'm trying to get out from it

and they're telling me Gordon complained to

the Financial Ombudsman Service. In a preliminary adjudication,

they've just upheld a complaint Cumulus Investment Management Ltd -

whose office is now empty - We've also discovered that

Max Lezar, the supposedly independent introducer,

was also based in this The ombudsman service says there may

have been a conflict of interest between Max Lezar and the directors

of Cumulus Investment Management Ltd But Cumulus say all the introducers

were independent, and they relied on them and the signed forms

to confirm customers As well as investing in the Ukraine,

the Cumulus fund spent ?1m buying this - a former hospital

in Budapest in Hungary - with a further ?3m going towards

turning it into a luxury hotel. We showed Rhydwyn where some

of his pension may have ended up. I'm shocked - how anyone can invest

in that building is beyond me. Cumulus director Cefyn Stephens says

the hotel should be ready He says the properties

in the Ukraine are on the market - and when sold, customers like Gordon

and Rhydwyn should be able to withdraw their investments

if they wish. It's my little nest egg for

when I get a bit rickety-rickety. It's money I've worked

for all my life, ever since I've left school I've

put into this pension. To see it end up there

is pretty gutting. Well, Max Lezar, the 'introducer'

responsible for signing up Gordon and Rhydwyn,

says he doesn't believe he's acted 'illegally

or improperly' And the directors of Cumulus Investment Management Ltd

- Andrew Lucas and Cefyn Stephens - Cefyn Stephens told us the hotel

in Budapest has doubled in value and he's confident that investments

made by Cumulus customers will be Let's hope so - and we'll keep

you posted on any developments. The Electrical Safety First charity

is warning about dangerous electrical goods this Christmas,

after they tested counterfeit Fake Nutribullet blenders,

mobile phone chargers and GHD straighteners might look genuine,

but some are missing key safety Rogues are trying to cash

in on the bad weather by offering to repair damaged

roofs and guttering. Neighbourhood watch group OWL Cymru

has issued an alert about cold callers after elderly people

at sheltered accommodation And Swansea is to become the first

place in Wales to have new ultrafast Thousands of homes in the city

will be connected up next year and get download speeds

more than ten times the UK average. Now, I've headed out

of the city centre to Gower - and one of the biggest Christmas

tree farms in Wales! There are more than 300,000 trees

here, many of which will soon be heading to homes right

across the UK. Rob, what can we look out

for when we're going to buy The first tip I would say

is don't buy too early. Christmas comes to Swansea earlier

every year, I think, You need to somewhere that's selling

good fresh trees, to be honest. This was cut today -

you can see how fresh it is, smells nice, it's green,

lush, the colour on it - It's got a lot of moisture

in it...the key to a good tree If I could lift that

up easy now that means It'll look good when you buy it,

but in a couple of weeks it'll just Do you have to spend a lot of money

on a tree to make sure you get one that's going to last and isn't

going to shed its needles? This is your classic non drop

tree. You're looking at

about ?36 for this. But a Norway Spruce,

a traditional tree, you're Is there anything we should be doing

once we've got it home? It's a good idea to cut

a little bit off the bottom. That will stimulate the tree

to start drinking water again, put the tree in a very good tree stand

that holds a lot of water cos you'd Try not to put it next

to under floor heating, You've got to treat them like cut

flowers because they'll just dry Now, once your tree is trimmed up,

you need to start planning what food you're going to serve

to your guests! Many of us splash out

on top of the range grub - but I've been finding out

whether cheaper alternatives And if you're the one who has

to sort out the festive food shop, But - do you really need to spend

a sleigh-load to make it a Christmas cracker rather than

a Christmas turkey? These tea dancers are having

a Christmas Party and I've been put Shirley Ferris runs the Tea Dance

here at the Paget Rooms Unfortunately he died two years ago

so I'm keeping the dance Our oldest member is Ted who's 96

and he's up for every dance I wonder what the rest

of the dancers buy I go and visit relatives so it's

whatever they splash Do you go for luxury brands,

do you spend a bit more? No, we don't, we always go

to the cheaper brands. On some things like mince pies

and cake - M Well, I'm going to let them get

back to their dancing. And it's time for me to put my pinny

on and get the party started! I've brought along a selection

of luxury and premium party foods And I'm going to ask the dancers

to compare a pricy product with a cheaper alternative -

to see which they prefer. And we'll reveal whether it's

a save or a splurge! Now I usually say no sweets before

dinner but because it's Christmas I'm going to start

with my favourite - Let's see what our first set

of judges make of plate one. I like number one, I thought

the pastry was nicer. Number two, more moist and more

filling I thought in there. I preferred number two because it

wasn't so sweet And they've The prize for the pies goes

to the SAVE option. Those moreish mince pies

were from Iceland and cost ?1.50 for six - a pound

cheaper than the ones Time for some new judges to take

a turn - and it's not rock Maybe she'll prefer

option two. They've cast their votes

and chosen plate number one The pricier Marks and Spencer

sausage rolls have beaten the cheaper, Taste the Difference

ones from Sainsbury's. All change on the dancefloor -

and our next judges will be I think it's gorgeous and I'm

thoroughly enjoying it. It had a taste to it

which I didn't particularly like. The winner is Number 1 -

and the icing on the cake is that grams, it beat the Tesco Finest cake

which cost ?4.00. All this festive feasting -

and dancing - is thirsty work. I prefer that one, I think that's

probably the most expensive. So which bubbles do

they think are best? Carol, could you reveal your

overall favourite please? The SAVE option has

popped THEIR cork! At just two pounds a bottle,

this Asda Bucks Fizz costs ?1.50 And at that price it would be rude

not to finish the bottle! So it's a 3-1 victory

to the cheaper items! Just goes to show you don't HAVE

to spend a fortune on your I don't think they'll be doing much

rocking around the Christmas They did say they'd help me clear up

though - ah, where've they gone? Well, that's all from us this week -

and for this year! But just like Santa -

and these guys - our team will be So if there's a story you think

we should look into, let us know. Have a great Christmas -

we'll see Hello, I'm Riz Lateef,

with your 90 second update. This is the man who's been elected

as the new leader of UKIP.