Think second hand car dealer and you might imagine an Arthur Daley or a Swiss Tony. Traditionally, they don't enjoy the best of reputations, and for some it seems that reputation isn't entirely undeserved. According to complaints service Consumer Direct, complaints about second-hand cars bought from independent traders top the list of things that wind us up most....
Three weeks ago, we featured the bathroom company, Dolphin, and highlighted their poor workmanship, months of delays and the battles to put problems right.
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This week, we're investigating The HomeForm Group's kitchen operation, Moben. The complaints are the same, and so is the front man - Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. He fronts a series of sleek-looking adverts for kitchen outfit Moben, the most recent television campaign depicts stylish looking kitchens with happy customers, who tell us that our kitchen could look like this if we just go to Moben. Sounds tempting, Lawrence... or at least it did before we heard from some of Moben's customers...
Have you ever made an honest mistake when dealing with a company? Clicked the wrong button while booking on the internet, not fully read the terms and conditions or typed out a wrong letter in your name?
They're common problems and often easy to put right, but sometimes the companies we're dealing with will charge big for little errors...
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Under the NHS Plan in 2000, telephone, television and radio services were to be installed at every bedside within major hospitals, to improve patient experience.
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However, 10 years on these systems are still not profitable, according to the companies who provide the services. The patients say they are costly and unfair and patient's groups such as the Patients Association have labelled them 'an unfair tax on the sick'...
As we all know, pets are expensive enough to keep, not least because vets have been rising by 12% year on year over the last few years. Pet insurance could be the answer, but premiums are rocketing and the small print is trickier than ever.
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We took four owners, five dogs and five insurers, some of the biggest names in the business, to see how their policies perform. We put all their policies on show, parading the problems some people have had, demonstrating the hoops they've had to jump through and the hurdles they've had to get over, to stand a chance of a successful claim or getting the right policy. Watching the action was our expert, vet and former president of the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, Mike Jessop...
Timeshare was the big thing in the 80s. Holidaymakers keen for their own slice of paradise, without the full cost of owning a place abroad, could buy an annual week in their favourite resort. All they had to do was contribute to the upkeep of the resort with a maintenance charge.
However, this dream has turned into a nightmare for many British timeshare owners... Locked into perpetuity contracts (everlasting contracts) they are finding they can't sell their timeshares as no one wants to buy them, so they're stuck paying rising maintenance costs...
Rick Wakeman is someone who loves being given the chance to moan. Known for his role on the BBC programme Grumpy Old Men, he admits to complaining about anything! But even he never thought he would ever have to complain about complaining...
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It seems that, like everything else, even complaining has a price. That price can be pretty costly, especially when companies force us to call expensive numbers and keep us hanging on the line, racking up our bills. What's more, we're usually trying to sort out a problem that was their fault in the first place...
For some, food represents pleasure, enjoyment and satisfaction. For others, the thought of some foods merely represents pain - bloating, nausea and diarrhoea.
Millions of people are convinced that everyday foods are doing them harm - and for a few, their suspected food intolerance is genuine. But what if someone thinks they have a food intolerance when, in fact, they don't? And what if that's because some of the tests they've undergone simply aren't reliable?
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Currys. Dixons. PC World. Buy anything from them and you're likely to meet the TechGuys. The team responsible for their installation and after sales service. They're supposed to be experts. But are they as good as they make out?
For the non-techies amongst us, they're a potential Godsend. In practice, the TechGuys' work isn't always up to scratch. In fact, some of you think you'd have been better off doing it yourselves...
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If you're flying abroad for half term, the chances are you'll be leaving your car at the airport. Long stay car park full? Too far from the terminal? Or just too expensive? You might choose one of the many meet and greet services instead. They take your car off you, and promise to keep it safe and secure while you're away. Take one last look before you board, though. The car could look very different when you come back...
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You can find companies offering meet-and-greet valet parking for travellers at all the major airports - Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Manchester... they all have different names but one word always turns up in their blurbs - security. They know we want to be reassured that they'll look after our cars as well as we do.
Washing machines. Not the most exciting of gadgets, but how many of us hand-wash our clothes these days? We've become completely reliable on them and if your machine goes wrong you'll want it fixed - and quick.
Not something you're likely to get from washing-machine repair rogue Clive Bramall. He runs Oxford and Abingdon Washing Machine Repairs operating in Oxfordshire. We heard he'd been leaving his customers high and dry - promising to fix their machines, but then taking their money and doing a runner...
It's six months since the Volcano erupted in Iceland, sending huge plumes of smoke bellowing into the atmosphere for weeks. It caused chaos. Flights cancelled, thousands stranded abroad for days on end, spending hundreds on food and accommodation. EU regulations required airlines to offer compensation to those affected. Six months on, the skies might be back to normal. But it's the refunds that are now in chaos.
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If you were caught up in the volcanic ash cloud and your flight was cancelled, EU Regulation required airlines to offer you a refund or another flight at the earliest opportunity. Those who waited for a flight were entitled to meals, refreshments and hotel accommodation until a new flight became available...
The government recently announced plans to ban clamping on private land in England and Wales. But, the RAC Foundation is warning that operators are already finding new ways of staying in business.
One method is by issuing tickets. If you're doing it on private land, you don't need a licence and there's no limit to what you can charge.
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Rebecca Wilcox took a closer look at some of the parking notices which bear more than a passing resemblance to official tickets. She found that it's tricky to detect the difference...
Kylie Minogue, Westlife, Sting, Robbie Williams. Just some of the big names selling tickets for gigs this year through the leading online ticket company, Ticketmaster. But many of their tickets are being bought up and then re-sold within minutes of them going on sale, at vastly inflated prices.
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The new Smart fortwo Diesel is billed as the worlds most fuel efficient production car, with an advert boasting an impressive fuel economy:
"...at 85.6 miles per gallon, you'll be surprised how long you've got between refills."
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But Watchdog heard from Smart car owners across the country who found the only surprising thing about the fuel economy of their vehicles was how disappointing it was...
bmibaby's response to our story on our October 7th programme:
bmibaby offers promotional fares at certain times of the year, and in this instance the sale fare could be less than the infant fee. Miss Martin booked her flight during a sale and was therefore able to take advantage of our sale fares.
(Do you have something to say about this story? Tell us what you think by emailing us here. Don't forget to include 'bmibaby pricing' in the subject line. Watchdog will publish a selection of viewers' comments underneath each story, both throughout and after the programme is on air. Please remember to include your name as you would like to see it published).
It seems it's not just Watchdog viewers who are fed up with cold-calling, silent calls and junk mail, now the authorities are too.
For some people there's never a good moment for cold callers to turn up at your door. They can be uninvited, unwanted and desperate to sell to you. Take the big energy companies - many of them want you to switch over to their power supply right there on your doorstep...
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We followed the Watchdog team members as they went undercover to scope out a tiny hotel room at the Britannia Hotel near Newcastle Airport, and on a trip to Pontins Camber Sands holiday park, to investigate viewers reports of dirty and run down chalets.
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They claim to be the leading bathroom specialists in the UK and they've even managed to bag Lawrence Llewelyn Bowen as the poster boy for their advertising campaign.
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So why have we received so many complaints about Dolphin Bathrooms? We thought we'd investigate...
Weddings - love is in the air, and the sound of laughter and church bells come together. Everything needs to be right, from the wedding dress down to the little bow on the invites. But what if the smallest detail - and we're talking the smallest - goes wrong? Well, if the Royal Mail is involved in your plans, it could be a disaster. Watchdog sent Riz Lateef to find out why.
We heard from Jonny and Nina Blain, who got married at the beginning of October. Their wedding invitations were handmade, but as far as they were concerned they were all identical. So, they went down to their local Post Office to have just one of them measured.
When they were told it was the correct size and weight for a standard first class stamp, they popped them all in the post thinking everything would be alright...
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There are more than a million uninsured drivers on the UK's roads - and for an increasing number, they'll pay a significant price.
In 2005, the police were given powers to confiscate, and even destroy, uninsured vehicles. Five years on, they're now seizing 500 cars a day. Not all those vehicles will end up as wrecks, but they'll certainly be impounded and their owners forbidden from taking the cars back onto the streets...
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When you live in Lancashire, you need a good roof. While the county can claim to have higher than the UK average amount of sunshine each year, the area also has more rain than the England average! So you'd hope a roofing company with 20 years' experience in Lancashire would know what they're doing.
Sadly, that isn't the case with 1st Call Roofing of Whalley near Clitheroe, and there are a few things you should know about the man who runs the business too. Simon Fielding is a football hooligan recently convicted of assault after being involved in a fight following a Blackburn Rovers game. He's also been banned from keeping horses for 10 years after pleading guilty to animal cruelty. His roofing record makes grim reading too...
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