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Rip off Britain - Season 17 Episode 18 -
I had to do the maths to prove my energy company wrong
I had to do the maths to prove my energy company wrong
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00:00Today, billing mistakes at British Gas
00:03But why are some customers being forced to do their own sums
00:07To prove that the energy giant has got things wrong?
00:10They are leaving the customer to prove the case for them
00:14Otherwise you don't get a resolution to your problem
00:17Plus, the mysterious cracks appearing in the laptop screens
00:21Are one of the biggest names in electronics
00:23It was spooky and I couldn't believe my eyes
00:26I actually am seeing further cracks appear in the screen while she's using it
00:32Fixing them is a pricey task, but no one can agree who should pay
00:36You're watching Ripoff Britain
00:45Hello and welcome to Ripoff Britain
00:47On the case when the companies you trust let you down
00:51Coming up today, the quick house sale company that promises a hassle-free sale
00:55But whose contract terms have left some people feeling trapped in their own homes
01:01I own that property
01:03How can somebody else put that restriction on
01:06Which is stopping me from selling my own house?
01:09Plus, in our advice clinic
01:11We're helping one woman who's been locked out of her email account
01:14After the provider noticed some unusual activity
01:17Now the only problem is
01:19However hard she tries, she now can't get back in
01:22But first to one of the most recognised businesses in Britain
01:26Some might even say it's a national institution
01:28And until not too long ago
01:30It was the biggest energy company in the country
01:33I'm talking about British Gas
01:35Back in 2021
01:37British Gas started to migrate
01:39Its 7 million or so customers
01:41Onto a new billing system
01:43And soon after
01:44Some customers began to tell us
01:46About problems with their bills
01:48We're still hearing from people who say that this overhaul
01:52Has had a negative knock-on effect on customer service
01:55But we'll have more on that shortly
01:57Now though, here's a reminder of our first report
02:00Reflecting just how disgruntled some customers have been left feeling
02:04It's a household name
02:07A national institution
02:09Every month
02:11Millions of homes get a bill from British Gas
02:14But you tell us
02:16Too many of those bills are wrong
02:18Back in 2024
02:20John Everingham from Kent
02:22Told us that British Gas's own mistakes
02:24Were forcing him to do the sums himself
02:26Well, I'll get the double now, don't I?
02:29Like any good darts players
02:31John and his teammate Pete
02:32Have got a decent head for figures
02:3417 you scored
02:35That's five left
02:36Five left, isn't it?
02:37But John's mathematical abilities
02:38Have really been put to the test
02:40By some baffling numbers on his British Gas bills
02:42No rhyme or reason of where they're coming from
02:44Is saying that my total energy cost
02:46Is my total energy cost
02:48Is my total energy cost
02:50Is my total energy cost
02:52Is my total energy cost
02:54Excluding VAT
02:56Are £4,358
02:59I wasn't expecting anything like this
03:01There's no wonder it was a surprise
03:04Just three months earlier
03:06British Gas had told John
03:08That his £240 a month direct debits
03:11Were spot on
03:12But the next thing he knew
03:13He apparently owed the equivalent
03:15Of 19 months of payments
03:17Almost £4,500
03:19So he obviously got straight on the phone
03:22But British Gas insisted that the bill was accurate
03:27And John must pay it
03:29They decided that because of the size of my debt
03:33That the current £240 a month wasn't enough
03:38So they decided to up it
03:40And take it back at £1,000 a month
03:43Determined to prove British Gas wrong
03:47John asked for copies of his old statements
03:49The firm's response would turn out to be a clue
03:52To what might be going on
03:54One of the first things they'd say is
03:56You've actually been moved onto our new platform
03:58I work on the old platform
04:00And I haven't got access to that
04:02That new platform was a state-of-the-art billing system
04:05Introduced in 2021
04:07But despite reassurances that accounts and payments
04:10Would not be affected
04:12John began to suspect that his had been
04:15John compared his recent bills with ones from the old system
04:19And discovered what he was convinced was a big error
04:22This is my last statement from the old platform
04:25I looked at a period when I used 305 units
04:29And it equates to 3,387 kilowatt-hours
04:35Whereas on the next statement that I've got
04:38There's a period where I used 150 units
04:41And I used 4,685 kilowatt-hours
04:46John had used roughly half the number of units of gas
04:50But the bill converted that into far more kilowatt-hours
04:54And after days and days of poring over his bills
04:58John finally hit the bullseye
05:00It was gone one o'clock in the morning
05:03And I couldn't believe it
05:05I thought, yes, this is it
05:07They think that I've got an imperial meter
05:10Bingo!
05:11An imperial meter records usage in cubic feet
05:15While a metric meter uses cubic meters
05:17British Gas was using the wrong formula
05:20To calculate John's bills
05:22I decided to divide my figure into their figure
05:27And it came up with 2.83
05:29And in a situation where you've got an imperial meter
05:32You multiply it by 2.83
05:34Then it all made sense
05:36They think that I've got an imperial meter
05:39John actually had a smart meter
05:41But despite the error seeming obvious to him
05:44When he complained to British Gas Customer Services
05:47They kept telling him that they were unable to help
05:50Because they did not have access to the new system
05:53I think that customer service is dreadful
05:57I shouldn't be having to tell them what to do
05:59The customer does their own investigation
06:01No, no, definitely not
06:04In the end, John went to the Ombudsman
06:07Which ruled in his favour
06:09And agreed with his maths
06:11And British Gas was asked to re-bill him
06:13And update his records
06:15When we spoke to British Gas
06:17It apologised
06:18And said John's problems were down to
06:20Incorrect information on the industry database of energy meters
06:25So not the new system
06:27But whatever was responsible for John's problems
06:30Many other British Gas customers
06:32Have had cause to complain about their bills as well
06:35Between the first quarter of 2022
06:38And the same period in 2025
06:41Billing complaints increased approximately threefold at British Gas
06:45And while the energy crisis meant complaints were up across the board
06:50British Gas experienced a comparatively greater increase
06:53Than any other energy supplier
06:56And we are still hearing from people
06:58Who say their billing problems started
07:00When they were moved to British Gas's new platform
07:03People like Ann Smith
07:05Who's joining me now in HQ
07:07Along with consumer finance expert Sarah Pennells
07:10So Ann, let's turn to you first of all
07:15When did your issues really begin?
07:17In about August of 24
07:19I renewed my tariff with them
07:21And they explained at the time
07:23That I would be going on from their old system
07:26To the new system
07:27So in September 24
07:30I received a final bill from the old system
07:32Everything appeared fine
07:34Then I didn't receive a bill for several months
07:37I kept ringing up and asking
07:40And then finally I received a bill in January
07:44For £999.99p
07:48Whoa, that's a bit of a change
07:50Yeah
07:51So I knew that this must be wrong
07:54Ann says her bills were normally around £90 a month
07:58So even if this new bill was covering a four-month gap
08:01That would make the monthly price £250
08:05But you know, finding out why there was such a jump wasn't easy
08:08With her account now on the new system
08:11Ann couldn't get access to her old bills
08:14So she had to ask British Gas to send them
08:16And when it did
08:17She quickly realised the firm had got her bills wrong
08:20In a surprising number of ways
08:23They'd failed to open with about £198 credit
08:27They hadn't counted that
08:29The next thing I noticed was that they hadn't counted
08:32Any of the payments I'd made at all
08:34Between September 23 and September or October of 24
08:38So they hadn't taken account of those?
08:39They hadn't taken any of those payments into account
08:42The third thing I noticed is that they hadn't applied
08:45Any of the peak save credits for low consumption
08:50Then when I actually started looking at the allegedly transferred bills
08:56I noticed they were all estimated readings
08:59Where for the same period on the old system I had actual readings
09:04And finally I noticed that the tariffs that they were charging
09:09Were not actually in line with the tariffs I was on at that point in time
09:13Ann says getting all those mistakes put right
09:17Required her to send a bundle of evidence
09:19And make numerous follow-up phone calls
09:22Well finally British Gas realised this error
09:27What effect has this had on you personally?
09:29I should imagine it's all-consuming really
09:31It is all-consuming
09:32And the only thing I had up my sleeve is that
09:35Under ordinary circumstances
09:38You know I wouldn't have been quite so emotional
09:40But I knew I had all the evidence and the information I needed
09:44When we first reported on this story
09:47British Gas said there were no major issues with the new system
09:50That Ann has been talking about
09:53So what do you think is going on here Sarah?
09:55Well British Gas may be right
09:57That there isn't a fundamental issue with its new billing system
10:00But there's no doubt that there have been some problems
10:02Moving customers over onto it
10:04Now it's not the first energy provider
10:06To switch to a new billing system and have problems
10:09So you think that you know for the energy sector
10:12When it does a big technical IT project like this
10:15It should make sure that it has that customer service in place
10:18So that in the event that things go wrong
10:20For whatever reason
10:22There are customer service agents in place
10:24Who can take ownership and sort it out
10:26If we look at British Gas in particular
10:28In the three months from July to September last year
10:31Over 6,700 people complained to the Energy Ombudsman
10:35About British Gas making it the most complained about provider
10:39Even taking into account its customer base
10:41It's shocking really
10:42Now Citizens Advice also ranks energy supplies for service
10:45And up until the end of last year in the three month period
10:48British Gas was sitting ninth out of 16
10:50And what is the root of this problem do you believe?
10:53It is the lack of communication between the old platform and the new platform
11:00And the lack of support and customer support on British Gas's behalf
11:06Basically that they are leaving the customer to prove the case for them
11:11Otherwise you don't get a resolution to your problem
11:14What advice would you give to other people who might be in your situation?
11:17The first thing is keep a copy of your old bills
11:20Because once you are transferred onto the new system
11:23You have no access to those old bills to prove anything
11:26And in my case the second thing was I made a subject access request
11:31You can request by law information from a company
11:34So I gave them the time frames and said I just want clear billing
11:37With an audit trail, a mathematical audit trail I can follow
11:41And for me that's what broke the ongoing cycle
11:45So Sarah finally advice from you?
11:48Well I mean Anne's a very smart cookie and has taken a lot of the right steps
11:51So I would say first of all complain and be very clear about what you want the company to do
11:55And when you want them to put it right
11:57Escalate it if you aren't getting anywhere
11:59Complain to the Energy Ombudsman Service
12:01But you have to give the company eight weeks to resolve the complaint
12:04If money is being taken that's putting you in difficulty
12:07Tell the company, contact a debt advice charity such as StepChange or Citizens Advice
12:12Well you've both given great advice and thank you very much for making the journey from Nottinghamshire to be with us
12:17And thank you very much Sarah
12:18Thank you
12:19When we spoke to British Gas about Anne's case
12:23It put the problems down to delays in applying a new tariff to her gas account
12:28And adding her husband's name to the gas and electricity accounts
12:32British Gas apologised to Anne and said it had resolved the issue
12:37And applied a gesture of goodwill to the account earlier this year
12:41British Gas added that when things occasionally go wrong
12:44They could be down to a variety of different reasons
12:48But its teams work hard to support its customers
12:51Now time for our advice clinic where consumer expert Martin James is here to help Brenda Smith from Nottingham
13:01Who's been locked out of her Microsoft email account
13:04Hello Brenda
13:08I understand you've had quite a few problems
13:12Tell me where it all began
13:14Hello
13:15It started in February
13:18When I had a message to say that I had got unusual activity on my account
13:23And that I needed to verify my account
13:26To do that I had to send the last four digits of my phone
13:30And they would send me a code
13:33I didn't receive any codes
13:35So I completed the recovery form
13:37Got a message back
13:39I hadn't given them enough information
13:41Refill the form out
13:44So I did that two more times
13:46Was then told I'd done too many attempts
13:49And I was blocked until the next day
13:51Oh my goodness
13:53And every time I did one of their help tools
13:56It then said sign into your account
13:59Oh
14:00I couldn't sign into my account
14:03When Brenda tried again the next day
14:05It was still a case of computer says no
14:08She continued to try but says after repeated attempts
14:11She received a message blocking her for 30 days
14:15My email is used for receiving any information from all of my accounts
14:22Such as my water rates, gas, electricity
14:27I even get some information from the bank
14:30And as a consequence I was getting no information
14:33Because I could not access this account
14:35Oh right
14:36Well I'm going to pick this up with Martin
14:39So I mean this is so frustrating isn't it
14:42What do you make of what happened
14:43Gosh you know Louise I think one of the problems that we have here is
14:46Because free email services are constantly under attack by fraudsters
14:51They can be very sensitive about anything that might go a little bit awry
14:56So even if they misinterpret putting in the wrong information
15:00The wrong password
15:01There are loads of things that can result in these security problems
15:05Martin what should Brenda all of us do
15:07To make sure we're not locked out of our email accounts like this
15:10Well prevention is the best form of cure I think sometimes
15:13If you go to the security settings on your email
15:16You'll find on there prompts to actually help actually recover the email
15:20It's worthwhile putting on things like an alternative email address
15:23Or an alternative phone number
15:25Just so that you have another way to get in touch with the company
15:28Now another thing that you can do is download the Microsoft Authenticator app
15:33This is a free service and it's free to use
15:36And what it does is actually authenticates who you are
15:39Without all of the fuss of all the additional passwords
15:42Well Brenda we did contact Microsoft regarding your account
15:45And it shared some tips to help people recover their accounts more quickly
15:49And we will put those on our website which is bbc.co.uk
15:52It also told us that it had scheduled a call
15:57A call I shouldn't sound so surprised
16:00Directly with you Brenda
16:02Did that happen?
16:03It did happen
16:04And I have successfully got my account back
16:07Gosh I mean look at the smile
16:09But I imagine you've got quite a few emails to deal with in that case
16:13Over 1,000
16:14Oh gosh
16:15Well good luck with all of that
16:17And I hope that doesn't happen to you again
16:19Thank you
16:201,000 emails
16:29She'll be at it forever
16:30Well if like Brenda you feel stuck in a situation you simply can't escape
16:35And you need our help
16:36Why not drop us a line?
16:38Our email address is riffoffbritain at bbc.co.uk
16:42Now you can also send us a message via WhatsApp on 0330 678 1321
16:49Or indeed through our Facebook page
16:51All you have to do is search for BBC Ripoff Britain
16:54Or remember you can always get in touch by getting out your stamps and just writing us a good old fashioned letter
17:00The address is ripoffbritain bbc media city UK Salford N52 LH
17:07But the point is whatever way you get in touch please include a number for us so that we can call you back
17:13That's exactly what some of the people in our next film did when they needed help
17:18Their pricey new laptops all developed cracks right across the screen
17:22But while the cause was a complete mystery to them the manufacturer had other ideas
17:28It was spooky and I couldn't believe my eyes
17:35I'm absolutely livid with the response from Samsung
17:38I was obviously shocked that it had spontaneously cracked
17:43I felt like all the blame was put on me and it was my fault for the laptop breaking
17:49These customers of premium electronics brand Samsung have been trying to get to grips with a mystery
17:55Just why was it that the screens on one of the company's flagship laptops were starting to crack before their eyes?
18:03I noticed a crack when I opened the laptop and my heart just dropped because it is not a cheap laptop
18:09There was a crack going from the top of the laptop sort of diagonally down to the very bottom
18:15Dharmesh Mistry from Reading bought his Samsung Galaxy Pro 5 360 direct from Samsung's own website in September 2024
18:30As a gift for his wife, Kurti
18:34I thought I would treat her to the best laptop I could find her
18:39With the view that these things tend to last for a good 5-10 years if you buy the best one at the time
18:46The premium bit of kit cost him almost £1,500 which he put on his credit card
18:53But within just hours of using it, Kurti noticed a problem
18:58She pointed out to me on the screen like a really long slim hairline fracture in the screen
19:07Its cause was a puzzle
19:10She hasn't dropped it, she didn't bang the lid or anything like that
19:14It was just normal use
19:16As the couple questioned what was going on, things escalated fast
19:23My wife's sitting next to me using the laptop
19:26And as she's typing, I actually am seeing further cracks appear in the screen while she's using it
19:35Angry that the screen on his wife's top of the range laptop seemed to be splintering in front of him
19:41Dharmesh wanted a refund
19:43But Samsung's response was that his warranty didn't cover physical damage
19:48However, as far as Dharmesh was concerned, there was no physical damage to the laptop
19:53Rather, he believed the machine was faulty
19:58I'm absolutely livid with the response from Samsung
20:01Because basically they're claiming no responsibility on this at all
20:05I've, you know, literally used it for less than a dozen hours
20:09And also it's never been dropped, nothing's been dropped onto the screen
20:13We spend quite a lot of money on this
20:16And they want more money to get this fixed for their problem, I believe
20:22But Dharmesh's laptop isn't the only Samsung with a galaxy of cracks in the screen
20:28Bethany Solomon from Bristol bought her Samsung Galaxy Book 4 360 for £1,200 from retailer Curry's in June 2024
20:40I was excited to get the laptop home and I really wanted to open it straight away
20:44And when I opened it, the graphics, they were amazing
20:47But just a couple of months later, the crack started to appear, quite literally
20:54So the crack started from the left hand of the screen, right up to the top, straight under the camera
21:00And it was a hairline crack
21:04The next day, Bethany took the laptop back to Curry's, which sent it off for inspection
21:09And a week later, she got a phone call to say it was back
21:13The woman said on the phone, no, it's not been fixed
21:17You're going to have to come and pick it up, and I was really annoyed
21:20Curry's said the crack was caused by physical damage
21:24And wasn't covered under warranty
21:26So she'd have to contact Samsung about the repair
21:30It became a tennis match between Samsung and Curry's
21:34Samsung didn't want to take any accountability
21:37Curry's didn't want to take any liability
21:39And it was just a back and forth between the both of them
21:43I felt really angry and upset because neither of them were listening to me
21:49Meanwhile, other Samsung customers were experiencing a similar fate
21:53And posting about their mysteriously cracked screens online
21:57Reading some of those posts, Stacey Gray from Essex began to worry what to do
22:02When the screen on her £1,600 Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360 also cracked
22:09I had read other people's experiences, which basically simply said
22:15The laptop was beyond repair and this type of damage isn't covered, and that was it
22:20So instead of sending the machine off to retailer Curry's like Bethany did
22:25She opted to get an independent assessment done first
22:29And when the report came back, Stacey thought the mystery was finally solved
22:36It was their opinion that the crack was caused by a manufacturing defect essentially
22:43A flaw in the design rather than any external damage
22:48Stacey asked her credit card provider for a refund
22:52But it wouldn't proceed until Curry's had inspected her laptop
22:57Feeling she had no other option, Stacey sent it off
23:01And five weeks later, she got a response
23:04I was very shocked actually to get Curry's email confirming that they would refund me
23:11I was not expecting that at all
23:13But yeah, I'm very pleased to have the outcome that I wanted
23:17Back in Bristol, and Bethany's case went to a dispute resolution service
23:22Which found in Curry's favour
23:25But certain she was right, Bethany also opted to get an independent assessment
23:30Which found in her favour
23:32When I received the independent report, I felt validated
23:36And that it wasn't actually my fault, it was a manufacturing issue
23:40I don't want anything to do with the laptop anymore
23:42I just want them to take it and I just want a refund
23:45That's a feeling Dharmesh shares
23:49But he bought direct from Samsung
23:51Which is insistent that the cracks are not caused by a manufacturing fault
23:57As a result, he was unable to get his money back from his credit card provider
24:02And is unwilling to shell out for repairs for a laptop he believes was faulty from the outset
24:09I think this is actually a fundamental problem with the quality of the laptop
24:14So it's more than likely to happen again
24:16Online there are many complaints that it has happened more than once
24:20I'd never buy another Samsung again based on this
24:23We spoke to Samsung, it said it regretted the experiences highlighted
24:31Did not meet its usual high standards
24:33And said its Galaxy Book series undergoes rigorous tests designed specifically to simulate real-world conditions
24:40And it stands by the quality of its products
24:43But I am pleased to say it has now issued refunds to both Dharmesh and Bethany
24:48All a good result for everybody who is in those cases that we featured
24:51David McLellan joins me now with his many devices
24:55Thank you very much
24:56With technology progressing, David, how long should a screen last?
25:01It's a great question
25:02And I think that a screen like any other part of the device that you have
25:07It should, as per the Consumer Rights Act, last a reasonable length of time
25:12Which is for years really
25:14And the fact is that I think the screen technology
25:18Because it's so central to how we experience these devices
25:21We're wanting our devices bigger and thinner
25:24And with curved and flexible screens
25:26All of those kind of things
25:27The manufacturers are pushing the engineering to the limits
25:30And I think maybe that is why
25:33Maybe we're seeing some devices that are being pushed a little bit too far
25:37Which is why we're seeing some of these cracks, perhaps
25:39We spoke to Samsung, they did also tell us that when they inspected all the devices in our film themselves
25:45The cracks in all three of them were caused by external pressure to the laptop screen
25:49Rather than a manufacturing defect
25:52So usually they should last years
25:54If your screen breaks sooner
25:56How can you tell it's a manufacturing fault, not user error?
26:00Well look, proving a cracked or damaged screen is as a result of a manufacturing fault
26:05Rather than, you know, physical damage
26:07As our viewers found, it can be a real challenge
26:10And manufacturers have specific exclusions, many of them
26:14Against cracks or damaged screens in their warranties
26:17Which is really frustrating
26:18But I think there can be strength in numbers here
26:22And if a number of people who are experiencing damaged screens
26:26Suddenly find that there are many more of them online
26:29Then they can start to form a little bit of a huddle here
26:31And what do you know, manufacturers, retailers
26:33Might start to take notice
26:35These are incredibly expensive devices
26:38So is there any additional insurance or protections that we can buy, take out
26:43That would be worth looking at?
26:45Oh yes, speaking personally
26:47I'm a bit of a klutz
26:48There's a reason the screen on some of these devices is broken
26:51I noticed
26:52Yes, yes, that is me
26:53So my take is that some of these gadget policies can be really worthwhile
26:58And some of them you can get from the manufacturer if you buy the device directly from them
27:03And there are also third-party insurers who specialise in gadget protection
27:07So with some of these policies there is like a no-questions-asked replacement
27:13Whether it is accidental or whether it is a manufacturing fault
27:16And they can also cover for things like loss or theft as well
27:19Which is all good
27:20As always, shop around
27:22Check the terms and conditions
27:24Check the exclusions
27:25And of course, it should not be on us as consumers
27:29To pay, to kind of top up
27:31To make up the shortfall
27:32For manufacturers who are releasing goods that are not fit for purpose
27:37That is a very good point to end on
27:39Thank you very much David
27:40When we spoke to Currys, where Bethany and Stacey bought their devices
27:45It told us all customer cases are reviewed thoroughly and diligently
27:49And that it collaborates with suppliers to ensure product quality for customers
28:01Now, this is probably the most expensive thing you will ever buy
28:05A house
28:06It's a serious undertaking and another big stress
28:09Even when you need to sell it
28:11Complicated paperwork
28:12Fees to pay
28:13Not to mention the pressure of the dreaded chain
28:16Step in
28:17We Buy Any House
28:19It sounds as simple as its catchy name
28:22A company offering a cash offer in 15 minutes
28:25Sell in as little as three days hassle-free
28:29But we've been hearing from people who say their experiences with We Buy Any House
28:34Have been anything but hassle-free
28:41This is the kitchen
28:42A lot of happy memories of baking with the girls and all their friends and stuff in here
28:49Denise and Crispin Maddox called this 350-year-old property in Bedford home for 23 years
28:57But in September 2024, they decided it was time to move on
29:03We had a lot of memories here
29:05But the children got too big for the house really
29:08Young teenagers, they have a lot of kit
29:10And you need more and more space
29:12It was time to move on
29:14We'd outgrown it
29:15And start pastures new
29:17Start another chapter
29:22The couple put their house on the market with a local estate agent
29:25With an asking price of £450,000
29:29But nearly three months later, there was still no sale
29:34However, time was of the essence
29:36Because Denise and Crispin had already bought and moved into another house
29:41And urgently needed the funds from this one
29:44I looked at other options
29:45That being an auction being one of them
29:48And then I had this letter through from We Buy Any House
29:50Online property sales company We Buy Any House
29:56Offers customers a market-leading service to sell their homes quickly and with ease
30:02For Denise, that seemed just the ticket
30:05I think one of the main things that appealed to me
30:09Was no estate agent's fees, no solicitor's fees
30:13They handled everything for you
30:15And it just took all the hassle away
30:17When Denise got in touch in January 2025
30:21We Buy Any House immediately offered £325,000 for the property
30:27But when she explained that it was a lot less than the £450,000 she was looking for
30:33We Buy Any House offered an alternative
30:36He said, but if, you know, you're not in a hurry
30:38Then we're going to sell it to investors
30:40And they are looking at giving you £400 to £415
30:44I thought, at that point, they're offering me quite a good deal here
30:48I've got nothing to lose really, have I?
30:51It would still mean taking a financial hit
30:54But with no other buyers on the horizon
30:57Denise and Crispin agreed to let the firm sell to an investor
31:01To get things moving
31:03Denise signed a contract
31:05And says she was told there was a cooling-off period to fall back on
31:08If she changed her mind
31:10I felt safe signing it because I had a 14-day cooling-off period
31:14And during that time, I could get out of it
31:17So when, 13 days later, their original estate agent secured a sale
31:23Denise and Crispin didn't anticipate any problems
31:27During the cooling-off period, I got a call from the estate agents
31:31To say I'd had an offer on the house
31:32And I thought, you know what?
31:35Let's take it
31:37I can get out of We Buy Any House
31:39It's not an issue
31:41I accepted that and then we called We Buy Any House to cancel
31:44It just went badly wrong from there, really
31:49When the couple's solicitor started work on the house sale
31:53She found a restriction had been registered against the property with the land registry
31:58Meaning, Denise and Crispin couldn't sell without the permission of We Buy Any House's parent company
32:05The couple were further confused when they found two more firms were also involved
32:11Denise was working with one company
32:13And suddenly now we've got We Buy Any House, House Sales Direct
32:17And another company called Hawksmore who were involved
32:20So we didn't know what this web of companies was, what was going on
32:25It turned out the contract contained two separate agreements
32:30One with We Buy Any House
32:32And the other with a company called House Sales Direct
32:36Allowing it to market the property like an estate agent
32:39And while the agreement with House Sales Direct did have a 14-day cooling-off period
32:45Crucially, the agreement with We Buy Any House didn't
32:49Meaning that if the house was sold in the next 12 months
32:53Denise would have to pay a hefty fee even if she found the buyer
32:57When the solicitor told me, it's like, how can they do that?
33:00It's my property, I've done nothing wrong, I own that property
33:02How can somebody else put that restriction on which is stopping me from selling my own house?
33:10The couple's only choice was either to wait it out or pay to release themselves from the contract
33:16A choice they never expected when they signed up for a supposedly hassle-free house sale
33:22Meanwhile in Newport, Jane Dixon's brush with We Buy Any House came when she was trying to sell her late parents' house in June 2024
33:34We were keen to make sure that the property was sold so that we could move on with our lives
33:43So rather than go through a mainstream estate agent
33:48Because the process was advised as being quicker, then we decided to go down that road
33:54Jane was offered £75,000 by We Buy Any House or she could get much closer to its £100,000 valuation
34:05If she allowed a second company, House Sales Direct, to sell it instead
34:10They seemed very professional
34:12The guy that we spoke with took all the details and he said, look, we can help you
34:17We can help you quickly and there'll be minimal disruption
34:20And it just seemed that it was the right thing to do
34:24There was no initial cost, but the contract did lock her into a six-month exclusivity deal
34:31But by the end of the six months, and with no offers close to the agreed price
34:35Jane decided not to renew with the company
34:38And around three months later, she agreed a private sale for £95,000
34:43But when her solicitor came to the paperwork, she uncovered a problem
34:48She said, there's a charge on your property, I've contacted Land Registry, and they cannot release
34:57I was absolutely devastated
34:59The company with the charge against the house was Hawksmoor Equity
35:04Just like Denise and Crispin, Jane had unwittingly agreed to its involvement when she signed the contract
35:10But Jane was puzzled, since according to the same contract, if House Sales Direct hadn't sold her house after six months, all legal charges would be removed
35:22We just bombarded them with emails
35:25Please can you remove the charge, please can you remove the charge
35:29But despite promises to remove it, more than three weeks later, the charge was still on the property
35:35The conveyancer sent an email and said, if you don't do this herewith, then I will take care of the proceedings
35:44The next day it was removed
35:46Much to her relief, the house sale went smoothly from there on
35:49But for Denise and Crispin, the process of removing We Buy Any House from their house sale is going to be far from smooth
35:59The cost of removing the charge against the house is £13,500
36:05I suppose the quick way to get out of it is to just write it off as a bad loss, isn't it? Take your medicine
36:10Made a mistake, that mistake is going to cost £13,500, end of story
36:15We haven't got £13,500
36:18Well no, but that's a simple solution, is to walk away from it and just put it down to a bad experience
36:24But that doesn't lie well really
36:27And for Denise, the price she's paid hasn't just been financial
36:32I've just been railroaded, haven't I?
36:33I mean, you see these things all the time and people tell you, always read the contract
36:39But I was told three times that I had a 14 day cooling off period
36:43And no point did he say that there was two companies involved
36:46Yeah, sorry, I'm just a bit... a bit emotional
36:56Poor Denise, what a horrible position she's found herself in
36:59Well, joining me now is solicitor Gary Rycroft
37:02Welcome Gary
37:04How do these companies operate?
37:06Well, these kind of quick house purchase companies
37:10They say it's going to be hassle-free, they say there are no fees involved
37:13Well, that no fee thing, Julia, strikes me as being interesting
37:17Because that means you're not getting legal advice
37:20And I would say, from the outset of these kind of transactions
37:23That's precisely what you do need
37:25So, starting with Denise and Crispin
37:26They say they were promised a cooling off period over the phone
37:30But when it came to cancelling, just 13 days in
37:33They discovered they'd actually signed two contracts
37:36One with no cooling off period
37:38How can that be?
37:39Yeah, I feel really sorry for Denise
37:41Because it seems that she feels that this was all on her shoulders
37:45But actually, the evidence from the film seems to be
37:47That it wasn't fully explained to Denise
37:51That she was signing two different and distinct contracts
37:56One of them was an option to buy the house
37:59And that means that other people are blocked from buying the property
38:03The second agreement was a standard estate agency agreement
38:07Now, the standard estate agency agreement certainly does go with a 14 day cooling off period
38:14But the thing about the earlier agreement, that doesn't have a 14 day cooling off period
38:20Now, Denise will say that that wasn't fully explained to her
38:23And if that's the case, then it was, in my view, misleading
38:27Well, what about Jane's case? What rights does she have over that?
38:29Well, in fairness to We Buy Any House, I've looked at the documents that they provide to people
38:37I can't comment on how those documents are explained
38:40But I can comment on the wording, which is relatively simple
38:44That people should be able to understand what's happening
38:47If they actually had the time to go through the contracts and had it explained to them
38:52When we spoke to We Buy Any House about Denise's situation
38:56It told us that it has lifted the restriction against her property
39:01And has now informed her that it will no longer be pursuing her for any settlement payment
39:06As for Jane, it said it had acted professionally and responded promptly to all concerns raised
39:13Having told Jane she was free to sell the property in March 2025
39:17It said it considered the matter concluded
39:19We Buy Any House stressed that as part of a regulated industry
39:24It was required to adhere to established codes of practice
39:28It said it was committed to delivering a fair and transparent service
39:32And said online customer reviews consistently rated its service as excellent
39:38We also spoke to House Sales Direct
39:41Which told us that when Denise chose to withdraw from its service
39:44The firm honoured that decision in full
39:46Bottom line, is there such a thing as a hassle-free house sale?
39:52Well, as we often say to clients, there's many a slip between cup and lip
39:58But yes, I think what I would say is to make it as hassle-free as possible
40:02Get your lawyer involved as soon as possible
40:05That's not exactly a straight no
40:07It's not a straight no, it's very much a lawyer's answer
40:10Do you know, I noticed that Gary
40:12Gary, thank you very much
40:13Thank you very much
40:19Now we're back here on the Ripoff Britain surface with our fabulous experts
40:23Sarah Pennells and Martin James
40:25And some of your questions to fire at them
40:28First one for you, Sarah
40:30Sarah Verrill bought a second-hand phone from a retailer eight months ago
40:33Which arrived scuffed
40:35Sarah was absolutely fine with that at the time
40:37But the phone has now stopped working properly
40:38She says it came with a 12-month warranty
40:42But the retailer has now said it can't be repaired under warranty because of the scuff marks
40:47What can she do?
40:49Well, this is an interesting one
40:51So, lots of manufacturers and some retailers offer warranties
40:54But it's, and these can have conditions to them
40:57But that aside, a warranty is on top of your consumer rights
40:59It's not instead of them
41:02So, if Sarah doesn't get anywhere going back to the retailer and saying
41:06Actually, what is the link between a scuff and the phone not working
41:09Then she should use her consumer rights under the Consumer Rights Act
41:13So, she bought this phone eight months ago
41:15And you would expect a second-hand phone to last for more than eight months
41:19So, because she's had it for a while, she probably can't get a full refund
41:22But she should ask for a repair
41:24And if they don't repair it properly, then she should ask for a replacement instead
41:28Okay, Martin, you're on
41:30Because Mary McGreal says that she purchased a balloon ride
41:34And she got vouchers for her 70th birthday
41:36But four years on and several cancellations later by the company
41:40They have now expired unused
41:42She paid 380 quid for them
41:44And the company refuses to refund
41:46So, what can she do to get the balloon ride?
41:48This is actually a really common problem
41:50Because, let's face it, a balloon ride in the UK sounds like a wonderful idea
41:54But it's still in the UK
41:56And they do repeatedly get cancelled
41:58Now, there will be terms and conditions attached to these vouchers
42:01But the fact of the matter is, if the business was unable to carry out the service it agreed to
42:06They should be giving her a full refund
42:08I would threaten to go to the small claims court
42:11Sarah, this is for you
42:12Tracy Wood says she bought a bunch of flowers from an online florist which arrived dead
42:17She emailed the company and has had no response and has also seen other customers in the same boat
42:23What can she do?
42:25With online retailers offering subscription floral bouquets and things like that
42:28Issues with kind of wilting wisterias and desiccated dahlias are actually much more common than you think
42:33Again, the Consumer Rights Act will be Tracy's friend here
42:37Because it's the retailer's responsibility until the bouquet is delivered for the condition it's in
42:43Now, if she doesn't get any joy with the retailer, and she's obviously tried already
42:47Then the other thing to fall back on is how she paid
42:50So whether she paid by debit card or credit card
42:53She can ask for something called a chargeback, which is essentially a reversal of the transaction
42:56Love the idea of desiccated dahlias coming back to life
43:00But thank you very much indeed for all of that
43:03On which note, I'm sorry to say, it is time for the end of today's programme
43:07But if you've missed any of the advice we've packed in
43:09From how to navigate the tricky world of house sale contracts
43:12To advice on getting your energy company to behave itself
43:15Catch up on today's programme and many more on BBC IT
43:19But until then, from all of us on the Ripoff Britain team here in Salford
43:22It's time to say goodbye
43:25Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.
43:52Bye. Bye.
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