Rip Off Britain

Today, the people who have suffered disastrous situations in their own homes, including the families who have had their gardens fenced off and branded dangerous after terrifying landslides. Angela meets the women who have found themselves at the hands of unscrupulous locksmiths who have left them out of pocket. We have all the information you need to protect yourself. Also, when is storm damage really storm damage? We’re on the trail of the home insurance small print. And the virtual advice clinic opens its doors once more, with plenty of take-home tips to keep more of your money in your pocket.

Angela Rippon, Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville report on the latest scams hitting both the news and our pockets. Gloria meets victims of a scam that has swept the UK and beyond. It starts with a simple message about parcel deliveries before leading people into a terrifyingly plausible confidence trick. Also, how some customers of one buy-and-sell website, designed to turn your stash into cash, were left exposed to fraudsters. And the emotional impact that the UK’s shocking wave of fraud crime is having on its victims.

Consumer champions Gloria Hunniford, Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville take on the companies you say have let you down when you needed them most. Julia hears about the bewildering sales tactics of cold callers who pursue vulnerable people. What happens when your car insurer seems to believe your vehicle is not worth fixing? The drivers doing all they can to keep their wheels on the road give their side of the story. Also, the energy brokers not always offering the best deal, and our special consumer clinic offers top-notch advice to viewers from all over the UK.

Gloria hears about damage caused by delivery drivers that has left homeowners with broken walls and big bills after the vehicles involved simply drove off. Also, the innocent victims caught up in a shocking new wave of identity fraud that has swept the country during the pandemic – how they have struggled to get the help they desperately need from the authorities involved. And the big-name company whose customer service has left many of you at your wits’ end.

Julia Somerville, Angela Rippon and Gloria Hunniford take on more consumer stories, including the garden landscapers who have left customers with more of a muddy mess than an oasis of calm. Julia hears from the learners in lockdown who found self-education more expensive than they’d expected: we explain how you can avoid falling foul of the small print. Also, the online electronics retailer that has left dozens of customers in the lurch, and another bumper crop of free expert advice at the Rip Off Britain virtual advice clinic.