Rip Off Britain
S17 E3 • My conservatory roof shattered, but no-one’s taking responsibility
Episodes
Tenants turned my family home into a cannabis farm
The team investigate fake tenants who turned a home into a cannabis farm. And the pet microchipping database that could make it harder to track down your missing furry friend.
44 min
Water bills are going up, but what’s it all being spent on?
The team meet residents furious at water bills increasing by 47 per cent. And the energy company that incorrectly charged an 82-year-old nearly £3,000 on her winter bills.
44 min
My conservatory roof shattered, but no-one’s taking responsibility
The team help one family who narrowly escaped when their conservatory roof shattered and ask who should foot the bill.
44 min
I paid for a smartphone but received a lump of clay
The team help people stuck with paying a monthly contract for smartphones that were never delivered. And the SUV drivers left fearing for their safety when the cars developed a fault.
44 min
Timeshare nightmare
The team help a couple who paid thousands to terminate their timeshare membership. As another suspicious operator offers to help, the team are there to challenge his claims.
44 min
I cancelled my card, but scammers kept spending
The team investigate the mysterious transactions made via mobile phone payments – even after the customer had cancelled their bank card.
44 min
Brazen car scam caught on camera
The team expose a shocking trick caught on camera during a private car sale that’s left some drivers thousands of pounds out of pocket.
44 min
Nail glue took my daughter’s skin off
The team investigate the case of a girl who suffered severe burns after using a nail glue she bought online and expose the other products that pose a risk.
44 min
Super-scam cost me nearly £500,000
How a grandmother was groomed into cashing in her entire pension. Even her own family and the police couldn’t break the spell.
44 min
Dream holiday left me with gastric infection
The team investigate the cases of holidaymakers left suffering from debilitating gastric illnesses after a luxury five-star trip to Cape Verde.
44 min
Addicted to shopping app
The team investigate the shopping app that one woman found so addictive, she asked her bank to cancel her cards in order to stop her spending.
44 min
Fire safety upgrades – who should foot the bill?
The team take on the case of residents who were billed by their managing agent for fire safety upgrades to their front doors.
44 min
Gift experience voucher left me £200 out of pocket
The team reveal the gift voucher blunders that left one customer with only two theme park tickets for her family of six.
44 min
Scammer posed as my mum – while she sat next to me
How a scammer took over one woman’s WhatsApp account in a bid to defraud her friends and family.
44 min
Luxury resort turned out to be a building site
The team investigate the cases of holidaymakers who say their relaxing breaks were ruined by noisy building work.
44 min
New home knotweed no-one told us about
The team investigate who is responsible for the costly surprise of knotweed facing one couple when they bought their dream home.
43 min
£1,000 to send a parcel
How sending a parcel cost one man more than £1,000 because the courier said he got the measurements wrong.
43 min
I had to do the maths to prove my energy company wrong
The team investigate who is responsible for the mystery cracks in laptop screens that left a trail of angry customers.
43 min
I took out a family trust to protect my kids, but now I regret it
The families unravelling the family trusts set up decades ago to protect an inheritance, but which are now proving complex and costly.
43 min
My holiday was cancelled at hotel check-in
The team investigate the cases of holidaymakers left stranded when their travel company went bust, even though it appeared to be ATOL-protected.
44 min
Insurer says I’m wrong about having cancer
The team investigate the life insurance policies that have left some customers in the lurch, including the woman whose insurer doesn’t accept she has cancer.
44 min
Broadband firm has trapped my car with a telegraph pole
The team take on the case of the homeowner who claims a broadband company installed a new telegraph pole without warning, which left their car stuck in the lane behind their home.
44 min
The Scottish lodge I invested in didn’t exist
The investment scheme that went wrong, after nearly 200 victims believed they were buying a holiday lodge connected to a well-known brand.
44 min
Excluded from cheap energy tariffs because of where I live
The team take on the case of electric vehicle drivers who say their energy provider couldn’t connect them to the best tariffs because of where they live.
44 min
Our holiday was not as advertised
The team investigate the cases of holidaymakers who say the reality of their trips was far from what was advertised by the travel company.
44 min
Scammers used our street to open fake accounts
In the first of five special episodes for BBC Scam Safe week, the team investigate the fake bank accounts all registered in one Cheshire street.
44 min
AI romance scammer broke my heart
In another special episode for BBC Scam Safe week, the team hear the incredible story of one Edinburgh woman left devastated when an online romance turned out to be a scam.
44 min
Help! Is my online job a scam?
A viewer contacts the team after suspecting the online task work he’s been completing could be a scam.
44 min
I was part of the world’s largest scam
A victim of a huge international investment scam network meets one of the investigative journalists who uncovered it.
44 min
Fake Michael Jackson brought bailiffs to my door
A man whose home address is hijacked by a fraudster using the name Michael Jackson receives traffic fines and a visit from a bailiff but says the authorities won’t help.
44 min
Banned from 500 shops by facial recognition
The team investigate the use of facial recognition software on Britain's high streets after a woman from Salford is falsely identified as a toilet roll thief.
43 min
The banned online pet store still taking your money
The team sniffs out the truth about the glossy online pet store selling treats for dogs, which despite been banned from trading is still taking pet owners’ money
44 min
I’m blind - but my bank sends letters I can’t read
The team reveal shocking failings at a high street bank after it sent crucial communications to a blind customer by letter.
43 min
Roof repair rogues took aim at our homes
The team visit a Portsmouth suburb that has been repeatedly targeted by doorstep cold callers trying to charge thousands of pounds for roof repair jobs that simply weren’t needed.
43 min
Slimed by sludge pipe leak during our dream cruise
A couple from the Wirral say their dream cruise holiday was ruined when a leaky pipe above their cabin covered them in foul-smelling liquidised food waste.
44 min
Elvis event left me all shook up
The team takes on the case of an Elvis superfan who says an immersive experience with the 'King' was far from what was advertised.
43 min
Owed thousands by my energy company
The team investigate the case of the energy company that still refused to pay back £3,000 to its customer despite two ombudsman rulings in his favour.
44 min
I won in court – but I’m still out of pocket
The team investigates why court rulings aren’t being enforced against the businesses that owe their customers money – and what can be done about it.
44 min
Next door up in flames - but I had to pay
The team investigate why an insurance company declined a no-fault claim after a fire spread from the house next door.
44 min
Four-day delay, but my airline won’t pay
A couple who planned a holiday to Honolulu say their four-day stop-off in Las Vegas was wiped out by a series of flight cancellations and delays.
44 min
Careless courier driver destroyed my garden wall
When a woman’s garden wall is flattened and a couple’s camper van is wrecked by careless delivery drivers, the team find out why the courier companies involved might not help put things right.
44 min
Van seized after fake debt ruling
The team in Salford investigate how it was possible for a company to invent fake debts against other businesses, take their directors to court and have legal judgements rubber-stamped against them.
44 min
Blaze repair delays ruined our home
A couple from Dorset say their beloved home has been wrecked by water damage after a series of delays to their insurance claim and building work.
43 min
The five-year wait to return to my home
Residents of an apartment block in Oldham who were forced to leave their flats following the issue of a fire safety notice are desperate to go home after being barred from returning for five years.
44 min
Holiday hotel blaze left me fearing for my life
The team hear from holidaymakers caught up in a major hotel fire in Turkey, who say their travel company hasn’t done enough – and won’t accept responsibility.
44 min