
Rachel investigates a plumber who has left a trail of unpaid debts, Lucy has top tips for fixing simple plumbing problems this winter, and Omar puts a faulty satnav to the test.
Rachel Treadaway Williams investigates a plumber who left a trail of unpaid debts, whilst Lucy Owen visits Bridgend College and learns some simple checks and fixes if your plumbing's playing up this winter. Professor Margaret Griffiths has some advice for the Swansea couple whose conservatory roof has been leaking since it was installed over a year ago. And Omar Hamdi finds out why the built-in satnav in one car insists on avoiding one of Wales's main roads.
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Everest ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Improvements

Geoff and Denise Griffin from Llansamlet, near Swansea had a new glass roof fitted on their conservatory by Everest ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Improvements on November 8th 2016. Four days after being fitted, Geoff noticed that the new roof leaked each time it rained. Almost twelve months have passed since the roof was fitted and it still leaks despite Everest ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Improvements going to his home and attempting to fix the leak six times.
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Wales’ consumer programme X-Ray have contacted Everest ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Improvements who have apologised, and admit that they have taken more time than is reasonable to diagnose the fault. They have now arranged for a team, complete with project manager, to visit Geoff and Denise at the end of the month. If the work they have planned to stop the leak isn't effective, they've promised they will reinstall the whole roof and cover the cost of re-plastering and redecorating.
Consumer expert Professor Margaret Griffiths has three top tips for what to do if you have paid a company to do a job, but the job is not getting resolved.Â
She says:
1.     Definitely get everything in writing.  If you are going to complain to a company it's very tempting to just pick up the phone.  Don't!  Get it in writing so there can be absolutely no dispute later about what is being said and when it was said.
2.     My second top tip would definitely be to set deadlines so the company  knows what you expect from them and they can have no doubt whatsoever about what has got to be done.
3.     Make the calendar your best friend every time you speak to them. Every time somebody calls, every phone call there is - keep a day by day diary about what has gone on. That way you have absolute evidence of how the problem has been dealt with.
Stubborn Sat Nav

One of the joys of modern day technology, and a convenience to drivers everywhere, is the invention of the sat nav. Helping us get from A to B, no matter what the route, distance or destination, the helping hand on our dashboard has made car journeys easier than ever.
Or has it?
John Aggleton, from Cardiff, tells a different story when it comes to the sat nav in his Volkswagen Golf.
A professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at Cardiff University, John says he’s been left more than a little puzzled by his car’s inbuilt navigation system.
John said: “I bought this barely used VW Golf. And one of the things that really attracted me to it, it sounds a bit sad I know, it’s got an inbuilt navigation system.
“So if I’m driving on my own I can get anywhere, I know where I’m going and I don’t need to worry about getting lost.â€
But not long after taking ownership of the vehicle, John realised the sat nav was behaving a bit oddly.
“It just kept coming up with very, very peculiar routes that persistently avoided the A470.â€
An important route to anyone living in south Wales, it’s not one any driver would want to see disappear from their car’s navigation system.
John took his concerns back to the dealer, Sinclair Volkswagen in Cardiff, where he was told the sat nav was in the wrong mode. But despite trying every setting under the sun, the problem persisted and the sat nav refused to cooperate.
John went back to the dealer but says his complaints fell on deaf ears.
“The garage was very unsympathetic. They said didn’t care
and there was nothing wrong with it.â€
We had to see this for ourselves and decided to put John’s stubborn sat nav to
the test.
Pitting John against a mystery driver, we wanted to see whose sat nav would navigate from Cardiff to Brecon in the fastest time.
Both journeys started out well and John did make it onto the A470, but then things literally took a different direction and John found himself turning off the main road for Pontypridd.
From there things went well and truly downhill, with John getting caught up in all sorts of traffic and travel chaos.
Taking him off the beaten track, John said the naughty navigation system took him “down roads, places, firstly I’d never (knew) existed and certainly I’d never driven down before.
“It was the most extraordinary route.â€
Extraordinary it certainly was and saw John arrive in Brecon a staggering 20 minutes after our mystery driver crossed the finish line. Â Â
Not the result he was hoping for.
Speaking to X-Ray, Volkswagen UK said they’re sorry to learn of John’s experience and they’re keen to sort out what they describe as an isolated problem. They added they would work with Sinclair to replace the sat nav in John’s car as quickly as possible.
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | Lucy Owen |
Presenter | Omar Hamdi |
Reporter | Rachel Treadaway-Williams |
Series Producer | Susie Phillips |
Broadcasts
- Mon 6 Nov 2017 19:30ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ One Wales HD & Wales only
- Tue 7 Nov 2017 17:30ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Two Wales