´óÏó´«Ã½

In the last year, two of Kevin Collinson's mobility firms have gone into liquidation and he's now running a third.

Rachel Treadaway Williams investigates.

Read the rest of this entry

Honeymooners Catherine and Kevin Longree were looking forward to a brilliant holiday in sunny Cuba last September.

But after some unforeseen events - their break turned out to be a real washout.

Read the rest of this entry

In these tight economic times, we've all learnt how to be more careful with our cash.

As ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales asks 'What Are We Doing to Our Kids?', Lucy went back to class to meet children who could teach us all a few lessons in money management.

Read the rest of this entry

In November 2008 X-Ray warned that the "Give and Take - Key to a Fortune" pyramid scheme was sweeping across South Wales and would eventually collapse, leaving the vast majority of people who took part thousands of pounds out of pocket.

We have evidence that in some areas it's already happened, leaving people like pensioner David Parfitt from Ynysddu near Blackwood counting the cost.

Read the rest of this entry

When was the last time you used a telephone box, and do you have any idea how much it would cost to use a BT payphone?

Animal therapist Catherine Walker from Ruthin thought she had a pretty good idea of charges, but one call she made worked out a lot more expensive than she expected.

Read the rest of this entry

The latest figures show that burglaries in England and Wales are down 6% - but Chief Constable of South Wales Barbara Wilding has warned we could see the number of home break-ins increase as we get deeper into the recession.

By spending some time and money protecting your home and possessions now, you could save yourself a fortune in the long-run.

Read the rest of this entry

When it comes to creating your dream home, finding the right style is the easy part. But choosing electricians, plumbers and builders who you can trust can be more of a headache.

Many tradespeople display badges and logos in their adverts and on the side of their vans. And while some can show they are qualified to do certain jobs, others are practically meaningless.

The fact is there are dozens of legitimate trade associations, quality marks and schemes out there, but does anyone know how to spot them and what they all mean?

Read the rest of this entry

We're constantly told that changing gas or electricity providers can lead to huge savings.

But, for elderly or vulnerable people who may not understand what's involved, switching can lead to upset and confusion.

Read the rest of this entry

Lucy Owen challenges a family from our consumer panel, the X-Ray 100, to swap big brands for supermarket own goods for a week.

Julie and Andrew Wren live in Cwmbran with sons Harry, nine, and James, five. The boys love the big food brands but with an above average spend on their food bills - £70 a week or £3,600 a year - mum and dad were keen to save money.

Read the rest of this entry

How do you check if a second-hand car has actually been made for British roads?

Read the rest of this entry

X-Ray investigates the latest tanning craze - an injectable drug called Melanotan.

Some people will try almost anything to achieve the perfect colour. And now, a new a drug called Melanotan is the latest tanning craze.

Read the rest of this entry

Half of people who've lost track of savings say they struggle to remember all the accounts they've opened over the years, 37% had moved house without telling the bank while 28% think they mislaid money from childhood.

In all, it's estimated there is more than £850m sitting in dormant accounts.

Read the rest of this entry

We're all feeling the squeeze of the credit crunch. But there's an unexpected outcome of these hard times.

It seems more of us may be willing to get creative with the truth when it comes to insurance claims.

Read the rest of this entry