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Episode 3

Rachel meets two students paying a fortune for training courses they can't complete and unsuspecting beach-goers in Porthcawl are targeted by vehicle thieves.

Rachel meets two students who've been left paying a fortune for training courses they can't complete. Robert Williams and Kayne Romano both enrolled on adult education courses which they hoped would allow them to change career path. But after signing up for a loan with a major high street bank, they say they've been let down and left thousands of pounds out of pocket.

As families head to the seaside for some half term relaxation, there's a warning that thieves are targeting unsuspecting beach-goers and stealing their cars and vans. We meet surfers, lifeguards and police at Porthcawl to find out how they're tackling the spate of vehicle thefts.

Many children enjoy playing video games which are free to download. But Rhodri's been meeting viewers who want answers from games manufacturers after receiving shockingly high bills. We visit a group of parents and children who say these games encourage players to spend large amounts of real money, buying 'virtual' coins or prizes.

And Tom Vincent from Port Talbot paid hundreds for a refurbished games console from a high street store. He was assured of a great deal with the convenience of paying in weekly instalments - so why has he been shelling out for a machine which has been in for repair for most of the last three months?

30 minutes

Last on

Mon 27 May 2013 19:30

Loans cost students dear

Loans cost students dear

Sometimes you don't appreciate your education until your school days are behind you, but these days there are plenty of training courses for people looking to juggle work and family with studying.

Father of two Kayne Romano, from Pontarddulais, decided to sign up for an IT course with Advent Computer Training in 2008. 鈥淚t was for my family,鈥 said Kayne. 鈥淚t would have meant my job prospects would have been great that I could treat them to a better life.鈥

Kayne couldn't afford to pay the course fee of almost five thousand pounds up front so he turned to one of our biggest banks, Barclays, which had a partnership with Advent Computer Training.

Kayne signed up to a credit agreement with Barclays Partner Finance, paying back more than ten thousand pounds. Kayne started his studies and passed two modules but then in January 2010 Barclays Partner Finance decided to stop providing loans to students applying to adult training providers.

Advent Computer Training claimed it couldn't survive without them and went under. Barclays said it would honour the terms of existing loan agreements by finding students a "like for like" course but instead, the alternative course Barclays arranged had a pretty big difference - the cost!

He was already paying more than two hundred pounds a month and now Barclays were asking him to pay almost a hundred and fifty pounds more to carry on with his studies.

Unable to afford any more payments, Kayne felt he had no other option but to abandon his studies but Barclays insisted he continue his repayments or risk breaching his contract. He said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 resulted with us still living with my parents and not being able to afford a mortgage.鈥

Robert Williams from Pontardawe signed up to a plumbing course with Advent's sister company Access 2 Trade Careers in October 2009.

Like Kayne, Robert signed up to a credit agreement with Barclays Partner Finance at a cost of more than twelve thousand pounds. But just weeks after he signed up, Access 2 Trade Careers went under blaming their downfall on the bank's decision to pull out of the training sector.

Robert asked to be released from the contract but Barclays Partner Finance said they'd found a new training provider so he'd have to go with them and continue paying back the loan.

But again, far from being a 'like for like' replacement, Robert says the new course was structured very differently to the one he'd signed up for.

He told X-Ray: 鈥淭hey're nothing alike. The course was supposed to be fitting in around my job and now it's the other way. I've got to try and book holidays, plead with my manager to let me off certain dates and times just to be able to attend the course.鈥

Robert tried to cancel the course and his credit agreement again in April last year but Barclays Partner Finance refused, instead offering him a two-year extension.

He said: 鈥淵ou could give me ten years and it still doesn't change the fact that I cannot attend the dates that they're offering.鈥

Robert and Kayne are just two of thousands of students still paying back a loan to Barclays after their courses were cancelled, and many of those are unhappy at having to pay for a substitute course they never agreed to.

The bank have refused to back down however, and deny they were responsible for the two firms going under.

They say they've honoured their credit agreements by providing alternative courses which they insist were "like for like" - and in Robert's case, the Financial Ombudsman Service agrees.

However, Barclays say they are still looking into Robert鈥檚 and Kayne鈥檚 cases. We鈥檒l keep you posted on any updates.

Beachgoers beware!

Beachgoers beware!

Wales has some fantastic beaches, and whatever the weather surfers are always keen to catch a break.

But many of our surfing hotspots are only accessible by car and as most wetsuits don't come with pockets that can leave surfers with a tricky problem while they're in the water 鈥 what to do with their car keys.

For decades beachgoers have trusted their fellow wave worshippers with their belongings, perhaps leaving keys under the wheel arch of their cars or even under a rock.

But at Rest Bay, near Porthcawl, criminals have been taking advantage of trusting visitors.

In recent months, there's been a spate of thefts in the beach car park, with crooks spying on drivers to see where they hide their keys, before snatching them and stealing their cars. And some victims have been dealt a double blow.

As keys have been with the cars at the time of the theft, some insurers have refused to pay out.

But the tide is starting to turn against the criminals. Rest Bay surf school owner Hugh Murray has set up a key safe, which any visitors to the beach can use for free.

Hugh said: 鈥淚f they have an electronic key fob they can't take in the water, we give them a band and a number, keys are safe while they're in the water and when they come out, we give them the keys back."

Police have stepped up their patrols and they鈥檙e encouraging visitors to consider another way to beat the thieves. They are issuing free sealable pouches which can fit inside wetsuits and which will keep electronic keys dry.

So if you're planning on taking the plunge at one of our beaches this summer the message is clear - don't assume that other visitors have good intentions, and never leave your car keys or valuables unattended.

Real money spent on virtual games

Real money spent on virtual games

In this week鈥檚 programme, Rhodri highlights the problems faced by a growing number of families whose children have downloaded so-called 鈥榝ree鈥 games or apps for their mobile phones or computers.

Parents have then been shocked to receive bills of several hundred pounds for 鈥榲irtual鈥 purchases made within the game, but which have been paid for with real money.

We spoke to children who admitted they didn鈥檛 understand that buying items or currency online 鈥 such as gemstones, gold coins, doughnuts 鈥 required them to pay with real cash.

If you鈥檙e a parent and are worried about the free games which offer children a chance to speed up parts of the game in exchange for money, you can disable in-app purchases by changing the settings on your mobile phone or tablet computers.

Ofcom has available to show you how to do this, and you can find specific information for your own phone or computer.

The Office of Fair Trading is also investigating this issue and wants to hear of your experiences or concerns about these games. To take part in their survey, which runs until June 28th 2013, go to their .

The Green Deal

The Green Deal

Last week X-Ray broadcast an item about Becoming Green, a Cardiff company which claimed to sign people up to the UK Government鈥檚 Green Deal scheme.

Lesley Moule told X-Ray that Becoming Green had contacted her back in January, offering her free double glazing as part of the scheme. She just had to pay Becoming Green a joining fee of 拢299 which would not be cashed until an assessor had visited within a few days.

Her cheque was cashed but an assessor never came and Becoming Green only returned the money after X-Ray intervened.

After the episode, X-Ray received lots more calls and emails from other people who say they鈥檇 had similar experiences.

Many viewers also wanted more information about the Green Deal itself, so on this week鈥檚 programme our reporter Rachel Treadaway-Williams had some handy tips for people thinking about signing up for the scheme.

The Green Deal is a legitimate government scheme which was launched in January 2013. It is designed to help people make energy-saving improvements to their homes without having to bear the costs up-front.

Instead, its users pay for the improvements using a government-backed loan which is then gradually paid back as part of their electricity bill.

The hope is that the scheme will help people save money, but energy savings aren鈥檛 guaranteed and the loan does accrue interest.

It鈥檚 also important to note that the costs of the scheme stay with the property not the individual 鈥 so if you sell your house, the person who buys it will have to take over paying off the loan.

If you think you鈥檒l benefit from the Green Deal, the first thing you鈥檒l need is an assessor to advise you on what improvements could be made 鈥 there may be a fee involved with this but some will do it for free.

Once the assessor has established what improvements can be made, you鈥檒l need a provider who will arrange for the work to be done. The interest rate on your loan will be set by the provider, so it's worth shopping around to make sure you get the best rate.

When it comes to both your assessor and provider, it鈥檚 important to make sure they are authorised members of the scheme.

You can check whether your assessor, provider and installer are 鈥楪reen Deal Approved鈥 with the . If you need independent advice about the Green Deal Scheme, call the Energy Saving Advice Service on 0300 123 1234.

Dishwasher fires - advice

Dishwasher fires - advice

You're still contacting us two weeks after we reported how one fire devastated a family鈥檚 home in Llanfyllin and killed their two dogs.

The blaze, in March this year, was caused by a faulty control panel in a Bosch dishwasher. And it wasn't a one off - other fires had already led Bosch to recall more than 600,000 dishwashers.

Meanwhile, Hotpoint have decided not to recall one of their dishwashers, even though it has the same fault as the Bosch machines.

Some Hotpoint dishwashers made between 1999 and 2003 were actually made by Bosch, but Hotpoint say very few would still be in use now, which is why they're not recalling them.

Here's some safety advice if you have concerns about your dishwasher:

Bosch want to hear from people who own a Bosch, Neff or Siemens dishwasher made between 1999 and early 2005, and bought in the UK.

The affected machines, which are subject to a safety recall are in the batch number range from FD 7901 to FD 8504.

Dishwashers outside of this batch number range are unaffected. You can call Bosch鈥檚 repair action line on 0800 023 4881 or visit their .

Hotpoint say that if you own a DWF3 series dishwasher, made between 1999 and 2003, and have concerns about it you can call their customer service line on 08448 221 313. There is not a product recall in place.

However, there is a recall in place for another Hotpoint dishwasher that has, in a small number of cases, overheated and caught fire.

The manufacturer wants to hear from customers who own a dishwasher, made between June 2006 and March 2007.

Hotpoint say if the first five digits of the serial number are between S/N 60601 and S/N 70331 then your machine is affected. Again, you should call their customer service line on 08448 221 313.

Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Lucy Owen
Presenter Rhodri Owen
Reporter Rachel Treadaway-Williams
Series Producer Joanne Dunscombe

Broadcast