大象传媒

Imagine paying 拢7,000 for a new garage, only to pay twice that much to have it knocked down and completely rebuilt because the end result was unsafe and unusable.聽

That鈥檚 the situation charity worker Julie Williams has found herself in.聽 She鈥檚 spending all of her savings to mend the mistakes of one man; the builder who took her money but left her with a garage that she describes as a 鈥渄isaster zone.鈥�

Back in May 2014 Julie hired Llanelli builder Nigel Davies to construct a new garage at her home in Baglan, Neath Port Talbot. His firm, P and N Building, started work and within two months the garage was up.聽 She paid Nigel Davies just over 拢7,000.

But within hours of completion there were problems.聽 The roof of the garage had sagged.

Council building inspectors were called in and Nigel Davies did carry out some of their recommendations.聽 But then work ground to a halt.聽 Finally, in June this year 鈥� almost a year after the garage was first put up 鈥� Julie gave Nigel Davies an ultimatum.聽

鈥淚 told him that if he didn鈥檛 come up on the day he said he going to, that I was going to see a solicitor to take it further.聽 The reply to that was, 鈥業鈥檝e done everything to building regs.鈥櫬� And that鈥檚 the last I heard from him.鈥�

When Nigel Davies walked away from the project, he left behind a building whose uneven roof was buckling under the weight of the tiles.聽 The walls were riddled with cracks, concrete blocks wobbled at the slightest touch.聽 It was a garage that simply wasn鈥檛 fit for purpose.

Chartered surveyor David Gregson says the building would not have been able to withstand any snow or heavy wind, and that it would be better to build it again.

And that鈥檚 what Julie has had to do.聽 The old building is being ripped down by another firm at a cost of 拢14,000.聽 In all, a simple garage has cost Julie more than 拢21,000.聽

When X-Ray caught up with Nigel Davies, he told us that everything was eventually completed in accordance with building regulations.聽 But Neath Port Talbot Council refutes that claim.聽 Furthermore, they say they were only called in after the garage was initially built, with all its structural flaws.聽

The Government鈥檚 Green Deal scheme has been scrapped 鈥� but people in Wales are still paying the price.

The scheme has been controversial since it was officially launched in 2013. It was slow to get started as home owners were reluctant to sign up for long-term loans 鈥� which were to be paid off through savings on fuel bills.

X-Ray was inundated with hundreds of calls from viewers who had lost out to companies making promises they couldn鈥檛 keep.

We launched major investigations into firms like Becoming Green and Eco Green Deal Solutions 鈥� both based in Cardiff. They signed up customers on the basis they were getting 鈥渇ree鈥� boilers or other energy saving measures. In fact, they were just signing up for surveys 鈥� which sometimes cost as much as 拢300.

Other customers found their fuel bills went up after getting Green Deal solar panels.

The Westminster Government scrapped the scheme in July 2015 鈥� but it hasn鈥檛 ended the suffering for Welsh consumers.

路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 88-year-old Anita Juliff from Mountain Ash spent 拢300 on a survey in March in the hope of getting a big discount on external wall insulation. The Swansea based company First Choice Energy Solutions took four months to complete the survey but only filed it days before the Green Deal was scrapped. The company blames an 鈥渁uditing error鈥� and has now been closed down. The director is refusing to pay a refund 鈥� and the Government will not help customers who have had a survey but have not progressed to putting a Green Deal Plan in place.

路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ray Carlyon from Bridgend signed up for solar panels from a company called U Need Energy. He says he did not realise he was taking out a long term loan. After he complained the company removed his panels 鈥� along with those of two neighbours. But he has now discovered that he is still liable to pay off the loan 鈥� around 拢8,000 over 22 years. The company did not respond to X-Ray鈥檚 letters 鈥� but the Green Deal Ombudsman is investigating the case.

Since the closure of the Green Deal the only people who can get help with making their homes warmer are those on certain benefits. The main scheme in Wales is the Welsh Government鈥檚 Nest scheme 鈥� although there is other funding available.

If you want help with making your home warmer you should ring the Energy Saving Trust on: 0300 123 1234.