Rip Off Britain is a BBC One series which exposes Britain's rip-offs and helps consumers. It began on 30 November 2009, presented by former news journalists Angela Rippon, Gloria Hunniford and Jennie Bond. Newsreader Julia Somerville replaced Bond from series three. From the second series onwards, the show was remade into cut-down editions of 30 minutes which air in a prime time slot on Friday evenings.
Gloria Hunniford pays a visit to the residents of one Kent town that is slowly sliding into the sea, finding out just how they are coping with their perilous situation. How some automatic bill-switching services have left customers wondering whether they would have been better off doing it themselves, and the car finance loan that has left some drivers thousands of pounds down - and, in one case, with no car to show for it. And more of our unmissable tips and advice in our annual pop-up shop.
Gloria Hunniford, Julia Somerville and Angela Rippon meet people who have ended up seriously out of pocket after being caught out by the dreaded small print. They also meet electric bike owners who say they have lost out after their prized possessions were stolen and their insurers wouldn’t pay out, and the customer left thousands of pounds down after inadvertently dialling a hotline to the scammers. And more issues are tackled at the pop-up shop.
Julia Somerville, Angela Rippon and Gloria Hunniford hear from the people who fought back against the thieves stealing their mail and their identities. They also meet parents facing eye-watering phone bills racked up by their unsuspecting children despite doing everything they could to stop that happening. Also, the banks who don’t like to say yes: how some customers have been left with no access to their cash after being frozen out of their bank accounts. And there is another bumper crop of free expert advice at the pop-up shop.
Angela Rippon, Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville meet people whose lives have been made a misery through no fault of their own. Gloria meets a man whose search for a Hollywood smile has left him thousands of pounds out of pocket with nothing to show for it after his dentist shut down. How married couples hoping for a tax break have been left with much less than they expected, and the vulnerable people left forking out for warranties that are close to worthless. And plenty of consumer advice is handed out at our annual pop-up shop.
Gloria Hunniford, Julia Somerville and Angela Rippon investigate some of the most audacious scams doing the rounds, including the scammers selling puppies that don’t exist, leaving families hundreds of pounds out of pocket. Also, how banks are leaving some victims of fraud high and dry, despite new protections having been introduced to avoid that happening. And we investigate the latest tool in the scammers' armoury, which they are posting out to victims to soften up their prey. There's also plenty more free advice from the experts in our pop-up shop.
The flagship consumer series continues with Julia Somerville, Angela Rippon and Gloria Hunniford looking into the shoddy customer service that’s left dozens seriously out of pocket. On today’s programme, how one of the biggest online shopping companies in the world has left its customers wishing they’d taken their business elsewhere. Plus the companies accused of adding to the grief of those who have recently lost a loved one, and more of our unmissable tips and advice in our annual Pop-up shop.
Angela meets the fed-up pedestrians who want to bring an end to motorists parking on the pavement. They say it’s dangerous and inconsiderate- drivers say they have no choice. So what can be done? And how residents of one Bradford housing estate have had their brand new homes valued at NOTHING after being left high and dry by builders who’ve gone bust. Plus there’s a bumper crop of issues to be tackled at the annual pop up shop.
Julia Somerville, Angela Rippon and Gloria Hunniford investigate how the pandemic has provided yet more opportunity for scammers to con people out of their cash. Julia hears how the scramble for the sell-out item of the summer, the hot tub, has left people hundreds of pounds down. And, crypto-currencies – they’re supposed to bring big returns, so why are some of you telling us getting involved in this market has completely wiped out your savings? Plus, how underhand criminals posing as key workers have played on the people’s fears to extract yet more money from their victims.
Angela Rippon, Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville take on the issues you say are making your lives a misery. And today, Angela’s on the trail of the flytippers, getting to the heart of a problem that’s infuriating communities up and down the country. She joins a stake out with a man whose confrontational approach to taking on the fly tippers has to be seen to be believed. And, how some of the UK’s biggest broadband companies have left some customers feeling they’re being held hostage by their terms and conditions. Plus, there’s plenty of top-notch consumer advice being handed out at the annual pop up shop.
Gloria Hunniford, Julia Somerville and Angela Rippon investigate a fresh crop of scams aimed at parting you from your cash. In today’s programme, the shocking tale of the hackers intercepting customer accounts with some of the biggest names in the fast food business, leaving the customers to foot the bill. Also the devious distraction tactics criminals are using to dupe unsuspecting car owners out of hundreds of pounds of their money, and how some companies are failing victims of identity fraud.
Julia Somerville, Gloria Hunniford and Angela Rippon meet the people who thought their beloved homes were in safe hands, only for disaster to strike, leaving their families in danger and with big bills to put things right. As those customers were left to regret ever trusting the tradespeople they found on builder-checking websites, we reveal how thoroughly those sites actually check the traders they list. The team also hear about one couple’s two-year battle with one of the biggest names in insurance. The company took so long to fix a simple hole in their roof that the house has deteriorated into a dangerous, contaminated ruin that will cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to put right. All that plus baffling energy bills, new build snagging and more essential advice in our pop-up shop.
Gloria Hunniford, Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville return to expose more of the tactics deployed by scammers to get their hands on your money. Today, the taxman scam - almost certainly the biggest fraud in Britain, with a million people targeted by it last year alone. We investigate the ever-evolving tactics behind it and how you can make sure you’re not hit. Gloria gets the latest on the efforts being made to stop the scammers behind fake celebrity endorsements that are used to make dodgy deals look legit. We hear from job seekers who were told that before they could even get an interview, they would need to pay for training that ultimately turned out to be pointless, and there’s more unmissable advice from the experts in our pop-up shop.
Gloria Hunniford, Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville investigate more cases of viewers being left seriously out of pocket. Today, the people who trusted a special website to help them find couriers to move valuable goods, only for the couriers to do a runner. A woman whose husband paid £85,000 for collectable gold coins is shocked to learn what they’re really worth, and there’s more indispensable advice for the visitors to our pop-up shop.
Angela Rippon, Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville meet the homeowners who say their drives and gardens are being held to ransom by a little-known government agency that claims it owns tiny sections of them and is looking to sell. They also expose the flaws in the register for UK companies that allow dodgy firms to appear legit. And, as more viewers go in search of advice from the experts in our pop-up shop, we meet the dog owner who is £3,000 out of pocket after his pet insurance policy wouldn’t pay out.
Julia Somerville, Gloria Hunniford and Angela Rippon investigate a supermarket loyalty card scheme that refuses to refund customers who have had their points stolen by scammers. They also hear about a roadside rescue service that took so long to arrive that a car flooded so badly that it was damaged beyond repair; a woman who faces financial ruin after a battle with her travel insurer; and a breakthrough for one visitor to our pop-up advice clinic who is trying to reclaim £1,000 he is owed.
The series continues with an investigation into fake crowdfunding pages preying on people’s goodwill. Rev Richard Coles tells Julia of his devastation on discovering how one such fake fundraising appeal was set up following the death of his husband last year. We discover how scammers are taking out easy credit using a fashionable new payment platform that could let them buy now and leave you to pay later, and at our pop-up shop, advice from our experts helps one woman to wipe out an unfair £10,000 bill.
Gloria Hunniford, Julia Somerville and Angela Rippon hear how dozens of drivers have lost thousands of pounds to a company that sold their car for them but didn’t pass on a penny of the cash. With more of us than ever before using social media to shop, the team investigates the online retailers whose slick-looking profiles hide decidedly shabby service. And there’s more essential consumer advice in the popup advice clinic, where our experts help a man who ended up thousands of pounds under-insured after using a price comparison site.
The series continues with one of the most jaw-dropping scams the team has ever seen, in which crooks weaved a complex web of deceit to con a chain of unwitting internet shoppers out of thousands of pounds. They also investigate how fraudsters have made a fortune preying on pandemic paranoia during the coronavirus crisis; there’s expert advice for anyone whose online-shopping bargains turn out to be bogus; and travel guru Simon Calder helps holidaymakers who are battling to get their money back after being grounded by the pandemic.
Angela Rippon, Julia Somerville and Gloria Hunniford discover how a simple mistake with your insurance claim after a car accident could leave you thousands of pounds out of pocket. One woman was left with a £6,500 bill following an accident that wasn’t her fault. Julia meets one visually impaired woman who was left by the side of the road, in the dark and miles from home, when a minicab driver broke the law by refusing to take assistance dogs. The team have good news for someone whose home has been plagued by inexplicable water leaks for the last year, and there is advice in the pop-up shop for a couple whose three-month-old car burst into flames on their driveway.
Gloria Hunniford, Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville return with the programme that is still battling for you when everyone else has let you down. Today, the team investigate the fraudsters taking advantage of some of the biggest and most trusted names in retail to try to get your money. It includes a cruel and audacious high street gift card scam in which fraudsters terrified one elderly lady into handing over her life savings. They hear about one man’s race against time to stop crooks taking out mobile phone contracts in his name, the fraudsters capitalising on our love of telly, and essential advice from our experts in the Rip Off Britain Pop-up Shop.
Rip Off Britain is a BBC One series which exposes Britain's rip-offs and helps consumers. It began on 30 November 2009, presented by former news journalists Angela Rippon, Gloria Hunniford and Jennie Bond. Newsreader Julia Somerville replaced Bond from series three. From the second series onwards, the show was remade into cut-down editions of 30 minutes which air in a prime time slot on Friday evenings.
