麻豆约拍

Retired steelworker Donald Rees will now get his dream patio after X-Ray took up his case.

Donald, 84, from Port Talbot, had to stop work on his garden after being diagnosed with cancer seven years ago.

So he hired G Evans & C James Landscapes and Building to construct four patios, steps, walls and a garage roof and ceiling.

Mr Rees paid in cash instalments and the landscaping took place between January and March 2015, costing a total of 拢42,892.

Shortly after completion, problems began to show. In October 2015, Donald Rees noticed his patio was sinking and cracks were forming in the walls. Mr Rees could no longer enjoy his garden and tried over the years to get hold of the builders to fix the problems, but no one from the company returned to stop his patio sinking.

Donald said 鈥淚 couldn't get hold of them. They never answered any phones or emails鈥�.

But when X-Ray got in touch with the company they agreed to fix the problems 鈥� and even invited X-Ray to film the work taking place.

Samantha Brousas passed away unexpectedly in February, just two months into a finance agreement for her new BMW. She had decided to treat herself to a new car and bought one for more than 拢22,000 鈥� paying more than 拢300 a month. Sam died without making a will, but because she and her partner Simon weren鈥檛 married, legally he was not her next of kin. This left her 22 year old daughter Sophie in charge of her late mum鈥檚 estate.

A few weeks after the funeral, Simon got in touch with BMW to let them know and they asked for a copy of the death certificate. He sent them the certificate as well as a letter explaining that he was not the next of kin, and that Sophie would be in touch. He thought that was as far as his involvement would go, but a few weeks letter he received a letter demanding payment from him and referring to him as the representative for the estate.

Simon told us: 鈥淚 found [it] bizarre and also really annoying that the letter actually says 鈥榓s a personal representative of the estate you've become our customer鈥�, because I am not a personal representative of the estate and never could be legally and I told them that in writing and on the phone.鈥�

Sophie also received similar letters referring to her as BMW鈥檚 customer and telling her when the next payment was due.

In the end Sophie and Simon had had enough and made the difficult decision to buy the car from BMW and sell it privately, at a loss of 拢8,000.

X-Ray got in touch with BMW who apologised for any distress caused by their handling of the case. They say they鈥檙e required by law to continue sending out statements even after someone has passed away, which is why a notice of arrears was sent to the family, but accept this should have been explained to them. BMW also say they initially had difficulty contacting Sam鈥檚 daughter Sophie, and even though the account has now been settled and closed they are contacting the family again to ensure an amicable resolution is reached.

When someone dies and leaves debt behind you should always try and tell all their creditors. If the debt was in one person鈥檚 name then only the estate can be held liable for paying that debt. If there is not enough money in the estate to cover the debt then the creditors cannot recover the amount still owed from anyone else, including the person鈥檚 surviving relatives. In some circumstances the debt could be a joint one, in which case then the debt can still be recovered from the surviving person.

Motoring organisations say that there are record numbers of potholes on our streets. But if your car is damaged by a pothole, you may be able to claim compensation. The success of your claim will depend largely聽on whether the pothole has already been reported and the size of the pothole, if under 50mm you are unlikely to win a case.

1)聽When you hit a pothole which you think might have damaged your car you need to take down the details of the pothole (making sure you stop somewhere safe first). You need its precise location, its size and shape.

2)聽Take a photo of the pothole and try to get a measurement. (The best way is to put something in the pot hole to show its size and depth.)

3)聽Make a record of any damage to your car 鈥� with photos if you can see the damage.

4)聽Report the pothole. This will depend on what kind of road it is, if it鈥檚 an A road or motorway, contact Traffic Wales 鈥� they鈥檙e on 0300 123 1213 or contact@traffic-wales.com. Or on all other roads it is the local council. You can find the council contact here:聽

5)聽Get your car repaired. It鈥檚 a good idea to get quotes, but keep all receipts as these can be used to support your claim.

6)聽Make your claim! If it鈥檚 to a council, their procedures will differ but most will ask you to fill up a claims form and ask you to provide all your evidence.

Councils have a statutory defence in that they cannot be held liable for a defect they are not aware of, so keep your eyes peeled and if you see a pothole, report it as soon as you can.