Washing machines. Not the most exciting of gadgets, but how many of us hand-wash our clothes these days? We've become completely reliable on them and if your machine goes wrong, you'll want it fixed - and quick.
Not something you're likely to get from washing-machine repair rogue Clive Bramall. He runs Oxford and Abingdon Washing Machine Repairs operating in Oxfordshire. We heard he'd been leaving his customers high and dry - promising to fix their machines, but then taking their money and doing a runner...
(Do you have something to say about this story? Tell us what you think by emailing us here. Don't forget to include 'Clive Bramell' in the subject line. Watchdog will publish a selection of viewers' comments underneath each story, both throughout and after the programme is on air. Please remember to include your name as you would like to see it published).
When Clive Bramall inspected Laura Smith's washing machine last year, he quickly diagnosed a faulty pump and wanted £150 for it up front. He came to do the work and claimed he'd fitted the new pump, but the next time Laura went to use it, the machine still didn't work and was showing exactly the same fault as before. Bramall called round again and said there was nothing else for it - she'd need a brand new machine. Laura relented and gave him £375.
But the new machine never came and the old one still didn't work. Out of pocket and patience, Laura called another repairman, who identified the real problem - a hair band stuck in the pump. The true cost of repair was just £30.
We spoke to numerous people owed money by Bramall and when they tried to get their money back they were spun line after line. Annie Haight paid Bramall £560 up front for a new washer-dryer. She never saw the machine or got her money back.
"In my view, Mr Bramall is a very plausible and convincing liar. For speed, I gave him money to get a machine for me and then the excuses started," she said.
To expose Bramall's spin, we got ourselves a house near Oxford, and installed a washing machine, an actress and lots of hidden cameras. Then we got a real washing machine expert - electrical engineer, Michael Brown - to set a simple fault in our machine, namely disconnecting the power supply to the motor inside the back of the machine. All a proper repairman would have to do is pull the machine out, take the back off, have a quick look around, and simply plug the connector back in. We called Clive Bramall out and hid, ready to watch the action.
When Clive Bramall arrived, he took one look at the front of our machine and without even pulling the machine out from under the kitchen counter, he wasted no time in telling us we needed to fork out for a major new part - the main circuit board.
"You can tell nothing from looking at the outside," said our expert, Mike Brown.
Although there was nothing wrong with our machine, Clive Bramall wanted us to hand over £180 for a new circuit board (one of the most expensive parts) or £300 for a brand new machine. All completely unnecessary.
The next week, Bramall returned to fit a new circuit board, or at least that's what he told us. As soon as our actress's back was turned, he started fitting a cheap door lock instead. When the machine didn't work he lied to us and told us he had fitted a circuit board, but that the one he'd fitted wasn't compatible and he needed to get another one. He then tried to persuade us we needed the new machine after all.
Enough was enough - we wanted our money back. We kept calling Clive Bramall to try and get our money back, but all we got was the usual spin - excuse after excuse.
Rogue Traders wrote to Clive Bramall to outline our findings and to ask him to refund us and the other customers we'd spoken to. He claimed he was not able to respond in full and although he did send us a cheque for the money he owed us, he still had not fully refunded the complainants included in our film.
So, Matt caught up with Clive Bramall on a street in Abingdon, and asked where his customer's money had gone. This time, Bramall's usual spin was nowhere to be seen. He fled back to his car and left without saying a single word.
It's time to air this rogue's dirty laundry...
Not something you're likely to get from washing-machine repair rogue Clive Bramall. He runs Oxford and Abingdon Washing Machine Repairs operating in Oxfordshire. We heard he'd been leaving his customers high and dry - promising to fix their machines, but then taking their money and doing a runner...
(Do you have something to say about this story? Tell us what you think by emailing us here. Don't forget to include 'Clive Bramell' in the subject line. Watchdog will publish a selection of viewers' comments underneath each story, both throughout and after the programme is on air. Please remember to include your name as you would like to see it published).
When Clive Bramall inspected Laura Smith's washing machine last year, he quickly diagnosed a faulty pump and wanted £150 for it up front. He came to do the work and claimed he'd fitted the new pump, but the next time Laura went to use it, the machine still didn't work and was showing exactly the same fault as before. Bramall called round again and said there was nothing else for it - she'd need a brand new machine. Laura relented and gave him £375.
But the new machine never came and the old one still didn't work. Out of pocket and patience, Laura called another repairman, who identified the real problem - a hair band stuck in the pump. The true cost of repair was just £30.
We spoke to numerous people owed money by Bramall and when they tried to get their money back they were spun line after line. Annie Haight paid Bramall £560 up front for a new washer-dryer. She never saw the machine or got her money back.
"In my view, Mr Bramall is a very plausible and convincing liar. For speed, I gave him money to get a machine for me and then the excuses started," she said.
To expose Bramall's spin, we got ourselves a house near Oxford, and installed a washing machine, an actress and lots of hidden cameras. Then we got a real washing machine expert - electrical engineer, Michael Brown - to set a simple fault in our machine, namely disconnecting the power supply to the motor inside the back of the machine. All a proper repairman would have to do is pull the machine out, take the back off, have a quick look around, and simply plug the connector back in. We called Clive Bramall out and hid, ready to watch the action.
When Clive Bramall arrived, he took one look at the front of our machine and without even pulling the machine out from under the kitchen counter, he wasted no time in telling us we needed to fork out for a major new part - the main circuit board.
"You can tell nothing from looking at the outside," said our expert, Mike Brown.
Although there was nothing wrong with our machine, Clive Bramall wanted us to hand over £180 for a new circuit board (one of the most expensive parts) or £300 for a brand new machine. All completely unnecessary.
The next week, Bramall returned to fit a new circuit board, or at least that's what he told us. As soon as our actress's back was turned, he started fitting a cheap door lock instead. When the machine didn't work he lied to us and told us he had fitted a circuit board, but that the one he'd fitted wasn't compatible and he needed to get another one. He then tried to persuade us we needed the new machine after all.
Enough was enough - we wanted our money back. We kept calling Clive Bramall to try and get our money back, but all we got was the usual spin - excuse after excuse.
Rogue Traders wrote to Clive Bramall to outline our findings and to ask him to refund us and the other customers we'd spoken to. He claimed he was not able to respond in full and although he did send us a cheque for the money he owed us, he still had not fully refunded the complainants included in our film.
So, Matt caught up with Clive Bramall on a street in Abingdon, and asked where his customer's money had gone. This time, Bramall's usual spin was nowhere to be seen. He fled back to his car and left without saying a single word.
It's time to air this rogue's dirty laundry...