q Tonight ` It's my money. the tax refund that's ended up in the ex-husband's account. And he hasn't given it back. Oh, it's really upsetting. I don't think they have done enough. What you can do if your money ends up in the wrong account. Plus, phone scam alert ` how you can avoid being stung, as scammers go to a whole new low. We've had two people who have lost $18,000 to this scam. And then ` Free this and free that. why should new customers get all the big deals? You could literally save hundreds and hundreds of dollars a month. How can you get in on the action? Plus ` Oh, I was in tears. I thought, 'How on earth can this be?' the house-insurance loophole you should know about. And we're at number seven in the countdown to the dumbest fee. The ultimate cop-out, if you ask me. Copyright Able 2015 Welcome to Fair Go. Jani Alexander was counting on her tax refund. The IRD paid it, but not to her. Why didn't she get it? Why won't or can't the IRD get it back for her? And what can you do if your money ends up where it shouldn't? This should be a happy family movie. Just happy, you know. I mean, it's lots of money. The money is a tax refund ` nearly $4000. It was very important, because we planned to bring my mum here for Christmas. From? > Uh, from Czech Republic. And also she's looking after my father, who is really ill, so that money was to pay for the ticket and pay for the care while she is here. So it was a big deal for you? > Yes, yeah, very big deal, definitely. But this family movie may never happen. And did you get the money? > No. Why not? > Because IRD put them in the wrong bank account. Not wrong, according to the IRD, but an account now controlled by her ex-husband. He hasn't given it back. Yes, Jani's ex-husband got her tax refund. The IRD told Jani it's made no mistake. That account was Jani's account, on their records, back in 2005. They are not going to do anything. You know, it's just, 'We haven't made mistake. It's not our fault.' That's it. 'Jani used to get her refunds by cheque, but the IRD is moving away from cheques.' I mean, I understand they want to, you know, sort of get rid of cheques; bank transfers are easy. To maybe send me a letter or an email and say, 'We are changing our system. 'This is the details we have. Please check are they correct.' You know, at the end of the day, it is my money, and they` I don't think they have done enough. Uh, this is Jani Alexander speaking... Jani has done plenty. She's complained to the IRD, the Revenue Minister, the police. Because I can't go to ombudsman until I receive basically any written confirmation from IRD that they are not able to do anything in my case. So far, nothing has worked, including direct approaches to her ex. OK. Thank you. Bye. And he won't pay the money back? > I don't think so, no. What do you feel about that? > Oh, it's really upsetting, yeah. Because it's my money. We've contacted Jani's ex. We've also contacted IRD. Now, by law, they can't talk to us about Jani or any individual taxpayer; they can talk generally. So, let's imagine that Mr Smith received money that he wasn't meant to from somebody else's tax refund. We're pretty limited in what we can do. We can't contact Mr Smith directly. We can ask our bank, Westpac, to get in touch with Mr Smith's bank to see if they'll ask him to return the money, but he's under no obligation to return the money to us. 'We'll come back to Jani's situation.' But this isn't just about Jani, her ex and the IRD; it's about what you can do if your money ends up in the wrong place for whatever reason. Like if you send money to the wrong account, like this bloke. Two numbers I got wrong. So, what you need to do is contact your bank, who will then contact the recipient's bank, and the recipient's bank will try and get the money back, uh, so that you can then pay the right person. Did you follow that? Short version ` contact your bank. They'll try and sort it out with the other person's bank. You can't just tell your bank to reverse your mistake. No, no, it's not as simple as that, unfortunately. What if, like Jani, whoever got your money won't give it back? If they refuse to give the money back, then you should talk to the police. Have a look at this. Jani said police told her it was a civil matter, so how does she ` and you ` ensure the IRD has correct details? They said, 'Well, you should have called us and changed your bank details.' I tried to say, 'Well, I didn't, because I didn't know you have those details.' Why would I update something I didn't know they have? So, this is the Inland Revenue website. Where you can join the myIR system. You log in to myIR. Or if you've never done that, you can register. This is a fake taxpayer, essentially? That's right. That's right. I can't show you a real one. And under 'My details', it will show you all the information we hold on you. And so this will show you where, for example, a tax credit would be paid to by the IRD? Correct. But Jani says her accountant was not able to see those details. Jani works in film and TV. Oh, that's a nice shot, actually. This is one time she can't call the shots. Yeah, it's been really upsetting. Yeah, I had quite a few sleepless nights, yeah, trying to think what I can do. We think the solution here is pretty simple. Jani's ex should give back the money. We've had quite a lot of contact with him in the last 24 hours. Jani has asked us to hold off naming him while she makes one last attempt to get the money back. By the way, the IRD tells me it's contacted 1.5 million taxpayers in the past year, asking them to update their details. Now, it was a horrible plague a few years ago, and it's back. And it's worse ` way worse. The cold-call computer support scammers may be ringing you. Don't be a victim. People ring you up and tell you that they can fix your computer ` there's something wrong with your computer, and they're gonna fix it, and what they need is remote control to your computer. If you give them that access, then they take a number of steps to exploit you and take money off you. This is not a new scam. It did the rounds a few years ago. Then people got caught out paying for repairs or software they didn't really need. That's happening this time too, although there's also another nastier twist, with scammers using the access they get to your computer to find stuff you'd really rather not share. Essentially, they get drawn deeply into the scam, and they get into a point where they can get blackmailed. And the content on their computer is worth so much to them that they're prepared to pay that kind of money to get access to it again. 'With blackmail now a threat, Martin Cocker from NetSafe says this scam has gone to new heights.' In terms of the losses, we've had two people who've lost $18,000 to this scam, so it's significantly different to those original scams, where they lost a few hundred. Scammers usually claim they're calling on behalf of trusted brands, like your internet provider or computer companies. Microsoft's taken out ads to warn customers that they'll never call and ask for remote access to your computer, passwords or any other private details. Nobody legitimately offers this service. Nobody will ring you up and say they can fix your computer remotely and ask for remote access to your computer. That's right ` it's the remote access to the computer that's the key with this scam. They can't get it without your help. So if you get a call from someone asking for it, say no and hang up. So if you have fallen victim to this scam, take your computer to a technician immediately. It may have malware ` malicious software ` loaded on to it. And call NetSafe to tell them about it. They're on 0508 NETSAFE. And once again, Microsoft do not make these calls. It is a scam. Right. It seems a day doesn't go by without some phone or power company enticing us with a bargain deal to jump ship and join them. And what about the banks and their low, low interest rates and cash offers? But why is it all about new customers? Free this and free that. And I feel us loyal customers basically don't get offered anything. NZers are just way too polite. We don't like to knock on someone's door and say, 'Hey, give us a better deal.' And the insurance loophole that could cost you thousands. I couldn't believe that being with a company for that long, how they can turn and do the dirty on you. And being charged for not using your credit card. That's pretty dumb. q Welcome back. Power, phone, internet, insurance, mortgages, telly ` some of life's essentials. We spend thousands of dollars every year on these things. But we've been noticing, and so have you, that there's heaps of great offers and free stuff for new customers. So what about existing, loyal customers? What do you get? Here's Brodie. Graeme Fisher loves Sky. Righty-oh, so, whose is this Sky? This is my Sky. Your Sky? What is the channel of choice, usually? So sport, rugby, rugby league. So, whose is this Sky? So this is where we send the kids when we want some peace and quiet. Whose is this Sky? So this is for my partner and I. Your partner and you? Yes. Graeme spends 160 bucks a month on Sky. 160 bucks! He has My Sky and two other decoders and has been a loyal customer for around 15 years. So, you'd say you're one of the diehards? Oh, absolutely. I love my rugby. I love my sport. Um, that's the main reason, I suppose, why we've got Sky. Now, Graeme knows it's his choice to have Sky, but recently he's been a bit perplexed at all the offers they throw out there to new customers. Free movies or free sport for two months. You know, free Joseph Parker fights. Basically, free this and free that. And I feel us loyal customers basically don't get offered anything. So Graeme wrote a politely worded message on Sky's Facebook page. Well, it kicked off. READS: 'Why is it that you regularly promote new membership deals, 'but you seem to always forget about those loyal customers? 'We pay well over $100 a month, and the closest thing we get to anything free is a Sky magazine.' I had well over 14,000 likes. Whoa. And over a thousand comments, and many people had shared it, so, hey, I'm obviously not alone in this thought. Yep, nearly 1500 people frustrated and angry at Sky as to why it's all about the new customer. So, Graeme got us thinking ` what about loyalty to existing customers and how can you get more bang for your buck? Cos let's be honest, it's not just Sky trying to lure in new customers. The banks do. Open a savings account, and we'll throw in $20. ANZ can help you buy your home now. Then there's the power companies. And you'll receive a... Join now, and we'll even shave $150 off your account. Don't forget the telcos. 2.5GB of data. Unlimited calls. Join Trustpower for both, and you can get unlimited broadband. It's no surprise people like our loyal Graeme are just a wee bit frustrated. But fear not ` there are some solutions. But it involves you, your voice and your A game. Bernard Hickey says there are companies ` and we're not naming names ` that rely on their existing customers, well, not doing anything. A lot of those companies take them for granted, so they hope that they don't actually look at the bill and work out that they can get a better deal. He says it's time to start hustling your bank for the same deals luring in the newbies. If there's a balance transfer deal you think you can do that makes sense, and certainly if you've got a mortgage, you wanna be asking for the best possible deal. Threaten to go to a mortgage broker or threaten to go to another bank. They are very keen to keep your business. And, hey, it's exactly the same with the telcos. Particularly your mobile phone, there's a lot of stuff going on between the three networks. They're chasing people. Spark announced last week they wanna be number one. So they're gonna be chasing people to come over to their network. # I've got the power! # Well, actually, you've got the power. Did you know there are two dedicated websites aimed at getting you the cheapest power deal? So what are you waiting for? NZers are just way too polite. We don't like to knock on someone's door and say, 'Hey, give us a better deal.' Yip, turns out we just don't haggle enough. And we just haven't bothered to look around. There's lots of offers out there, and there's no reason why you shouldn't want to move to one of these smaller providers. Sometimes they give you better service. So how do you go about it? Say, 'Have you got a better deal? Cos I'm thinking of moving,' and they can't really say no, because often there is a better deal somewhere else. It's really about people taking responsibility for getting the best deal for themselves. Think of it like your weekly shop or bargain hunting. If only we paid more attention to getting a better deal than we do to, you know, maybe hunting through the clothes racks for what we think is a bargain or going to the supermarket and buying a $2 can of baked beans instead of a $3 can of baked beans, we could save so much more money, particularly on the big-ticket items. You could literally save hundreds and hundreds of dollars a month. But is any of that any help to our mate Graeme with Sky? What did they say to him after his Facebook post went gangbusters? They came back with a pretty stock-standard answer and the fact that they were coming out with a promotion, which they have done. But, look, it's still a draw. You've got to go in the draw to enter. Nothing wrong with that; I'm not gonna knock them on that. But, hey, guys, come on ` what about something free for us loyal customers. You see, Sky doesn't have the same competition on the market just yet. But with declining membership and options like Netflix, Lightbox and watching sport online, we think it's time for them to start listening to people like Graeme. I think they now need to look at themselves and say, 'Hey, you know, we need to do something about this. We need to keep our customer base.' And I'm pleased that I took the time to write this post. Because, let's be honest, with someone as loyal as Graeme, wouldn't you want them to stay like this? Go, Nonu! Go, Nonu! Go, Nonu! BOTH CHEER Whoo! Ugh! And there is a small something extra for Graeme to cheer about ` Sky is offering him one month's trial of all the channels he doesn't already have at no cost, plus Graham Henry's Rugby World Cup book. Now, Graeme said he wasn't expecting anything from Sky, but he's pretty stoked all the same. Sky also told us they 'hugely value' loyal customers, and they strive every day to deliver a world-class entertainment offering. They do accept they could be doing more, and they say they're working on that behind the scenes. Now, I've had a very successful haggling experience with one of one of my utilities recently. Particularly with the power companies, the telcos, competition is brutal. Ask for a better deal. No, it doesn't hurt. OK, time now for number seven in our countdown to the dumbest charge, as voted by you. Here's Mark. Number seven in our top 10 of dumb charges comes from Trevor Tavendale of Kaiapoi. TREVOR: Please find attached a copy of a charge sent to me from Visa, which I hold as a card but seldomly use. You will see the charge is $10, which is charged because... and ironically they make the charge for not using it. The ultimate cop-out, if you ask me. Now, most charges are for actually doing something, but the TSB has charged Trevor $10 for not using his Visa card. They call it inactivity. Now, that's my kinda dumb charge. In fact, there are those who cruelly say that inactivity is what I get paid for every week. But this is what TSB has to say. This customer has a Premier Visa card, which attracts no half-yearly card fee. On accounts where no half-yearly fee is charged, an inactivity fee does apply if no transactions are made for three months. The fee covers things like the cost of replacing the card when it expires and administration costs. In terms of the economics, it's worth noting the half-yearly card fee is $15, while the inactivity fee is $10. In the long run, the customer is slightly better off to pay the $10 inactivity fee than $15 every six months. We agree it might be cheaper, but... an inactivity fee is just lazy. Mark is actually a pretty hard worker. He is. Yes, he is. We're nearly at halfway in the countdown. Keep your suggestions coming in. There's still time to get your dumb charge in. So, you've been with an insurance company for 40 years ` house, car, contents ` all covered. Comes time to make a claim. Should be simple enough, right? State has said to you the maximum payout just over $2000. Bit of a shock? Oh, I was in tears. Come on. We're gonna be late. Shhh! Uh, what are you wearing? My good-luck jersey. (LAUGHS) Since when? Since always. It's a little tight around the... Maybe don't run it through the hot wash just for a wee while. I would not touch that thing. Trust the jersey. Ladies and gentlemen, who will give me an opening bid? Anyone? Anyone? Interesting. A lot of luck in the room. VOICEOVER: Buying a house takes more than luck. It takes a team effort and a special home loan rate. With ASB, you're backed by our team all the way. q Welcome back. Students, you've got just one week to get your ads to us for this year's School Ad Awards. Yep, the deadline ` midnight next Wednesday, 23rd September. It is not too late to get a slice of this year's rather amazing prizes. Both the winning primary and secondary schools will get this $7000 Smart Board as well as two Canon EOS 100D cameras, an accessory pack and a Canon Pixma printer. And on top of all that, there is $2000 in cash for both schools, making the first prize worth more than $11,000 for each school. The second-place schools will get the latest Canon video camera and $500 cash. Third-place schools will also receive the latest Canon video camera. And that makes this year's total prize package worth over $25,000. Remember, 30 seconds maximum, and it must feature an animal ` live, toy, animated, any sort of animal you like. The deadline again ` next Wednesday night. All entries are submitted online. We've got all the information you need on our website. Insurance. It's supposed to cover us for unexpected events. Accidents, in other words. But this next couple found out that their idea of accidental damage was quite different from their insurance company's. And it's cost them dearly, as Hannah explains. We've got our car insured with... ...State Insurance. And we have our contents insurance with... ...State. And of course we've got our home insured with... ...State Insurance. (LAUGHS) So Jennie and Sam had everything covered ` car, house contents and house all insured. Lucky. You first realised something was wrong because you were using too much gas? Yes, we went through this gas bottle within three weeks, and I thought, um, gosh. Because it usually lasted six months. So the gas man came and checked for leaks in the bottles and the califont ` twice. Nothing. So it's just a massive mystery? Yes, it was just a mystery. We couldn't understand why. They were going through heaps of hot water ` tried using cold instead of hot, having quick showers. It didn't seem to make much difference. And then... So, Jennie, you'd been away for a few days, and you came back and you discovered that something was wrong in the kitchen. Yes, definitely wrong. I came to about here, and I thought the floor felt like there was sponge rubber underneath it. It was sort of bouncy. When I stood on the lino, water squelched out of the lino, and I thought, 'Well, that's a bit strange.' (LAUGHS) That's an understatement. Where's the water coming from? Right. Luckily, Sam wasn't too far away. Just in time. Good. Hi. Look, so you turned up, and Jennie was obviously worried about the floor. What did you find? I opened the door of the sink and noticed the Gib board at the back was very wet, and I went to put my finger on it, and my finger went straight through the Gib. I knew straight away that there was a leak behind the wall. And quite a big one, you would think? Yeah, yeah. Turns out the hot water pipe had been leaking unseen, hidden behind the kitchen cabinet. The floor through the kitchen and beyond was ruined. Their insurance company said this was what's called gradual damage, with a maximum payout of just over $2000. Yeah. I was a bit shocked. I was a bit surprised. I mean, we've been with them probably 30, 40 years. < Bit stink, eh? It is a bit stink, considering we don't know what damage is done. Sure, we had a leak behind a wall, which we couldn't see, but` < Not your fault. No, of course not. And this was an accident. It was an accident, yeah. So, the extent of it, Sam ` obviously, you've replaced the floor here. That's right. The real cost of repairs ` Bit of a shock? Oh, I was in tears. I thought, 'How on earth can this be?' Jennie, did you go looking in your policy to see how it was that they could do this to you? Well, I did, actually. But what Jennie found ` Nothing that said anything about water leaking or anything. Nothing. There was nothing there. So I did actually ring State back again. They told me that was their policy, and that was their policy. So we got those policy documents from State. They said that to get full cover, damage must be both accidental and sudden. If the Howards' leak was from a burst pipe, for instance, they would have been fully covered, even if the resulting damage wasn't discovered for some time. But the assessor who visited the house said the water pipes were worn and deteriorated, and that's why the leak happened. Accidental, yes, but not sudden, so it falls under gradual damage, which has a maximum payout of $2500, less $400 excess. What's it gonna mean to you if this is gonna cost thousands more than your insurance company? Well, there's no way we can do it. But you've been such a good customer. 40 years. I was just so upset. I couldn't believe that to have,... you know, been with a company for that long, how they can do the dirty on you. And that's exactly what I feel like State have done ` they've actually done the dirty on me. State Insurance say the Howards can still make a formal complaint. Jennie and Sam say they're massively disappointed, and after 40 years, they'll be swapping insurance companies. These gradual damage clauses are a way of limiting liability for leaky homes damage or for damage which is ongoing and should've been seen and acted on by the homeowner. If you haven't checked your policy for a few years, you may not even know what your cover is. Check out the full policy wording. That'll be on your insurance company's website or they can send it to you. And if, like Sam and Jennie, your gradual damage cover is on the low side, you could shop around. Some companies do offer more, but you may have to pay higher premiums. That's almost the show, but before we go, remember to keep sending us your picks for the best and worst ads of 2015. Yes, we have a special email address for this ` Please use that address only, or your votes won't be counted. The winners and losers on our final show of the year, in November. And you may well also remember this ad, voted the best for 2005. After you. CHUCKLING Ready? Hoof it! ENGINE REVS Whoops! Hey! Yee-hah! Whoo-hoo! Nice. Brilliant. I can't believe that's 10 years old, though. Now, at this time we usually say we'll both be on Facebook after the show, responding to your comments, but we won't both be tonight, cos I've gotta go to a TVNZ launch thing. I will be, and of course, we will be reading all your emails and messages as usual, so please do contact us. We're on Facebook. Email us ` Write to us ` Now, before we go, a little plug from me. I went to the home show at the weekend. You know, fascinating stuff about double glazing, insulation, that sorta thing. But this was what grabbed me. Very useful wee booklet from MBIE, the Business Ministry. It's about consumer protection if you are building or renovating. Read this if you've got plans, and have a look at ` Also from MBIE. Great. Next week ` two mates and the competition to get to the Rugby World Cup. He said to me, 'You'll never believe it. I've got a message on my phone from Heineken. 'I've won the trip to the Rugby World Cup.' I said` I was stunned, and I went, 'You beauty. We're going to the Rugby World Cup.' And then there was silence, so I said it again ` 'We are going to the Rugby World Cup.' And he said, 'No, I'm gonna take my wife.' (GASPS) That's next week. Goodnight.