. Tonight ` He said to me, 'You'll never believe it. I've won the trip to the Rugby World Cup. The Bro Code tested like never before. That breaks the code, definitely. Then the Vodafone door knock that promised plenty. I could get the bells, the whistles, the homing pigeons, the whole works. But instead he got... Court cases and bankruptcy. We're at number six in the countdown to the dumbest charge. So it costs more to sign a piece of paper than actually to be assessed? Stupid. And Brodie's final consumer quiz question's got our contestants stumped. Will it get you? I'm gonna go with false. Copyright Able 2015 Welcome to Fair Go. A trip to the Rugby World Cup. It's just a financial impossibility for many of us. But imagine you and a mate enter a competition, win a trip for two to London to watch the opening game. And imagine your mate wins. Yes, he wins that trip for two to the Rugby World Cup ` the opening game in London! What's the catch? Here's Mark. In a town we won't mention, with a couple of mates we can't name... Got any cold ones in the fridge? ...there occurred an event. Nah, nah. Whoa, whoa. Rough. Wrong. Yeah, definitely. Wrong. That could tear the social fabric that binds together this proud, isolated island nation at the bottom of the world. What would you like us to call you? (LAUGHS) Dan. We're not showing Dan's face because this story is more about the ball than the man, and we never play the man. It all kicked off about a month or so ago, when Dan took a couple of dozen beers, Heinekens, round to his mate's place to keep him company while he looked after the kids. What should we call your mate? Oh, he could be Richie. Heineken had a competition on ` each bottle carried a scratchy, which hid a code that could win a trip for two to the Rugby World Cup! And so I thought, I'll give that a go, so I bought a couple of dozen of those, took them round, told him about the competition, and he said, 'Oh great, let's get into it,' so we started scratching and texting, and we're talking about, you know, 'If I go over, I'd meet all my old mates, and we'll do this, and we'll do that.' The boys rolled up their sleeves and got on with it. Before long, they'd sunk the entire two dozen. It was over a far bit of time, so a thirsty man watching rugby. and there is a wee hint of a competition going on so. Now, Dan loves his rugby ` even played it on his OE in England, made mates for life. I had an email from my mates in England, who said, 'Get over here. We've got a place to stay. 'One of the boys is involved with England rugby. We've got tickets. Just get over here,' but got a young family and money on airfares is a bit too selfish, really. Winning the Heineken comp was Dan's best shot at World Cup glory, so the next week the boys did it all over again. Richie turned up at Dan's place with a couple of dozen Heines, and they went back to work ` drinking scratching and texting. Did you ever talk about what would happen if one of you won? No, no, we didn't, and I don't know if it's naivety, or I was of the understanding` not the understanding, but I'm old school boy's club. I just assumed that if I won it, I'd take him, and if he won it, he'd take me. The following week the two met up again on the sidelines of their kids' football game. 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!' What'd you say? 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 going to take my wife.' BOTH LAUGH (LAUGHS) Good choice. (LAUGHS) Really? Now at this point we need to make it very clear that it wasn't Dan who came to Fair Go; it was a couple of his mates who believe an unwritten law has been broken. The Bro Code. Yep, it's definitely the Bro Code. That breaks the code, definitely. So how do people respond to this when you tell them what happened? It's probably close to 50-50, but it changes depending on who you're talking to and when you're talking to them. If I'm talking to a mate and his wife is there, then his answer will change to if his wife isn't there. Now, beer companies have been happy to piggy back off the bro code for years. That man deserves a DB. It might be a real thing, but it's not against the law to break it. Good on you, mate. And Richie told Dan that his wife was the first person he thought of taking, but he also said it'd be a different story if she'd said no. He should take his wife. If I put myself in my shoes, I'd hate it if my husband left without me. I would hate it. I wouldn't. I'd enjoy the peace without him. What would you've done if you won? I would've taken him. You can say that now. (LAUGHS) Just don't ever talk to him again. Maybe just unfriend him on Facebook. That's probably the best thing you could do. You don't need that sort of negativity in your life. Dan reckons he's moved on and has wished Richie and his wife all the best as they headed off to the UK. I was a wee bit quiet on him for a week or so, but my lovely, very wise wife said, 'Get over it.' We'll be mates. You can't break a mateship on that. Rugby World Cups only come round every four years; mates are here forever, I guess. He's now warming up the box and the sofa for the feast of rugby ahead. Although it's always worth remembering, that the game's not over till the final whistle blows. What would you think if I told you that Air NZ are going to send you to the world cup? I'd be stoked. (LAUGHS) I'd be absolutely stoked. Well, mate, you're going to the World Cup! For real? Yeah, Air NZ's going to send you over. Are they? Yeah. You bloody beauty. Cheers, Air NZ, cheers. Now, I'm not sure if men hugging is strictly part of the bro code, but, hey, even All Blacks do it these days. It's only a ticket for one. If there were two, who would you take? You of course, Mark. Is my wife watching? You of course, Mate. There you go. Brilliant. You're in. Thank you, Air NZ. Thanks, Mark. That is awesome. A very happy man. Dan's English mates are looking after him with accommodation and tickets to games. He's leaving next week. He sees All Blacks ` Georgia and South Africa ` USA. So thanks again to Air NZ for helping him out. Great result, but there is a lesson from this. If you enter a contest or even buy a lotto ticket with a mate, then make sure you agree what will happen should you win. It doesn't need to be some big formal thing. A text message or quick email might do. If it's not in writing, then a witness to the deal would be a very good idea. Yes, now, quite a few of you contacted us after last week's story about Sam and Jennie. They had a hidden leak in the plumbing behind their kitchen cabinet. It caused several thousand in damage, but their State Insurance payout was just over $2000, because of the 'gradual damage' clause. Turns out the hot-water pipe had been leaking unseen, hidden behind the kitchen cabinet. The floor through the kitchen and beyond, ruined. Their insurance company said that's what's called 'gradual damage', with a maximum payout of just over $2000. < A bit stink, eh? It is a bit stink. The real cost of repairs ` $4000 to $5000. A bit of a shock? Oh, I was in tears. I thought how on earth can this be. But you've been such a good customer, 40 years? I thought how on earth can this be. I was just so upset. I couldn't believe that to have... You know, being with a company for That's exactly what I feel State has done. They've actually done the dirty on me. Now, the gradual damage clause means you only get a limited payout for stuff like wear and tear or corrosion. But you do get full cover for the same sort of damage from a sudden event, like a burst pipe. Many of you had a similar experience and only knew about the clause after your claim. So shop around. One couple told us they got a full payout. And one viewer is keen to set up a Givealittle page for Jennie and Sam. Thank you. We do have very Now, time now for Brodie's sixth and final question in the true-false consumer quiz. So we've rolled out six true-false questions, stopping random people in Christchurch to test their consumer knowledge. The wager a crispy tenner. This is the final question. If your appliance doesn't work, you are entitled to an immediate cash refund. True. I'm gonna go with false. That's easy. That's false. Oh, is it easy? We'll see very soon. Last chance for the people of Christchurch to win the 10 bucks. Big bucks, yeah. Now, we've often warned about the dangers of door-to-door sales people on this show. But when a big company like Vodafone comes knocking, what could possibly go wrong? As you can see, Peter's a collector of beautiful things. What he doesn't want, though, is to collect a debt that isn't his. $3.50 a week, credit refused. My credit isn't good enough for $3.50 ` $3.50 a week ` Plus an extra charge for not seeing the doctor? Pretty dumb. And the Ad Awards are looming, so can you remember the worst ad for 1998? The ideal meal replacement for today's busy lifestyle. 1998? 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. . Welcome back. You order something, then you cancel it. Then they come after you for that thing you didn't buy, so you sort it, and it goes away. Four years later, it all starts again. Here's Hannah with one man's nightmarish story. It started with a knock on the door, and someone selling Vodafone services door to door. I could get the bells, the whistles, the homing pigeon, the whole works, you know, for only $70 a month or something in that order. What a bargain! So I signed up. But only briefly. It was just before Christmas, 2010, and Vodafone couldn't give peter a definite connection date, so he cancelled. Cancelled, definitely cancelled, gone, history, finished. That was my sole contact with Vodafone. That was it, finished. Ha! The bills, these bills, started rolling in the following year. They said Peter owed Vodafone $115, then $120, and... And, really, you ought to pay up now. If you don't, we might cut off your service. So I thought to myself, 'Hey, I don't have a service,' so I let it go. Next up, though ` because nothing ever goes smoothly in a Fair Go story ` a letter arrives from a debt-collecting agency. And they're talking about court cases and bankruptcy, so i got on the phone and become politely, very politely irate. What did you say? 'You haven't given me one thing. I don't owe you one cent.' Politely irate seemed to work. This arrived from Vodafone in June 2011. 'It's clear you asked to cancel the 'The charges have been reversed. This clears any liability you have on this account. 'We have now instructed our 'and it will not impact on your credit report.' We agree that you didn't get any service. We agree that you don't owe us one red cent. But there was no apology. He couldn't bring himself to say, 'We're sorry to have put you through six months of useless worry.' But Peter let it go, moved on ` moved house, in fact, from Auckland to Huntly. And then something strange. He'd gone to his bank and asked them if, as a pensioner, he get a $1000 loan to move house? And it happened again. So I thought, 'OK, I need a new TV set. I will put on hire purchase ` first time in 40 years. $3.50 a week ` credit refused. My credit isn't good enough for $3.50 - $3.50 a week! They don't want you to get into trouble. They're looking after my interests, you see. (LAUGHS) So peter shrugged it off, got on with life in his new house in his new town, borrowed a tele... No probs, all good. four years go by... And just when Peter thought it was safe to go back to the mail box, another shock ` a letter from a different debt collector with a much bigger debt. I end up with suddenly a debt for 500 bucks. Pay up or we're going to take you to bankruptcy and seize all your goods and chattels. They're suggesting they'll take you to court; that they can take money automatically out of your benefit. What's your reaction to this? I'm unfortunately one of those people who worry. I wake up and I worry. I go to bed and I'm still worried. You've tried to fix it yourself, are you at the stage where you think you can't fix it? I have to prove that I don't owe them anything. How can I do that? With the same debt reappearing, and possibly affecting his credit rating, Peter had lost faith in Vodafone sorting it out. He was desperate for help. I've tried, and I've tried ` nothing I can do. I'm completely helpless. I think that they've got to stop. So we asked Vodafone what's going on? Turns out Peter was right all along. Vodafone says, 'We made a mistake, and we're really sorry. 'We apologise for the stress this has caused. Peter is not in debt to Vodafone NZ. 'We have advised EC credit, and they will not contact him again about this issue. Which is an enormous relief to Peter, who just wants to be debt-free. We'll be following up to make sure these promises are kept, because we want to make sure Peter keeps a promise he's made to us. If we can help get that monkey off your back, will that make a difference? If you get this monkey off my back, it will make a difference. I will hug and kiss your producer and your cameraman. Here he is. (LAUGHS) Well, Clint and Ant, our cameraman We have sorted this. Well, why did this debt reappear after four years? Turns out Peter's account wasn't closed properly way back in 2010. Earlier this year, the debt, which looked like a live one, was passed on to the new collection company ` should not have happened. Vodafone also say customers should go to this website to complain directly. But as we explained, Peter was way past the point of trying to sort it himself. We've been assured Peter's credit rating has never been impacted as a result of Vodafone's error, so we're helping Peter to get all his credit information to try and see why he's being refused credit. Yes, and you may remember a few weeks ago, we did a story on how you can check your own credit records for free. And that info will be up on our website. Right, do you know the answer to Brodie's final consumer quiz question? (WHISTLES) This consumer quiz has got me beat. Yeah, yeah, so how did our peeps go with... If your appliance doesn't work, you are entitled to an immediate cash refund. Well, that's easy. That's false. Yes, well done, so if you do have an appliance that's not working, you have to give the supplier the chance to remedy the fault in the first instance. That's the end of our consumer quiz, and unfortunately it's no fairy-tale ending. So, no winners down here in Christchurch of this precious 10 dollars, so I'm gonna go buy the cameraman an ice cream. So that's where that $10 went. I don't know if that's fair, Brodie. Now, look, a lot of you have told us about doctors' fees in your nominations for dumb charges. We reckon one such charge really takes the cake. So it costs more to sign a piece of paper than actually to be assessed? Stupid. Plus, Fair Go needs your help. Maybe it was that lady. We're trying to find a witness who might or might not back her up. And we relive the worst ad for 1998. (SWALLOWS, SINGS) . Welcome back. Students, it's D-day, or ad day. You've got until midnight tonight to get your ads to us for this year's school ad awards. If you didn't enter, here's what your mates might win for your school. Yes, the winning primary and secondary schools will both get this $7000 Smart Board, plus two Canon Eos 100D cameras, an accessory pack and a Canon Pixma printer. On top of all that, there is 2000 in cash for both winning schools. That makes the first prize worth more than $11,000 per school. The second-placed schools will get the latest Canon video camera and $500 cash. Third-place schools will also receive the latest Canon video camera. So this year's total prize package is worth over $25,000. The deadline again ` midnight tonight. So far we've had a fantastic response. We've got all the information you need on our website. Here's a quick taste of the sort of thing that's won over the years. 1998 saw the first-ever kids' ad competition as part of the Ad Awards. The winner was Tauranga Girls, tasked with the brief to sell their city. # Take on Tauranga. Take on Tauranga. # Take on Tauranga. # 2001, our primary kids' topic was healthy food, funky fuel. Kaitao Primary in Rotorua took out first place. I seem to have lost all my spark. No wonder you're not feeling very well with all this junk inside of you. This is what you need to stay healthy. Eight years later, we were asking our primary kids to improve their parents. They need rose-tinted glasses. They make naughty look nice. 2011, and Rangitoto College were the secondary school winners with this phone app creation. # This better show me where the money is. # Let Port take you places. Very excited about watching them all. We're gonna sit down next week, go through all of them. Scones and cream, every year. Every year. OK, we're at number six in our countdown to the dumbest charge. This week we take a trip to the doctor. This week, number six in our top ten The dumbest fee is at my doctor's surgery! It costs $17.50 to see a qualified doctor to assess you; however it costs $25 to request a repeat prescription of my insulin that I get every 3 months, which I don't need to see a doctor about! So it costs more to sign a piece of paper than actually be assessed! Stupid. That does sound pretty stupid, so we got in touch with Natalie's doctor to see what's going on, and Tui medical Waikato sent us a detailed statement that we've shortened. In a nut shell, it comes down to saving time... Once they get the prescription request, a nurse processes it. It's then sent to a doctor to check and sign off. It can then be picked up by the patient or faxed to a pharmacy within 24 hours. So you either pay $25.00 for the convenience of picking up your repeat prescription the next day, or you pay $17.50 to either book an appointment or go to one of Tui medical Waikato's drop in clinics. We get it. Patients have several payment options. That's a good thing. I mean, surely, it's more convenient for Tui not to have patients like Natalie I mean, surely, it's more convenient for Tui It all seems a bit,... well, dumb. So just five more dumb charges to come, and we're just six weeks from Yes, we have a special email address for this ` adawards@tvnz.co.nz Please use that address only, or your votes won't be counted. The winners and losers on our second to last show of the year in November. Well, you may also remember this ad, voted the worst for 1998. Learning to operate the caller-display unit is a new experience for some of them. Does that look like a caller-display unit to you? But they're all quite capable. Does this look like a caller-display unit to you, class? So with a little bit of patience and understanding, they quite quickly get the hang of it. With caller-display unit, you can actually see the number of the person who's calling as soon as the phone rings. Well, now every time Kevin's boss' number flashes up, we just, um, pretend we're out. (LAUGHS) You're not gonna put that on the telly, are you? I quite liked it, but I do not remember that at all. I don't either. Ben our video editor remembered it, because he told me his family got one of the little... display things. Aw, a bit redundant now, That's almost the show, but before we go, we need your help. We're calling her the lady in the little blue car. Are you her? Do you know her? It was 8 on a Tuesday morning... CAR HORN BEEPS ...at this chaotic Auckland intersection. Oh, chill out, dude. It was the second of June. What's your problem? You just slowed down. Yeah. This is not that day, that crash. This is a couple of weeks ago at the same time as the crash on the corner of Richardson and Laburnum Roads in Mt Roskill. Uh, what's happening here? Oh dear. Oh God. Oh dear. This is a mess. We'd like to help 20-year-old Blaize. Can you just hold that for me. Is that straight? By finding a witness to that crash three months ago. Hopefully somebody emails you. I think we're gonna need a miracle, to be honest. But miracles happen sometimes. Fingers crossed. In the commotion that morning, she didn't get any details of the lady in the little blue car. And this guy here's doing what you were doing. She was turning right across the traffic. She hit or was hit by a guy on her right. Whoa, it's a mess right now. Good grief. See, and this is at` (EXCLAIMS) jeepers cree- This is about` Whoa, that was nearly really ugly. So that was my damage, and then that was his. Yep. She was then hit with a $13,000 repair bill for the other car. Here's where it happened. Maybe you drive this way but don't know the street names. She insists she wasn't at fault, and we're trying to find that witness who might or might not back her up. So, here were are. It's 8.02, so it happened about now? Yeah. Maybe it was that lady. No, sadly, no miracle for Blaize yet. Blaize says the lady in the little blue car gave way to let Blaize in, so the crash happened right in front of her. We'd love to hear from her. Maybe, just maybe, Blaize can prove she was not in the wrong. So that's the show, but we'll be on Facebook for the next half hour to answer your questions. Our programme, of course, is all about your problems, your thoughts, so please do contact us. We're on Facebook. Email us ` fairgo@tvnz.co. And next week ` a story we've been working on for months with a serious warning. You can follow me if you like. This is Tobias Laurence Kake. Uh, yeah, do you have a minute to stop or are you...? Oh OK. A man in a hurry with all the apparent trappings of a success. Can you see it? Yeah, it's a 7-series BMW. Check out Ebirth Electronics, his business. I saw this Facebook page. The website just looked really legit. The website seemed so legitimate. At first, all they wanted were the iPhones they'd been promised, the ones they paid for. Products get fixed here. See all of this? There's about 200 to 300 iPhone screens alone in here. But now ` No money, nothing. (LAUGHS) I just want money back. Can you please pay me... (LAUGHS) the money that you owe me. That's next week. Good night. Copyright Able 2015