1 Tonight ` We're in. So that's, like, 15 seconds or so. (ALARM BLARES) Oh, there we go. Raising the alarm. It is four minutes we've been standing here. Adam still hasn't had a phone call from the monitoring company. What are you paying these guys for? The burglars are active, but were alarm-monitoring service asleep? They knew nothing about the break-in until they received a phone call from the police. So is there any point in having a monitored alarm? And while we're talking security,... Hello. You've come to save the day. ...the secret cameras are out. I don't have a key, no. We drill down on a rogue locksmith. It was appalling. He starts bashing at it with a screwdriver and hammer. Credit card, please. He just mutilated it totally. Plus, it's a weighty issue. Here at the Trading Standards Laboratory, they measure everything you can think of. This is usually a job for the trainees. In fact, we are just about to measure gladwrap. I've always wondered about gladwrap. We hit the streets with the metrologists. Copyright Able 2017 Welcome to the show. Did you know ` and did you know ` that every seven minutes, a house or a business is burgled in New Zealand? That's like there's going to be four burglaries over the course of this show. It's an alarming stat, based on the number of burglaries reported to police last year. It's also the reason more and more homeowners and businesses are installing monitored alarms. But how do you know your alarm really is being monitored? Here's Garth. (GLASS SMASHES) It's a brazen break-in... The glass is just everywhere. ...in the dead of night. Oh, I can see them moving the screen. Straight through the front door. He was holding a crowbar. Yep, there he is. OK. The smash-and-grab will last less than two minutes. One straight down. Um, obviously was listening to the other guy instructing him where to go. They're not mucking around. They've come and checked it out. They've checked it out, because they've left everything intact. They are looking pretty amateur. Just throwing handfuls of it over. Luckily it's not the drugs; it's perfumes and cosmetics. The most shocking fact for many will be their ages ` They're just kids. They're just kids. 13 and 14 years old. You can very clearly see when they took the till. But what's disturbing Adam is how the security firm handled this. But you probably should have had a call while this was happening. Well, theoretically, I was counting on Global Security to do this job on my behalf. However, they failed to do so. Important point ` no-one sees these cameras live, and there's no physical patrol. Adam pays Global Security to monitor his alarm 24-7 and to call him if it activates. But on the night he needed that call more than ever... They knew nothing about the break-in until they received a phone call from police who had been told by a couple of members of public who happened to walk across the road at the time of the break-in. No witnesses, no police, no call, and these burglars might have returned or others could have helped themselves for hours. Instead, police got there quick enough to catch one suspected burglar and lifted enough fingerprints to catch the other. Adam was happy but also puzzled. When he'd arrived, the alarm pad was still pinging and he'd had to deactivate it. Global Security said to me, 'We have not received any activation signal at the time of the break-in, 'but we have received it when you came to the pharmacy and put your number on the pin pad.' Later Global sent a technician to check. And he said, 'Look, I can confirm to you there's nothing wrong with your alarm system 'or the wiring or the motion sensors. 'Your pin pad is a bit old. It needs to be updated. 'However, the one that you've got right now, it's still working and communicating with Global Security.' But there was still no explanation for what had gone wrong. And then a few weeks later, another fail when he triggered their system and no one called. We carry big amounts of drugs, and this place needs to be fully monitored 24-7, and for them to fail to provide the service to me, it is a big concern. It's 10 to 7 in the morning. The sun's not even up yet. We're out the back of Adam's pharmacy. We're going to test how well Global Security is looking after this place when Adam should be in bed. Although he's right here with us. You're going to unlock for us so we don't have to break-in. What's going to happen if we open that door? Um, within a few seconds, the alarm will go off. The siren will make a loud noise, and theoretically, I should receive a phone call from Global Security to say that they have received an activation signal from the pharmacy. So they should be ringing you straight away? Straight away. Hope so, eh? I hope so. I'm going to get this stopwatch running as soon as we get inside. (ALARM BEEPS) We're in. So that's like 15 seconds or so` - (ALARM BLARES) - Oh, here we go That's 30 seconds. So we're a minute in, I mean the guys already cleaned off half the stock from your shelf. Absolutely. Yeah. Still no call. You'd think if you'd been on to them, if you'd complained to them, your name's going to be, like, top of the list, with a little star next to your name, right? Saying, 'Make sure this guy gets sorted out if case anything happens.' Yeah, absolutely. It's coming up to two minutes. I think the guy's got the till in his hand. He's already chucking it over the back. All gone. Done deal. Gone. On its website, under monitoring, Global Security claims an impressive response time ` seven seconds on average. You can see now it's three minutes. Still no call. No calls at all. No one's coming. We were soon to learn that seven-second average is actually how long it takes their operator to notice there's an alarm going off. Doing something about it can take a lot longer. It's four minutes we've been standing here. Adam still has not had a call from the monitoring company. What are you paying these guys for, mate? I dunno. I mean, obviously they're not delivering the services that they've promised. (PHONE RINGS) (ALARM BLARES) Hello, Adam speaking. I'll just turn the alarm off. So that's about five minutes 40 seconds. They've already robbed the shop twice, guys. Gidday, mate. Is this Global Security? It's Garth Bray from Fair Go. How are you? Good. Good. Hey, listen, we actually came in with Adam this morning to test out how quickly you guys respond to the alarm. Adam is not feeling very happy about this at all, I guess. There's a couple of times now that you guys have let him down. We might even want to chat to someone a bit higher up, obviously, cos it's not a great look. OK, all right, you have a good morning. We're all safe and sound here. Global's owner phoned me back after our test visit. Ross Johnson said he wasn't in a position right then to go into details about Adam's issues. Global still can't explain why they never got an alarm activation. They've speculated that perhaps the burglars dodged the sensors. Alarmingly, they couldn't confirm whether anyone at Global, has ever looked at the pictures of the burglary. And the boss couldn't see what the problem was. The Security Association's voluntary code of practice says a pharmacy or drug retailer is category A ` top priority, call the police immediately. Global Security is not a member of that association. Its contract with Adam says... Adam has had enough, but Global wants more. He can quit the contract if he pays them another month ` another 49.95. Once you sign an agreement with a security company, you kind of go home and you have a good sleep, because you know somebody else is awake looking after your business. but for things to happen in this way, it's very, very stressful and confusing. This is no good on a number of fronts. I guess the only good thing is the police did apprehend those guys, those young guys, very quickly. Yes, that was a job well done. Now, late last night, we received a statement from Global Security Solutions saying they protect thousands of clients and have provided a high level of service to Mr Alsaffar. They don't know whether the alarm actually activated on the night of the burglary. It did not communicate with the 24-7 control centre, but a free inspection could find no fault. The second incident was an isolated error. As for our test, they say they were alerted within 12 seconds, called the pharmacy two and a half minutes after it was activated but couldn't get through for four and a half minutes. Seems a little crazy when the burglars took two minutes to get in and out. Did I just say that out loud? I think I did. All right. Coming up later in the show ` a late development on our story about New Zealand's most controversial cedar tree. And the secret cameras are out. We drill down on unscrupulous locksmiths. Hello. You've come to save the day. Picking a lock with a drill,... Oh, it was appalling. He starts bashing at it with a screwdriver and a hammer. This is a smashing example of what not to do. He just mutilated it totally. And... We are just about to measure gladwrap. ...meet New Zealand's metrologists. They measure everything you can think of ` paper towels, bread, milk. They're protecting you from shrinkage. This is usually a job for the trainees. Welcome back. Continuing with the security theme, let's talk ` big word alert here ` harpaxophobia. Oh, that is a big word. It is the fear of being robbed, and the reason we alarm our homes, fit anti-theft devices to our cars and put locks on our doors. Now, the problem with locks, of course, is you need keys. And when you lose them, you're locked out and left vulnerable. Here's Anna. 'If you're locked out of your house, car or workplace... Hello! You've come to save the day. '...don't call this guy.' I'm Anna. Lawrence? Nice to meet you. 'Don't call Locksmiths Auckland.' I don't have a key, no. 'We've rung Locksmiths Auckland, and this is the technician they've sent us ` 'no branding on his car, 'no uniform, no ID, 'and no idea what he's doing.' Oh, it was appalling. I mean, he said he had 12 years experience. Big rip-off. It's a scam. Yeah, the work is a very poor standard. Yep, and put a new... Yep, please. Yep. Easy. Great. Good. 'We called Locksmiths Auckland to this warehouse to change two locks. 'We want to see what sort of job this guy does, 'because his previous work didn't go down well with customer Barbara Knowles.' Hi. Come on in. I'll show you the dodgy lock. Well, this is the gouge he left. There's some scratches, and this part here is not flush. Barbara got locked out of her house last month and needed some urgent help. Just had my phone, googled locksmiths Auckland, and they came up. This is the site that came up. It listed a local number, so Barbara gave them a call. But the locksmith they sent ` Lawrence - wasn't what Barbara was expecting. Well, he was in an unmarked car. He didn't introduce himself. He didn't have any nametag. And it turns out, he couldn't even get in through the door. He starts bashing at it with a screwdriver and a hammer. And I didn't know what to think. He just mutilated it totally, and then he had some sort of clampy thing and some pliers and he was pulling bits out. It was just a mess. Barbara ended up climbing through a window to get in. When he eventually finished replacing her lock, Barbara wasn't happy, not just with the workmanship but the cost. I thought it was at least double what I would have ever, at the most, at the outside, expected, and it's probably, like, about triple what it should be, but what can you do? I mean, he's in my house then, and I've got this bill. The bill was $645, but after he'd gone, Barbara checked her credit card ` there was a foreign currency conversion to Canadian dollars, and the total bill was now 700 bucks. That was just the final straw. It was like, 'Well, they're crooks, and now they're, like, being extra greedy.' And the lock Lawrence installed ` it was a $30 set from a hardware store. The exact same kind he installed on our door. The top and bottom are the same? Yeah, great. Excellent. Oh, that will be fine. Yeah. Oh! Second set. Thank you. Six. More than enough. Hey, thank you for that. Credit card, please. (LAUGHS) Crikey. Not 1000. 360. Thank you. This is the lock that our locksmith, Lawrence, has put in the door for us. He's done a pretty good job. He was in and out in less than 30 minutes. He's charged us $360 according to the invoice, but it's actually been charged to us in Canadian dollars. The final bill ` $370.93. And when we had his workmanship inspected, we weren't so sure he'd done such a good job after all. It's not compliant, just due to this sign which is stipulating that it's a fire exit and anybody on the inside of the building needs to be able to get out without having to operate a key. We got Auckland Lock Services in to check Lawrence's work and replace the locks. They arrived in a signwritten van, the locksmiths had ID. When Lawrence from Locksmiths Auckland turned up, he had neither. And he also didn't ask us for any ID. He's just used a cheap lock from Bunnings. It can be purchased probably from many different places. We don't sell them, just due to the components are a lot cheaper, and you generally would have more issues with the lock at a shorter period of time. The locks that we're putting in are commercially rated also, and there's a big difference. They've used a residential-type lock. Unfortunately, Auckland Lock Services share a similar name to Locksmiths Auckland, and it's causing a bit of bother around town. We're getting people ringing looking for him after a substandard job. They call us, and say, 'Your guy was out. You've done some work for us.' And we're going, 'Well, no, we haven't.' Invoices from Locksmiths Auckland look like this. No company name, no contact details and no GST number. They only accept cash or credit card. Choose to charge it, and the transaction looks like this ` it's been put through a company in Canada. We weren't the only ones who had trouble trying to reach Locksmiths Auckland's owners. When Erica Mulder rang them to complain about the bill she got for changing a lock, she was told the company had never been to her house. What annoys me most, that it seems to be unstoppable. I rang the police. I went to, um,... Senior` What do they call it? Advice. You know, nobody` nobody can help. So you're my last resort. (LAUGHS) Erica used Locksmiths Auckland to change her garage lock. It was Lawrence who did the job. When he got in his car to write this out, he said, 'Oh, that'll be $1000. (LAUGHS)' Well, it was pretty expensive. A new barrel ` just this bit here in brass ` cost her 350 bucks. And again, the charge went through in Canadian dollars. Erica and Barbara are disputing their charges through their banks, but it's not easy with no name on the invoice. Locksmiths Auckland sent us a statement to say... And that the company will take... It says... ...and... As for the lack of ID, Locksmiths Auckland says... All done? Locksmiths Auckland says we won't be seeing Lawrence any more. He no longer works for the company. Just remember ` if you're looking to hire a locksmith, it's key you know who you're dealing with. Thank you. Here's a little tip for you. Yes. A good locksmith will try and pick a lock first, because a lot of the time you might have a set of keys inside, for example, and that way the lock is not damaged. How do you know so much about`? Have you lost a lot of keys in your time? Mm-hm. Wise. (LAUGHS) Yes, that too. Right, we all have different types of taste, and finding the perfect gift can be a real minefield. Especially if you're off to a wedding. I mean, who hasn't wasted hours, days, even weeks pondering that age-old question ` what to give? (RELAXED MUSIC) It's a busy morning at Auckland's Avondale markets, and today we have a very modern moral dilemma to put to our market-goers. You get asked to give money or a voucher instead of a gift when you go to a wedding ` cool or creepy? Cool. That's cool. It takes the hassle out of it. It's cool. Yeah. No problem with that at all? No problem with that. I'm Pacific Islander. It's OK. It's cool. It's OK. Yeah, that's cool as. I reckon that's cool. Yeah, it's OK. You know, might not have had enough time to go down the shop and get her something. That's all good, eh. Here's 1000 bucks, go get you whatever you want. (LAUGHS) Jeez, I'd invite you to my wedding! (BOTH LAUGH) Oh, look, I'm definitely OK with this one. I think it's much better to give people something that they need. Rachel Ramsay, editor of New Zealand Weddings magazine says... Look, far be it from me to swim against the tide of popular opinion, but that is ridiculous. No cash or vouchers. You give toasters, popcorn machines, cake stands ` all the stuff they don't want. You think a toaster's OK? Oh! Four slice. Go four slice. No invites going your way. All right, after the break ` we go undercover with a little-known enforcement agency, the metrologists. This is usually a job for the trainees. Meet the metrologists. They measure everything you can think of ` paper towels, bread, milk, biscuits. You name it, they measure it. These guys are tipping the scales of justice in favour of the consumer. It's good that we know everything is spot on, cos, I dunno, I can't sleep at night if I rip anyone off. And is New Zealand's most controversial cedar going to get the chop? (CHAINSAW REVS) 1 Welcome back. Time for a quiz. I've got no quiz prize, though. Have you heard of metrologists? Metrolog` Meteorologists? No, metrologists. Metrologists. Religious group? Metrologists? They're metrologists? No? No, not that type of show. They actually are a little-known enforcement agency. It's their job to measure, well, just about everything, from gladwrap to petrol. It's to make sure that you and I don't get shortchanged. (JAUNTY PIANO MUSIC) The Island Bay Butchery is about to be stung by a government agency. Most businesses don't know we exist. Davis White, Scottish. He says most businesses don't know they exist. They find out quick, though, because he can enter any workplace at any time without warning. Generally we would just show up ad hoc, and we wouldn't tell them that we're coming. He can issue fines on the spot ` between $200 and $500 per offence ` or prosecute. He even has a badge like one of those TV cops. Today it's just a routine inspection. Davis White is a trading standards officer. That's his job title. He's a legal metrologist. He's a measurer who measures the measurers. It'll make sense soon. Start off by checking your weighing equipment, and then I'll check some of your pre-packed goods as well after that. Davis White's job is to ensure you get what you pay for and nothing less. He starts with the scales. Looking for mark of verification,... Every shop's scales have to be certified. ...which means that it's sealed so they can't be tampered with. And both customer and retailer must be able to see the weight. It's good that we know that everything's spot on, because I dunno, I can't sleep at night if I rip anyone off. Davis also goes supermarket shopping. He's easy to spot, perched over his scales. Sometimes you'll get staff that don't know that you're going to be there, and they might come up and ask you things. He spot-measures whatever he likes. His shopping list isn't things to buy but businesses to inspect. Generally by experience more than anything. That usually dictates how much I would suspect the packaging would weigh. The weight you see on things you buy should be the weight of the goods inside, excluding the packaging. So all the things he weighs today should be over weight. So we want to go to the manufacturers or the importer. By the way, potato chips, they've got heaps of air in them for a very simple reason. The reason they put air in it is to protect the chips. It's not part of the weight. You're not paying for air. We're getting lucky today. On the way out, he checks more scales. Trading Standards issues 120 warning letters a year, 10 to 12 spot fines. The biggest offenders are red meat, fish and poultry. The most complaints, though, they get are about petrol pumps. They test those too. Nearly all are accurate. The epicentre of government metrology is in a warehouse in a road of warehouses in West Auckland. It's where you can find New Zealand's official metre ` that's it there ` and much more. Here at the Trading Standards Laboratory, they measure everything you could think of. They measure it by the litre, the metre or the kilo. And it's everything you could find in the supermarket ` paper towels, bread, milk, biscuits. You name it, they measure it. In fact, we're just about to measure gladwrap. I've always wondered about gladwrap. We'll get to the wrap soon, but first Srinivas Bobbala is weighing prawns. There are issues with the amount of water that's been added as a glaze in the product. So they melt the ice and weigh. Uh, 492 grams. They're a little short. We'll contact the packer. We'll arrange a further testing at the production plant. Some jobs are dirty. They've worked with composter producers after a problem with their measuring. This bag is under weight as well. We'll obviously go to the manufacturer and speak to them directly about the issue and then we would conduct more testing at their premises to ensure it's not a bigger problem. This is usually a job for the trainees. The gladwrap is longer than advertised. Up to plus 30cm. So it's actually an over measure. So the customer is getting more than they're paying for. So according to the measurers, you normally get more than you pay for. So the net weight is probably, in my experience, just over that, but then that's in the customer favour. Trading Standards are here to listen, and then measure. I really love that that job exists. Yeah. It's very cool. Career change for you? Maybe. Don't leave me here alone. The badge. Right, now if you think something is a little bit underweight, head on over to our Facebook page and we've got all the details on how you can contact your local metrologist. Very cool. Now, we have a bit of good news for you too. New Zealand's most controversial cedar has been given a permanent stay of execution. The neighbourly war is over. Both parties have settled their differences. A confidential settlement has been reached. The cedar will not be felled. That is great news, and an awesome way to end our show. Now, Pippa and I will be on Facebook for the next half hour. We're gonna answer all your questions there. That's right. Our programme is all about your problems, your thoughts. We do love to hear from you. No problem is too small. We'll do anything. So as we always say, get to us on Facebook. You can also email us. You can write to us ` love letters, anything. That's our show. Until next week, goodnight. Goodnight. Copyright Able 2017