1 (LIVELY MUSIC) Tonight ` there's cause for grave concern in Foxton. I almost think I need a rowboat. Floodwaters are adding to mourner's grief. And to see them submerged in water is just awful. Is this really the way to respect our dead? I shouldn't have to go to these lengths to visit my daughter's grave. I think it's absolutely disgusting. Plus, there's trouble in the kitchen. (SCREAMS) Innovation's causing a mess. Oh! OK. OK. (CHUCKLES) Why are the simple things always so hard? You can't get a grip. It just doesn't clip on at all. And... ...we have some smashing good news for our citizen detective. Well, I'm glad that Fair Go got involved, put it that way. Copyright Able 2017 Welcome to the show. We lead tonight with a distressing story that's caused shock and anger in Foxton. A new road, heavy downpours and rising floodwaters have combined to cause a world of pain for those mourning lost loved ones. Imagine turning up to your child's grave and finding it repeatedly submerged under floodwaters. That's distressing reality for some Foxton families. Here's Matt. (SERENE MUSIC) How's the serenity? With its mausoleum rolling hills and rural views ` on the face of it, at least ` the Foxton Cemetery looks fantastic. Scratch a little deeper though,... It's just awful. ...and you'll have some turning over in their graves. I almost think I need a row boat. Flooding, time after time, where loved ones are laid to rest. I think it's absolutely disgusting. I can see duck shooters coming here on duck shooting day. It's disrespectful for the people that have been laid there to rest by their families and for the families that come here to visit. For months now, the cremation garden and children's graves have been underwater for days on end. It's disrespectful and distressing. It's heartbreaking, you know, cos people go to a lot of trouble to pick flowers, and especially the little children's graves with the toys, and to see them submerged in water is just awful. How do you think the Horowhenua District Council have handled this situation? Poorly. Very poorly. It's a complicated situation according to council. Here's their Acting Community Services manager, Arthur Nelson. What do you think is causing the flooding? Oh, I don't` I couldn't` I wouldn't be prepared to sort of, um, guess. Others don't need to guess ` they blame the council. They created the situation! We'll get to the cause soon. You all right, Mum? First, Lynette Shanks and her 85-year-old mother, Lila McCall, want to pay their respects to the three relatives they've got buried in the cremation garden. There's Lila's sister, brother-in-law and daughter Patricia. What a mess. The women first saw flooding here in August. All we saw was a big lake of water. My daughter and I were horrified. I'm picking you know your daughter, Patricia, pretty well. What do you think she would make of this situation? Oh, she would be horrified. She didn't like the cold and the wet. And she's not the only one. Just take your time. We were there when Lynette and Lila painfully struggled their way through the mud the latest September flooding left behind. You all right? Yeah. I shouldn't have to go to these lengths to visit my daughter's grave. I should be able to come here at any time of the year and not get wet and muddy feet. You've stuffed up those lovely white shoes, Lila. Mmm. Lake Foxton, or the new swimming pool as some locals call it, first reared its ugly head in May and then again in July, August and September. It was first brought to the Horowhenua District Council's attention five months ago when Lila's friend, Kevin Dawson, the man who installed this seat, discovered it. He was very frustrated. He's been in and out of the council for quite a while. Sure, it's been a wet winter, but Lila, Lynette and plenty of others we spoke to all believe the flooding is exacerbated by a new road council put in when they extended the cemetery about a year ago ` a road that went in without any drainage. So you're quite sure there's no drainage here? Well, does it look like it? (LAUGHS) I wouldn't think so. (LAUGHS) A road that meets another road and appears to have created a three-sided swimming pool. This area is the lowest-lying area of the cemetery. So the water doesn't actually have anywhere else to run. It used to just keep going across the paddock. Well, now they've built it up. It's just going to the lowest point, which is there. Lynette reckons if you didn't laugh, you'd cry. Do you think a lot of this could have been avoided? Yes, all of it could have been avoided right from word go, if they'd have done the job properly by putting in some drainage. Council, of course, sees it differently. Essentially this road has gone in without any drainage? This road has gone in with the idea of the drainage coming out to the sides and it percolating and draining through the grass. Which is the opposite of what locals say is actually happening. 15 minutes ago the farmer just over that fence there told me the water used to run in to his farm. Now it runs here in to the cemetery. Your take on that? Oh, well, if that's what the farmer says, that's what the farmer says. Unfortunately, I haven't been here that long, so I can't give you chapter and verse of what might or might not have happened. The families of loved ones say the council has taken far too long to get this sorted. I believe if it was at the Adventure Park on the main road ` if that water was around one of the swings, slides, whatever, they would do something about it. Lynette says she first complained to the Horowhenua District Council in August. Remember, that's three months after the bloke who put that seat in first complained, and after it had flooded another two times. What did they say to you? That they were aware of the problem. There wasn't anything they could do until they got a decent spell of fine weather. Do you think that was reasonable? No. Why not? They can do something. There was probably a seven to eight days period where they could have done something, you know, dug out that swampy bit and put some metal in to try and give it some soakage. Following Lynette's initial complaint, the council pumped away thousands of litres of water from this part of the cemetery. But, of course, it didn't solve the problem. No. And how much does it cost each time the water is pumped away? Lynette complained to council again after flooding in September, this time threatening the media just a couple of days later. Again, the water was pumped away, and finally by digging this trench and hole, something proactive. Probably because they knew you guys were going to turn up. I say it's a coincidence. (LAUGHS) Clearly, it isn't the silver bullet. What I want to know is what is the long term plan for it. How are they going to rectify it? Well, would you believe it, on the second day of our filming, nearly four and a half months after that first complaint, council has engaged an independent consultant. What's going on here? Well, I think the first thing we gotta say, Matt, is we're extremely sorry, cos we appreciate this is quite distressing for the families. We have every intention to try and resolve this in the very near future. Why did nothing happen for three months? Certainly within the last four weeks` four to six weeks is when we've really been focused about this issue. We've obviously seen it. Unfortunately` You didn't see it in May? Well, we went in to a period where there's been extensive rain, so, you know, we can't really get on and resolve it until we get a reasonable dry period. After media attention, you've dug a trench and a hole. Why didn't you do that months ago? What we need, Matt, is a full comprehensive solution to this issue. The council say they have a solution using soak pits and attenuation pipe. All they need now is some fine weather to do the job. I would suggest probably a good solid week, possibly week and a half, possibly more. Our weather expert says they had a six-day dry spell in August, but it looks as though until we get another one, those graves could be submerged again. For Lynette, it's just not acceptable. I mean diggers work in the rain, surely. MAN: Camera crews work in the rain. Yeah, there must be something that they can do to sort it out and not leave it in this state. I almost feel like doing it myself, today. Let's sand bag this bloody swamp off this swimming pool off here. Let's put a fourth wall on that swimming pool. As you've indicated, Matt, we will certainly have a conversation with our, uh` with our consultant to see if that will work. A conversation Lynette and Lila reckon should have happened months ago. They have an internment service here next month for another one of Lila's sisters. On the plaque here. Understandably, they're worried family and friends will have to contend with more of this. Do you think this will be sorted out once and for all by Christmas? I can't see` I can't see why not. Who's to say what the summer's going to be like? What happens if we have the same sort of summer we had last year? I probably just jinxed our summer, but what happens if it rains for another few months, and we've just got to put up with it? Can I provide a wee Fair Go tip? If you don't want to be embarrassed on TV and you're a council, then if someone rings up and they've got a legitimate complaint, I reckon just fix it. Fix it. Especially a problem like this one. Now, we do have a bit of good news, though. The Horowhenua District Council managed to fast track the soak-pit solution. Work got underway this morning. Hopefully the Foxton Cemetery's flooding problems are a thing of the past. Fantastic. Now, coming up after the break ` innovation has got temperatures rising in the kitchen. I can't get a grip. It just doesn't clip on at all. They're colourful, clever and creative. Far out. Oh, stuff it. But are they practical? Oh! If it doesn't work for me, it doesn't work. And Brad is feeling bad. That makes me sad. The pitfalls of online shopping. What do you do when your virtual shop fails to deliver? I'm a bit stuffed? 1 Welcome back. Infomercials are really good at making you think 'I really need that one gadget that'll solve all your woes.' You could keep talking all day, cos I love kitchen gadgets. I mean, who wouldn't? Take a look at these. This is the Roll N Pour. Perfect. Corn peeler. Pancake pen ` great for the kids. Carrot peeler and sharpener ` no words needed. And one for Mum ` microwave bacon rack. She'd love them. And also, can I not forget the citrus juice sprayer. You must have a couple of those at home, just, you know, spray it on. I like the pancake pen, I have to say. Invention is all about problem-solving, but some gadgets are really problematic in the kitchen. Here's Hannah. I just wait for the onions to get a little more brown. Right. You may have noticed that sometimes we start a Fair Go item with shots which have absolutely nothing to do with the story. That's great, thank you. Not this time, though. Michael and Sinatra's cooking is at the very heart of this one. Add some sugar. Just helps to bring the flavours out. That's right. Sinatra. Why? Unusual name. Unusual, yes. My father loved, absolutely loved Frank Sinatra's music. So I think that's what inspired the name. Did you also grow to love his music? I don't find it bad, especially the one that says, you know, I do it my way. (LAUGHS) FRANK SINATRA: # I did it my way. # Back slaving over a hot pressure cooker, Michael's doing curry ` lamb, beef, chicken, fish, doesn't really matter. I like to eat anything that moves. So if it doesn't have meat in it, you're not interested? That's correct. Add the chilli paste now, just now. And I need some yoghurt. Because these two are super busy running a business with a fair bit of travelling, they usually cook double or triple what they need and freeze the extra. Which is why they spent a small fortune on these flash silicone Flat Stack containers at a recent Auckland home show. Leak proof and dishwasher, fridge, freeze safe, you know, and could go in the microwave. And they'd seen the Flat Stack ads on late night telly which showed someone having terrible problems with excess plastic ware. Sinatra had the very same drama. These seemed to be the answer. They could be actually crushed to a small size, so they'd stack up very easily. Just like this... And even better, says Michael, Sinatra had a birthday coming up. Yep, he's not kidding. All of a sudden, it came as a flash. If I can buy a lot, I'll save more, and I can get rid of all the dishes in one hit, and that's it. My wife will be so pleased. He doesn't have to think too much about what to buy me or anything. So I thought I'd make it easy for him, make it easy for me, and everything's good. They say there was no demonstration of the product at the home show, but a pretty good sales pitch. These guys bought four sets ` $140 worth. I love the way the lamb is cooked so soft. So after they'd had their dinner that night, they were very keen to try out the new Flat Stack containers. This is yummy. And how did the Flat Stacks stack up? I couldn't close it, and I` my hand started` my wrist started hurting trying to do it. And it is a very good concept, I must say, but there's a design flaw. It doesn't work for us. So it's on with apron because we needed to see it ourselves. Mike, let's start with rice. Let's see how that goes. Crikey. This is going to be a very long programme if you're gonna go at that rate. (LAUGHTER) OK, it's just` It doesn't click-clack at all, does it? I can't get a grip. It just doesn't clip on at all. OK, let's try with the curry. And this is pretty typical. Put the whole lot in. OK. Oh! OK. OK. I'm a fail as well here. Just to demonstrate what's actually happening, we're gonna fill this one with water because, you know, I like a challenge. Oh! Oh. (LAUGHS) I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry! It's on your shoes. You said it was all right to wet the table, but.. Yep. No worries. ...was it OK to wet the` So out with the towels. So the very thing that makes them compactable stops you actually them. Becomes its biggest weakness. Yeah. There were two ways this could end ` OK, well, hey, thanks, guys, very much. Nice to meet ya. Thanks for bringing the story. Let's go, let's go. Just grab my coat. Hang on, I forgot my coat! And my bag! Of course, what we really did was clean up and carry on. We've seen how these things don't work. What happened when you went back to the company? So his solution was, you send it back to us at our` at your cost, and this is sending it all the way back to Mt Maunganui. They will try it on, see if it closes, and it if closes, they will send it back to us. Hey, I'm not going to take my curry all the way to Tauranga to close it and bring it back. It has to work for me. If it doesn't work for me, it doesn't work. Are you doing it wrong, is that the problem? You shouldn't have to go through a training programme to actually use the product. I'm telling you, seriously, it doesn't make sense. We said, 'OK, it doesn't work. It's not fit for purpose, so we would like to get our money back.' And they wrote an email back to us saying that there was no money-back guarantee. You know, you spend a lot of money for this ` $140. I want $140 worth of product. Knowing that there is this Consumer Guarantees Act, I think they should do the right thing, and they know it is not fit for purpose. And when it is not fit for purpose, they should refund it. And if they did get that $140 back, would Sinatra get a better birthday pressie? After all the stress that he's been through, I think we need a de-stress massage. (LAUGHS) And I would like a deal with that. So for $140, it's buy one, get one free. And I would like a deal with that. (ALL LAUGH) Love deals. Oh, I feel your pain! There's nothing like great curry going to waste. (CHUCKLES) Very frustrating. Drives me crazy. Now, the distributors of Flat Stacks Show TV told us... And they say... Now, the Dsouza's say their containers weren't broken. They were just too hard to use. Not wanting to be too disparaging about Hannah's kitchen skills ` I mean, how hard can they really be? Well, harder than you think, given the result of our office challenge. Welcome to a completely unscientific, unrehearsed consumer test. OK, I got this. All right. I've got a theory about this. Show TV tell us that a non-defective unit should close with no issue under normal household conditions. Oh yeah. OK. Oh yeah. See, it looks so good from a distance, doesn't it? Pressing down hard on the top of the container will cause it to collapse. That is what it's designed to do. The flaps should close by simply pushing the opposing flaps on each side at the same time. (BLEEP)! (BLEEP)! (BLEEP)! Show TV they say they've sold hundreds of these products, over four years, with very few complaints. Far out. They say the five-year guarantee covers the materials, the walls, the lids and the functionality of the units. (BLEEP)! Oh, my shoes are wet. It is not a 'change of mind' guarantee. Oh, stuff it! (BLEEP)! In the light of this complaint, though, they will review instructions given to customers on how to use the Flat Stacks correctly. (EXHALES) I reckon I lost about half of that. Boy, this is a controversial issue around the newsroom. LAUGHS: Isn't it? I'm not surprised more of these weren't thrown, actually. The little one seemed to be easier than the larger ones. I think, in fairness, if you practiced a lot, you would probably get the hang of it. Which is what Garth Bray did. But who has the time? Garth Bray did a lot of swotting up. That's the sort of man that he is. Right, coming up after the break ` we have a breaking development. Yes, remember our citizen detective and his munted motor? Well, we've got some smashing good news. Pakaru, yeah. Completely pakaru, basically, isn't it? That's stuffed. Well, we've got some smashing good news. I'm glad that Fair Go got involved. And internet shopping. What happens when the virtual shop fails to deliver? That makes me sad. 1 Welcome back. We return with a bit of good news. Yes. A Fair Go fix just got a whole lot better for our citizen detective from last week who was sideswiped by a bus. OK, I'll admit it. This was fun ` pretending to be a mystery ratbag. But the point was...? If it wasn't malicious, just an accident, say, you'd probably understand. You'd hope they'd do the decent thing, though, and leave you a note. Because if it's a hit and run, it can be a real whodunit. You can see the front guard there is... ...pakaru. Is pakaru, yeah. Completely pakaru, basically, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. That's stuffed. A bus driver left this mess and no note. Moses Paaka had to prove his case, with some first-rate deductions. The lens from the light. From their light, yeah. It was right there with all the debris that was there. I took it up the road. I sorta measured it with the bus ` fitted exactly. Even then, it took our involvement... We're going to call you Secret Witness A. ...to get Go Bus to apologise. Well, I'm glad that Fair Go has got involved, put it that way. So that was the repair bill sorted, but for Moses, it wasn't the end of his troubles. This had taken 10 months for Go Bus to accept. Moses now needed a new Warrant of Fitness, and to back-pay nearly a year's registration. The battery was also pakaru, despite his efforts to keep it sparking. All up Moses was still nearly $500 out of pocket thanks to those consequential losses. Then we got another note, from the insurance company. 'Following discussions with Go Bus, given the special circumstances Moses has experienced, 'his costs will be met on a one-off, good faith basis.' Which is a very good gesture, and a great note to finish on. Hey, Moses, high five. I know we can't, cos it's TV and stuff, but anyway, great things ` determined, looked at the evidence and rung Fair Go. Nice work, Moses. Good one. Right. Shopping from the comfort of your couch is quick and convenient, but it's not without risk. Purchasing from a virtual store can be a gamble. So here's a few tips to help you avoid disappointment. Brad's back! Back again. Now, you fancy yourself a bit of an online shopping whizz, don't you, Brad? Sure do. But recently, Brad had a shopping shocker. Sure did. You see, Brad got a huge bargain on a pair of designer sunglasses online. At least, he thought he did. Except... They're fakes. Oh, that's bad, Brad. So what can I do? Well, for starters, did you buy the sunglasses off a New Zealand company? Yep! It had a .co.nz address. Unfortunately, that doesn't necessarily mean it's local. It always pays to check the contact details and email or even call first to find out exactly who you're dealing with. If it's a Kiwi company, you're covered by New Zealand law, the Consumer Guarantees Act and the Fair Trading Act. If not... I'm a bit stuffed? You said it. So, I'm assuming you tried to get in touch with the website. Uh-huh. And let me guess, they never got back to you. Uh-uh. Well, if you paid by credit card or debit card, get in touch with your bank, Brad. You may be eligible for a charge back. But other than that, sorry, Brad. There's not much you can do here. Oh. That makes me sad. To avoid being sad, Brad, next time, do your research first. A bit of healthy scepticism's not a bad thing when buying online. And Brad, don't forget that age-old advice ` if it sounds to good to be true... ...then it probably is? Rad, Brad. Rad. We have had a heap of complaints coming in recently about people having trouble when they've bought things online. Something goes wrong and they haven't been able to get their money back. So just be really, really careful about the websites you're dealing with. Yeah. Like, it's your money. Look after it. Mm. So that's the show. But we will be on Facebook for the next half hour to answer your questions. Our programme is all about your gripes, your concerns, your problems, so please do contact us. We're on Facebook, or you can email us... Or write to us... That's our show. Until next week, po marie. Copyright Able 2017