Rip Off Britain
2009 / NRRip Off Britain is a BBC One series which exposes Britain's rip-offs and helps consumers. It began on 30 November 2009, presented by former news journalists Angela Rippon, Gloria Hunniford and Jennie Bond. Newsreader Julia Somerville replaced Bond from series three. From the second series onwards, the show was remade into cut-down editions of 30 minutes which air in a prime time slot on Friday evenings.
Seasons & Episode
The team investigates the seriously written-off cars patched up and put back on the road, and asks why e-bike batteries, withdrawn for being a fire hazard, could still be on sale.
When an algorithm banned one woman from opening an online account because her surname was McManus, she asked Rip Off Britain for help!
The team meet one man worried that the £300k he spent on rare whisky might have vanished after the investment firm went bust.
Priced off the road: the young drivers handed a car insurance price hike in the middle of their policy.
The team investigates the holiday deal websites whose offers were very different to what was advertised.
From shockingly incorrect bills to broken smart meters, bad customer service to impossible debts, the Rip Off Britain team challenge the energy industry and the government.
The team meets a couple at loggerheads with a developer after finding soaked plaster and a beetle infestation in their new-build home.
How one tech giant’s phone insurance will only pay out if thieves don’t switch off the tracking software on your handset. And the people forced to pay for items that never arrived.
Could the biggest change to landlines in generations leave you without a phone or broadband? And the new plans that might bring private parking operators into line.
The hacked hotel emails that could cost you your holiday. Also, the team meets a woman who felt abandoned by her cruise company when illness struck on board.
Gloria Hunniford, Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville hear from the young people who thought they were dabbling in investments but instead ended up unwittingly money laundering.
The team tackle more bad practice, including debunking the claims of a slimming pill magazine that says you’ll lose a stone in a week.
The dogged debt collectors who won’t give up – even when you don’t owe them anything. And the missing mail causing huge headaches and leaving you out of pocket.
Life savings gone and no refund – why your choice of bank could make all the difference if you lose out to scammers.
The tour operator that one couple say really let them down when their coach transfer took a turn for the worst.
Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville are joined by Henry the Blue Peter dog, as they hear about the chihuahua owner from Oldham whose pet insurer refused to pay out.
Gloria Hunniford learns how the 1990s fashion for bamboo in our gardens is causing expensive problems for some homeowners 25 years later.
With millions of pounds sitting unclaimed in dormant or misplaced accounts, the team sets about helping a former bank worker track down her pension pot, which has been missing since the 1990s.
Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville get to grips with the lightweight construction material RAAC. Installed decades ago, it’s ended up decimating housing estates across Scotland.
Julia Somerville and Gloria Hunniford present a sun-drenched holiday edition, featuring airline passengers who were supposed to be travelling to Barcelona but got put on a flight to Lithuania.
Gloria Hunniford and Julia Somerville hear the story of a woman from Bolton who staged a protest at the local branch of her bank after being left penniless and with no access to her money.
A 90-year-old is shocked by a £17,000 ground rent bill on the flat he’s owned for 50 years. Plus the online marketplace being abused by scammers.
Gloria Hunniford, Julia Somerville and the team hear how the promise of a no win, no fee legal action left a man from Burnley with a £27,000 legal bill after a firm of solicitors went bust.
How mobile phone theft victims are facing huge bills when crooks’ purchases are charged to them.
The travellers seeking answers after their getaway plans were wrecked when huge security queues at a major British airport caused them to miss their flights.
How fraudsters are using social media posts about missing people and pets to hook their victims into scams.
How a recently bereaved widow from Lancashire was conned out of the £226,000 proceeds of a house sale by fraudsters who claimed she was investing in cryptocurrency.
The team investigate the homeowners who’ve found their homes targeted by scammers who steal personal information to try and sell their homes from under their feet.
We reveal how fraudsters are selling counterfeit versions of a well-known weight-loss drug and the potentially devastating consequences for one woman who suffered a seizure after injecting it.
In a special holiday edition, Gloria Hunniford, Julia Somerville and the team ask how much damage is too much damage when it comes to your passport.
Rip Off Britain is a BBC One series which exposes Britain's rip-offs and helps consumers. It began on 30 November 2009, presented by former news journalists Angela Rippon, Gloria Hunniford and Jennie Bond. Newsreader Julia Somerville replaced Bond from series three. From the second series onwards, the show was remade into cut-down editions of 30 minutes which air in a prime time slot on Friday evenings.