Rogue Traders, 14/05/14
Web script for Gold Parking
Presenter: Matt Allwright
SONG
“Gold!
Always believe in your soul.
You’ve got the power to know. You’re indestructible.”
MATT (TO CAMERA)
But your car is not.
MATT (VOICE OVER) Indestructible, that is. It can be mistreated. Parked in odd places.
MATT (TO CAMERA) And to cut a long story short, that’s exactly what’s happening – and worse - to some cars left here by holiday makers with an airport parking company.
(Camera pans away to reveal sound man.)
SOUND MAN: So true.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
Gold Parking Limited of Crawley say they run the most secure meet and greet company at Gatwick. They promise a “chauffeur” will meet you at the airport and drive your car directly to their parking “compound”. The Director of the company is this man, Shaban Malik, whilst the Operations Manager is his brother, Riz.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
Impressed with their website, Brenda Jean Jones and her husband David used them to look after her Audi A7 whilst they were away on Honeymoon in Cuba…
BRENDA JEAN JONES: It said that the car would only be driven only a few minutes from Gatwick Airport and parked securely in their compound.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
But when their car was returned, they discovered Gold’s performance was less than sparkling.
BRENDA JEAN JONES: It was pretty dirty, there was a rip in the tyre… but David just wanted to get in the car and drive home…
But after a while he said, look there’s 1500 miles on the clock. They’ve done over 1000 miles, Brenda.
1
Rogue Traders, 14/05/14
MATT: So it had been used and it had driven a substantial number of miles while you’d been on holiday. Anything else?
BRENDA: One morning, we had it come through the post – a parking fine.
It said that the vehicle was parked in a residents’ parking lot without the permit…
But within two weeks of the first parking fine, we had the next one. Just for a pay and display…
MATT (VOICE OVER)
So, the car clearly hadn’t been parked in the‘secure compound’ promised.
Brenda made several complaints, but Gold Parking ignored them all…
MATT (TO CAMERA)
Damage, parking tickets, and hundreds of miles on the clock.
(aside to camera)
What on earth would Tony Hadley say?
TONY HADLEY: It’s totally unacceptable. When you leave your car with a parking company you expect it to be returned in exactly the same condition as when they took it.
MATT: Plus delivery mileage of course…
TONY HADLEY: Plus delivery mileage. Of course. These people have taken liberties with the vehicle and its owner. Her Cuban vacation has aroused my indignation.
MATT: Thankyou, Tony.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
But there are worse fates that can befall your vehicle. Dipesh Toor left his 45 thousand pound Mercedes with Gold whilst he was in the Caribbean with his wife, Rita.
And though they returned from their holiday, the car didn’t return from its stay with Gold.
DIPESH TOOR: They took us back to their premises… and they said they think that one of their ex members of staff had stolen the vehicle. And we said,”How on Earth could you let this happen?”
MATT: I mean what you hope would happen next is that they tell you how they’re going to reimburse you or replace the car in some way with their insurance.
DIPESH: When we looked at their insurance details… in there, it says that theft is not covered… we were shocked.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
Punctures, chips to the windscreen, damage to the wheels, damage to the interior, theft of
2
Rogue Traders, 14/05/14
personal property….
Gold refuse to take responsibility for all manner of things that could happen to your car whilst it’s supposedly in their care.
Meaning that when police couldn’t find Dipesh’s Mercedes or the alleged thief, he had to use his own insurance to replace it.
MATT (TO CAMERA)
Something’s going on, we need to find out what.
And that means parking a car. But not just any car – it has to be a car befitting someone of my stature.A heritage brand with phenomenal build quality. Like…
MATT (VOICE OVER)
A Mercedes! [music kicks in] Yeah, a sick white CLA to be precise . We’re also gonna need a high-roller to drive this motor.
And that’s why one of our researchers has dug out his Dad’s shirt and done his hair slightly differently.
Looking like the first one to be fired by Lord Sugar, “Grant” pays £80 online and heads to Gatwick.But this is no ordinary berk with a Merc – he comes rigged with secret cameras.
SECRET FILMING
SHABAN: Hi there sir, are you waiting for Gold? …Driver’s going to be another few minutes, so what I’ll do is I’ll check the car in anyway.
MATT (VOICE OVER) This is Shaban Malik, the Director of Gold. Who goes on to give our car a quick once over.
“GRANT”: She’s brand new, so look after her!
SHABAN: Going anywhere nice?
“GRANT”: Yeah, to Kingston, Jamaica.
SHABAN: Nice.
“GRANT”: You’re telling me. Week away, get some sun.
MATT (VOICE OVER) There’s nothing to sign, no paperwork at all.
SHABAN: That’s all done, Mr Thomas.
“GRANT”: Awesome. Do I leave the keys with you?
3
Rogue Traders, 14/05/14
SHABAN: Yeah, just leave the keys with me.
MATT (TO CAMERA) Remember, We’re expecting our vehicle to end up in a secure compound, monitored 24/7.
(Leans over to gooseneck microphone)
Make sure it’s a secure car park!
SECRET FILMING
“GRANT”: And it’s all parked securely isn’t it?
SHABAN: That’s all done, that’s all done, yeah [embarrassed sounding laugh].
MATT (TO CAMERA) – on bike
Well, I found that utterly convincing. I’m thoroughly reassured. Anyway, our man is off to Jafaica. Look - there’s his imaginary plane.So where’s his very real car?
MATT (VOICE OVER)
Well that’s a very easy question to answer – because we’ve hidden a tracker inside. As soon as it leaves us, the car heads towards Crawley, which we can only presume is the location of the promised ‘secure compound’.
Wherever it goes, we shall follow…
MATT (VOICE OVER)
We’ve asked Gold Parking to look after our Mercedes whilst we’re supposedly on holiday. As soon as the tracker we’ve hidden inside tells us the car’s been parked, we’ll head off to investigate…
MATT (TO CAMERA)
Of course, we may have to peer at our vehicle through the chain link fence topped with razor wire. And we may face difficult and searching questions from the burly, shiny-headed security guards who patrol the compound around the clock.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
But then again, we might not. Because our tracker reveals Gold have left our car here, on a publically accessible, residential street in Crawley, near to boss man Shaban Malik’s house. It’s hardly the secure car park we were promised.
And this is where our car stays all week…
MATT (TO CAMERA)
4
Rogue Traders, 14/05/14
TONY: My Instinction is telling me that there’s something really badly wrong here.
MATT: Tony, the word is instinct. Your instinct is telling you.
TONY: No nonono, it’s instinction. It’s a proper word.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
Yeah, it’s not.
After a week pretending to be in Jafiaca, it’s time for researcher Grant to get the car back.
Remember he said he was hoping to get some sun? Well, we’re nothing if not thorough…
Grant and his matching friend head back to Gatwick where they are met by Operations manager, Riz Malik.
Who throws our stooge a bit of a curve ball….
SECRET FILMING
RIZ: Have you got the other half of the ticket?
“GRANT”: I didn’t get a ticket.
RIZ: You didn’t get any paperwork?
MATT (VOICE OVER) No, your brother, Shaban, didn’t give him any.
RIZ: Do you have ID on you,sorry?
“GRANT”: No I don’t, actually.
RIZ: Don’t you have your passports on you?
MATT (VOICE OVER) Grant hasn’t really been on holiday AND has been using a fake name, so he hasn’t got one. Quick, think of a good excuse…
“GRANT”: I think Dan and Mark have got our passports. When we came through, we put them in the same bag, so we don’t have anything.
MATT (VOICE OVER) Thatta boy. I taught him everything he knows… It does the trick. Riz hands over the keys – and then it’s our turn to put him on the spot….
MATT (TO CAMERA) Tell them your friend saw your car on the street.
SECRET FILMING
5
Rogue Traders, 14/05/14
“GRANT”: This is going to sound absolutely ridiculous so forgive me, but I phoned a mate of mine yesterday, before we flew, and he lives in Crawley and he reckons he saw the car parked on a side street. Is that right?
GOLD REP: Side street in Crawley [laughs]? That’s impossible.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
No, it’s true.
One car, one big bag of Golden lies.
But let’s just play devil’s avo-caaa. Maybe this was just a one off because their secure compound was full. To be sure, we need to park another vehicular marvel…
MATT (VOICE OVER)
This Ford Fiesta. We blew the budget on the Merc, you see. Note the hub caps. They’re very important.
Gold tells new stooge Mark to drive to the South Terminal where he’s met, once again, by Operations Manager Riz…
SECRET FILMING
RIZ: Hi, is it Gold Parking?
MATT (VOICE OVER) Again, there’s no paperwork – which is suprising, given how important he felt it was last time. But he does check to see what state the car’s in, before he drives it away.
“MARK”: Thanks very much mate. Have a good one.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
So where’s this car going to end up?
MATT (TO CAMERA)
Now you might hope that our little Ford Fiesta was securely parked but we can see because we’re tracking it, that it’s not. It’s actually on a main road right now and of course on a main road…I mean anything could happen to it.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
Time for a spot of late night mischief…
We think the car is parked directly outside Gold Parking’s office – and as the lights are on we need to use super stealth tactics…
MATT: Wanna try and go for it now? See anything?
I don’t think so…
6
Rogue Traders, 14/05/14
MATT (VOICE OVER) But first one… then another of the hubcaps are off and we stroll off, all nonchalant like.
MATT: I’m trying to stay like Al Pacino in the Godfather. You know when he walks out of the restaurant.
MATT (TO CAMERA)
Kerching, kerching. Not one but two wheel trims – not strictly speaking, hubcaps – but the point is made. We could have done almost anything to those cars, where they were parked, by the main road…
MATT (VOICE OVER) The question is – what will they do tomorrow when our chap returns tomorrow and finds that two out of his available four wheel trims are missing? Explanation time!
MATT (VOICE OVER)
Our man Mark is about to get the hump over his hub caps, er, wheel trims. Shaban Malik is the one dropping the car off this time…
SECRET FILMING
“MARK”: I’ll just have a quick look around it – is that alright?
Where are the hubcaps?
MATT (TO CAMERA)
They’re wheel trims!
SECRET FILMING
“MARK”: They’re, like, wheel trims.
SHABAN: Er…there were..there were all hubcaps on the car was there?
“MARK”: Yeah, they were all there. Is the other side on? Yeah.
I’m just wondering how this could have happened because it says on your website it’s a secure lot.
SHABAN: All that do is they drive it to the compound and it’s parked in the compound.
MATT (VOICE OVER) Compound – AKA ‘in the street’
SHABAN: Honestly, I think noone would take hubcaps or anything like that. Never. We’ve not had any sort of theft in the actual cars ever.
MATT (TO CAMERA)
Well we know that’s not true. I mean, look at Dips’ car. The whole thing was stolen!
7
Rogue Traders, 14/05/14
MATT (VOICE OVER)
Mark is given a number to ring and complain – when he does, he’s told that Gold have checked the imaginary CCTV from their imaginary compound….
PHONE CALL
‘RIZ?’: The camera’s not great but it don’t seem like there are any hubcaps on the vehicle… when it’s arrived at the yard.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
And that, as we know is a lie. So the big question…
MATT (TO CAMERA)
What would Tony Hadley of Spandau…
(VOICE OFF) Tony’s had to leave.
MATT He’s gone? Oh ok…
(Matt puts away the sign reserving TH’s space)
MATT (VOICE OVER)
Yes, I wanna have a word with the head honchos of Gold, Shaban and Riz Malik. But to get them out we need to put another car in.
However, this time, the guy who comes to pick it up is someone we’ve never seen before. He takes our cash and then drives off. Our tracker tells us that he dumps it in a public car park just over eight miles from the airport. And five days later, that’s where we go to put our plan into action…
MATT (TO CAMERA)
So this is where this car has ended up – there she be – it’s next to a disused toilet,next to a Matt (Voice over)unity centre,somewhere in wildest Crawley. It’s not secure. However,it is about to be.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
Because that’s where these guys come in – nice clampers! We need to try to create a situation that will draw Riz and Shabam out.
Gold aren’t going to be able to move our car with a clamp on it, so we want to see what they do when our stooge returns from her fake holiday one day earlier than expected.
With the clamp safely in place, our girl in Gatwick makes the call. We’re calling it
8
Rogue Traders, 14/05/14
operation Mini ha ha.
STOOGE: Oh hello, is that Gold Parking? Ten minutes, ok, no problem.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
Meanwhile, we lie in wait in the carpark to see what will happen when they arrive and realise they can’t move the car.
A few minutes later, two men we don’t recognise pull up. The driver approaches our car – and spots the clamp and the notice we’ve left with a number to phone if they want it released.
His friend in the passenger seat makes the call – but what he doesn’t know is that the clamper he’s about to speak to is me….
PHONE CALL
MATT: Yeah, hello?
‘SHABAN’?: I’ve been clamped,how much to get it released?
MATT: Could you tell me the location?
‘SHABAN’?: It’s back of Gales Drive shops.
MATT: Sorry, can I ask your name sir?
‘SHABAN’?: Er,my name’s Shaban Malik.
MATT (VOICE OVER) Shaban? If so, he’s had a pretty severe haircut.
MATT: Ok. Ok,what we’ll do, Mr Malik,we’ll get someone down there straight away and there’ll be… there might be a fee to pay, there’ll be a price to pay, certainly.
Let’s go.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
We decide it’s our time to make a move…
DOORSTEP
MATT: Hello there,Shaban, how you doing? Matt Allwright, BBC Rogue Traders. How are you today? Good to see you.
MATT (VOICE OVER) But the man who called himself Shaban is suddenly having an identity crisis…
MATT: Did you identify yourself as Shaban? Because that’s what you said you were in the car. And you’re running Gold Parking. Gold Parking…
9
Rogue Traders, 14/05/14
MATT (VOICE OVER) If he is Shaban, he’s certainly not as chatty as he was on the phone a moment ago. He hides his face and is clearly desperate to get away from me and the cameras…
MATT: You’re a bit trapped in here at the moment, mate. You’re a bit trapped in. So you might just need to let this lady back up a second.
This is Gold Parking, this is how they drive their car.
MATT (TO CAMERA)
There we are, Gold Parking of Gatwick. Not keen to talk about how their so called secure parking ends up being clamped outside a public toilet by a Matt (Voice over)unity centre.
MATT (VOICE OVER)
Well that was… illuminating. I don’t know about you but it left me wanting more. Was that man really Shaban Malik?
We have the Gold Parking offices under surveillance and when the white car fails to turn up there, I decide to ring the man calling himself Shaban back. But this time, somebody else entirely picks up…
PHONE CALL
RIZ: Hello.
MATT: Oh hello there. Who am I speaking to?
RIZ: You're speaking to Riz.
MATT (VOICE OVER) Blimey Charlie, what a result, somehow I’ve got through to Shaban’s brother, Operations Manager Riz Malik! Surely he knows who I’ve just met in the car park?
MATT: We had a guy in the car today describe – calling himself Shaban, that wasn’t Shaban . So who was he?
RIZ: Noone described themselves as Shaban to you today.
MATT: A guy said, “I’m Shaban Malik”, so that was Shaban Malik in the car was it?
RIZ: No one said toyou,”I’m Shaban Malik.”
MATT (VOICE OVER) Well, I’m none the wiser.
MATT: Why is it that cars that have been left in your trust have been just left on the street, in car parks, er, in lots of places that aren’t secure? Which is what you purport to offer and told us we were getting.
RIZ: To be honest with you I'm not really obliged to answer any of those questions at the moment ... MATT: When you say obliged, it's, it kind of goes with the territory of taking money off people that you don’t lie
10
Rogue Traders, 14/05/14
to them. We would love to hear why you're taking money from people and then their cars are being insecurely parked, sometimes with results like them being ticketed, damaged or in one – on one occasion, lost, Riz?
RIZ: That – that – that was actually stolen literally from our secure compound so you've absolutely no information that said that was parked on the er, street or anything like that.
MATT: Okay. So it was stolen and then you had no insurance to cover it and took no responsibility for that car otherwise. RIZ: We’re not obliged to cover a stolen vehicle.
MATT: So Riz, this is what we can take away from what you've just told me, if you park with Gold Parking and your car is stolen then you take no responsibility for it whatsoever,
RIZ: Are any of the vehicles that you – are these vehicles that you parked damaged?
MATT: Yeah, the, the wheel trims …
RIZ: I think you’re talking about the hub caps Matt. MATT: Yes.
RIZ: If you look under our terms and conditions, we don’t cover... MATT: You lied to us. You lied to us, you said it came in to the compound with the wheel trims missing
RIZ: We, we would never check them all in the first place. We only check the bodywork – bodywork of a vehicle. MATT: This is a phenomenal service Riz that you're offering.
…No sight of a compound, no razor wire, no security guards. How is that secure? Riz?
RIZ: Well that’s not secure is it? MATT: It's not …
RIZ: It’s not secure.
MATT: … secure. MATT (VOICE OVER) And with that, my work is done
11