* (LAID-BACK THEME MUSIC) Tonight ` tragedy leaves a young family in mourning. I miss my best friend. Hundreds of memories are locked away on his phone. It just locked us out. Now a rotten Apple isn't letting her access them. I think they lacked empathy. And how's this for irritating? (DOG BARKS) Man's best friend is driving his neighbours barking mad. It bark, it howls, it whines. You start to get quite shitty. Plus, living a life without insurance. Don't want it at all. I'm not interested in insurance. Is it really a gamble worth taking? I though I'd be better off putting money in the bank myself, accumulating the funds, and hoping nothing goes wrong. Oh no! (LAUGHS) Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. Copyright Able 2018 Kia ora. Welcome to the show. Thanks to Facebook, Instagram and social media, we are taking more photographs than ever before. Are we what? This year, billions of humans armed with smartphones will take more than 1.2 trillion pictures. That's about 150 pictures for every man, woman and child. It is great having all those memories in the palm of your hand. But what happens if you or a loved one suddenly dies? Here's Anna. (GENTLE MUSIC) (LAUGHS) An afternoon at the park ` a favourite activity for 4-year-old Mahli and her mum, Haley. (GIGGLES) But recently, life has changed a lot for this little family. I miss my best friend. (SNIFFLES) In February, Haley's husband, Steve, died after a nine-year battle with cancer. He was 38. It was about the size of a grapefruit. And so he had radiation to shrink it, and chemotherapy, also had it removed. And then it travelled to his lungs. Haley and Mahli were by his side to the very end. And Haley wants to make sure Mahli never forgets her dad. I like this picture, when I'm... I'm holding on to there. But there's one thing missing that would help to keep the memory of her husband alive ` the videos on his iPhone. He took, always, videos and photos ` lots. He was the one that did all that side of things. So yeah, that's the thing we're most missing, is hearing his voice and... Yeah. Before Steve died, the couple made plans for his funeral. And they made plans for Mahli's future. But there was one thing Haley forgot ` the password to Steve's iPhone. We just didn't even think about that. I think,... Steve's been sick for a long time, but at the end, it went really quick. So things like that just didn't really matter at the time. After Steve died, the family tried combinations for the phone ` everything they could think of. Our family and friends were trying to access it and, yeah, it just locked us out after about, I think, about six to eight attempts. So you gave it a good go. Yeah, we did. (LAUGHS) Everyone had a go. But to no avail. So Haley got in touch with Apple. The lady was actually really helpful, and she said it wouldn't be a problem, basically. She sent in everything Apple asked for, but then they wanted more. They kept pushing for the letter of probate, and that's where I said Steve didn't have a will. He didn't have any assets or anything like that, so there was no need for a letter of probate. And applying to the court for probate would be more than $1000. It's money Haley just doesn't have to spare. I asked them, would a letter from the Justice of the Peace be OK? She agreed, and so I sent her that and they put it to the ` they've got a law department, a part of Apple ` and they said it wasn't enough. So then I went back to the lawyer and a family friend of ours said she will write us a letter. But that wasn't enough, either. After a couple of months trying to unlock the phone, Haley has just about given up. Yeah, it's just frustrating, and they keep putting me from person to person. They're not understanding at all. And they say that they're going to help us and try and push it through and, yeah... When a loved one dies, there are all sorts of things to take care of. Bank accounts can often be closed after providing a death certificate. Social media pages can also be closed with proof of a death certificate. But devices are different. Apple says family and friends must have the iPhone's master password to gain access. We wrote to Apple and asked if they could help. This was no easy nut to crack. The phone was disabled. But two weeks later ` and two months after Haley first asked for help ` nothing. I think they lacked empathy. They just brushed us off, gave us hope at the start, made it just sound like it would be an easy thing to do. And... it definitely hasn't been. Haley has provided Apple with all of Steve's details, including their marriage certificate, his death certificate, a letter witnessed by a JP and another from her lawyer. But this rotten Apple has locked Haley and her daughter out of a lifetime of memories with their loved one. I make sure that I talk about him every day and, you know, we look at photos. But, yeah, videos is something we probably lack. It would be great to have those. It just seems horrendous. It's terrible. They can create all this amazing technology, but they can't solve something like this. Now, Apple wouldn't send us an official statement. But they did give Haley some advice on how she might be able to download those precious videos without their help. Oh, well done. The videos and photos of her husband and daughter are what Haley wants more than anything off the iPhone. But Apple says Haley has to have a master password to get into the device. They did suggest another way to get the files without their help ` simply plug it into Steve's laptop and open the Photos application. We sat in to see if it would work. Just show me what you've got set up there. But Apple hadn't given Haley any specific instructions. And, while there were some photos and videos,... Aw, that's cool. ...they were old. So no luck there. It's probably the cloud. It'll be a cloud issue. I have no idea what I'm talking about. No, I don't know if you can blame the cloud this time. What I'm hoping is that someone out there might have some ideas, and if you do, please get in touch. Right, time to bring back an old favourite. Yes. Trivia can be good for the brain and good for the pocket as well, especially if you know your consumer rights. So tonight, I head to Christchurch for round one of the Fair Go true/false challenge. (HIP-HOP MUSIC) We're on the streets of Central Christchurch, and today we're kicking off with a tenancy question. A landlord can increase rent as often as they like ` true or false? True. No, it's false! There's a lease agreement. If there's lease agreements, then, yeah, false. True? False. That should be false. And you're gonna run with true? It happened to us, so... (LAUGHS) It's not whenever they like, it's whenever the rental agreement terms are up. False. False. Yeah, they have to review, I think, every two years. Is it? I'm not a landlord, but if I was, I'd be putting up the rents any old time I was short of money ` like, weekly. (LAUGHS) OK, thanks for sharing that. So you're saying 'true'. Definitely true. Righto. Coming up after the break ` what do you do when you're being hounded by a neighbour's barking dog? You finally start get to sleep in the early hours of the morning, and then you're woken up by, 'Woof! Woof! Woof!' It's really, really, really irritating. (DOG BARKS) And it's driving the neighbourhood barking mad. You start to get on edge. You start to get tired. You start to get quite shitty. And living without insurance. I don't want insurance. Why do some people think it's worth the risk? At the moment, I'm better off by about $3000 that the insurance company doesn't have. (BRIGHT, ENERGETIC MUSIC) SONG: # I can make your hands clap... # VOICEOVER: Centrum provides multiple health benefits in just one tablet. Check out the three essentials for a healthy home on our website. * Welcome back. Whining, howling, excessive barking. Are you talking about dinner at my house? (LAUGHS) Yes, I am. But also, a neighbour's noisy mutt can drive the sanest person barking mad. Dog owners have a legal obligation to take all reasonable steps to ensure their dog's barking isn't a nuisance. Mm. But what do you do when your neighbour and the authorities seem to turn a deaf ear to your complaints? Here's Gill. (GENTLE MUSIC) As the sun rises over Christchurch and Elaine hits the hay after a long night shift at the hospital, the nightmare begins. (DOG BARKS) # Who let the dogs out? It barks, it howls, it whines. And it's ongoing. And it can be as early as 6.30 in the morning through to as late as 9 o'clock at night. # Who let the dogs out? # (DOG BARKS) I can sleep through virtually anything, but I cannot sleep through that. This is a daily routine she can no longer tolerate. Are you surprised how annoying that can be? It's unbelievable. I appreciate dogs are dogs, and they bark when the owners come home. They bark when they're excited. But this is not any ordinary barking. This is constant, consistent, every single day that these guys go away. (RELAXING MUSIC) The neighbours moved in at Christmas ` a time for peace on earth. But not on this street. (DOG BARKS) You kind of think, the dog will settle in. It's only just new there. Yeah, well, it settled in, all right. (CHUCKLES) The barking just got worse. The dog's arrival couldn't have come at a worse time. (DOG BARKS) This barking has been going on for just under an hour, now. Elaine's partner, Richie, had a serious heart condition. He couldn't really go anywhere. He was really sick. While stuck at home, he started recording the soundtrack to this suburb's life. (DOG BARKS) Half past 8, and you can clearly see it's getting quite dark. And this is what we're putting up with since 9 o'clock this morning. That was one of the neighbours telling them to shut that dog up. That's Richie. You start to get on edge. You start to get... tired. You start to get quite shitty. Now, Elaine loves dogs. These are her two. She just hates barking. So in January, her partner spoke to the neighbour to sort it. The barking continued. So in February, they went to the council. They sent us a bark sheet. And you have to fill it in according to each time and time and date that the dog's barking. And we filled that in, and then... nothing. They also supplied their videos. We were told our video footage of it barking is not acceptable, because we could have rarked the dog up prior to the video taping. We were told that, well, the bark sheets ` well, we could be lying. She feels they're making all the effort. My complaint with them is that they've never contacted me or Richie directly. We have made constant, 'Can you please call us?' And you're not only one that's complained. Nope. I know that a lot of the neighbours have complained. There's Anna over the road. And it was especially bad, because she's had colic. So when put her down, especially in the afternoon, and the dog would go off, and it was just baby crying, dog barking ` it was just insane. And there are others. They don't want to appear on camera, but one said,... And then there's another ` For Elaine, the sound of silence is a rarity that usually comes when the neighbours are home. I see, actually, they have just opened the curtains next door. Well, that would explain why he's not barking, then. (CHUCKLES) (KNOCK AT DOOR) The neighbours are definitely aware of the problem. So, he didn't bark in your last place? But no one complained about it. (DOG BARKS) But when it comes to disturbances made by animals,... Barking is probably the most common problem. ...Mark deals with lots of them, working as a professional dog trainer. Sit. Wait. Come on. And then it's on our terms. That's a good girl. This dog, Poppy, is easy to train and is clearly happy at home alone. But Mark says even unrelenting barkers, like the one hounding Elaine, can be fixed. But it is an anxiety, so it can take time to solve it. Especially if the dog is 10 years old and has moved house for the first time. So what's a reasonable time length? Oh, look, the average dog, that can be a few weeks. You know, a really intense dog, it may be a few months. Elaine has already been putting up with the racket for five months. So, this is proof that the dog is still barking. Very much still barking. (DOG BARKS) Elaine has been at her wits' end, especially as in April tragedy struck. Richie became extremely ill and failed to make it through surgery. He just died so suddenly. And then you come home, and it's like, what do you do? It's one of the worst nights of your life. And it's just the icing on cake when you finally start get to sleep in the early hours of the morning and then you're woken up by, 'Woof! Woof! Woof!' I don't expect the world to stop because my partner has died. But just to have to go through this, and then the dealings with the council that have made me feel so incredibly powerless. In April, after numerous calls, she wrote a letter to the council. In May, she wrote a second one after contacting Fair Go. I look forward to hearing from Fair Go, because I know I won't hear from you guys at the council. I never do. Elaine says, after that, for the first time, the council voluntarily got in touch. But it shouldn't take that to get some kind of action. I told Elaine the council see it differently. What they said was, 'We've involved Elaine throughout the various steps. 'This has included sharing the officers' self-monitoring and observations, 'the setting-up of bark recorders, and sharing that the owner is seeking professional assistance.' What do you say to that? Oh, no bloody way. The only time they voluntarily got in touch with me was after I contacted Fair Go. She is glad things are now happening, but it may be too little too late. For me, my home environment is the most important thing to me. And yeah, I'd love to stay in this house. But I can't stay here if that's gonna impact my health in a negative way. I need to move on. What is the solution here? I hope they can figure it out. I've got no idea. I know. It seems very unfair on the neighbours, and very unfair on the dog, so I hope they can work something out. But coming up after the break ` are you sick of paying for insurance? I don't want insurance. It's a huge gamble. Our life has been better off without insurance. But is it really worth the risk? I though I'd be better off putting the money in the bank myself, accumulating the funds, and hoping nothing goes wrong. Oh no! (LAUGHS) And we reveal the answer to our true/false challenge. True. False. True? (BRIGHT, ENERGETIC MUSIC) SONG: # I can make your hands clap... # VOICEOVER: Centrum provides multiple health benefits in just one tablet. * Welcome back. We're about to go into uncharted territory ` somewhere we've never been before. Yes. Fair Go is not in the business of advocating or recommending anyone do without insurance. But there are a growing number of Kiwis choosing to take the gamble. The big question is, why? All right, boys, out you come. Dave Fuller has two dogs ` Don't you cock your leg on that. ...Zedd and Seal. They walk me, more than anything else. I think I just got a lick in the ear. 'It's a messy job filming dogs.' Oh no! (LAUGHS) They often meet company. Today it's Tanya, a professional dog walker. She's insured. I have public liability and statutory liability insurance as a dog walker. That's like third-party car insurance for dogs. Then I'm covered for their vet bills. Dave Fuller has pet insurance too. It's just not with an insurance company, though. His insurer is himself. I thought I'd be better off putting the money in the bank myself, accumulating the funds and hoping nothing goes wrong. In three years, Dave has paid a few hundred dollars out for vaccinations, and that's it. Well, at the moment, I'm better off by about $3000 that the insurance company doesn't have. But what about something a little bigger ` well, actually, a lot bigger? We've come all the way to Blackball, where we're going to introduce you to Ray and Leena Harrison. They've got nothing insured. They're OK with that. (BIRD CHIRPS) But for the average Joe Blow person like myself, I think it's a bit of a rort. I don't want insurance. And I could afford it, but I don't want it. Ray and Leena have many things uninsured, like their cars. It is a 1951, Series 1, 80-inch, short-wheel-base Land Rover. It was my son's project vehicle before he died of cancer. Their son was Michael. He called it Mickey Mouse. Pride and joy. Pride and joy. Ray won't insure it. The way I look at it is, if something hit it, I think they'd come off second best anyway. It's not their only car. Well, Hadyn, this one's a 1988 Holden Barina. No airbags, no flash features or anything like that. Leena's car has a fresh paint job and no insurance. Please don't run into me. (LAUGHS) Then there's this. Well, here we have a 1997 VS Holden Commodore ` bog, stock standard. Insured? No. We had a serious accident in this one. We'll get to that soon. They used to have insurance. But for Leena, the tipping point was her son's broken laptop. Once the excess was taken out, there wasn't much left. So I got $800 all up, and went out, cash, and bought him a laptop. And I came back and I cancelled all my insurance policies. For Ray, it was his father's death. Because he'd been a boxer and he'd suffered a head injury, when he died, this came out. Pfft ` no insurance. It's the sort of thing the Insurance Council doesn't want to hear. Are you worried when you hear stories of people not insuring? Oh, yeah. Because you know that they live the risk that they lose everything. That's Tim Grafton, CEO of the Insurance Council. They represent most general insurance companies. So, my story is full of people who don't have insurance. How are you going to win them over? Because you represent the people who sell insurance. Look, if you don't have insurance, you're taking an enormous risk. We've seen all the earthquakes in Canterbury. We've seen them in Kaikoura. So we can have these big events that can take out your property completely. And if you don't have insurance, your greatest wealth source, your house, has gone down the gurgler. Tim, if we've had so many massive natural catastrophes, why have the insurance companies continued to make so much money? You need to have... profitable insurance companies in order to meet those costs when they do occur ` and they will occur. There's a lot of myth attached to the fact that people think insurers are trying to avoid their responsibilities through the fine print. The truth is that more than 90% of all insurance claims are paid out on. So, no car insurance, no house insurance, no medical insurance, no life insurance, no pet insurance. So, what happens when you have an accident? A tree, no fatter than that ` I swear ` slid down the bank. It was during the last weather bomb. And these Norwegian tourists in front of us... ...they came to a screaming stop. (TYRES SCREECH) We just skidded into the arse end of this car. (CRASH!) Smack. $10,000, if my math is correct. Ray and Leena admitted liability and paid the bill. Within a month I was paying the panel beater, they were all paid off, they were happy. But what if they had hit something more expensive? If I hit someone in a BMW, I'd probably have to put a mortgage on my house, but they would be paid. So just to sum up, the Harrisons have one house, three cars, one caravan,... Irreplaceable. You can't get these any more. a trailer and a three-legged cat... (MEOWS) He's a $1000 cat. ...all uninsured. Don't want it at all. I'm not interested in insurance. Why do people complain so much about insurance? It would be our most complained-about industry on Fair Go. Yeah, insurance is quite unique. It's based on a promise ` a promise to pay, sometime in the future, if the worst happens to you. Now, the benefit of insurance is that it's like a cooperative. Everybody pays a premium so that everybody funds the few that get hit by accidental and sudden damage. So on the basis of that, most people don't actually get a return. So what happens if the Harrisons lose everything? Say the house burns down, I've got a section. I have a serious accident, I'll mortgage the house. Then I'm gonna have to get insurance. (LAUGHS) Cos they won't take a mortgage without it. But I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, I think. Until then, I've never burnt a house down, and I'm nearly 60 years old now. Knock on wood. But they are adamant. Our life has been better off without insurance. Dave Fuller says he sleeps well at night too. Maybe it's all that fresh air. Or maybe it's the insurance money sitting in his bank account. Now, the Insurance Council have given us lots of tips and tricks on how to save some money on insurance and also how to complain about insurance companies, so head along to our Facebook page ` they're all right there. Brilliant. All right, time now to reveal the answer to tonight's trivia challenge. (HIP-HOP MUSIC) A landlord can increase rent as often as they like ` that's the question we put to Cantabrians. True? True. I don't think they're allowed to do that. And they're not. The answer is false. Are you sure? Cos I'm seldom wrong. I'm never wrong. How did this happen? You were wrong, so you're out of the running on day one. I'd be a terrible landlord. You would. Look, just to clarify, as well, if you are on a fixed-term tenancy, landlords can only increase rent if there is a provision to do so in the fixed-term tenancy agreement. So that's the show. But we are always here to help. Our programme is all about you, so if you've got a wrong you want made right, or you feel like you're not getting a fair go ` that's the name of our show ` please drop us a line. Yes, we're on Facebook, or you can email us or write to us. Thank you for watching. I'm gonna go and do something really boring but necessary ` check my insurance policy; you should too. Until next week,... BOTH: ...po marie.