Deceptive Trading - Coming to suburb near you?

[GMX]

I was going to put this on the "I don't like thread" but it's a bit long

Last time I encountered something, or rather observed something similar, and contacted Trading Standards: I was told because no monies changed hands and the business concerned hadn't been engaged, there was little they could do - as no crime, as such, had been committed.  However, deceptive their approach and presentation was

An hour ago or so, I was in the front garden pruning a shrub, and a well dressed chap came up the drive, a salesman of some sort I thought, probably windows and conservatories.  They usually turn up on Sundays and evenings in the Spring.  Now, I won't buy from anyone touting their services at the door. So he was rather wasting his time, but he wouldn't know that until we'd spoken. 

He wasn't a window company, he  claimed he was representing a local driveway maintenance business (this proved be incorrect)   I declined his offer of a quote and added "I never buy from the door nor would engage any tradesman, in any capacity to do any kind of property maintenance"   Rather than end it there and go on his merry way, he ignored my request and proffered a unwanted quote to clean the drive.  With each refusal, he kept lowering it by £100, whilst all the time stressing "they were legitimate local business" stressing their entries on directory services like on yell.com among others"  Eventually, when I wasn't biting, he handed me a rather glossy card with generic stock pictures of driveways, his alleged "local" numbers,a website address and an email.  A Gmail email address, no less! The scammers favourite along with Hotmail  not an email tied to the business domain name. He said he'd return in a couple of hours, despite me telling him he was wasting his time, and not to bother

He spoke with a broad Irish accent (this relevant, if you know what occurs in SE Dorset from late April to early October).  Great crowds of Irish travellers turn up and pitch their trailers on our public spaces and parks, resulting in a summer merry-go-round of the Council getting eviction orders. Only for the travellers to move on to different piece of council land. and the Council have to do it all over again, and again.....  We then get a plethora of unsolicited gardeners, landscapers and particularly driveway cleansing and maintenance people turning up, quoting about  a third to a half what the "proper" actual rate would be "for cash"

It was obvious that this wasn't a legitimate business.  Legitimate building, landscaping and property maintenance businesses don't go door to door.

After he'd left, curiosity got the better of me. I went digging

What he didn't know, was I actually knew the actual Bournemouth address he had on his business card.  It's a well known provider of accommodation address/dead letter office/serviced suites, that can be hired on a monthly basis.

On business card it was a limited company: Companies House have no records of either existing companies or dissolved by that name, or using that name as a moniker/trading style.  Which wasn't a surprise.

The two telephone numbers, one a 0800 and the other a geographic for Bournemouth, are rented from Talk Talk Communications, you guessed it, on a monthly basis.  When called, they both divert to a mobile on the Meteor network, which of course, is naturally switched off, the voicemail service said it was Meteor voicemail service.  One of three main mobile networks in the Republic of Eire.

In his sales spiel he stressed they were VAT registered: Of course, neither UK not EU VAT databases have any records of them.  no surprise there then!

Querying whois, as to the website's owner and registrant, it was first registered on the 4th May 2017 (this year!) and updated on the 8th may,  to an individual (who has a first name that could be male or female). at  a residential address in Coalisland, Tyrone, again no surprise.  I'd imagine they'd need an actual Ulster address to get a .co.uk rather than the Eire's ie

From Google Streetview, this address is a 1-2 bed end terraced house, on an estate that looks like it was built early 1990's  Google haven't blurred the back garden properly, the washing line is still visible; from the washing hanging on it, there is at least one toddler and an adult of of each gender, resident.  But this could equally be previous residents, as Streetview date was 2014 

Querying the registrant name for domains registered by/owned   The individual noticeably had registered at least 24 other drive/landscaping/gardening type sounding business name domains on the 4th May 2017 and has had hundreds previous similar driveway/landscaping/gardening type domains, registered with that residential address and a Vodaphone mobile number

And the salesman did return, some 3 hours later, in a very new looking Nissan Navarro with Eire number plates.  Which are unlikely to be genuine as nothing else seems to be

He initially seemed pleased when I said I'd checked his website and company online, but not his paid for directory entries, as he'd previously suggested I might.  and then added even if I have a lapse of reason/sanity and was going to hire somebody from the door to do something I don't want: it wouldn't be them.  He asked why?

You should seen his face go into visible shock, when I revealed I knew his company did not exist in the UK and just for the fun of it, stressing "nor in Tyrone", HMC&E have no record of it, nor does the EU VAT office, his Bournemouth address is an accommodation address, the mobile his rented Talk Talk Communications telephone numbers divert to a mobile on the Meteor network in Eire and the web site was only registered on the 4th May along with 24 similar sounding others. I then quoted the entire registrant name and full address, and a mobile number on the Vodaphone network, that the registrant uses on all of the domain registrations.

Whilst many people won't buy at the door, there are many, the elderly particularly, the time pressed family etc. who will.  My elderly Mum and her equally elderly friends, for instance, would get taken in by the glossy high quality business card, the legitimate sounding business name, the local landline number and the very charming Irish salesman  It wouldn't dawn on them, it was anything but a legal proper business

Both Dorset Constabulary and Trading Standards will be aware; it's become an annual event in our suburbs, but they are seemingly powerless to act until money changes hands.     The sort of people who are likely to be taken in, are also less likely to report it, either through embarrassment at being had, stiff upper lip and carry on or they just want to forget.

It is very surprising that this is not crime in itself

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gizza11]

14 minutes ago, GMX said:

He spoke with a broad Irish accent

With respect  locally travellers do this sort of scam  thing round here by me and I don't even have a drive(they want to tarmac my slabbed  footpath).If it's not them then is religious callers from the Kingdom Hall down the road It drives me mad at times they always come to the door a woman or two and children It's hard to keep civil at times.

[iantt]

garage i once worked for got had , having the forcourt and parking area tarmaced , man gave an estimate for work, and the service manager thought it so cheap he would have it done without asking the owner of garage , then within 30 mins about 15 men turn up and put a thin layer of tarmac on top of existing surface. a right bodge. then comes the bill, the man explained the estimate was for a square meter and bill was £8000 !!!!! for an hours work . ha ha. did make me laugh looking at service managers face. obviously it got nasty and threatening behavior. they went to the other garage that owner was at and threatened him next. he ended having to pay £5000 to get them gone before the cars on the sales pitch were damaged overnight.

[iantt]

after they went i drove on tarmac and managed to tear up the newly laid surface with some 3 point turns.

[GMX]

34 minutes ago, Gizza11 said:

If it's not them then is religious callers from the Kingdom Hall

At my old house, when a posse of about 10 them called once, trainees and fully fledged ones. Brandy (collie cross) came bounding through front door and bounced up at them, who. it was fair to say, were quite close to the pond.  Two toppled backwards and fell in, they also managed to splash most of the others.  It must have been quite traumatic for the fish, the sudden invasion of their home

We remained JW free for about 5 years after that.

 

[iantt]

i used to live 2 doors away from a family of j.w's . but not once did they knock on my door.

[GaryPL]

I tend to get stalked by young male mormons when I am down at my parents' place in Somerset.  They are easy to identify as they wear black trousers and a white shirt.  One time I was on my mum and dad's driveway with my arms up to my elbows in the engine bay of a previous car and they came up to me and asked whether I had a few minutes.  I was quite rude because my impromptu repair wasn't going well, having mentioned something about being a bit stupid and blind.  They then wanted to leave a card (which identified them as mormons) and went on their way.  They came back to the house 3 more times over a couple of days trying to talk to me!  And this happened again the next year too.   I must have put the house on their radar.

The only advantage to living in a flat beyond the excessive service charges, noisy neighbours, slovenly neighbours, etc is the fact that I can see who's at the door via the entryphone!  The only people I like to answer to are the local political canvassers because our local politicians are all corrupt expletives.  Particularly the labour ones I have found.

[GaryPL]

8 minutes ago, iantt said:

i used to live 2 doors away from a family of j.w's . but not once did they knock on my door.

I have known quite a lot of JWs. The one thing they have learned is not to crap on their own doorstep.

Unless it's a major watchtower convention, in which case, it's game on.

[Stoney871]

A couple of months back our local Ford dealership (Vospers) got robbed of 3 cars and various workshop equipment.
Strangely enough the empty lot behind the dealership (formerly the site of a hotel) was playing host to a group of travellers at the time.
It's strange that whenever we go to talk to them or move them on that all the menfolk are called John 🤔.

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[SeanW]

Had a few people call over the last few weeks...

First one, I was tidying up outside when an Irish chap asked if I'd like a quote to "do the drive"

Very politley told him that it's a rented property and the landlord is a tight-fisted ar...person and he went on his merry way...not before asking if the pickup truck boxes on the garage roof were for sale (knowing my OH's brother/landlord - probably lol).  Surprised they didn't go missing lol

Also had a middle eastern chap ask if we had a room to let.  Well, I think that's what he was asking with his 6 words of English...

Whilst dismantling an old caravan I had a few people ask if I was selling the chassis (nope...there's a reason I dismantled rather than scrapped)

Oh and a guy who'd "just bought" about £30-worth of plants from Asda, but didn't bother with a carrier bag.  Wanted to know if I wanted to buy them off him lol

[Stoney871]

On a few occasions i've been offered tv's, meat and perfumes in pubs.
Once offered a leather coat with a dye pack and security tag still attached.
Thieving little toerags.

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[Gizza11]

On ‎14‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 8:40 PM, GaryPL said:

One time I was on my mum and dad's driveway with my arms up to my elbows in the engine bay

They always seem to come and visit just at the right time  not lol