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@BlackBeltBarrister please let people know to inform their local Trading Standards team via the Citizens Advice Bureau for scams like this. They can't provide the legal help for people but they can pursue rogue traders and they depend on the public making them aware.
Thank you for the link.
However, related to the content of your video, how would I know the work by incogniti has been done?
What proof is there that my data has been removed? 🤔
They can't stop people putting your info out. You try getting a VPN or company in a lawless country to stop selling all the data you agreed they could look through and sell to a third party.
It's not easy to get your personal info removed. You agree to have it sold when you agree to T&Cs of Google, CZcams and even Tesco!
You also can't get it removed from Tor sites.
Don't give people false hope.
You've just described MP's at election..... they turn up on the door saying they will do something, then completely fail to whilst you pay your taxes......
Zero Seats
A lot of people are naive enough to believe them and vote for them.
George Eusless, er Eustice in Cornwall, perfect case of point.
If people are dumb enough to vote for them, they really shouldn't be surprised.
That is sooo true in my country as well.🇨🇦
My old Dad had a standard response to anyone at the door. "I don't buy anything at the door, that includes religion, f*ck off."
A man after my own heart!
there's an even simpler solution, don't open the door.
"we're pagan" *slam*
@@davidstevensasidewayslook8831 Precisely. I even have signs on my door yet some try their luck. If I am not expecting anyone/thing then I ignore, same goes for anonymous phone calls.
gold
Good tradesmen, don't need to cold call.
Good point.
So true!
How do you get started?
@@brokensythe Advertising?? Leaflets?? Local paper?? Anything else??
Think that's unfair, I've been cold called by some excellent suppliers. Live and let live.
Never mind the weeds. How about the "gutter cleaning" services or even roofing "I noticed a loose tile".
“The weeds” isn’t really the point of the warning though is it.
It’s a good job he made 23 duplicate videos replacing the weeds with tiles and guttering etc for you. 😅😊
@@realPromotememedia but gardening could seen auto repeats service deliver new paper or something, milk, if that's still a thing
The answer should always be “did ye aye?”
Council workmen used pull that one...using council equipment and materials on private housing instead of fixing up the Council homes...
Oh yes. Came round quoting me hundreds to repair my roof...my usual handyman put the tiles back, cleared up, did other work, etc for £68.
Never buy anything from cold callers.
Always go on recommendations from friends or family.etc.
I agree re cold callers, but using people by recommendation can go wrong too. My mother got a bathroom done by the same people who did her friend's. They were a bunch of cowboys.
Nothing is foolproof. Some tradespeople are opportunists. Be very careful who you engage! Thankyou, Dan.
"Always go on recommendations from friends or family.etc."
Don't just blind trust friends or family. I'd rather just do my own research and determine if a company works in good faith.
Make sure they don't file micro company accounts basically, because they can just phoenix when they get a bad rap and let certain claims go nowhere. Funny when they have a VAT number (to steal the vat off you and not pay it to HMRC) but apparently turn over less than 40k. On the other hand I have been advised it's a good idea to register for vat anyway to look more professional, but if you don't need to pay VAT you don't bill it to your customer either because.... yeah.
Even recommendations from family and friends can end in scams. Louis Rossman, a repair technician and CZcamsr moved his store after the landlord raised the rent. A friend recommended a contractor after he got a new store. The guy did poor work, used shit materials and lied to his face about what was being done and got fired.
Travellers tried something like this with my elderly Dad. He offered to pay in cash, and said "wait there gentleman, I'm just going to call my 4 sons to come with the money". They left.
Did they ask him if he wants boi a Dag ? 😂😂😂
I wondered how far I’d have to scroll down the comments before the 🥧 🔑’s turned up.
It was three.
@@BionicRustyIm nicking this emoji! Brilliant !
Look out for extra-loud bravado & bowl haircuts!
Things that never happened, the post.
The best solution to these kind of scams is to get back to the good old-fashioned practice of neighbourly relations. An elderly couple a few doors down the street almost fell victim to this 2 years ago and were being intimidated and threatened by 3 'well built' young men with the common characteristics that others have described. By chance their next door neighbour overheard the dispute and came to the defence of the elderly couple - at which point he was threatened too - for his own safety he retreated indoors and then posted on the neighbourhood group as well as making calls to everyone on the street he had numbers for. Within 10 mins there were around 15 in a circle around the scammers and their van & trailer blocked in by several vehicles; suddenly they went very quiet and very pale. They were made to apologise to he elderly couple (on camera) and told they wouldn't receive the same leniency if they ever returned. So far they have not.
A great story and a very loving way to help the old couple in trouble! Westernkind is amazing and kind. Time to go free and work with love hope and redemption for the wellbeing of westernkind, all over the world-
That's when good neighbours become good friends........🤣
I'm disabled and housebound and for decades, although not retired, I've been seen as an easy mark for conmen. It's a horrible feeling when you realise. I used to be very sharp in business and able to protect my interests but my brain function has also declined. After the last time I got ripped off neighbours have offered to be with me to look after my interests. So...if you have neighbours and relatives, etc, who are targeted please do keep a look out for them to help protect them.
Well said. 👏👏👏👏👏👏
Your brain function seems fine, you have watched and understood this video and commented on it.
If you were lacking capacity, you wouldn't be watching and responding. Many people don't wear a victim badge or use various excuses to involve others out of guilt or sympathy.
Back in the day they wouldn't last long targeting the elderly
Sadly, back in the day, we had something called community..
I miss those times!!
I miss those times, as well.
We had police that used to monitor the streets, and would come to your aid if phoned…. Not now.
@@QueenBabylonnia Yeah "civil matter", how the fuck is an organised crime gang targeting vulnerable people a civil matter?
@@Bozebo Exactly
Put a sign in your window saying your property is under CCTV surveillance. Even if you don't have any.
I must stresa if you receive emails from people you do not know. If there is an invoice attachment. NEVER OPEN THE ATTACHMENT!!
And don’t reply to it.
Had 2 today. Reported spam and blocked
Sound advice. My practise is to delete emails from unknown sources without even reading them! Attachments could contain all manner of badness.
what if the invoice is due though???
Good point, and I'd also delete them unread, but this kind of contradicts what the barrister was saying ... ie not to ignore something. If they had somehow obtained your email address and were sending you invoices, and you weren't reading them as they were unsolicited spam potentially with malware attachments, then it won't look good in court.
I used to have 1/3rd of acre of garden (50% grass) a guy and his daughter used to cut my grass once a month (just to keep it tidy, I cut it the other weeks) and it was £25.
I moved to a smaller place, I've had 3 knock the door and said they can cut the lawn & hedge for between £135 & £250. I've told them I will do it myself they seem surprised 😯
I’ve got about the same size lawn. My neighbour, a gardener by trade used to cut it for £40. He called this the mate’s rate.
I get this all the time, I just say upfront I don't ever buy goods or services on my doorstep. that's usually enough for about 80%, but it doesn't stop me being given quotes of £250 + to trim a hedge made up of conifers, It usually takes myself about half a day and a trip or two to the tip, if they get pushy I just say I'd rather do it myself and effectively pay myself 250 for half a days work thank you,
@@tonymcfeisty2478
A guy said he could do a conifer hedge for £180.
The hedge is about 12/13 foot by 6 foot tall. Only one side & top. I asked him to close the gate on his way out 🤣 he was confused 😕 he said I needed someone to cut it for me. I just said I can do it myself.
@@Bridget410 I had one guy start at £220 a few years ago I kept saying no, just lost my job (not true) and couldn't justify spending that sort of money when I had plenty of time now to do it myself, he kept offering to do it for less and less till got down to about £70, after I said no he just said how much you willing to pay, I just said nothing, so unless your willing to do it for free, bye.
I don't ever answer the door any more unless I know who is there
Nor the phone…
Data brokers should illegal in the UK, they would be if we had a government with morals.
The catch is, people with morals don't make it far in politics & certainly never as far as Government...
Some, or is it a lot, of these data brokers are not in UK but it should be illegal to sell personal details to anyone. I change all my passwords regularly in the hope it may keep me a bit safer as my email account was hacked and friends were getting strange emails pretending to be from me! One friend has not spoken to me since even though I explained what had happened.
Surely any judge with an ounce of common sense would wonder why the same company is in court time after time
That's the mistake you're making. Presuming the judges have any sense at all.
WHAT!! Judges in Britain. Havin a laugh int ya!!!!😂
They keep changing their names I expect.
Anyone who comes to my door is politely told to go away and if they come back, then they are told I will report them to the police for harassment
I do not answer my phone to numbers I do not recognise
Melt.
same here never answer a call from an unknown number, if it's important or someone I know on an alternative number, they will leave a message, my answer phone message actually says this
I never answer unknown numbers, if its important they should leave a message.
Good idea.
@@Shaun137 Same here. If there is no message left then I look up the number to see who it is. Sometimes it is genuine but mostly reports say it is a scam.
I have a problem with yellow hawkweed in my front lawn. Didn't have it on the old lawn until we replaced it all 12 years ago with new grass. I've just bought a weed puller from Amazon, works a treat, but it will take a while to get rid I reckon. Do I need someone to do it for me? No, I'm 78 and still in reasonable health and though it will take time I will succeed!
Tell all your neighbours you did their lawns as well and bill them 😂.
this happened to my neighbour, I WAS GOING TO WORK when six men started digging up my neighbours patio and path threw it all over the hedge, an hour later I got a call at work to say they asked the neighbour for cash to buy the new stuff they took him to the bank got£10,000 out while at the bank the others went in to the house stole money, they left him with no patio or path and a pile of rubble to clear up he was 80 we gave a description to police but never heard anything, another neighbour got some work done in the garden and they tried to over charge him but he said wait a min and called the police, they were great there in 5 min and got rid of the guy.
Getting £1000 cash out from your bank isn't easy these days , so £10,000.....❓
The banks want to know what the money is for , are you being blackmailed or being scammed .
It's all part of the one world digital banking system that's coming , so every transaction will be monitored and our freedom to buy and sell what and when we want will be restricted.
You must be describing something that happened some years ago .
Please correct me if I'm wrong 🤔
Who did you get the call from and why?
I don't believe your story as I hear variations of it all the time. The bank would never have handed him the money or allowed a transfer. If you're going to give us the usual Urban Legends, at least check the facts.
I know a pensioner who has been similarly scammed by 'carers' sent by the local council. They came for a matter of seconds & did virtually nothing every day but months later she was charged £900 per week over months via a postal bill. The old girl had never requested them or signed for them. Now she owes over £22,000 to the council.
The local authorities do this all the time. I’m disabled, had care via my county council and they never did the full hours or personal care and house work as agreed on the care plan. They double charged me countless times too.
I’ve been sent invoices for “money owed” despite the fact I have prove via the direct debits that they were paid during these dates.
They cannot even keep to the amount I “owe”. The amount continues to change. Dealing with them has been utterly detrimental to my emotional, mental and physical health. They are still saying I owe them for months of care, despite the prove of payment and when instead of £300 for one month they completely cleared my account and put me in debt by taking out £2000. I had to fight them to give me back just £500 of that with my LA saying “well you’ve paid ahead now”… and they still trying to charge me for it!
In the first seconds of this video, I thought you were talking about TV Licensing!
I did too!🤣
Sane here. TV Goons also count as unwelcome callers!
Who ever turns up at my door, my standard response is " I dont buy or sell at the door..good bye!"
This is where I'm glad to have a ring door bell, all conversations at my door recorded and access to my property as well
When I lived in the Midlands one of my neighbours worked for Customs and Excise. If someone came to the door offering services his wife would ask them to supply their business credentials so that he could check out their details. None of them hung around.
Got one of these at my door just yesterday. The 3rd since the start of this month.
I'm 80 but not yet in my dotage. In every case - an inkjet-printed flyer, a forename and a mobile number. To say nothing of a face which - in a very small town - I've never seen in my life. Want my business - tell me who the hell you are - in detail.
I always offer a compromise - if they can f**k right off my property in the next 10 seconds, I won't call the police.
A bluff of course - can't remember the last time local police were worth the trouble of ringing. Too busy with cheap pinches to protect the likes of me.
Thing is - I do have an overgrown garden, and would be happy to pay to have it sorted. But after 2 or 3 attempts, I have to conclude that no-one knows what a proper day's work is any more. I won't pay to watch people drinking coffee and reviewing their social media.
The local council promised to sort the problem for me and other elderly neighbours. But as they've promised this for the last 7 years without the slightest action, I'm not holding my breath.
I even asked for a quote from a local long-established business. Three days work by 3 guys? I'm not too old to appreciate that isn't going to be cheap. But £3,500??? You can f**k right off, mate!
The only reason 3.5k would be reasonable is if there are lots of trees to be topped or a massive garden / lots of groundwork to be done. Working at height is bloody expensive for businesses that do it legitimately (need a manlift and people with the relevant qualifications and insurance is bloody expensive for it too)
My gran wants about 2-3 ft topped off about 15 trees along her garden, quoted over 2k for just that work, no removal of the waste material..
Finding anyone willing to do it without charging ridiculous amounts (350ish for couple hrs work, it's 15 cuts of about 6-8 Inches) has evaded us for the last 4 years..
I use the strimmer on my mum's overgrown front garden. It's a satisfying job to do, that doesn't take long.
Depending on where you are in the country, I could pop round with my strimmer...
I also have a chainsaw.
But yeah, it is an issue finding decent trades-people that will do a job for reasonable money.
EG my mum was quoted £21,500 to replace a section of rotten floorboards. The job required £350 in timber and about 7 man days work.
If you're on the Isle of Wight 🏖️ , I'm happy to help out if I can 😊
@@dzzope
2 large trees about 15 and 10 feet, lot of bushes and a bit of ivy. Plus a lot of decorative hedging (riot of colour right now but out of control) that need some tlc.
Had a really good guy years ago, a forester, but he could gardening too - not cheap but not outrageous. But he retired. Ran into him just this morning - can't help personally, but he's going to make enquiries.
@@lint8391
Kind offer, but unless you're in Scotland...
Thanks anyway. Though as I've said above, I might just get lucky soon.
I have an easy avoidance technique for this, cold callers just get to "f**k off"
It's amazing what a corrupt hell hole this country is turning into, but we are lucky to have this good advice available, thankyou.
The first thing we need to do to avoid scams is to be the one that initiates the contact with the company. If someone calls you saying they are from X or Y company, or knock on your door, just send them away.
My aunt had a sticker on her door which said, no cold callers. They still bothered her. All cold calling should be made illegal.
My late frail, recently widowed mother was targeted by three of these scumbags. They took a total of £2000 from her, even driving her 4 miles to the bank to get the cash. Afterwards they just dumped my poor bewildered mother in town and left her to make her own way home. She was in the first stages of dementia and couldn’t understand why these “nice men, in matching badged polo shirts” had simply abandoned her.
I found out about what had happened when going through her bank statements with her.
I will never forgive these b*stards. Never.
This is the exact same story that happened to my grandmother. Luckily we caught them at the cash machine, after a car chase.
She too had dementia.
They took off.
Police were able to do nothing!
To anyone who calls to my home I make out that I am scared of my non existing husband therefore cannot agree to anything at all, it wouldn't be in my best interest. One man even gave me his card for if things got too bad. Maybe overplayed that one.
My dad taught me well..he really struggles to hide his intense hatred of anyone turning up cold calling..whether by phone or face-to-face. If he's in a good mood, he lets them finish their opening gambit before curtly ending the interaction. 🤣
In my experience these people usually have a southern Oirish accent.
You mean “travellers”
Pikies
Yeah. Maybe one of the hundreds of thousands of Irish people with degrees who work in finance and tech and earn, on average 15 grand per annum more than Engerlish people with their Awright Mate? accent? Who knows? Ireland is now inundated with English immigrants leaving the failing UK. Unlike the other way about, they get a warm welcome.
@@norwegianzound They are welcome to take their thieving countrymen back.
@@norwegianzound Steady on old bean! Unlike you I don’t equate Irish people with ‘travellers’. In Ireland the travellers are given a hard time and find things more amenable in Blighty.
Thanks for the warning.
I'm glad I adopted the policy a long time ago to always say no to any unsolicited callers.
Aaah yes, it is a returning summer plague in Sweden, Travellers from Ireland claiming often to fix / redo driveways, often using quite aggressive sales methods. Sometimes they just rip up your perfectly fine working driveway without contract and then claim money to restore it. If you are too weak and actually hire them, they'll do a shoddy quick n dirty sh-- job. If you had your old asphalt drive way replaced the will remove the old asphalt but will dump it on some dark forrest road instead of disposing it lawfully. If you are an active dog walker you will come across new dump sites disturbingly often in summer time.
Hopefully my NO COLD CALLERS sign will keep them away. Some do knock so I open the door, say nothing, and point to the sign before shutting the door.
Those signs are ignored. I'm in a small community with a big sign at the entrance saying No Cold Callers but they still come!! I say about the sign but they still try to sell me whatever they are trying to push on me. I never fall for it though and my dog has a very loud deep bark for her size and that seems to do the trick in a lot of cases though she is soft as putty but they don't know that!!
I’ve rang the police and they’ve sent officers when we’ve seen guys knocking on doors, soon disappear when word gets out and a few have been caught whilst knocking on
Sounds like a milk firm that has been operating around here. They dump a couple of pints on your doorstep one night and if you take it in they will assume you want it and keep delivering it. They then start invoicing you, for increasing amounts, despite not having all of your billing details, bar the house address.
People have had right issues stopping them and then contesting the outstanding amounts.
Receiving a payment demand for unsolicited goods is a criminal offence.
If you report the scam company to Trading Standards, they will be aware of other complaints of a similar type about that company. If they could supply this information to you, could you use this as part of your defense? Presumably such companies become well known if their businees is scamming vulnerable people?
They just phoenix into a new company. Maybe register it under their brother's name or whatever. Sometimes this is legal (not advice, not a lawyer) and other times HMRC and Companies House and pals just don't have the resources to care about it.
Some window cleaners do the same thing and it’s very difficult to get rid of them, especially when they are doing a few other houses nearby quite legitimately because the owners are retired. They will claim to have done your windows every week while you were at work but they haven’t been for months.
I saw a sign yesterday on the side of the road that said
FIREFIGHTER TO CLEAN WINDOWS WHEN OFF DUTY.
I’d hire him, cause he’s a firefighter.
@@BustedFlush7096 Except he may not be. And even if he is, he may not be any good at cleaning windows!
@RoyalFlush7096 you're exactly the person who is easily scammed
There was a particular pair of brothers in Devon who did a lot of work for an elderly single gentleman who had no kids, they kept finding jobs that needed doing, when they couldn't they created them. Before long this poor old bugger owed them thousands, they then browbeat him into signing his house over to them to pay off the debt. With the agreement he could live there until he died. When he'd gone, the house,which was substantial was then theirs.
😳 wow! No no noooo!
@@Jules-nv4ht local crims,
Good presentation. Since retiring, my block paved driveway was more a field than a drive.
I bought 20L of industrial vinegar (20% acetic acid) for £16, 12KG of table salt for £10 and a bottle of cheap dish washing detergent.
Mix up as much salt as will dissolve in vinegar and add a good squirt of detergent.
My fence sprayer is used to give good coverage. The weeds are done in 2 hours and gone completely in 24. Needs repeating every couple of months.
My neighbours commented on this so I do their driveways too.
The total cost to me works out at about £2 per driveway and takes about 10 or 15 minutes.
Of course I don't charge my neighbours but some won't accept no charge and have given me a bottle of wine (under duress on me).
Hopefully, all these weed free drives will prevent such visits.
Happy days!
I have the stuff in to do this but yet to give it a go.
@@jwsuicides8095 It's not permanent, but what is? Now I've rid the most I just need to give a spray to any that reappear. That's usually every two months or so but far fewer.
This kind of reminds me of those asphalt scammers who target elderly people they just spray their driveway with asphalt spray and charge them 10k+ and when their kids come around and look and realize its not properly asphalted they tell them not to pay and the scammers try to sue them as they signed a dodgy contract.
If a CCJ default judgement against you results in visits from bailiffs and you pay them out of fear (£8k including £2K “charges”), but were never served the court documents and do not legitimately owe that money in the first place… is there any recourse in getting your money back?
Never open the door to someone you don't know. If you must talk to them, talk through the closed door.
My advice would be to never agree to any work being done by someone who turns up on your doorstep, no matter how official and genuine they seem. In fact, you shouldn't even answer the door to anyone you are not expecting (especially if you are an elderly/vulnerable person). Having a sign on your door like the ones mentioned by BBB in a previous video should help. If you need some work done, get a personal recommendation from someone you know who has used a particular company, or choose a company from a Checkatrade leaflet that you should receive through your door (lists of vetted firms).
An informative and very useful video. Unfortunately, it's become a much more common issue these days. 👍
An IT employee of a friend had some roofers turn up out of the blue, they said ‘I see you have some ridge tiles loose, we can fix them for £600’ he agreed subject to an invoice and payment by BACS, they agreed. One guy went up on the roof for 90 minutes while the other two sat in their van, they then demanded payment in cash. He went to the bank and got the cash and paid them.
This is where the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 is your friend. If the trader hasn't provided cancellation rights for a contract agreed at home, the contract is unenforceable.
Yes, but Mr. Belt didn't mention this cos he wants to promote his service! The act can work both ways - legitimate tradespeople not getting paid for emergency work because there's no waiver for the cooling off period.
Never answer the front door , a Banker in Nairn answered the door years ago got shot dead
Definitely lots of scammers and false prophets, nudging the public down a garden path of oblivion. 🤔
There is a simple solution. There should be a law where phone companies must provide an option to prevent numbers not in your contacts from messaging or ringing you. That simple.
Just don't use cold caller's...can't believe people are still falling for it..
I've actually have this happen not long ago. A young guy dressed up as a tree surgeon, offered to cut some trees/foliage back. Just randomly knocking at the front door.
Don’t give them your number or they will keep calling you at random times!
@@amnesianinja6607
I accidentally gave them someone elses number by mistake. Silly me.
Just tell 'em that it's a rented property and you would need to OK it with the landlord......
They usually make a rapid exit !
@@willdixon2349
I just said no thankyou and shut the door. 💪👍
Insurance companies do the same thing with " continues Insurance " they rise up on price and you've gotta pay because they already started
Good advice! Display a sign on your door. I have one produced by NFU which politely says that if you're an uninvited tradesman don't bother knocking but kindly sling your hook. They never do read it! I've had to call the police over one particularly obnoxious guy. I'm female and a retired professional gardener.
Cold callers usually beat a hasty retreat back to the pavement when my German Shepherd starts barking at them through the window. Ditto Amazon deliveries.
If ever I get someone selling something at the door, I tell them that it is a rented property and they need to talk to the management company. Happens to be true in my case, but I've yet to come across anyone who doesn't then say "Oh okay, thanks" and leave.
Yeah that's a strategy I've used before also being polite and firm and brief
Yup. Works like a charm ! Used it on countless occasions.
Used it on many occasions
Disregard ALL cold callers
I had one of these just the other day. Cold call to clear the gutters (to be fair one bit does need looking at) offered a very low price but retreated quickly once I asked for a business card/printed quote and that I would get back to them if I decide to go ahead.
These types of people can never fight video evidence, CCTV within my garden staring straight at my door is always a nice deterrent for people to keep trying this nonsense
Thank you for this comprehensive back ground information.
Never agree to any terms and conditions that you must sign before any purchase. The t&c may hide services that would be charged to the puchase value of the goods
I had someone call by offering to remove moss from the roof. I told the guy I was not interested and sent him packing. It was not just the danger of being scammed with a price disagrement but the fear the guy would use an unsafe method and damage the roof tiles costing even more to make good. A damaged roof cannot be ignored.
Lord almighty. What a palava.
There's a lesson to be learned here.
Enter into an agreement on your terms, not something proposed by a smooth talking chancer.
Meaningless.
So if someone comes to quote you for work, it is best to get some photo's of whatever they have said they will work on before the fact. That way, it is possible to create a comparison image after the fact or when the bill arrived. I would have expected some kind of signature to prove the work had been authorised. If you've already been caught up in the scam, would it be possible to remove their ROIA meaning that if they do come back and try to take you to court for non-payment, their invoice is proof that they committed aggravated trespass/criminal damage (for having destroyed the plants in your garden with weed killer). Other comments have covered this already but if someone is trying to sell you something you don't want at your door (eg garden services or TV license) the best response is "no thank you" and shut the door.
Some scumbags did this to my 85 year old dad and then took him to the bank to get the £500. The bank called the police who actually came down. My dad was too proud to admit he had been conned and told the cops it was all ok and paid the men.
I am a home owner I never buy from the doorstep, but my automatic response is you need to speak to the landlord. It always works. I also have cctv.
We get lots of callers wanting to clean gutters or pressure wash the drive. I always say "No money" "No money" as an answer to every question.
I find they lose interest very quickly and move on.
Gutter cleaners is common where I live. Both my neighbours did it and I got a quote of about £155 to clean my gutters. The neighbours were mad at me when I called them idiots for paying that EACH, I live in the middle so they just left it making it so one side paid them for nothing. 😂
A similar scam can happen with things like tarmac. Make sure you know if the price is for square foot, square meter or the whole job. Some of these people can be very threatening when you argue with them.
In business as a customer we issue a “Purchase Order” to the supplier with a unique reference number, in this document we detail all the goods/services required and the agreed price, this form part of the contract terms, we also include terms like payment methods, if the supplier agrees they supply the goods/services and accept the terms provided, all invoices issues by the supplier must quote the PO number, with no PO number we automatically reject the invoice.
Had some geezer trying to collect money for cleaning our windows!!!
Didn't work out for him!!!
Was raised by older generation parents and taught to answer the phone by saying the number and my name and just saying "hello" was considered rude. Ofc nowadays we know that's a big security risk as a cold caller could easily obtain your details. Similar with answering a door. If it is someone selling something then they should be able to identify themselves. You should refuse and personal details at least prior to getting a photo of their ID card (and even still after that) Doorbell cameras are most useful for that but you can always take your phone to the door and video someone calling by hand. You're also allowed to prohibit them from filming you assuming they are in your private property. Scammers are far less likely to hang around if you film them. The issue being that some of the older generation wouldn't want to do this as it seems rude. Even if it is something you want, it is best to go away, do your own research and then contact the company directly. If you're being rushed into anything, this is a big red flag. Always take your time
Yeah, if you're planning to get works done use a reputable builder its possible to check whether someone is legit. There's all kinds of cowboys posing as builders. Thing's like if they present photographs at your door of work they say they've done when they actually didn't because its someone else's work and they've taken photos of, and are passing it off as their own to fool people into saying yes. Plus theres a safty factor you don't want a cowboy who doesn't know what he's doing, smashing holes in supporting walls until the whole place calapeses on top of you. If you're unable to go online, ask a family member or friend or neighbour. With working in that industry for years, I've heard all kinds of horrible stories what with being the one who helped put it right after a cowboy attack even outside works like driveways they can smash through drainage or services and that is very very expensive to put right. Just be careful, it's worse than ever.
Thank you. I'm in Australia. I'll be on my guard for them here when spring approaches, or even earlier.
This applies to millions of workers who work self employed ( gig ) where companies charge the employee for things like extra insurance
Always write to the firm
HHT if they charge you to rent that
Phone
Their insurance when you have your own is a big one with courier firms
Another answer is to say "My son has power of attorney. They wouldn't allow it".
I never allow anyone to dig my back garden! They might find my previous wifes ...
Im surprised you havent mentioned doorstep selling and the requirement for traders to provide cancellation rights. I used to work for Trading Standards and so many times the consumer had an easy out of a contract due to not being provided with their cancellation rights in accordance with the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013. (Back when I was a TSO it was the Cancellation of Contracts made in a Consumer’s Home or Place of Work etc. Regulations 2008 but these have since been repealed).
Legal question: If a case came to court (in the UK), could a judge introduce the lack of the correct pre-contract information as a defence if the defendant doesn't introduce it? I would expect not, but the judge knows there is a valid defence, but the defendant doesn't, perhaps because they are representing themselves and think they can show that work wasn't done well.
Thanks for the warning. You are right. There are legitimate lawn care companies that do an excellent job. Some of my neighbors use them and their lawns look better than mine.
Does the UK have a scam I see in the states? It starts with a letter sent bulk rate but covered with marks and numbers that make it look high priority. It implies that the receiver's car manufacturer warranty is about to expire and offers an extension. The expiration claims are bogus and I suspect that they'll pay for few, if any, of the repairs. When I lived in Washington state I tried to get the state attorney general to do something about them to no avail. And as with lawn care, I suspect they prey mostly on the elderly.
Thank you for such great information, I expect it will be over here in Australia too, as similar, legitimate business types are already flourishing. 😀
We get constant hassle from so called door to door sales, who are not infrequently abusive when told to leave. Surely it's time this practice was made illegal.
That scam happens a lot with different companies a remembered
an old lady near me she was getting milk delivered. He wouldn’t stop delivering it even though she told him to. this is why I do not give my correct name to anybody even when I’m sign up stuff.
Only scammers or bad trades people need to knock on doors touting for business. No thanks and shut the door.
Thanks for letting us know,I'm good at scammers even on emails which I delete without looking at and I have antivirus software.
I'd have thought that a stack of documentary "evidence" e.g. invoices/emails would be unconvincing if there's no equivalent documentation showing you agreed to any of it. So, never, ever agree to having work done by cold callers and don't entertain them at all - "no, thank you, goodbye". Btw, the 'mobile people' in my experience won't take 'no' for an answer and will keep talking, so you will have to shut the door.
Moral of the story help your elderly neighbours so they don't feel the need to hire these scammers
Had a few triers like that over the years. I just asked them to provide a copy of their PA1/6 and a waste transfer license. Being in the trade myself, I know most chancer's don't have them.
Invest in Nest cameras. Invest in several of them around your property to disprove that anything of the likes took place. Worth their price in the long run.
If you agree to work on camera but it is shoddily or not carried out, it could be even more of a problem for you.
Also, with the gardening watch that they don’t have a very young child sitting in the van, this is a softening approach to people. Saying things like ‘I’ve got my boy with me’, as if this proves they are legitimate.
Have the same issue with a voice over company who have a reoccurring invoice and you can only cancel it every 24 months! 😢
I had a local roofing company trying something similar the guy was claiming to maintain my roof never did the work but demanded every friday £25 pound he did this successive weeks then one day I caught him out. I was in my home the day he was claiming he attended I myself never saw him attend neither did my neighbours they alerted me as to what was going on he was going demanding money every friday in order to obtain his local beer money at the local ale house. and never doing the work. he claimed so people beware
Hi BBB love your videos very informative and interesting. You might want to look into the scam adverts that appear before your videos! Just a thought
Ive 2 Ring cameras out the front so all conversations are recorded as well as visitors.
The classic is cavity wall insulation, because you don't see the results. Fortunately the trade association came through when it was discovered,
My Staffy/bulldog cross has free run of the front garden that needs to be traversed to get to my front door and a VERY loud bark. I don't get any random visitors knocking on my door.
Have that kind of thing in my area regarding window washing. The local council has sent out warnings to the local communities about this but hasn’t done much more. I know in reality there’s little they may be able to do but in other areas of the housing estate they have trialed “cold calling free areas”. Wish they’d push that through to the rest of the estate as it has had an effect on the amount of such door to door scams.
How legal these schemes “no cold calling areas” are in terms of *how* enforceable they are I don’t know, but it has had a positive affect in the amount of such callers where they have it in place.
Cctv history may also be better if it shows the state of the garden.
Now you've mentioned doorbell cameras, it might be wise to cover how they get hacked.
I remember both my neighbours got the gutters cleaned. I got a semi angry letter from the gutter cleaning company and a word from my neighbour, they were basically saying me not paying them to clear my gutters was affecting the neighbours. The quote on the letter was £155 i think, i told my neighbours they are idiots and have ignored them since 😂
My attitude to doorstop applicants - usually a tree or a driveway is that I can do it myself should I feel like it. I point out as they retreat, that they are poor salesmen to demean or shame the householder. I never believe the line " We are doing some work in your area".
Cannot tell what you are trying to say.
Should you not always insist on a written firm quotation for the work, not just an estimate?
A quote is legally binding. An estimate is "an estimate".
@@S.Trades Exactly my point.