Ripped off

August 17th, 2009

While I am loathe to admit it, I was ripped off last week.

A bit of work I needed doing with my TV aerial last week turned in to a disaster for me.

I started out with the best of intentions, phoning a company I thought was a local business.

But I later found out that just because they advertise themselves as being from Inverclyde, with freephone 0800 numbers and mobile phones it doesn’t mean they actually are.

And this became a problem later when I realised I wasn’t able to track them down.

It was a frustrating feeling, particularly as I had made the classic mistake of handing over the money without demanding a receipt and a place of work.

It got worse as when I challenged the workmen over the phone all I got was a mouthful of abuse and taunts.

Although I knew the money had gone, I did contact the police and the trading standards experts.

I found the Consumer Direct line very helpful and I would recommend anyone conned to call them on 08454 04 05 06 or visit www.consumerdirect.gov.uk, for advice, examples of scams and template letters, making clear your legal rights.

I am now one of an increasing number who has been short-changed by cowboy contractors and I read in the Telegraph this week of people being conned out of far larger sums than me, which is frankly criminal.

So hopefully this sorry tale will make you more aware if you are currently considering employing a contractor without a recommendation.

Remember, even if they advertise locally or claim they are from Inverclyde, don’t make the mistake I made by not getting a local address and phone number.

While this is not an absolute guarantee of a trouble-free experience, there is no doubt that by going local you will be better able to exercise your consumer rights if anything should go wrong.

And if one person benefits from my experience by avoiding being ripped off, it was money well spent.