Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4

Original poster

Just been scammed , feel sick

80 replies

billysboy · 15/11/2019 17:57

I feel sick , I am fitting a new kitchen for a client and they have asked for a stone worktop

A quick google search and I came up with a company that is also a member of a trade association so called them and they responded well and they came along and took templates

seemed pleasant enough and I later paid the £1k deposit into their account

I have since been given a proper runaround with no calls being returned , broken promises etc etc

A more thorough internet search of the director was not good with two other people coming up with the same experience

He is a ltd company aibu to send a letter of intent after just such a short time and ask for my deposit back ?

OP posts:

EnriqueTheRingBearingLizard · 15/11/2019 19:09

I'd feel sick too.

After the horse has bolted now but the first thing I do with looking for a trade is google their personal and company names + complaints and other terms like that. Then I go to companies house beta website and check out the company and the directors and their other appointments and how professional and financially stable they seem to be.

At the moment all you seem to have to go on is the Master Guild of Craftsmen and if indeed they are a member, their website says
'We have a conciliation department dedicated to resolving any problems or disputes between consumers and Guild members.'

crosstalk · 15/11/2019 19:10

OP have you called their trade association and Guild of Master Tradesmen? called your bank? I would email saying you will be taking action unless they come back to you within 48 hours. Presumably you have the bank details so could ask that bank for information/let them know they might be unknowingly hosting a fraud?

In the meantime don't blame yourself. They had a website, a phone address, looked good and were registered with the GoMT. They had a van with all this on. Fraudsters rely on you being too busy and up against deadlines so actually checking with GOMT or Companies House or asking for recommendations is time consuming.

SoupDragon · 15/11/2019 19:11

Go to the trade association. Or threaten to do it. They exist to maintain standards.

That only works if they are actually a member.

ControversialFerret · 15/11/2019 19:22

Go in hard and quickly.

Letter of intent, follow up with small claims. Go to the Guild (if they are a member then they'll be interested, if they aren't then the Guild needs to write to them to instruct them to stop misusing the logo).

You need to be arsey, difficult and their worst nightmare, so that they quickly reach the conclusion that refunding you the £1k will be the best and cheapest option out of this.

Oblomov19 · 15/11/2019 19:25

We had fraud on our business account at work and HSBC were totally useless.

1forAll74 · 15/11/2019 19:26

Yes it all sounds a bit dodgy,so hope you can get your money back.I truly hate to hear about things like this... Says I, who watches Rogue traders on tv. Good luck with everything.

rebbonk · 15/11/2019 19:30

You could consider issuing a winding up order against the company as they owe you more than £750. - Maybe such a threat would get results?

Namechangeymcnamechange11 · 15/11/2019 19:35

You can sue them now to get it back, i.e "small claims court" but act quickly as they can close a LTD company and the entity won't exist to sue.

MeTheCoolOne · 15/11/2019 19:40

That’s really annoying. Hope you get something sorted.

Fuzzywig · 15/11/2019 19:44

Lots of banks are open Saturdays - it’s worth checking it out. Did they insist on a bank transfer?

I would make up some fake details and contact them with a view to buying another then ask them about your order I am sure they will contact you if they believe they are making a sale.

Contact the Guild of Master Craftsmen no way will they allow someone with a history of ripping off customers to stay a member.

Good luck

Puzzledandpissedoff · 15/11/2019 19:56

Contact the Guild of Master Craftsmen no way will they allow someone with a history of ripping off customers to stay a member

I wouldn't necessarily take that for granted, if trade reviews of the organisation are anything to go by. They're basically a very expensive, paid for advertising site and may not be interested in much more than the incoming fees

Raphael34 · 15/11/2019 19:59

Why did you send so much money via bank transfer? It’s so insecure!

lotrilalte132 · 15/11/2019 20:26

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Branster · 15/11/2019 20:30

That’s so awful OP.
Did you look the company up on companycheck ?
Even if banks are open on Saturday, nobody there will touch a business customer so unless there is a phone line open tomorrow, you will indeed have to sit until Monday.
Yo did well to source a second delivery because your client comes first and you need to maintain your credibility and reputation.
A very bad case scenario: your business will have lost £1000 this year.
Absolute worst case scenario, you need to consider there might be a slight possibility that this bad company might actually deliver the item and demand final settlement. If there was no contract stipulating they had to deliver by such an exact date and their t&cs state they deliver within, say, 20 days, and they do deliver within the 20 days, then they will say it was your fault for not reading the terms despite the verbal agreement.
In Either of those situations you need to find out what is the legal proceeding to recoup erase (some of) your losses. Contact your own trade association or local business support centre and ask for free advice.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 15/11/2019 20:30

I admit I wondered the same, Raphael34; a seller asking for money to be sent this way is a huge red flag all in itself

Mary1935 · 15/11/2019 20:47

Hi call the bank ASAP they are open now. You can ask them to block the transfer if it’s not happened or I think they can get it back for you.
Good luck.
Tell the bank they have stolen your money.

Generic1 · 15/11/2019 20:53

I work in a bank. Call your bank and get in touch with the fraud team. Ask if they can do a credit payment recovery.x

BlackAudi · 15/11/2019 21:07

@Generic1 It wasn't credit though was it? It was a bank transfer

TwatCat · 15/11/2019 21:08

We got scammed last year out of £500 for a deposit on a hot tub that didn't exist. I was gutted. Bank transfer too. Our bank couldn't do anything about it because of it being a bank transfer and even though they knew the account it went into, nobody could trace who the owner of the account was. Fucking bastards make me sick. We work damn hard for our money for some prick to just take it. So sorry OP, I hope you have better luck than us.

Generic1 · 15/11/2019 21:09

@BlackAudi yes a bank transfer is a credit into someone else's account.

Aridane · 15/11/2019 21:15

@rebbonk

If I were a sham / shady business, I would laugh at an idle thread of a winding up petition - not just because it applies to debts (rather than failure to deliver / install work tops etc ) but also because the costs of winding up are significantly in excess of the £1k OP has lost

£280 - court fees +
£1,600 - petition deposit

Aridane · 15/11/2019 21:18

@BlackAudi - the credit recovery process is a way of reversing bank transfers made in error , not to do with credit cards

Flouncysinatra · 15/11/2019 21:21

Money claim online - costs £30x

yellowallpaper · 15/11/2019 21:26

Oh, bugger, you should never ever do bank transfers. Even businesses should have a credit card.

yellowallpaper · 15/11/2019 21:27

Speaking as someone who did just that when we paid a plumber to fit a new kitchen and bathroom. Lesson learned

Flip

1 2 3 4