The driveway cowboys have been around ever since tarmac was invented. The con is the dodgy workman knocks on the victim’s door and says they’ve some spare resurfacing material left over after working on a nearby road scheme and for cash, they’ll redo the householder’s driveway. They look unprofessional and you guessed it – money changes hands and they quickly resurface the driveway with inferior material which soon washes away in the first downpour.
Don’t be fooled by logos
However, there are also cowboys who appear to be professional road and driveway operatives. They have trucks with Highways Authority insignia with their name and officialdom endorsements on the side of their vehicles. But despite appearances and an official name and the word ‘Limited’ added to their firm’s title they are not what they seem.
Like Allan Coutts who traded under a long list of different names and took up to £6,000 off more than 500 victims across England and Wales for a shoddy job. Trading Standards in Powys eventually brought him to book, convicted for fraud, fined and he was sentenced to jail . If any of his victims had done a Checkaco search for £7.95 they would have quickly rumbled him.
Get the low down on any firm or individual at https://checkaco.com/
I want my £5,355 back
With the Covid-19 restrictions many wedding venues were forced to close even though receptions had been booked and deposits paid. Surprisingly those deposits were not always repaid causing brides-to-be stress and considerable hardship having saved their hard-earned cash for the big day.
The BBC have reported on a string of such injustices. Monica Rimmer reported on Alisha Rehman who was battling to get a £16,000 deposit back from Excellency Midlands and Russell Wallwork and Stacey Hurman who were £9,000 out of pocket at Cadbury House near Bristol for a wedding last year. Then there was Jenny Maybury and Michael Bromwich who were fighting for a £5,355 refund for a scratched September wedding at Abel’s Harp near Shrewsbury, Shropshire, and Zlekha Suleman and Tahir Mahmood who paid a deposit of £2,000 to The Sheridan Suite in Manchester.
Maariyah Arshad and her partner Asher Rehan, from Solihull, were due to marry this spring at Excellency Midlands – and they can’t get their deposit back.
A credit check would have revealed if there was a history of problems with the venue – Checkaco store credit information on the directors and the businesses – and some wedding venues have a long history of poor credit ratings.
All the couples can claim their cash back as normal terms and conditions for non-refundable deposits do not apply. The main problem is the hassle involved and the expense of using lawyers – although if the venue goes into administration it is unlikely the cash will be refunded.
For just £7.95 they would have saved themselves the heart ache of losing their hard-earned savings. Get the low down on any firm or individual at https://checkaco.com/
Dead plants
Thank goodness garden centres are reopening as there are rogue sites online that say they sell plants – but they never arrive.
There have been a string of complaints about online firms who claim to stock flowers, bedding plants and shrubs which can be ordered and delivered during the lock down.
Often they are set up with the best intentions but are simply not geared up properly and the people behind them have seen a chance for a quick buck. With garden centres closed and some willing to sell their plants wholesale to anyone – it means there’s sharp practice in buying the near dead plants and flogging them online. Checkaco has seen several so-called enterprises like this since Easter so don’t fall for these operations as they’ll bank your cash but from our experience the plants arrive dead or not at all.
Always use established plant and garden centres and always check them out online at Checkaco as in these strange times even well-known firms may be about to go bust.
Get the low down on any firm or individual at https://checkaco.com/
Sneaky con
You are on holiday and you are about to pay a hefty bill with your debit card. You say you wish to pay in Euros or whatever the local currency is and hand the card machine back to the hotel or shop keeper. Unbeknown to you they reverse your request and you are charged in pounds which with rates as they are can be very expensive.
Money Savers gave this example of how it can sting the customer: “Malcolm, who paid for a Dublin hotel room, said: ‘My 50% of the bill was €889 and euros showed on the PIN machine. On the way back to the airport I noticed we’d both been charged in pounds. This cost us each £45 more than it should have done – €889 was converted to £826 rather than the real exchange rate of £781.'”
Get the low down on any firm or individual at https://checkaco.com/There are rogues out there who pose as legitimate businesses or are firms with terrible credit histories. Before you pay a cash deposit to them do a credit check with Checkaco for £7.95 and see if they are legitimate. All firms have tell-tale credit histories which reveal if they can be trusted with your money. Checkaco’s credit checks are accurate and up to date so you can spot if the trader you choose is safe – and won’t go bust. Get the low down on any firm or individual at https://checkaco.com/
The ratings are poor, fair, good or excellent – find out all their details now for just £7.95 at https://checkaco.com/
For details about Checkaco email info@checkaco.com or visit the website https://checkaco.com/
Checkaco, The Exchange, Express Park, Bristol Road, Bridgwater, Somerset TA6 4RR UK