South Ayrshire Council - News - Flat Screens Could Leave You Flat Broke!

Flat Screens Could Leave You Flat Broke!

South Ayrshire Council Trading Standards are warning the public to be on their guard if approached by itinerant traders offering plasma or flat screen televisions after a local resident was tricked into parting with £2500 cash for TVs that are faulty and worthless. The callers even had the nerve to trick the man into paying cash up front for other goods that have not been delivered. All the goods turned out to have faults rendering them unusable. Trading Standards and Strathclyde Police are looking into the matter trying to locate the two con men that are described as having Irish accents and trading from a white van.

A spokesperson for South Ayrshire Trading Standards said, “Although many doorstep sellers are honest and genuine people trying to make a living, a minority will try to exploit and deceive you into parting with cash for faulty or poor quality goods. With the onset of better weather householders can expect a variety of personal callers offering everything from roof repairs to garden maintenance. Most of these callers will be honest traders but a minority will not, so it is very important to be able to tell the difference.”

The spokesperson continued, “Doorstep sellers will use different techniques to persuade you they are genuine, perhaps telling you they have been working on a contract and have some material left over, enough to tar your drive or noticing you’ve got a few loose tiles on your roof to entice you to allow them into your home or carry out repairs. Once they are in your home they might not give up easily. They might also approach you in the street or public car parks offering you plasma TVs such as in this case that don’t work or expensive looking watches from a glossy brochure as excess stock from a trade fair, which in reality only cost a few pounds. We have received complaints on all these scams within the past few months.”

Councillor Peter Convery, the Council’s portfolio carrier for Sustainability and the Environment added, “We welcome honest traders who provide goods and services to our community but take exception to those unscrupulous ones that are here one day and gone the next, leaving our residents out of pocket and giving doorstep traders a bad name. Residents of South Ayrshire are advised to be on their guard when dealing with itinerant traders offering what seems like a bargain not to be missed. If the bargain sounds too good to be true then it probably is.”

Advice from Trading Standards is that in general the public is protected by a 7-day cooling off period to cancel contracts over £35 made on the basis of unsolicited visits also known as “cold calling visits”. The doorstep seller is also required to give consumers details in writing of the right to cancel. Failure to do that may lead to an offence.

Anyone who is approached by anyone selling TVs in this way is asked to call the Trading Standards Advice Centre on Ayr 61 60 60 or visit the Advice Centre at 5 - 7 River Terrace, Ayr.

June 2007