WEBVTT - Consumer Talk: How unscrupulous contractors take advantage of elderly customers 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:05.519 Lunch with Pipper Hudson and now consume a talk featuring 0:00:05.640 --> 0:00:06.400 Wendy Nola. 0:00:07.680 --> 0:00:10.920 Wendy is joining us from our Johannesburg studios today and 0:00:11.360 --> 0:00:15.200 hoping that our nice broadcast quality line will do adjustice 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:17.200 to the conversation because we've got a lot to get 0:00:17.200 --> 0:00:21.479 through today. Our main conversation is really focusing on an 0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:26.880 awful example of how some unscrupulous contractors deliberately take advantage 0:00:26.880 --> 0:00:29.600 of elderly customers. Before we get to that, though, we've 0:00:29.600 --> 0:00:31.360 got a couple of other bits and pieces and follow 0:00:31.440 --> 0:00:34.680 ups on previous cases to share with you, and perhaps 0:00:34.760 --> 0:00:36.680 at the end we'll have space for some open line 0:00:36.680 --> 0:00:38.680 calls as well. So as always, if you want to 0:00:38.720 --> 0:00:41.680 join the conversation, you can call us on two one 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:44.440 four four six o five six seven, or you can 0:00:44.479 --> 0:00:47.959 send a WhatsApp to seven two five six seven one 0:00:48.080 --> 0:00:50.360 five six seven. Great to have you with us, Wendy. 0:00:50.400 --> 0:00:51.520 Hope all is well in joe Burg. 0:00:52.360 --> 0:00:53.600 It is lovely and warm. 0:00:53.640 --> 0:00:56.520 Thanks Papa good and hearing you NICs and loud and clear. 0:00:56.920 --> 0:00:59.680 Let's before we dive into our main story, just get 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:03.160 a update on the SPA customers who were left hanging 0:01:03.480 --> 0:01:07.160 when the Infinity Spa at Zevenwacht Estate, previously known as 0:01:07.200 --> 0:01:11.440 Baquana Spa, closed up shop very suddenly in July this year. 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:14.360 I'm sure listeners will remember, we heard from several customers 0:01:14.560 --> 0:01:17.440 who had already bought vouchers which they found they now 0:01:17.480 --> 0:01:19.800 couldn't use, some of them to the tune of nearly 0:01:19.840 --> 0:01:23.440 four thousand randsworth of treatments. And at the time this happened, 0:01:23.520 --> 0:01:26.880 Zevenvak's director told us that while the SPA business is 0:01:26.920 --> 0:01:30.759 an entirely separate entity from Zevenbacht, they would try their 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:34.000 very best to help the affected customers. Wendy, we can 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:36.120 happily report now that the wheels are in motion to 0:01:36.200 --> 0:01:36.960 put that in place. 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:41.720 Indeed, happy days. Evenwacht directed Denise Johnson contacted me a 0:01:41.720 --> 0:01:44.920 few days ago to confirm that a new business known 0:01:45.000 --> 0:01:48.040 as Touch by Africa has signed a lease for the 0:01:48.120 --> 0:01:52.800 Spa Spa premises. She said, we'll use the month of 0:01:52.800 --> 0:01:55.960 October to they Rather, we'll use the month of October 0:01:56.000 --> 0:01:58.840 to decorate, furnish, employ and train the staff, some of 0:01:59.120 --> 0:02:02.920 whom will be would have worked for the previous spa. 0:02:03.080 --> 0:02:08.720 And the important bit is that with ziewenwacht. They will 0:02:09.080 --> 0:02:11.040 The two of them have got together and made a plan. 0:02:11.120 --> 0:02:13.560 They will honor the vouchers which were issued by the 0:02:13.600 --> 0:02:17.880 previous spa owners who shut up shop very suddenly. This 0:02:18.000 --> 0:02:20.480 is done in good faith, said Denise, and without assuming 0:02:20.520 --> 0:02:23.880 any liability for the previous spa. They will offer full 0:02:24.080 --> 0:02:28.399 or half day packages based on their products and structure, 0:02:28.480 --> 0:02:31.560 and will personally contact all the guests to offer the 0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:35.839 service and arrange bookings. And shortly after that the new 0:02:35.880 --> 0:02:38.079 owner and Albertus confirmed. 0:02:37.560 --> 0:02:37.919 That to me. 0:02:38.080 --> 0:02:41.520 She said again that it's not a legal obligation that 0:02:41.560 --> 0:02:44.160 they will be offering full day half day SPA packages. 0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:48.480 She did caution they may differ slightly from the original offerings, 0:02:48.480 --> 0:02:51.520 but they will ensure that clients receive exceptional value for 0:02:51.560 --> 0:02:56.720 their investment. This initiative, said Renal, reflects our joint commitments 0:02:56.760 --> 0:03:01.120 to introducing guests to upgraded facilities, wellness services and a 0:03:01.160 --> 0:03:03.200 welcoming spa experience. 0:03:03.320 --> 0:03:06.680 I think that's really good marketing as well as customers. 0:03:07.040 --> 0:03:08.919 Is what a great way to start by saying, you know, 0:03:09.280 --> 0:03:12.040 it isn't their jobs, it's not their responsibility to make 0:03:12.080 --> 0:03:14.640 good on the predecessor's offering. But they're using it as 0:03:14.639 --> 0:03:16.640 an opportunity to say, come and try us, because we 0:03:16.680 --> 0:03:19.000 know you're gonna love us, and hopefully they'll keep on 0:03:19.040 --> 0:03:19.440 going back. 0:03:19.440 --> 0:03:20.480 So I think wonderful. 0:03:20.919 --> 0:03:23.080 And let me tell you it was no small gesture. 0:03:23.120 --> 0:03:25.400 I was asked not to reveal the actual sum of 0:03:25.520 --> 0:03:28.000 vouchers issued and not honored by the previous spar but 0:03:28.880 --> 0:03:32.560 this is quite quite a good little gesture. They having 0:03:32.600 --> 0:03:35.000 to dig quite deep, and well done to them. 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:37.840 Okay, So Wendy, how did the affected customers take advantage 0:03:37.880 --> 0:03:38.800 of this generosity? 0:03:39.440 --> 0:03:39.640 Right? 0:03:39.680 --> 0:03:43.840 They said they're going to contact affected varuchureholders, but they 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:46.480 may not have everybody's name, so if you're one of them, 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:50.880 you can be proactive and email them directly easy address 0:03:51.000 --> 0:03:56.080 info at Touch by Africa dot COOSA that's at Touched 0:03:56.080 --> 0:03:59.520 by Africa dot COSA to claim your booking. And they 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:01.880 just wanted to point out that the vouchers will cover 0:04:02.320 --> 0:04:06.320 only spa treatments, food drinks and access to the other 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:08.560 facilities on the estate will cost extra. 0:04:08.720 --> 0:04:11.160 Okay, fair enough, absolutely fair enough okay, So once again 0:04:11.200 --> 0:04:14.840 the email is info at Touch by Africa dot co 0:04:15.200 --> 0:04:18.560 dot ZA. Well done, Zevenwacht and Touched by Africa, and 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:21.000 thanks for for making good on those customers, and I 0:04:21.040 --> 0:04:23.919 hope that they have a wonderful experience and become loyal 0:04:23.960 --> 0:04:27.680 clients going forward. Before we move on to the main topic, 0:04:27.839 --> 0:04:30.000 I want to squeeze in one other quick follow up, 0:04:30.120 --> 0:04:32.200 or not a follow up, but a fresh case that 0:04:32.240 --> 0:04:34.960 came our way this past week that we were able 0:04:35.000 --> 0:04:36.960 to resolve, and I want to mention it in case 0:04:37.040 --> 0:04:40.560 it's happened to anybody else who might be listening. Why 0:04:40.600 --> 0:04:41.600 don't you tell us what happened? 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:46.560 Yes, sure, we were very thrilled to be able to 0:04:46.560 --> 0:04:49.679 help Nikki with her macro dilemma. She is visually impaired 0:04:49.720 --> 0:04:52.120 and she lives alone on a farm in the Pekettburg area, 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:56.400 and so she relies heavily on online shopping. On the 0:04:56.480 --> 0:04:59.240 second of August, more than two months ago, she placed 0:04:59.279 --> 0:05:03.200 a larger than usual order for her with Maco and 0:05:03.279 --> 0:05:05.960 for the first time, she paid via EFT because she'd 0:05:05.960 --> 0:05:07.800 had to put a stop on her credit card due 0:05:07.839 --> 0:05:10.640 to some irregular stuff going on there. She really didn't 0:05:10.680 --> 0:05:12.799 have a good run of it, and that's when things 0:05:12.839 --> 0:05:16.360 went wrong. While the payment went off of her account immediately, 0:05:17.320 --> 0:05:21.120 just over four thousand rand the site, the Macro site 0:05:21.160 --> 0:05:24.880 reflected that the payment had been unsuccessful, leaving her out 0:05:24.920 --> 0:05:29.120 of pocket, and there still sat the items loaded in 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:30.679 the card awaiting payment. 0:05:31.080 --> 0:05:33.400 So ideal, Yeah, not ideal, clear me, some kind of 0:05:33.440 --> 0:05:36.239 technical issue which should have been fairly quick and easy 0:05:36.320 --> 0:05:38.480 to resolve, but it wasn't. And Wendy, this is one 0:05:38.480 --> 0:05:41.760 of those cases where the poor communication and follow up 0:05:42.120 --> 0:05:44.719 rarely aggravated what could have been a simple fix. 0:05:45.240 --> 0:05:47.599 Yeah, so it's not the it's not. The issue is 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:49.760 not that there was a technical hitch issues that she. 0:05:49.760 --> 0:05:53.120 Really spent two months trying to get it fixed to 0:05:53.200 --> 0:05:56.320 no avail. So obviously she contacted Macro right away. She 0:05:56.400 --> 0:05:59.800 sent them all the documentation they requested, including copies of 0:05:59.839 --> 0:06:03.640 your bank statements showing very clearly that the payment had 0:06:03.640 --> 0:06:06.440 gone off her account. By the time she contacted us, 0:06:06.440 --> 0:06:10.280 it had been two months of this. Can you imagine 0:06:10.279 --> 0:06:15.159 the frustration she still hadn't received her refund all the goods, 0:06:15.520 --> 0:06:19.280 she says, Endless correspondents and phone calls yielded no success. 0:06:19.560 --> 0:06:23.360 I'm repeatedly told that the reference number used in the correspondence, 0:06:23.360 --> 0:06:26.440 which was supplied to be by Macro, does not exist, 0:06:26.520 --> 0:06:29.920 and I am repeatedly asked to provide an order number, 0:06:29.960 --> 0:06:33.279 which I do not have because Macro only allocates an 0:06:33.400 --> 0:06:37.159 order number once it reflects as paid for on their 0:06:37.240 --> 0:06:41.159 IT system. So she was going around in circles. And 0:06:41.240 --> 0:06:43.719 also she said telling Lean this is the case with 0:06:43.880 --> 0:06:46.919 many corporates. I have never said, Nikki been able to 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:50.320 speak to a manager, although I've asked numerous times. So 0:06:50.360 --> 0:06:54.280 she's trying to get out of that frontline staff you know, 0:06:55.120 --> 0:06:58.040 trap that she sat in for two months, trying to 0:06:58.160 --> 0:07:03.120 escalate it. But unfortunately she needed my help to do that. 0:07:03.200 --> 0:07:05.800 And this is really where a large part of my 0:07:05.920 --> 0:07:08.719 work lies and is because I've got access to people 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:11.240 who do have the ability to see the problem and 0:07:11.280 --> 0:07:14.880 fix it quickly, which their own customers don't have. And 0:07:14.920 --> 0:07:17.240 that's just the unfortunate reality or fortunate And then I 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:19.920 can get it fixed. But you know, it shouldn't be that. 0:07:20.000 --> 0:07:22.240 There should be there should be ways for the customers 0:07:22.320 --> 0:07:25.040 themselves to escalate one of these you know, anything that's 0:07:25.160 --> 0:07:29.680 unusual causes these often causes these kinds of delays and 0:07:29.840 --> 0:07:34.360 lack of you know, decent communication around it to fix it. 0:07:34.440 --> 0:07:37.800 Yet so the case and yeah, got her money back. 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:41.480 Wendy, Yeah, within two days, I think, with huge apologies. 0:07:42.600 --> 0:07:45.200 So so yeah, if if you're stuck in that kind 0:07:45.200 --> 0:07:50.280 of situation, whether it's Macro or any other online site, you 0:07:50.400 --> 0:07:51.320 welcome to email me. 0:07:51.480 --> 0:07:53.800 I through my work, I have contact with. 0:07:55.440 --> 0:07:58.200 Higher ups in all the organizations who can fix these 0:07:58.200 --> 0:07:59.280 sorts of things quite quickly. 0:07:59.320 --> 0:08:01.000 And you don't have to wear two months before you 0:08:01.080 --> 0:08:03.720 do not use so Nikki, I'm so so glad we 0:08:03.720 --> 0:08:05.400 were able to get it resolved for you, and thank 0:08:05.440 --> 0:08:08.360 you so much for flagging the issue with us, and Wendy, 0:08:08.400 --> 0:08:11.680 thank you very much for taking up the case. The 0:08:11.720 --> 0:08:13.520 time is marching away from us, and what I'm going 0:08:13.560 --> 0:08:16.000 to suggest we do is jump to one more follow 0:08:16.080 --> 0:08:19.240 up and then after the two thirty news, we'll focus 0:08:19.280 --> 0:08:21.880 on our main story around the service providers. Because I 0:08:21.920 --> 0:08:23.640 want to stop it started and then have to stop 0:08:23.720 --> 0:08:26.120 in three minutes or so for the news. What I 0:08:26.120 --> 0:08:28.080 will do quickly in the minutes before we hand over 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:30.679 to the news team is take us to a follow 0:08:30.760 --> 0:08:34.120 up on the Techi Town marketing story. Because Tricia did 0:08:34.200 --> 0:08:38.040 email me asking whether I've got anywhere with managing to 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:41.520 unsubscribe from those unwanted Communications. Tricia was one of the 0:08:41.520 --> 0:08:43.920 people who sent me a me too message when I 0:08:44.000 --> 0:08:46.880 mentioned this on air quite some time ago that for 0:08:47.040 --> 0:08:51.040 love or money, I cannot get myself unsubscribed from Techi 0:08:51.120 --> 0:08:52.920 Town's marketing communications. 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:54.760 And I couldn't help you either. 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:57.440 No, and Wendy couldn't help either, and it's Tricia. The 0:08:57.480 --> 0:08:59.600 answer is no, I have not yet managed to get 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:04.880 myself unsubscribed. Those marketing emails are still arriving week after 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:08.240 week after week. I am still clicking on the unsubscribe 0:09:08.280 --> 0:09:11.319 here button to no avail. But what Wendy and I 0:09:11.400 --> 0:09:13.520 agreed is we're going to see this one through and 0:09:13.640 --> 0:09:15.480 actually use this as a bit of a test case. 0:09:16.000 --> 0:09:18.960 Because we've had no response from the company involved. We 0:09:19.040 --> 0:09:22.640 are going ahead and have filed a complaint formally with 0:09:22.760 --> 0:09:25.800 the National Information Regulator, which is the body you approach 0:09:26.160 --> 0:09:30.640 when somebody is refusing to honor your wishes around marketing communications. 0:09:31.040 --> 0:09:33.040 And just let me fill you in quickly before we 0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:35.800 go to news on what's happened there, Wendy, I have 0:09:35.840 --> 0:09:38.720 to say first d they were incredibly efficient and speedy 0:09:39.120 --> 0:09:42.320 in their response. The National Information Regulator got straight back 0:09:42.360 --> 0:09:44.920 to me saying attached please find the form you need 0:09:44.960 --> 0:09:48.319 to fill out, and the good news is that happened 0:09:48.400 --> 0:09:50.760 very quickly. The not so good news is they've on 0:09:50.840 --> 0:09:53.040 receipt of that form come back to say thanks, we've 0:09:53.040 --> 0:09:55.720 got it. Give us ninety days to tackle the issue. 0:09:55.800 --> 0:09:58.959 So it could be three months, which probably gives you 0:09:59.000 --> 0:10:01.920 an indication of how many such cases they're having to 0:10:01.960 --> 0:10:04.280 deal with. But this was the most interesting part of 0:10:04.280 --> 0:10:06.559 the follow up, Wendy. In order to fill out that 0:10:06.640 --> 0:10:08.520 form for them, one of the things that asked for 0:10:08.960 --> 0:10:12.200 was the registered company address and phone number. So I 0:10:12.280 --> 0:10:15.120 went back to the Techietown website and sure enough, that 0:10:15.200 --> 0:10:18.680 information does not appear on their site. The only contact 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:22.640 information I could find there, apart from the useless contact 0:10:22.720 --> 0:10:25.679 us online form which I've done several times, there was 0:10:25.760 --> 0:10:29.480 one phone number for following up on online orders. So 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:31.640 I called that number and said, look, I know you're 0:10:31.679 --> 0:10:33.240 not the person to help me, but please, can you 0:10:33.280 --> 0:10:36.960 redirect me. I need your company's head office address and 0:10:37.040 --> 0:10:39.839 phone number, and they could not or would not give 0:10:39.880 --> 0:10:42.880 it to me. In the end, they just refused outright, 0:10:43.080 --> 0:10:46.240 couldn't refer me onwards, So I gave up there. I 0:10:46.280 --> 0:10:48.800 then went online and looked Okay, let's try one level up. 0:10:48.840 --> 0:10:53.120 Who owns Techytown. The answer is it's a Pepcore company. 0:10:53.160 --> 0:10:55.880 So I then went to the pepcre website. They did 0:10:55.920 --> 0:10:58.680 have the required information on their site, and I sent 0:10:58.720 --> 0:11:01.360 an email there saying, look, I'm trying to fill out 0:11:01.400 --> 0:11:05.920 a National Information Regulator application. It requires the head office 0:11:05.960 --> 0:11:08.720 and phone number of Techi toown. Please can you share 0:11:08.720 --> 0:11:10.800 that with me because it is your company? And the 0:11:10.920 --> 0:11:13.240 very strange response I got back was an email saying 0:11:13.520 --> 0:11:16.800 send us the form and we'll submit it for you, Wendy, 0:11:16.800 --> 0:11:18.400 which I found very very odd. 0:11:19.040 --> 0:11:20.720 The story gets stranger and strange. 0:11:20.800 --> 0:11:23.600 It really does, anyway, So I left it there. What 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:26.400 I did was fill out the form with pepcorse details 0:11:26.440 --> 0:11:28.920 listed in a note attached saying this is the best 0:11:28.920 --> 0:11:31.400 I can do because the information doesn't seem to exist 0:11:31.400 --> 0:11:34.280 for Techi toown. So the form has been submitted a 0:11:34.360 --> 0:11:37.360 ninety day waiting period potentially to get an answer, but 0:11:37.440 --> 0:11:40.080 we will keep you posted when that answer comes. 0:11:40.520 --> 0:11:42.319 There's a lot of spam to get before you get 0:11:42.360 --> 0:11:43.520 an answer. 0:11:44.160 --> 0:11:46.160 At least I'm building up a good body of evidence. 0:11:46.200 --> 0:11:47.920 If they ask for follow up, I'll give them that. 0:11:48.400 --> 0:11:52.319 Okay, soir Tricia and others. Please keep on keeping details 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:54.840 of what you're experiencing in case we need to advise 0:11:54.880 --> 0:11:57.199 you to do what I've just done, and we'll keep 0:11:57.200 --> 0:11:59.959 you posted on how successful the attempt is to get 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:04.679 get some feedback through the National Information Regulator Consumer. 0:12:04.120 --> 0:12:07.520 Talk with Wendy Norler. You can join the conversation. 0:12:08.600 --> 0:12:11.240 Let's dive into our main topic of the day, which 0:12:11.280 --> 0:12:15.840 is around unscrupulous service providers praying on the elderly. The 0:12:15.880 --> 0:12:18.480 topic really inspired by an email we received a little 0:12:18.520 --> 0:12:21.000 while ago from Richard McDougall who told us how his 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:25.560 elderly mom had been targeted in her Cape Town retirement village. 0:12:25.679 --> 0:12:27.920 And Richard wrote to us saying, I really want to 0:12:27.960 --> 0:12:30.920 warn others about what happened and how it happened, and 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:32.679 we are very happy to oblige. 0:12:32.679 --> 0:12:39.599 Wendy absolutely because in general, the elderly are easy targets 0:12:39.760 --> 0:12:43.000 for service providers on the let's say dodgier end of 0:12:43.080 --> 0:12:48.280 the spectrum because they often live alone. They are very 0:12:48.320 --> 0:12:50.960 open to inviting people into their homes without too much 0:12:51.040 --> 0:12:53.520 question because that's the way a lot of business happened 0:12:53.559 --> 0:12:58.720 back in the day. They can easily be intimidated into 0:12:58.760 --> 0:13:01.880 signing agreeing to something that they aren't one hundred percent 0:13:01.920 --> 0:13:04.720 comfortable with, because, especially if it's. 0:13:04.520 --> 0:13:06.520 A woman and a male service. 0:13:06.240 --> 0:13:09.240 Provider, I hear this a lot. They just they agree 0:13:09.280 --> 0:13:11.360 because they don't know how else to get this person 0:13:11.400 --> 0:13:15.000 out of their space, their personal space. They feel very threatened. 0:13:15.920 --> 0:13:20.839 So I feel very strongly about this issue because once 0:13:20.880 --> 0:13:24.319 they've signed, it can be very difficult, if not impossible, 0:13:24.400 --> 0:13:26.480 to then get them out of that situation, out of 0:13:26.480 --> 0:13:30.280 that commitment. So yes, as Richard said, there are a 0:13:30.320 --> 0:13:36.400 number of small contractors offering their services for upholstery jobs, 0:13:37.520 --> 0:13:43.520 servicing or repairing blinds, cleaning out gutters, sorting out, tiling jobs, 0:13:43.600 --> 0:13:47.000 that sort of thing. They place ads in community newspapers 0:13:47.440 --> 0:13:50.960 and they often leave flyers in people's post boxes. By 0:13:51.000 --> 0:13:54.440 the way, talking about the Information Regulator, that Consumer Protection 0:13:54.559 --> 0:13:58.080 Act also protects us from that. In theory, if you 0:13:58.480 --> 0:14:00.400 put a little note and you sometimes see them on 0:14:00.440 --> 0:14:05.280 your postbox saying no unsolicited mail or no junk mail 0:14:05.360 --> 0:14:09.080 or advertising, no advertising, they're supposed to respect that. So 0:14:09.120 --> 0:14:13.240 that's something to consider about. Whether that will be honored 0:14:13.840 --> 0:14:15.960 respected is another thing, but that's something else you can 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:19.200 complain to the information Regulator about if you're saying no 0:14:19.480 --> 0:14:24.480 and you're still getting those those flyers anyway, they will 0:14:24.480 --> 0:14:31.160 obviously offer competitive rates, but they in accepting them and 0:14:31.240 --> 0:14:34.440 falling for it, you do run the risk if you're 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:38.240 in a slightly vulnerable situation potentially of letting the fox 0:14:38.280 --> 0:14:41.120 into the henhouse. And that is what happened to Richard's 0:14:41.120 --> 0:14:43.720 mom in the northern suburbs of Cape Town. 0:14:43.880 --> 0:14:45.720 And I'm happy to say Richard is with us to 0:14:45.720 --> 0:14:48.960 tell us in person what they experienced. And Richard, I'm 0:14:48.960 --> 0:14:50.760 so sorry that you all went through this, but I'm 0:14:50.760 --> 0:14:53.080 really grateful that you have written to us and are 0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:55.280 prepared to come on air today and share the story, because, 0:14:55.320 --> 0:14:58.040 as you pointed out in your mail, raising awareness is 0:14:58.080 --> 0:15:01.000 the best way to counteract this happening to anybody else. 0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:02.239 So thank you and welcome. 0:15:02.000 --> 0:15:02.440 To the show. 0:15:03.920 --> 0:15:05.560 Thank you. Indian often inputter. 0:15:05.800 --> 0:15:08.480 Tell us, how did this particular service prider end up 0:15:08.480 --> 0:15:10.480 in your mom's home? What what was the beginning of 0:15:10.480 --> 0:15:10.880 the story. 0:15:12.440 --> 0:15:14.400 Yeah, you're very briefly, I mean, I weren't going to 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:17.160 too much detail because we will need four minutes then 0:15:17.200 --> 0:15:20.560 we probably available, But really we had a situation having 0:15:20.560 --> 0:15:24.320 some blinds needing some repairs or potential repairs or replacement. 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:26.440 But we first wanted to just look at the repea option, 0:15:27.040 --> 0:15:29.640 and by chance, there was a flyer which came into 0:15:29.640 --> 0:15:34.520 this particular complex which advertised the services and you know, 0:15:34.600 --> 0:15:38.280 manage the initial contact via email with a few photographs 0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:40.040 and just what you want to do, can you do it? 0:15:40.120 --> 0:15:43.360 And assured us this is something we're easily do, but 0:15:43.480 --> 0:15:46.080 we need to just come into some confirm the scope, 0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:52.440 which was duly arranged ourself. And literally what happened was 0:15:52.720 --> 0:15:57.440 this particular company arrived and instead of just leaving the 0:15:57.520 --> 0:16:00.240 quote as was requested, within minutes had removed all the 0:16:00.240 --> 0:16:03.680 blinds and had some comments from other who's sort of 0:16:03.680 --> 0:16:06.040 the mid eighties that was a good idea to replace 0:16:06.040 --> 0:16:09.240 all the blinds and sign an acceptance quote for this 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:13.040 replacement service at a pretty high rate. And then the 0:16:13.080 --> 0:16:14.760 next step was I wanted to try and get it 0:16:14.800 --> 0:16:18.960 to immediately play a deposit which you know for the 0:16:19.040 --> 0:16:24.320 leftyp thing which almost volunteering to help with internet banking transactions, 0:16:25.360 --> 0:16:27.160 you know, which they can go through and this obviously 0:16:27.160 --> 0:16:29.360 one of the key lessons learned is you know it's 0:16:29.400 --> 0:16:33.040 to set limits on your daily transactions. So thankfully, you know, 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:36.160 we will save that situation and then brief as soon 0:16:36.200 --> 0:16:39.120 as you know, probably with an hour hour off later. 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:42.480 I'm usually contacted the company because you know, I saw 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:46.080 what had happened. There's no details on this so called quote, 0:16:46.280 --> 0:16:49.680 you know, a company name, and there's a handwritten thing 0:16:49.720 --> 0:16:51.800 obviously created in a few minutes, and I said, look, 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:54.120 you know, do not do anything until you've given us 0:16:54.640 --> 0:16:58.520 some more information exactly who you are, your company names 0:16:58.560 --> 0:17:02.120 and address and all sorts of things and references, which 0:17:02.360 --> 0:17:05.480 was not forthcoming in the way that I've been acceptable. 0:17:05.560 --> 0:17:08.720 So you know, ready, cut long story short, we did 0:17:08.720 --> 0:17:11.840 not proceed with the order and to settle it, to 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:14.920 make sure there's no need to intact further other place 0:17:14.960 --> 0:17:17.600 to play this person they dispose of for the blinds, 0:17:18.040 --> 0:17:22.200 and thankfully that ended with a relatively small, you know lost. 0:17:22.240 --> 0:17:24.200 You would have had to take the blinds down in 0:17:24.200 --> 0:17:26.359 any case at some point to probably replace them. But 0:17:26.400 --> 0:17:29.919 I think there's more the lessons learned, and you know, 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:32.199 if other people potentially be caught in the same thing, 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:36.159 you know, fortunate our losses were very basically negligible, but 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:39.720 I think the whole thing's just really just be very cautious. Now. 0:17:39.840 --> 0:17:42.720 I just want to say this time that a lot 0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:45.280 of very good businesses advertised in this way, so I'm 0:17:45.280 --> 0:17:47.520 just kind of trying to slag businesses and a lot 0:17:47.520 --> 0:17:49.240 of your best crafts and not. The people who do 0:17:49.480 --> 0:17:52.159 advertisement may be more stuty in formal way, but the 0:17:52.160 --> 0:17:53.560 thing is just to apply a little bit more caution 0:17:53.800 --> 0:17:56.000 and just be very sure of who you're dealing with, 0:17:56.520 --> 0:17:58.760 and specifically if you need them to come to your property, 0:17:58.840 --> 0:18:02.160 be very clear that you know exactly are where they located. 0:18:02.359 --> 0:18:05.640 And I did get some early references. And I think 0:18:05.680 --> 0:18:07.960 other key thing is of specially with oldly or but 0:18:08.080 --> 0:18:10.920 more vulnerable people, just make sure that somebody in attendance 0:18:11.240 --> 0:18:14.399 who can actually deal with the situation regardless with it 0:18:14.520 --> 0:18:18.440 or not have the situation it might get pressure. Yeah, yeah, 0:18:18.600 --> 0:18:20.320 so key learning now. 0:18:20.320 --> 0:18:22.399 Because Richard, I mean, from my understanding of what you 0:18:22.440 --> 0:18:25.359 told us, you had very specifically said to this contractor 0:18:25.880 --> 0:18:27.840 I'm the person you need to deal with. You need 0:18:27.880 --> 0:18:30.879 to send me any quotes in voices, et cetera. I 0:18:30.960 --> 0:18:34.000 will approve them. But once he found himself on site 0:18:34.040 --> 0:18:36.520 with your mom, who was an easy target, he just 0:18:36.640 --> 0:18:40.600 kind of wrote, you know, rolled her into signing things. 0:18:40.720 --> 0:18:43.040 Yeah, that's yeah. 0:18:43.080 --> 0:18:45.440 And the line that stood out for me as well 0:18:45.880 --> 0:18:48.880 in what you sent us, Richard, was that this man 0:18:49.040 --> 0:18:51.600 was speaking very fast and your mother couldn't quite grasp 0:18:51.640 --> 0:18:54.480 anything everything that he was saying, and I would realized 0:18:54.520 --> 0:18:56.640 what she was agreeing to. And I think that's also 0:18:56.880 --> 0:19:01.200 typical tactics of bamboozling her, and she's you know, now 0:19:01.480 --> 0:19:04.480 an awfully awful situation of being on the back foot 0:19:04.520 --> 0:19:06.840 in your own home. I just hate the thought of that, 0:19:06.920 --> 0:19:10.280 and it happens so often, I think. Yeah, the lesson 0:19:10.320 --> 0:19:15.000 also is to make sure, especially women living on their own, 0:19:15.040 --> 0:19:17.320 that an elderly mamma. There's also in the mid eighties, 0:19:17.359 --> 0:19:20.560 so I can relate to the story really well that 0:19:20.720 --> 0:19:25.520 you should make sure that somebody's with them, because they 0:19:25.560 --> 0:19:29.480 are you know, there are easily taken advantage of, but 0:19:29.480 --> 0:19:32.960 by you know, some unscrupulous service providers, not all. 0:19:32.880 --> 0:19:36.080 Obviously, absolutely not all, Richard. I mean, just to emphasize 0:19:36.480 --> 0:19:39.439 on that point, you weren't there when he arrived. I mean, 0:19:39.440 --> 0:19:42.800 as your suggestion is, do the checks, do the references 0:19:42.880 --> 0:19:45.119 before you even give them your address to come and 0:19:45.160 --> 0:19:48.040 see you I mean had with hindsight being twenty twenty, obviously, 0:19:48.359 --> 0:19:50.200 had you known what he was going to be like, 0:19:50.240 --> 0:19:51.600 I'm sure you would have made a plan to be 0:19:51.640 --> 0:19:53.119 there on the day he was coming, or to not 0:19:53.160 --> 0:19:54.520 have him men at all for that matter. 0:19:55.560 --> 0:19:59.120 Yes, absolutely, but I mean obviously honestly say, I probly 0:19:59.160 --> 0:20:01.680 drop my god as just wanted to get this done 0:20:01.680 --> 0:20:04.480 and it sort of looked credible and in a response 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:07.119 to quite quick. So absolutely, on I think it's just 0:20:07.280 --> 0:20:10.800 bring those extra safeguards in place to make sure you, 0:20:10.800 --> 0:20:13.280 you know, you don't get into particular situation. And also 0:20:13.320 --> 0:20:15.840 I think the other thing is, you know, nobody should 0:20:15.880 --> 0:20:18.200 be pressured to accept any quote or pay any deposits. 0:20:18.200 --> 0:20:21.080 You know, always by time you know and review it 0:20:21.119 --> 0:20:22.920 and then get back to people you know and don't 0:20:23.560 --> 0:20:26.399 sign anything until you really sure what you're dealing with. 0:20:26.840 --> 0:20:28.959 Yeah, that's that's also excellent advice. 0:20:28.960 --> 0:20:31.560 Whether you're buying a car or you know, have been 0:20:31.560 --> 0:20:35.240