Scum bags!

[simonm]

Yeah he seemed genuine , just like he seemed to be a traveler with a yourkshire hire accent? Did you expect anything less ? Or do you expect the less honest people to wear a badge or sound less genuine than the next customer ? yes actually in business you need to be thorough and make sure that you actually do have a paper trail , it's totally up to you but if you want to be taken the mick out of and have to work a weekend for nothing then carry on , but what I'm saying is that it is avoidable

 

So the guy does not live there , get the address he does live at and get a landline number - call the landline number to confirm the job and the works listed - this way you are eliminating the risk that you have a false number or that the person on the nd of the phone is not the same person you met and knows nothing about any works at another address. Or you may find the number works and the person is who they say they are and that the works are correct - you now have a number that's traceable even if the person turns out not to be the land owner or have any right to authorise work .

 

I never said he seemed to be a traveler with a yorkshire accent, i said the lad i spoke to on site did have a yorkshire accent but the bloke who rang a week later definitely was not from around here. We didn't work a weekend it was 4 hours we spent on site, if you feel the need to take the pi*s out of a lad for trying to make a living then feel free, the system you use seems bullet prof so you will never end up in this situation, maybe

 

Lets just agree to disagree, i didn't start this thread to get into a shouting match we both have our own opinions

[combined tree services]

There really is no shouting match , totally up to you what you do in future , but in short - create a paper trail just in case

[Mountain man]

I never said he seemed to be a traveler with a yorkshire accent, i said the lad i spoke to on site did have a yorkshire accent but the bloke who rang a week later definitely was not from around here. We didn't work a weekend it was 4 hours we spent on site, if you feel the need to take the pi*s out of a lad for trying to make a living then feel free, the system you use seems bullet prof so you will never end up in this situation, maybe

 

Lets just agree to disagree, i didn't start this thread to get into a shouting match we both have our own opinions

 

No you started the thread to warn others and let off some steam.

In fairness CTS has pointed out ways that it could have been avoided, which perhaps is more useful to the rest of us than the usual sympathy/slagging off travellers vibe.

I've been stiffed as well, It doesn't feel good.

[john p]

I would like to share a very recent bad experience we have had involving some traveling scum!!! Got a phone call a few weeks ago to look at some tree work, yes no problem I said what's your address? Oh erm it's...do u know where the layby is down so & so road...yes I do...meet me there! I thought it seemed strange but when I got there the house was down a single track road off this layby, I just thought he asked to meet there because it was easier to find. Meets this lad mid 20s tells me what he wants doing, I voiced my concerns and eventually come up with a solution. He told me it was his house and he wasn't living there as it had been flooded, he even walked around the outside of the house and pointed through the windows to show me the water damage. Gave my price and left it with him. A week later he rings up, can you do the job? Yes no problem, gave a date and time he agreed. Turned up rang just to confirm the work, he text me back and said yes crack on! I had quoted to crown lift these confers for vehicle access to 10', 3 hours in he text me saying do u mean they will be 10' tall when your finished? No...as agreed they are to be crown lifted on 1 side for access. rang him and said we had nearly done as his wife was to come and pay us, oh erm I don finish work while 8 u will have to collect payment then! 7 days later he had bloked my number & wouldn't answer calls / texts! Someone finally rang today claiming to be the property owner and we had ruined his trees but he would only pay me if I returned and reduced the height for another £100!!! 2 days work extra! Turns out the lad I spoke who claimed to live there had flyerd the real customer, real customer rang him got him to quote, he rang me knowing the house wasn't lived in, got me to quote him pretending house was his, we did the work discussed that unbeknown to me the real house owner had not agreed to, the scum bag then got his friend to contact me pretending to be the property owner wanting me to put the work right so I assume they can get paid then disappear while doing nothing, and letting us do all the work!!! All an elaborate scam to make money off of us an honest firm! I cannot believe the lengths people go to especially the traveling scum to extract money out of unsuspecting people. Don't trust anyone, always question their actions if your unsure! Luckily it was a piss easy job and only cost me £110 in costs! Could have been a lot worse

 

 

Travelling scum?

[Warners]

I go along with the OP. i've lost count of the amount of domestic jobs i've agreed and completed verbally, no paperwork, signature, only one i can think of we didn't get paid for. Granted these days we operate with all the paperwork in place but mostly because we've moved over to the commercial sector.

 

Someone mentioned earlier that half the reason we don't realise we're being duped is because we think honestly. Spot on!

[spiral]

Some con people even sell ringed cars off other peoples driveways.

 

An owner visiting there house doesn't show the damp features to you through a window... He unlocks the door.

[Dorset Treeman]

Huck really ?? Is it that hard ?? no signature = no work , in this case had the guy signed then at least there would have been some documented proof to give the actual land owner when he gets in touch and at at the very least helps to prove that you had taken all reasonable steps to ensure that you had consent to carry out the work. In this day in age a paper trail is as important as the tools to do the job .

 

 

I don't think a signature would be any help imo as anyone can sign anything so what does a bit of paper prove? For all the real owner knows, you could have made this bit of paper up and signed it yourself. I think he was done by a scamster and if I'm honest, I would've probably been no different. I would however agree that it's unfair to assume the travelling community are responsible without any substantive proof. Thanks for the warning anyway, I will now be wary of any call outs which don't quite feel right and maybe question them a bit more than I would normally have done.

[eggsarascal]

Travelling scum?

 

Your "lot" are all the same!

[scraggs]

Whatever or whoever it was it was good to have this pointed out in case anyone else falls for a similar scam.

[s.varty]

Whatever or whoever it was it was good to have this pointed out in case anyone else falls for a similar scam.

 

and lets face it , wouldn't most of us get caught out with this scam? these people would do well in government with their way of thinking.