On Monday 10th January at approx.1.30pm a silver 4x4 type car with a trailer stopped in Fairlawn Avenue. There were four male occupants. Two of the men got out of the car and knocked on the front door of an elderly couple in their 90's. The men proceeded to try to persuade the elderly homeowners to part with £350 for work which they hadn't done, cutting down some trees. The owner said that he didn't have any money and hadn't asked them to call. The men then said that they would halve the cost. In a panic the owners rang their neighbour, who came straight out and told the men leave. One of the men was white, aged 40/50 years old, approx. 5' 6"and spoke with a very soft Irish accent. This incident has been reported to the police.
Rogue Traders are generally those who cold call, i.e. knock without invitation and exploit the vulnerable by convincing them to pay for shoddy or incomplete repair work, charging extortinate fees for their services, or threatening residents who do not comply.
The trading standards team works to protect consumers from scams and rogue traders operating within Bexley.
Unfortunately, there are some traders who want to cheat you out of your money by knocking on your door unannounced and convince you that work needs doing to your home when it doesn't. They may say they are working in your area and have noticed that your drive, roof or something else needs urgent attention, that they have got some materials left over from another job or that they can carry out repairs straight away.
Although the Trading Standards Team works closely with the Police and other agencies to stop rogue traders, many of the reports we receive from the public come too late for us to locate the traders and recover money paid. The best way to tackle the problem is to turn them away at the door and say no to cold callers.
The Crime Prevention website also give advice on Bogus Callers (Distraction burglary) that you may find useful.