Clean It Up
UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: chrismroberts on August 22, 2007, 11:05:10 pm
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...and I've only just remembered it! Got a scam letter through on Monday morning, which said that "from the 1st October 2007, all window cleaners in the UK will need a license", apparently to stop guys working with out PL insurance, and cowboys from coming once then never turning up again...
Now this is what really annoyed me, it said that teams of "enforcement officers" would be out with the "power to stop any window cleaner without a license, even if working on a clients property". THEN, it asked for a copy of public liability insurance in return for an invoice for THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUNDS :o :o :o for a years "license"!! Why don't these people just get a job?!
I mean... I might've taken it a little more seriously if it had asked for £35, as opposed to £350... and if it wasn't printed on a home printer on rubbish quality paper, sealed in a handwritten envelope and riddled with spelling and grammar errors!!
Some people...... ::)
Did anyone else get the same thing through? It occured to me that if just a few unfortunate guys fall for it, they would make a fair bit :-\ :-\
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...and I've only just remembered it! Got a scam letter through on Monday morning, which said that "from the 1st October 2007, all window cleaners in the UK will need a license", apparently to stop guys working with out PL insurance, and cowboys from coming once then never turning up again...
Now this is what really annoyed me, it said that teams of "enforcement officers" would be out with the "power to stop any window cleaner without a license, even if working on a clients property". THEN, it asked for a copy of public liability insurance in return for an invoice for THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY POUNDS :o :o :o for a years "license"!! Why don't these people just get a job?!
I mean... I might've taken it a little more seriously if it had asked for £35, as opposed to £350... and if it wasn't printed on a home printer on rubbish quality paper, sealed in a handwritten envelope and riddled with spelling and grammar errors!!
Some people...... ::)
Did anyone else get the same thing through? It occured to me that if just a few unfortunate guys fall for it, they would make a fair bit :-\ :-\
I've not heard of this but I would probably reply with £350 worth of Monopoly money.
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What was the address on the returning envelope?
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I've not heard of this but I would probably reply with £350 worth of Monopoly money. like it. ;D
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I've not heard of this but I would probably reply with £350 worth of Monopoly money.
LOL, I like it! :P
The more I think about this, the more it worries me. You think I should report it to trading standards? Seems like a proper con to me.
The address is Suites A & B, 89 Strand Walk, Holywell, Flintshire, CH8 7AW. (Not exactly Canary Wharf! :P)
I'm off to work now but will put the full text of the letter on later.
Chris
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Fraud, prisonable offence.
I'd report it.
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Fraud, prisonable offence.
I'd report it.
To the Police, immediately
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OK, so heres the full text of the letter, if anyone is interested..... :)
Oh... and by the way, ALL the spelling and grammar mistakes are in the original letter! :P ::)
"Dear Sir/Madam,
I'm writing to inform you that from 1st October 2007 every window cleaning company throughout the UK will need to purchase a Window Cleaner's Operator's License. (You don't have to wait till 1st Oct to get yours.)
These licenses have been introduced to stop the Window Cleaning Companies operating without Public Liability Insurance, Health & Safety Documentation and Adequate Ladder Training.
We have a team of Enforcement Inspectors who have the right to stop any Window Cleaner whether there working on a clients windows or not and ask to see there Window Cleaner's Operator's License.
The other reason we've introduced Window Cleaner's Operator's Licenses is due to the high volume of complaints we've received about numerous Window Cleaning Companies in operation around the country. The complaints are like the window cleaner hasn't turned up, then the person has hired another window cleaning company and all of a sudden the previous one has turned up causing havoc.
It is our job to stop these individuals/companies from trading, so we've come up with the Window Cleaner's License at a cost of 350 (Three Hundred and Fifty Pounds) per annum.
We are issuing a volume of 750,000 leaflets to inform the public not to hire a Window Cleaner without a valid Operator's License.
We have a register of Approved Window Cleaner's of which is available to anyone who calls us for contact details of a Window Cleaning Company in their area. Your license allows you to go active on this register.
To apply for a Operator's License please send us a copy of your Public Liability Insurance, Health & Safety Policy and a copy of your Ladder Training Programme with a cover note and we'll forward a Invoice and confirmation of the date you'll go active on our register. Your Operator's License will be sent to you for the next day. (You'll get the Operator's License frame for FREE.
Yours sincerely,
M. McPherson
Senior Executive of Operations"
Its the bit about getting the frame for free which tickles me... LOL.
I think the Police would probably laugh. Might try trading standards.
Chris
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these people need doing, if they had the cheek to send you this tripe then they will probably send out letters to the public telling them to use their own window cleaning company!! what a waster! Luke
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poo, I've already paid it. :o
Not. ;D
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That's only 6 miles away from me. The strand is a council estate with a lot of yobs.
They would be lucky to get a window cleaner near the place.
Perhaps I should go and give them a knock. Dai
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I think you should dai... ;D let me know how ya get on! :P
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Sheepmeister, Has anyone else had one of these letters? It could be just a mate winding you up. You can pull any address up from anywhere using a sat nav.
If any one else has had this letter, let me know and I will take action. Dai
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(You'll get the Operator's License frame for FREE.
Chris
Hope you have Big pockets for £350, but even bigger bu**ers to carry that frame around with your license in, just incase the inspector calls on you. ;D ;D ;D ;D
No contact numbers is a dead give away to a con.
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Send them an envelope full of S*** saying ,you`ve sent me some of your S*** so i`m sending you some of mine.LOL. ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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The addressee may know nothing about it. That's the point I was making. if this was was a wind up, it could be someone Sheepmeister knows.
My sat nav would give me an address if I put in any random post code. Someone may have done this as a joke.
As I said, if any other window cleaners have received this letter, e-mail me and I will report it to our local police.
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(You'll get the Operator's License frame for FREE.
Chris
Hope you have Big pockets for £350, but even bigger bu**ers to carry that frame around with your license in, just incase the inspector calls on you. ;D ;D ;D ;D
No contact numbers is a dead give away to a con.
LOL, thats what I thought... must be some sorta folding, portable frame you can carry in yer Unger pockets :P
Dai,
I'm not sure. One of the reasons I posted on here TBH, wanted to know if anyone else had had the same thing. If it is a wind up then its no big deal, but if its a real con I want people to know about it. Anyone near you had the same thing?
There is a contact number actually, 07964 202510. (You can do with that as you wish)
Chris
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Its turned off :o :o Bet it'll be turned off permanently after being posted on here ;D
(You'll get the Operator's License frame for FREE.
Chris
Hope you have Big pockets for £350, but even bigger bu**ers to carry that frame around with your license in, just incase the inspector calls on you. ;D ;D ;D ;D
No contact numbers is a dead give away to a con.
LOL, thats what I thought... must be some sorta folding, portable frame you can carry in yer Unger pockets :P
Dai,
I'm not sure. One of the reasons I posted on here TBH, wanted to know if anyone else had had the same thing. If it is a wind up then its no big deal, but if its a real con I want people to know about it. Anyone near you had the same thing?
There is a contact number actually, 07964 202510. (You can do with that as you wish)
Chris
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Nice one matty! You based anywhere near them?
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Nope, but I like winding scammers up, I use another forum on here, 419ers, you know the Nigerian phising scammers, well, this other forum is about baiting scammers, see if they can take as well as give out sh!t ;D ;D
They'll do anything for money, but the thing is they really are crooks, its just the way they go about it, like they believe youre really going to give them your bank details !!
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The point is some people really fall for it and do give them their bank details.
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The point is some people really fall for it and do give them their bank details.
Yes they do.
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just come back from holiday and had the same letter in the post, ::)
ive got work in holywell next week so if ive got time i will try to to
investigate further was thinking about contacting trading standards
what do you think ? :-\
regards john
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just come back from holiday and had the same letter in the post, ::)
ive got work in holywell next week so if ive got time i will try to to
investigate further was thinking about contacting trading standards
what do you think ? :-\
regards john
Sounds like W/Cs in N.Wales are being targetted. Now that there are two separate letters, it looks like it's a scam rather than an attempted wind-up. I wouldn't waste my time with trading standards. I reckon the two recipients should communicate with each other and present their evidence to the police with a view to complaining about attempted fraud.
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We are issuing a volume of 750,000 leaflets to inform the public not to hire a Window Cleaner without a valid Operator's License
??? What 750,000 leaflets to about 55,000,000 people in England and Wales? Not no mathematics boffin but doesn't the number fall really short of the target. I mean look at when the Government band smoking in public, they must have spent millions of pounds getting the message across. Surely anyone doing a scheme like this would have the backing of the Government.
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We are issuing a volume of 750,000 leaflets to inform the public not to hire a Window Cleaner without a valid Operator's License
??? What 750,000 leaflets to about 55,000,000 people in England and Wales? Not no mathematics boffin but doesn't the number fall really short of the target. I mean look at when the Government band smoking in public, they must have spent millions of pounds getting the message across. Surely anyone doing a scheme like this would have the backing of the Government.
My thoughts exactly. Sounds like scare tactics to me. Nearly a million leaflets would cost a LOT of money. But it would probably be enough to cover most of North Wales I think!
I think you have a point there Shiner. But the Police would just laugh I think and tell us to go to trading standards. Tis probably best to start with Trading Standards and if they feel it is necessary to take it further they can?
Glad its not just me.....
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If your a window cleaner in N.Wales you are ALSO a resident in N. Wales, anybody on here recieved one of these leaflets through their door, as post, in a local newspaper as a flyer??
I doubt that......
Matt
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I didn't get one of these letters, there again I'm not in yellow pages. The address is a council estate in Holywell 6 miles from where I live. I bet it's a couple of 15 year old lads with time on their hands. No leaflets posted round here, I don't expect any either. Dai
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We are issuing a volume of 750,000 leaflets to inform the public not to hire a Window Cleaner without a valid Operator's License
??? What 750,000 leaflets to about 55,000,000 people in England and Wales? Not no mathematics boffin but doesn't the number fall really short of the target. I mean look at when the Government band smoking in public, they must have spent millions of pounds getting the message across. Surely anyone doing a scheme like this would have the backing of the Government.
My thoughts exactly. Sounds like scare tactics to me. Nearly a million leaflets would cost a LOT of money. But it would probably be enough to cover most of North Wales I think!
I think you have a point there Shiner. But the Police would just laugh I think and tell us to go to trading standards. Tis probably best to start with Trading Standards and if they feel it is necessary to take it further they can?
Glad its not just me.....
I don't think the police would laugh. If they refuse to accept your complaint, ask to speak to someone of higher rank. That usually works so long as you are assertive but polite. It is definitely a police issue rather than a Trading Standards issue.
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I don't think the police would laugh. If they refuse to accept your complaint, ask to speak to someone of higher rank. That usually works so long as you are assertive but polite. It is definitely a police issue rather than a Trading Standards issue.
And always put a complaint in writing and not verbally if you want to guarantee it will be taken further.
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Yeh I think I'm gonna look into it. I always complain about idiots like this getting away with it.... time to do something about it right? :)