[HQCS (John Kastrian)]

Local paper today has a report about Bennett's Cleaning Company,supposedly based in Bristol but non existent.
We had a visit from these cowboys a few months ago and to be honest the wife fell for it and parted with 24 squids.
After talking about it we decided to cancel and were unable to contact them so just cancelled the cheque and thought no more of it.
They are targetting all areas and talking people into parting with various sums of money as advance payments for window cleaning,and then disappearing.
The guy that called on us was in fact the window cleaner that used to clean our windows and this was why the Mrs fell for it.
I think his name was Dave,the local Police and trading standards are asking for any information,so if anyone can help stop these scammers please contact Swindon (Wiltshire) Police or Swindon Trading Standards Dept.
Scams like this affect our businesses.
John

[Grafters Cleaning Services]

Unscrupulous little s***s

[drakestar!]

there was one in south london way the prob was he knocked on our door so guess what? we followed him back to his house & needless to say the police & other upset window cleaners i know was knocking on his door!

[Clive McDonald]

A topic about door knocking being illegal in some parts of the country(Luton), trialed by trading standards and funded by bt, touched on this.(I think it was on the carpet cleaning bit).

The replier thought that cold calling/door knocking should be banned and one of his reasons was that most of his street had been caught out like this- advance payment for window cleaning that never took place.

[mikep]

 I live in Bedford and the whole town (i think) is a"no cold calling
 zone" set up by Trading Standards.This has been set up to stop rogue traders -particularily those targetting the elderly.
However i did hear on the BBC local radio station that it is not actually illegal to cold call in the zone,but the impression joe public gets from the trading standards and placards on every other lamppost is the opposite.

[Clive McDonald]

So what do you do mikep? How do window cleaners in your area handle it?

[mikep]

It doesnt affect me much really as my core business is interior cleaning and my window cleaning is in the main for existing regular interior domestic clients.
most of my clients have been gained by flyers or reccomendation.If Iwanted to expand the window side I think flyers,shop window cards would be my first choice as i have had most success this way. Press ads havent worked for me.
the only good part of the no cold calling zone is knowing that the benefit boys and con men are being driven out(to the next town?)

             Mike P