OT: Are there more rogues around these days?

[Nospam]

Maybe I've been lucky, but I don't recall being (knowingly) ripped-off until this year.

Incident 1: a few weeks ago I sold something on eBay to a guy from Lockleaze in Bristol. He turned-up, seemed like a straightforward likeable bloke and paid cash. We chatted and agreed on something else for £10 which he suggested I invoice him for; I trusted him so let him take the item. The invoice has been ignored, as have text messages, emails and phone calls. I just don't understand why anyone would be petty enough to steal something to save a tenner. I'm tempted to name him here but live in hope that it's all been a mistake and that he's changed his mobile number (and email address!)

Incident 2: last weekend I was in a great London pub called the Fox and Anchor in Clerkenwell. I bought a couple of drinks and commented that the price seemed a bit high - the barman checked and said that the prices were correct; I couldn't see the printed price list so I shrugged my shoulders. Guess what ... the next drinks (served by the landlord) were cheaper. I mentioned this to the landlord who "had words" with the previous guy who then handed-over 20p with a "don't spend it all at once" comment!

I feel much better for this rant and will now return to my leafy idyll, here in Stepford :-)

[brass monkey]

There's ALWAYS some bastard looking to turn a copper. Sadly, the rule is, don't trust a soul

[Tim Streater]

Some 40 years ago I was buying as it might be apples in a greengrocer's in Naples. Change was 400 lire, and he showed me four 100 lire coins in his hand. Turns his hand over to drop the coins in my palm, put puts his thumb over one of the coins. Result: 300 lire in my hand.

[Andy Cap]

My only one of note, is a certain Dorset online Kitchenware outlet which are little short of fraudulent. What's even more pissing-off, is that Bournemouth Trading Standards make excuses for them, rather than shutting them down. I suspect there might be some personal involvement. My dealings and loss with them was a couple of years ago but having just checked, I see they are still getting appalling reviews.

Andy C

[MM]

I belive the British public are ripped off everywhere, at any time, by anyone selling us something. I have absolutely no faith in any business today. It seems to me that EVERYone is out to diddle someone else. Nobody has any conscience any more and we are all encouraged to believe that crimes like shoplifting aren't that important nowadays anyway.

Rip-off Britain isn't just a state of mind, it's here right now, it's endemic. And what we do see and detect is just the tip of an iceberg, since most people are just too gullible for their own good.

MM

[Tim Watts]

You were lucky it was small amounts.

Mate of mine years ago sold a serviceable rustbucket for a few hundred. Got cash, put the cash down for a second, got distrated, bid the bloke and car goodbye, looked down - no cash!

Nothing he could do of course - just had to suck it.

NEVER trust anyone, unless a) they are proven trustworthy, b) the values concerned are below your "don't care" margin.

[Fredxx]

In many of your posts you regard rip-off Britain to be associated with supermarket's margins. I've never known a large chain to go back on a shelf price, even if it's wrong or out of date.

So these cases are different, where there is blatant fraud and deception.

[Tim Watts]

I got busted in Italy on a school trip. Paid for something, only had a large value lire note. Of course, doing the sums in my head on those sorts of massive numbers was prone to error. Got short changed though I thought it reasonable at the time, but only realised it when I took tally later. I blamed myself - pretty much expected in Italy for gullible tourists to get ripped off occasionally.

[Tim Watts]

I got an exceedingly cheap turkey one christmas. I was in Tescos, spotted a frozen bird for a very good price (fiver or something, back in 1998). Got to the till and it rang up as quite a lot more. Had an argument with the store manager and he looked in the freezer, agreed the displayed price was there (although from his POV wildly wrong) and instructed the till operator to let me have it for low price.

Perhaps he did not legally have to, but he made the right decision as I shopped there for years instead of going off to Asda in a huff.

[Nospam]

The Bristol guy was into fork lifts and Land Rovers so I thought he was trustworthy ;-)

[dennis]

You *don't* shop in Tesco!!!

[BartC]

In Holland once, instead of being handed a 5 guilder coin as part of my change (worth about £2), I got a 5 Belgian franc coin, as a I found out later. The Belgian coin was around the same size, but was worth just a few pence.

So take care next time you're in a part of Holland that hasn't yet switched to euros..

[Fredxx]

Oh yes I do!!!

[Man at B&Q]

He did.

MBQ

[Man at B&Q]

You need to get out more.

MBQ

[fred]

In article , Tim Watts writes

I usually pay the higher price then go to cust servs to get it corrected.

If it's a supermarket that pays compensation for pricing errors then you get that straight away (you wont if corrected at the till) and they can't then refuse to sell the item to you as you've already bought it!

[fred]

He didn't.

No obligation to honour a pricing error or indeed to sell the item at all.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Yes, definitely. Most of them in the government.

[Tim Watts]

Which is interesting. My understanding is that a display price merely constitutes an "offer" and is not binding until the offer has been accepted by both parties (usually at the point of cash changing hands). I *thought* the shop could reject the offer at the till and make a new offer.

Though it would be very silly of them to make a habit of it...

Haven't there been test cases with websales where a wildly mistaken price was advertised, payment taken and then refunded before the goods had been shipped. I will try to look that up - sure I've seen it somewhere...

[Tim Watts]

Yep - teh dobber in question was a "she" - but I sort of expect it so take the blame..