Have I Been Scammed?

[Dusty Bin]

Last autumn I wanted a small bathroom panelled and so I visited a local showroom, picked out some PVC panelling and asked the sales staff to recommend a tradesperson that could fit it for me. All of the people they gave me details for were booked up for months but one person was recommended to me by one of the people on the showroom’s list of contacts that they said might be able to help. I was given his first name and his mobile number. This man visited my house, gave me a price for the job and offered to pay for and collect the panelling from the showroom not only so I didn’t have to pay their delivery fee, but also as he told me that because he was a regular customer of theirs that he would be given a discount. I transferred him £500 via online banking and he told me he’d pick up the panelling and we agreed that he’d fit out the bathroom at the end of March. Then covid restrictions came in. I called him to rearrange a date for the work to be done, as I was aware that he’d be unable to work in another person’s house during lockdown. I rang him again once local restrictions were eased. He gave me a date in August when he said he would be able to do the work, so I booked time off from my job, but on the day agreed he didn’t turn up. I’ve rung him many times since and he doesn’t answer his phone. He also doesn’t reply to text messages. However, when I used my daughter’s phone one time to try and contact him, he rang me back almost immediately asking who I was. He apologised for not turning up, said his phone was broken and he’d just got a new one 15 minutes before my call. He also told me he’d been moving house, had mislaid his diary/contacts book in the move and his son was now ill and so he’d have to go, but would call me back. He hasn’t. He still doesn’t answer calls or messages neither from my phone nor from my daughter’s. Have I been scammed? I only know his name and mobile number, plus I have his bank account and sort code numbers. I rang the police who told me this would be a civil matter not a crime. What action can I take please?

[Atheist]

I think he's a bad un. I'm not sure what you can do. Maybe someone else here can advise.

[AuntPollyGrey]

// one person was recommended to me by one of the people on the showroom’s list of contacts that they said might be able to help.//

Go back to the show room and explain the situation -someone must know who he is and they will not be happy that he has done this to you after he has been recommended by them

[gingejbee]

^^unless (suspicious me?) the person giving the "recommendation" was in on the whole thing....

[TonyV]

Unfortunately some of these guys know all the tricks and be very persuasive , personally, I think that any successful business should be able to fund all their upfront project costs, some will cry on their sleeves saying they have lost money previously being so "generous".

[Skyline D]

"I rang the police who told me this would be a civil matter not a crime."

Eh? Obtaining monies by deception is quite clearly a crime. If he's a genuine trader who went bust due to Covid (or any other reason) then it's probably not a crime and you'd have a claim against the business as an unsecured creditor but it doesn't sound like there's any evidence of that here. In which case he's absolutely committing a crime.

If you can't get hold of him again or he continues to refuse to do the job I'd try Trading Standards. Though the chances are if you have no more than a name and a phone number that he's not "officially" a trader anyway. I imagine they'll know what to for the best though.