Lovable rogues could land you in debt
Customers are urged to watch out for Del Boy type characters who could land you in debt by selling you inferior or fake goods.
Although they claim to sell you the real McCoy, what you are likely to receive are counterfeited items and pirate CDs. Fake clothing is difficult to detect and upon first appearance, could be virtually impossible to distinguish from the real thing. Fake CDs can often be spotted by printing errors.
Many families have suffered not only financially but physically at the hands of the bogus traders by buying brake shoes for the car which were made of compressed grass. They also fell victim to perfume, which was made up urine and bottles of whisky, which were spiked with methylated spirits.
Good consumer advice would be to never be tempted to purchase from rogue traders who will give you the sales jargon but flee not long after selling, never to be traced again.
Inferior goods are often sold this way as a means of subsidising criminal activities such as drug trafficking. It has been estimated that over 60% of street sellers are connected to criminal activity in some way.
Never buy goods from anyone who isn’t part of a legitimate business or you could find yourself needing debt advice with hundreds of pounds of debt with worthless items. Buying from a legitimate source will give you several means of returning faulty items and protect you with manufacturer’s guarantees.
So whenever you see a street seller who is proudly hiding behind a dodgy suitcase, give him a smile and walk swiftly by as saving those extra pounds could cost you an unforeseeable debt or even your life!
Savings News posted on 17/09/2007 09:44:24
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