BBC Watchdog

[Peoplesoft bloke]

.. an original British sales scam/innovation I might add.

Buy a new motorcycle and you'll see it says 'assembly charge' on the invoice. If not, then it was second hand.

Wasn't it to avoid import duties at the destination on finished goods?
I think Triumph makes bikes here.

[Spacecadet]

Having a Prepayment meter doesn't always mean you are the bad guy. Many landlords put them in for obvious reasons, also you can inherit one. I can't see a valid reason for making it more expensive.

I just bought a house with prepayment meters, one phone call and a 2 week wait and both were exchanged for regular meters

[expat]

Can you buy anything that is not made in China now? I dread it when I open anything up - even "quality" branded goods - to see bits of cheap plastic used instead of more robust materials for mechanical or load bearing parts that I know are going to break in a few months, thus rendering the whole thing useless when it fails.

Yes, you can. Look harder, it is worth it.

Brand means nothing now. The most successful brands are those, like Nike, that don't actually make anything themselves. All you are buying is the brand.

I still think of an item's "make" rather than brand: I like to by things made by companies whose reputation comes from how they make things. They are fewer all the time but they still exist. They are unlikely to be cheap, but may not be as expensive as you think.

Incidentally I was really impressed by a visit to El Corte Ingles in Madrid: most of their clothes (I was with my partner so saw quite a bit) were made in Spain, looked much better and cheaper than many Brands made in the Philippines, and best of all didn't look exactly the same as the same item from H&M all over Europe.

[oracleslave]

Brand means nothing now. The most successful brands are those, like Nike, that don't actually make anything themselves. All you are buying is the brand.

That sounds like a complete contradiction to me or am I missing some subtle point in that?

I still think of an item's "make" rather than brand: I like to by things made by companies whose reputation comes from how they make things. They are fewer all the time but they still exist. They are unlikely to be cheap, but may not be as expensive as you think.

I would be surprised if the companies whose reputation you rely on when deciding to buy don't originate from similar/the same country.

[expat]

That sounds like a complete contradiction to me or am I missing some subtle point in that?



I would be surprised if the companies whose reputation you rely on when deciding to buy don't originate from similar/the same country.

What I meant about brands was that the most commercially successful brands are those where the brand name is what appeals to buyers, irrespective of who actually makes the item. This has no appeal for me: I like to buy on quality, and one indicator of this is that the company really makes its products itself, and its reputaion is based on the quality of its products. This is not an infallible indicator but it works as well as some others, e.g. price.

Sometimes they do, though mostly they are made in the UK; or Germany or Denmark or wherever, the point is that the company still makes what it is known for making, it doesn't just subcontract it out based on price.

[SantaClaus]

Correct me if I'm wrong. But aren't pre-payment meters more expensive because they are charging you for the debt you owe + the electric you use?

Most prepayment meters are installed after the occupier fails to pay the bill.
The meter is a last resort before they cut the supply off.

[Bagpuss]

Correct me if I'm wrong. But aren't pre-payment meters more expensive because they are charging you for the debt you owe + the electric you use?

No

[gingerjedi]

Correct me if I'm wrong. But aren't pre-payment meters more expensive because they are charging you for the debt you owe + the electric you use?

Most prepayment meters are installed after the occupier fails to pay the bill.
The meter is a last resort before they cut the supply off.

Yes - Sometimes

That's why they installed one at my first flat, it was Victorian with night storage heaters and that winter was harsh.

[Beefy198]

In my best Nicky Campbell voice... "Tonight on Watchdog.... a couple of weeks ago we told you about a scam where people conned you out of money to view flats that weren't available to rent. This week we bring you a story about a new eeeevil ploy that the scammers are up to now"

I joined up to an online dating service. I'm not the best looking woman in the village, after all.

A really good looking American chap started messaging me. He showed me pictures of his son and everything. We swapped messages for a few months and eventually started calling each other a couple of times a day.

Then one day he had to go to Nigeria. His son was over there and unfortunately ill. After a few weeks he explained how he needed money for his medical treatment, so I sent the funds as I was concerned for him.

Then he wanted to come across to England to meet me and repay me. I bought his tickets into Heathrow.

This is where it went downhill. I arrived at Heathrow but he didn't ever get on the plane.

"How much money had you sent by this point?" asked a concerned Nicky.

Ooh.... let me think a second, it is rather a lot.... maybe ten or eleven.

"Ten or eleven thousand pounds?"

Yes. I was worried I had been dupped so found the website for the Nigerian government agency that has been set up to fight fraud such as this. The site looked genuine. They got back in touch by e-mail and said that they could catch him. If I sent them £500 they would be able to catch him in a sting operation.

They were a government agency so I trusted them. I sent them the money but.... well, I should have learnt by now shouldn't I? It was another scam.

Now I get called several times a day by Nigerian people purporting to be private investigators stating that if I send them money they can catch my American sweetheart.

- - - -

Funny thing was, when Nicky Campbell called the man the handsome looking white American sounded very..... Nigerian. Surely she must have noticed this during their 'numerous' phone calls each day?

[OwlHoot]

Now I get called several times a day by Nigerian people purporting to be private investigators stating that if I send them money they can catch my American sweetheart.