If you sometimes you get the feeling that businesses are after your money, be guided by your instincts; they are after your money.

Many offer a product or service showing a reasonable return on your outlay but the loosely regulated world of commerce offers a turkey shoot for unprincipled service suppliers.

The term rip-off Britain is bedded in the English language but sleazy business practice isn’t constrained by border controls. Seeking redress in an unfamiliar business environment with a foreign language to contend with exacerbates consumer helplessness.

WHERE’S MY MONEY?

Sadly, some of the worst offenders are those we were taught to place our trust in and they sure take advantage of it. Many acts of fraud are not necessarily illegal. There are the pension fund and heating allowance scandals funded by trusting investors that on maturity yielded little or nothing. What happened to the money managers?

Directly or indirectly half of every £100 or €100 we earn goes to the government. The administration does not create wealth – the politicians are wealth managers and they are very bad at it – because they are unaccountable

The worst offenders are the household name charities. Givers would be shocked if they realised 1) how much of their donation pays huge salaries 2) How little of their donations go to the deserving.

The water and energy companies with the communications industry are unlikely to be deterred by the occasional fine. These are paltry when set against wealth accumulated by quasi-legal dodges.

Many make ‘mistakes’ and offer a means to resolve their oversights but the procedures for recovering your money are so impenetrable that you would need to engage a Philadelphia lawyer to have any chance of a successful outcome.

A poll conducted by rip-off.co.uk depressingly revealed that consumers regard government and corporate bodies as being no better than Nigerian internet scammers.  

Of equal concern are bank and insurance scams, cash cow speed cameras, and a lack of transparency by local authorities. Even law enforcement agencies charged with protecting the public often have more than a dirty arm up their sleeve. It takes one to catch one.

THE REMEDY

Bad business practice prospers because too few people complain. Consumers should persist in making a thorough nuisance of themselves and warn others about unacceptable business practices.

When scamming is no longer profitable rogue practices will disappear. Remember the wartime maxim: ‘Time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted.’

This is war; make sure you don’t become a victim. There is much we can do to better protect ourselves from the inept and the unscrupulous.

‘As through this world I’ve wandered I’ve seen lots of funny men, some will rob you with a six-gun and some with a fountain pen’.  ~ American Singer and Songwriter Woody Guthrie 1912-1967.

Never before have so few been in a position to make fools, maniacs or criminals of so many.  ~ English Writer H. G. Wells 1866-1946. The Shape of Things to Come.

CONSUMER PROTECTION

• Many service providers see you as their cash point. Keep that uppermost in your mind.
• Never give money or leave a will in favour of big charities. They’re big because they are dishonest.
• Avoid buying on impulse. Give yourself a cooling-off period
• If an offer looks too good to be true it probably is
• Never allow yourself to be hassled. Have the courage to walk away or close the door
• Obtain and follow up references when engaging tradespeople.
• Keep records; phone calls, e-mails, letters; and complaint details.
• Shop around and remember to use the internet to get the best price.
• Use online forums to invite the opinions of others less likely to have an ulterior motive.
• For protection use a credit card when buying online.
• Always pursue to the top desk any complaint; be persistent; make a thorough nuisance of yourself.

MICHAEL WALSH GREAT TO SHARE STORIES

RETRIBUTION A Liverpool-based city-vigilante thriller more gripping than Death Wish by Michael Walsh award-winning novelist. ‘Retribution is the greatest movie never made’ ~ William Housman. ‘An excellent thriller written in the tense style of a John Le Carre spymaster novel’ ~ Brian Smyth. LINK TO BOOK     https://tinyurl.com/4n6ysckj

THE STIGMA ENIGMA. Michael Walsh award-winning novelist. Double-crossed in love, ex-mercenary Jack Scarlett has the sinister sinners of Liverpool’s underworld in his cross-hairs. Detective Chief Inspector Eric Jansen vows to stop his high-octane lethal feud. Can Detective Chief Inspector Eric Jansen stop Jack Scarlett, and does he really want to? LINK TO BOOK   https://feji.us/csecyi