4 major rip-offs you can fight back against

It's easy to fight back against these four rip-offs - just follow these steps!

Being ripped-off can leave you feeling both frustrated and helpless. Although you might ultimately have to sue in the small claims court (see my article ‘Wronged by a rip-off trader’), there are other ways to fight back and protect yourself.

1) Dodgy tradesmen.

This is a common consumer complaint, mainly because not many of us can claim to know the inner workings for an engine or boiler! We have to rely on the honesty of the tradesman. You are not powerless in these situations if you know your rights, although the best form of attack here is defence.

Know who you are hiring, preferably finding them through recommendations, or through a website like Trustmark.
Look for tradesmen who are signed up to a Code of Conduct. For example, in the motor industry garages can register under the Motor Industry Code of Practice for Service and Repair. They can provide help, advice and low cost arbitration programmes.
Name and shame them on a trade specific website, or report them to the website www.ripofftipoff.net

2) Premium rate telephone numbers

These are not just used by competition hotlines, but by big companies too. Irritatingly, even some government and NHS departments use premium rate numbers! But there are ways of fighting back.

Change your telephone provider. Charges are not set in stone, so prices will differ depending on company. BT, for example, includes 0845 numbers in some of its call packages, so you can call these numbers at no extra cost.
If you can see any alternative numbers on the company website, try calling them. If you ring their sales hotline, where they sign up new customers (often a Freephone number), you may find yourself getting through straightaway. Check Saynoto0870.com where you can find alternative company numbers and, if you’ve got an iPhone, download the app.
Sign up to a website like 18185.co.uk where you dial a prefix number for a cheaper rate. This works on both landlines and mobiles.
Complain! Ofcom deal with 084 or 0870 numbers, or contact PhonePayPlus to complain about 0871 or 09 numbers and premium rate text messages.

3) Bank, credit and store card charges

The Supreme Court decided that the Office of Fair Trading did not have the authority to rule on the excessive bank charges for unauthorised overdrafts in November 2009.

If you didn’t claim your bank charges back before this ruling, your chances of a pay-out might be lessened, but it is worth a go. The banks must still consider all requests on ‘a case by case’ basis, although in reality you are only likely to have your charges refunded if you can show that you are in financial hardship.

The ruling has no effect on any claims you might have against a credit or store card. If you have been charged for missed payments then follow these steps:

Make a request under the Data Protection Act 1998 to see statements for the last 6 years.
Write to the company asking them to waive or reduce the charges as a ‘gesture of goodwill.’ If you have been a loyal long term customer, mention it! If this doesn’t work, write again, quoting the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999 in relation to your charges.
Make a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

4) Ticket fraud

If you have bought tickets through a fraudulent site, then fingers crossed you bought on a credit card. If so you will be protected by the Consumer Credit Act 1978 section 75 (watch this video to find out more)

If you have used a debit card, you are not covered under this Act, but all might not be lost! If you used a Visa Debit card you might be able to claim under the Visa Chargeback scheme. Tell your bank within 120 days, and they could claim it back from the supplier’s bank.

Even if you did not use a Visa debit card, most UK banks have signed up to a ‘Lending Code’. This states that innocent victims of fraud, whether using debit or credit cards, will not suffer any financial loss unless they have acted negligently. Contact your bank, in writing, to check.

To avoid the situation altogether:

Check with the venue to see if the website actually have tickets to sell.
No matter how well a website has been put together alarm bells should ring if there is no way of finding a physical address or working landline number.
Do they have a refund policy? Most reputable companies will refund under certain circumstances.

There is no such thing as a free lunch! If a site is offering lots of tickets at bargain prices to high profile, high demand events, ask yourself if it is a realistic claim. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it usually is.

Tell us your tips

Have you got any tips for other readers about how to avoid being ripped off? Or have you ever been ripped off in one of the ways I’ve mentioned above? If so, please share your experiences using the comments box below!