Cowboy gardener jailed for conning vulnerable pensioners
Benjamin Brown, a 62-year-old from Epsom, has been jailed for ripping off vulnerable pensioners. He charged a total of £650,000 for gardening work that was worth a small fraction of this sum, and if his customers questioned the price, he would intimidate them into paying up.
In one instance, a woman in her 90s was charged £24,500 for garden maintenance that a surveyor later judged to be worth £400. In another a man was charged £17,000 for work valued at £200, while a third victim paid him £1,500 simply for tidying his garden.
Over a seven year period - until 2013 - Brown advertised in local newspapers, and parish magazines, offering landscape gardening, paving and fencing with claims that no job was too small, and that gardening was his passion.
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When his victims contacted him, Surrey Trading Standards says he would carry out poor quality work and charge exorbitant prices for it. If customers complained or queried the price, he would threaten them, subject them to verbal abuse, and intimidate them into paying.
Richard Walsh, Surrey County Council's Cabinet Member for Localities and Community Wellbeing, said: "Brown charged excessive sums for poor quality work and intimidated customers who challenged him but, thanks to the diligent work of trading standards officers in both Surrey and Sutton, he has now been brought to justice.'
He pleaded guilty back in the summer, and has now been jailed for 42 months for fraud and money laundering.
Protect yourself
The case highlights how important it is to take precautions in order to protect yourself against possible rogue traders. There are five steps that you should take whenever you need work done around the home.
1. Start with recommendations.
All you know about someone who appears on the doorstep is that they don't already have enough work through personal recommendations. You need someone who you know has done a good job. If you can't get personal recommendations, ask for references, and go round to see them.
2. Shop around.
Get a number of quotes for the work, so you have a good idea of what it is likely to cost. Don't pick anyone who charges too much more or less than the others - this can be a bad sign.
3. Check out the company involved.
Search for them online to be sure you have a physical address and phone number for them, and check whether there are any unhappy customers complaining about them on internet forums.
4. Agree the work and the cost in writing.
If it's a big job, you should have a full written quote.
5. Don't pay a penny until you are completely satisfied
If you pay before the work is done, there's a risk they'll leave as soon as they have been paid.
