White Van Man Scam - another one

tifosiMac

A042 wrote: »

Are your jimmies rustled?

Whats the problem? you or someone you knew were a bit stupid and actually gave away £300 for these mattresses?

£100 isn't much ... whether I got the mattress and realised it was worth nothing and was a load of rubbish I would have tossed it out and learnt from my mistake

You were scammed whether you care or not.
These mattresses are filled with all sorts of rubbish and in some cases they have been cut open to find dried bugs from China and used newspaper cuttings. In other cases they use rubbers that are classified as too toxic for humans to be breathing in let alone sleeping on. Your mattress may well be comfortable but it is what you can't see on the surface that you should be concerned about.

In most cases the sellers who paid £70 a piece were ripped off as these products are barely worth £5! They sell them on for at least a £30 profit a piece and it becomes worth while for them.

You were scammed or you are a seller and have posted in your own defence.

pixiedust87

Tim, could I check with you, as I know some mattresses from China are bad.... I'm looking at a 'your china fusion', is that going to have all the bad chemicals and such?

Magic_Mum

Just been scammed and I could cry. Don't know what do now with "memory foam" mattress

Live in Belfast in case anyone else is approached by very plausible person selling mattresses.

forgotmyname

It happens all over every single day, people will get sucked in until everyone realises that a gift horse is more than likely to be a trojan horse in more sense than one.

Magic_Mum

Thanks - just feeling sick at the thought it.

Has anyone kept one of these mattresses? I am tempted to take it to the dump? Any advice?

Thanks

MM

[Deleted User]

I live in Gravesend and have been approached a couple of times by these men in white vans.

A few years ago I bought what was advertised as an orthopaedic 'good quality' mattress for £120 from ebay (at the time I was sleeping on the floor and didn't have much money, with back problems) I chanced it. The first couple of nights it was like I was sleeping on air. Within two weeks the fine quality super stuffed mattress was sinking in places and made my back problems worse. I saved hard and bought a reputable mattress that is still going strong three years later. I did get it online, but checked the company's reviews extensively. I did save a bit of money buying it online but it wasn't 'too cheap'.

So when the men in white vans come round, I just say no. You can get bargains., you can get discounts with careful shopping and after checking credentials but you are insanely optimistic if you expect to get a £700 mattress for a £100. Its greed and desperation that keep these cons going. I've managed to get over a third off big items if I'm lucky with a sale, cashback etc. Any more than 50% off and I get very suspicious. Of course, if you think it through, even with a deposit paid (as the con goes) and your money, you'd realise that there's something fishy about the story. Why sell a mattress so cheaply.., most reputable companies would regard 'lost profit' as a loss rather than a gain unless totally bankrupt or expecting future business with you. But the desperate and greedy suspend disbelief. So that's how they keep going.

I was also conned a many years ago by a supposed drop ship website. Its difficult to make money using drop ship sites, the prices you buy the good at don't allow for much profit. Of course, I found a site that offered items at very good prices.., but you had to pay a £60 membership fee. Of course the items at very good prices were never in stock. The rest of them (that were in stock) were actually higher priced than other sites. You only discovered this after you'd paid your membership and had access to more of the website. I learned to check websites rather than believe something that looks glossy and professional has to be true. I'm lucky I only lost £60. But it was a lesson worth learning.

Missus_Hyde

I was sitting in my hairdressers (of all places ) and a chap came in and said he'd got a load of pillows, supposedly "over ordered" by a local hotel which he could sell to any customers, rather than take back to the depot (or wherever he came from). I think he wanted some ridiculous price like £20 each?

Needless to say, nobody took him up on his offer (although I think a few were tempted) and I said to my hairdresser that they would probably turn up on "Crimewatch" as it was extremely likely that they'd come from a very dubious source.

jrtfan

Driving along a narrow lane one day, I pulled my car over to the side and stopped to wait for an approaching horse and cart to pass by me. There was a young fella driving the cart and 2 more were walking alongside the horse. They stopped as they drew level with me and I saw around 6 wrapped mattresses stacked on the cart, and the driver asked if I'd like to buy one. He said his father had been doing a big refurbishment job in a hotel in London and these mattresses were surplus to requirements, so he was 'getting shot' of them to do his dad a favour. I told him no thank you, I didn't need a new mattress at the moment and he thanked me for my time, anyway.

Then he glanced past me at the back seat of my car, where my Jack Russell Terrier was sitting and said: "Do you want to sell your dog?" !

Needless to say, I didn't!