Left NEUTRAL feedback - now being threatened

Lit_Up

Basically I hired a guy through a courier website to deliver me something and he did it several days late. When he actually delivered, he had the gall to ask me to leave him a positive review. Obviously I didn't (it was neutral, not negative though!). Now he's harassing me with text messages. I first received a text calling me a wimp and confirming my address (he has my address as he delivered me something :eek:) I phoned the police the same day and they came out the next morning. They told me they would phone him and tell him to not contact me again, but he has just sent me another text message saying "It's an offence to impersonate a police officer". Clearly he didn't take the police seriously.

I contacted the website and advised them to sanction him but they told me to leave him negative feedback as this was "most effective". Obviously I don't want the situation to escalate but if he's got the gall to threaten me and I have to report him to police then I think that should be on his profile along with a negative, not neutral review. The guy has the delivery address though and might have a screw loose. But the police told me that they don't think I should be worried about him (they looked him up on the database).

What should I do?

hollydays

Ring the police again,they need to visit him .I think there is an offence here that they might now be interested in now he's done it again.
It does look like he doesn't believe it was the police.
Don't be let him intimidate you, discuss it with the police, it looks like they handled this badly, and now they could ressure you by doing some proper backround checks on him.go and speak face to face with them , it sometimes gets better results, and you dont have take it further if you really dont want to,but they do need to know, if even only off the record, keep up a dialogue with them, it will cover you because it will be noted,they wont force you to do anything you dont want,they can advise.
The only wimp is him , hiding behing his texts, escalate the complaint to the courier , they have handled this very badly, and I am pretty sure he is in breach of their t & c s already.

He may not have a screw loose, he's just learnt intimidating people had sometimes got him results with minimum effort.

You could also try googling his number in case it's on the web somewhere else.

SarahCarer

Ring the police definitely, save any more messages he sends and show them.

Lit_Up

It's been hard to get through to the police. I expect that they will call me back later on today. I have revised my feedback to negative on the site now, as well as commenting that he threatened me and was reported to police.

I was reading a thread in here earlier about intimidation, people getting their car windows put in and other such things. I am worried that because of the damage to his business caused by my negative review, and the fact he has my address, will complicate things. I don't want this kind of thing to happen to me. https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4254029

However, I feel that consumers need to know about this kind of thing, and that service providers cannot expect to get positive feedback unless they do a good job and do not intimidate their customers. It's not rocket science. Why should I be intimidated?

mr_sharma

I think you always have to be wary of challenging those who know where you live and, where possible, provide anonymous feedback.

Does he live far from you or nearby?

G30RG3

I presume by what you have stated, that he has physically came to your house before? if so, send a response stating that any more contact with him will be considered harassment and further action will be taken... (See how his employers/courier firm, like it when he has been threatening to clients and legal action has been filed)

Lit_Up

He has just sent me threatening text messages. He is self-employed and not directly employed by the website in question. They just advised me to leave him negative feedback. If he gets two in a row he gets suspended. I have also forwarded a screenshot of the messages to the company. He has come to my house previously to deliver something, however he has not been back since. I have only met him once. Unfortunately he lives in London too.

railbuff

Lit_Up wrote: »

He is self-employed and not directly employed by the website in question.

He will be like a majority of courier drivers in that he will have a franchise of a particular territory, in which he would pay a franchise fee and they would provide him which a van and territory so he will be a self employed courier using the couriers brand and reputation. if the brands reputation gets tarnished too much then this territory can be taken away from the courier.

shaun_from_Africa

Make sure that you keep a copy of the text messages, and if possible, print these out and give them to the police.

What he has now done is illegal and leaves him open to prosecution under the Malicious communications act 1988.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/27/contents

(1) Any person who sends to another person
(a) a letter, electronic communication or article of any description which conveys
(i) a message which is indecent or grossly offensive
(ii) a threat or
(iii) information which is false and known or believed to be false by the sender or
(b) any article or electronic communication which is, in whole or part, of an indecent or grossly offensive nature,
is guilty of an offence if his purpose, or one of his purposes, in sending it is that it should, so far as falling within paragraph (a) or (b) above, cause distress or anxiety to the recipient or to any other person to whom he intends that it or its contents or nature should be communicated.

missile

If you are not happy with the action taken by the Police, write to the chief constable and a senior officer MUST investigate.