Dear Sir,
In response to the article on Gardening Scams in last week’s Newton News I too have fallen victim to a gardening scam in a similar way. I am around 50 years old and should know better but I felt sorry for this young lad who knocked on my door offering gardening services. I thought “good for him, getting up and trying to earn some cash.” The problem is that he did a terrible job, he was clearly unskilled, and whilst I paid him something he significantly reduced the price as I stood my ground.
It is very sad that in these days there is no room for the honest young man who wants to work and will work to earn his bread, since I have come to the conclusion that all of the people who knock on your door are scammers and you must always say no. It is also very sad that the Durham Council Registered Trader’s Scheme ended in 2016 as you could always trust those tradesmen, but now it seems that we are back to doing it ourselves which does not make life easy, but the only way I can think of for vulnerable people is for their loved ones to ask for recommendations via social media channels.
Name and address supplied
