Grouse101 Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 14 hours ago, rob D2 said: I’ve no idea why people order from an unknown company with no reputation you can check, there’s hundreds of well known model shops out there - or am I missing a trick ? This looked to be a legitimate business: - UK based company registered with companies house - professional website with genuine contact details that correspond to registration docs - Google business profile - facebook business page - small number of Google reviews (2 of which were 5*), not abnormally low for a small business - actual positive reviews from not that long ago from people I believe to be independent from the shop - confirmed as being registered distributers for some big brands - were still actively marketing products until recently - also on Ebay - professional order process and automated confirmation of orders - Videos on YouTube from people having bought from that shop in the past That's what makes this so interesting. It looks to have been a genuine attempt at doing legit business that has quite suddenly turned into a scam. I really want to know what's happened behind the scenes. They were manipulating the website last week by adding products and changing prices, I believe, to try and lure as many people in as possible with products that didn't exist at attractive prices. They've then suddenly disappeared. Did they do this in an attempt to bring cash into the business quickly in an attempt to save it, i.e. trading whilst insolvent? Or was this pure deception intended for personal financial gain, i.e. fraud? I'd like to know the outcome of this to see if what civil or criminal consequences there are for the director. What was the plan here? It's not like the company and those involved can just vanish. This wasn't some ficticious overseas entity that stole card details or took cash or bank transfers outside of the country. This is a registered legal entity with a director based in the UK taking using debit/credit/paypal and presumably a UK bank account, there will be consequences. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black 5 Bear Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 2 minutes ago, Grouse101 said: This looked to be a legitimate business: - UK based company registered with companies house - professional website with genuine contact details that correspond to registration docs - Google business profile - facebook business page - small number of Google reviews (2 of which were 5*), not abnormally low for a small business - actual positive reviews from not that long ago from people I believe to be independent from the shop - confirmed as being registered distributers for some big brands - were still actively marketing products until recently - also on Ebay - professional order process and automated confirmation of orders - Videos on YouTube from people having bought from that shop in the past That's what makes this so interesting. It looks to have been a genuine attempt at doing legit business that has quite suddenly turned into a scam. I really want to know what's happened behind the scenes. They were manipulating the website last week by adding products and changing prices, I believe, to try and lure as many people in as possible with products that didn't exist at attractive prices. They've then suddenly disappeared. Did they do this in an attempt to bring cash into the business quickly in an attempt to save it, i.e. trading whilst insolvent? Or was this pure deception intended for personal financial gain, i.e. fraud? I'd like to know the outcome of this to see if what civil or criminal consequences there are for the director. What was the plan here? It's not like the company and those involved can just vanish. This wasn't some ficticious overseas entity that stole card details or took cash or bank transfers outside of the country. This is a registered legal entity with a director based in the UK taking using debit/credit/paypal and presumably a UK bank account, there will be consequences. FYI, Devon and Cornwall Police and Trading Standards are looking at Mr Cann. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob D2 Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 1 hour ago, Grouse101 said: This looked to be a legitimate business: - UK based company registered with companies house - professional website with genuine contact details that correspond to registration docs - Google business profile - facebook business page - small number of Google reviews (2 of which were 5*), not abnormally low for a small business - actual positive reviews from not that long ago from people I believe to be independent from the shop - confirmed as being registered distributers for some big brands - were still actively marketing products until recently - also on Ebay - professional order process and automated confirmation of orders - Videos on YouTube from people having bought from that shop in the past That's what makes this so interesting. It looks to have been a genuine attempt at doing legit business that has quite suddenly turned into a scam. I really want to know what's happened behind the scenes. They were manipulating the website last week by adding products and changing prices, I believe, to try and lure as many people in as possible with products that didn't exist at attractive prices. They've then suddenly disappeared. Did they do this in an attempt to bring cash into the business quickly in an attempt to save it, i.e. trading whilst insolvent? Or was this pure deception intended for personal financial gain, i.e. fraud? I'd like to know the outcome of this to see if what civil or criminal consequences there are for the director. What was the plan here? It's not like the company and those involved can just vanish. This wasn't some ficticious overseas entity that stole card details or took cash or bank transfers outside of the country. This is a registered legal entity with a director based in the UK taking using debit/credit/paypal and presumably a UK bank account, there will be consequences. That may be so , but k don't believe any of those aspects are difficult to set up . Moreso the first post by Andy , years ago , that they were selling Bachmann items whilst not a registered dealer meant they weren't playing by the rules and didn't have retail premises presumably either as that's part of the criteria . Not only that , i've never seen them advertise , never heard of anyone that's used them or seen them in other capacities like at shows . All these are red flags enough for me - it's a crowded market plenty of other choices . Im glad the police are interested , takes a lot these days 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black 5 Bear Posted March 9, 2022 Share Posted March 9, 2022 27 minutes ago, rob D2 said: That may be so , but k don't believe any of those aspects are difficult to set up . Moreso the first post by Andy , years ago , that they were selling Bachmann items whilst not a registered dealer meant they weren't playing by the rules and didn't have retail premises presumably either as that's part of the criteria . Not only that , i've never seen them advertise , never heard of anyone that's used them or seen them in other capacities like at shows . All these are red flags enough for me - it's a crowded market plenty of other choices . Im glad the police are interested , takes a lot these days Cann models were an accredited stockist of Accurascale, who I would have thought would have done the necessary checks with Companies House before supplying them. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold TheSignalEngineer Posted March 9, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 9, 2022 10 hours ago, Black 5 Bear said: Cann models were an accredited stockist of Accurascale, who I would have thought would have done the necessary checks with Companies House before supplying them. not listed on Accurascale site now. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Colder Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 I placed an order on 28/02/2022 as the 25% sale was due to finish on the same date. I had placed three orders previously without any problems and they were delivered within several days. After waiting a week I have tried contacting the owner several times by phone and email with no response. On checking his website I see it has now been closed and I checked with the "watchdog" website who have confirmed that the owner has now gone into liquidation and is under investigation. Landline phone has just a voice mail only available but I managed to find a mobile number which I managed to track down on a google search earlier this week. I have not tried the number so far as I thought it would be a waste of time and decided it would be more use to contact my bank and try and get a refund. (If the mobile number is of interest to anyone else it is 07866 506 603).The number was on a photo of one of his business cards so I would assume it is correct. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black 5 Bear Posted March 11, 2022 Share Posted March 11, 2022 (edited) 5 hours ago, Tim Colder said: I placed an order on 28/02/2022 as the 25% sale was due to finish on the same date. I had placed three orders previously without any problems and they were delivered within several days. After waiting a week I have tried contacting the owner several times by phone and email with no response. On checking his website I see it has now been closed and I checked with the "watchdog" website who have confirmed that the owner has now gone into liquidation and is under investigation. Landline phone has just a voice mail only available but I managed to find a mobile number which I managed to track down on a google search earlier this week. I have not tried the number so far as I thought it would be a waste of time and decided it would be more use to contact my bank and try and get a refund. (If the mobile number is of interest to anyone else it is 07866 506 603).The number was on a photo of one of his business cards so I would assume it is correct. Tim, You'd be wasting your time calling the mobile number, it goes straight to voicemail as does the landline number. Mr Canns absolute silence on this speaks volumes. Best redress as you say is with the credit card company and Devon Trading Standards. Good luck ! Edited March 11, 2022 by Black 5 Bear Duplication Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AY Mod Posted March 11, 2022 Moderators Share Posted March 11, 2022 5 hours ago, Tim Colder said: I checked with the "watchdog" website who have confirmed that the owner has now gone into liquidation and is under investigation Please provide a link to this information. I wouldnt think there is anything on BBC Watchdog and another check with Companies House shows the business still active. Please don't come on here with made up 'facts'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLee55 Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 I wish I had seen these posts a week or so ago. I placed an order on 3 March for which payment has been taken and heard nothing since. I tried to contact them via the phone number and email address given on their website without success. If the business is under investigation, does anyone have contact details e.g. for police or trading standards with whom I can register a complaint? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black 5 Bear Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 39 minutes ago, KLee55 said: I wish I had seen these posts a week or so ago. I placed an order on 3 March for which payment has been taken and heard nothing since. I tried to contact them via the phone number and email address given on their website without success. If the business is under investigation, does anyone have contact details e.g. for police or trading standards with whom I can register a complaint? tradingstandards@devon.gov.uk and online crime reporting go to https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLee55 Posted March 12, 2022 Share Posted March 12, 2022 Many thanks 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules52 Posted March 13, 2022 Share Posted March 13, 2022 (edited) Ohh deep joy! I guess I've been scammed too then! Like many of you, I too have ordered some items but have not received them. I placed an order on 3rd March 2022 for 2 items coming to a total of £109. Like others I also checked his details against companies house and was also reassured by positive reviews on here. On the 4th March 2022 I received an email saying my order was complete. However, like others have already said, no confirmation of despatch or tracking info. Before returning to this website today, I sent an email to the sellers contact details asking when I could expect to receive my items, but as yet no reply. I suspect he never will! Ohh well, looks like I'll be in contact with Credit card provider then! Edited March 13, 2022 by Jules52 Change of wording. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Colder Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 On 11/03/2022 at 03:02, Tim Colder said: I placed an order on 28/02/2022 as the 25% sale was due to finish on the same date. I had placed three orders previously without any problems and they were delivered within several days. After waiting a week I have tried contacting the owner several times by phone and email with no response. On checking his website I see it has now been closed and I checked with the "watchdog" website who have confirmed that the owner has now gone into liquidation and is under investigation. Landline phone has just a voice mail only available but I managed to find a mobile number which I managed to track down on a google search earlier this week. I have not tried the number so far as I thought it would be a waste of time and decided it would be more use to contact my bank and try and get a refund. (If the mobile number is of interest to anyone else it is 07866 506 603).The number was on a photo of one of his business cards so I would assume it is correct. On 11/03/2022 at 03:02, Tim Colder said: I placed an order on 28/02/2022 as the 25% sale was due to finish on the same date. I had placed three orders previously without any problems and they were delivered within several days. After waiting a week I have tried contacting the owner several times by phone and email with no response. On checking his website I see it has now been closed and I checked with the "watchdog" website who have confirmed that the owner has now gone into liquidation and is under investigation. Landline phone has just a voice mail only available but I managed to find a mobile number which I managed to track down on a google search earlier this week. I have not tried the number so far as I thought it would be a waste of time and decided it would be more use to contact my bank and try and get a refund. (If the mobile number is of interest to anyone else it is 07866 506 603).The number was on a photo of one of his business cards so I would assume it is correct. On 11/03/2022 at 08:31, AY Mod said: Please provide a link to this information. I wouldnt think there is anything on BBC Watchdog and another check with Companies House shows the business still active. Please don't come on here with made up 'facts'. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Colder Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 The info regarding our dear mutual friend Mr. Cann was confirmed by an email I received from a company named "watchdog@companieslist", nothing to do with the BBC watchdog programme although I can understand your confusion. They stated that their interest was active as Mr. Cann has not submitted his accounts and along with the fact he is not responding to anyones attempts to contact him and taking all of his stock off his website does not sound like a healthy business to me unless you know better. I am not one to make false statements or come up with comments out of thin air, I just want my money back like everyone else. Two weeks and counting and just hoping my bank are understanding and a quick email to trading standards in Devon as someone previously suggested. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AY Mod Posted March 15, 2022 Moderators Share Posted March 15, 2022 4 hours ago, Tim Colder said: watchdog@companieslist They are nothing official nor have any powers. They are no more a 'watchdog' than next door's cat. 4 hours ago, Tim Colder said: I can understand your confusion I am not confused. It's clear to me you were overstating the influence of an external party. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodenhead Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 @Tim Colder How did you pay for the goods, you must have used a card or Paypal (if he accepts that), so simply raise a case with whoever you used for goods not received. If you paid on Credit and it was for more than 100 pounds then Section 75 comes into play too. There's nothing to gain from going to Trading Standards or Watchdogs when you've got protection via your payment scheme 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Oldddudders Posted March 15, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 15, 2022 6 hours ago, woodenhead said: @Tim Colder How did you pay for the goods, you must have used a card or Paypal (if he accepts that), so simply raise a case with whoever you used for goods not received. If you paid on Credit and it was for more than 100 pounds then Section 75 comes into play too. There's nothing to gain from going to Trading Standards or Watchdogs when you've got protection via your payment scheme In financial terms, maybe, but many thwarted purchasers would also be quite interested in seeing people like this punished in some way. We have all heard of businesses that are closed down, only for the miscreant to start up anew under a new trading name. Being blacklisted would go some way towards hampering his future. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black 5 Bear Posted March 15, 2022 Share Posted March 15, 2022 (edited) 7 hours ago, woodenhead said: There's nothing to gain from going to Trading Standards or Watchdogs when you've got protection via your payment scheme Sorry but Trading Standards/Police need to be aware of people like Mr Cann, who knowingly fraudulently obtain money and don't deliver the goods. Criminal proceedings for offences under the Fraud Act/Theft act are appropriate in this case. In addition to Section 75 protection, banks and credit card companies can and frequently use chargeback for purchases made on cards over £10 and under £100 in value. Edited March 15, 2022 by Black 5 Bear 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Colder Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 Luckily Natwest have given me a refund pending their investigations. Explained the situation too them and happily they were understanding which makes a change these days. Received an email from the "watchdog"companies list and they have said they will let me know of any further developments with Canns liquidation or demise. Noticed the website is now permantly closed so obviously dear Mr. Cann has done runner taking our money with him. I have worked in the civil service for many years and a mate who works for HMRC reckons he has obviously not been paying his taxes or submitting his accounts. He opened his business in 2019 just before covid it, so been a bad time for many business'. Many independent model shops I have used over the last 10 years have folded, even large chains like" Model Zone". Just hope that everyone on here gets a satisfactory conclusion. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Colder Posted March 20, 2022 Share Posted March 20, 2022 AY MOD just trying to be informative about "watchdog companies list", not overstating the fact, they may not have any powers but they are not keeping tabs on him unless they have reason too and obviously they have. As for next doors cat the one next to me has plenty of powers, if he does not get his Whiskas the local bird population soon find out, or he will scratch your eyes out! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Gilbert Posted March 20, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 20, 2022 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Huw Griffiths Posted March 20, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 20, 2022 For some reason, the title of this video reminds me of those "click bait" articles that keep popping up on the internet - the ones with taglines like: "I went into Fortnum and Mason's with £10 - and didn't have much to show for it when I left." Seriously though, I don't like it when "outfits" set up in "business" - carry on in bad faith - and then proceed to "do one". When this happens, I hope the "competent authorities" catch up with them and take appropriate action. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AY Mod Posted March 20, 2022 Moderators Share Posted March 20, 2022 14 hours ago, Tim Colder said: Noticed the website is now permantly closed so obviously dear Mr. Cann has done runner taking our money with him. I have worked in the civil service for many years and a mate who works for HMRC reckons he has obviously not been paying his taxes or submitting his accounts. You are talking rot again, there is nothing outstanding there https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/12195781/filing-history , HMRC is a different issue which you cannot possibly know to be true. Please stop making things up. I have no time for Canns but neither will I permit unfounded accusations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators AY Mod Posted March 20, 2022 Moderators Share Posted March 20, 2022 13 hours ago, Tim Colder said: they are not keeping tabs on him unless they have reason too and obviously they have. They have nothing to gain by doing so either, they are not a public service. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Vistisen Posted March 20, 2022 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 20, 2022 14 hours ago, Tim Colder said: ... and a mate who works for HMRC reckons he has obviously not been paying his taxes or submitting his accounts. you should probably tell your mate that if he wants to keep his job then passing on confidential information is not a good idea. 1 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts