Ive been ripped off....

[Jwest2015]

Hi Guys,

Unfortunately i hate to say ive been victim of a con-man.
In August 2016 i paid Shaun Richings of Landkey at SWWM (South West Web Marketing) a total of £1,600 deposit (yes it was in cash - yes im stupid!), with the understanding he would build / develop an auction style website and i would pay a furhter £1,600 on completion (when the site was making money in actual fact). - thankfully we do have a contract (and lots of email correspondence to prove EVERYTHING)
It became apparent after 10 months he had clearly done nothing and was plying me with excuse after excuse about EVERYTHING, including not giving me the passwords to get onto the build dahsboard, a 3 month delay to live completion date etc etc etc the list goes on.
He has agreed via email to refund me, twice, once claiming the repayment would take 7-10 days as he was out of the area and needed his laptop and pin machine to process the payment, then when the 10 days was up claimed he "had still not been paid money he was owed", he then said he would meet me 2 days later to pay me and instead of arriving he emailed to say he was "still awaiting payment".
He has blocked my phone from texting and calling him.
When i demanded my money he claimed im bullying him and will take me to court for bieng violent and abusive (this is a 50 year old - 20 stone man).
On the 2nd failed refund day he sent me a link to my website for the first time ever, it is a rushed "shop" style website rather than an auction based site, it must have taken him a maximum of 10 minutes as its literally had nothing done to the template other thana few pictures, titles and category names changed. The sub titles are still even named after womens designer clothing.
Hes literally done nothing, until i reported him to actionfraud and then demanded a refund after terminating the contract.
Im so angry and frustrated and upset and just aaaarrrggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Where can i go from here, he seems to never be at home and he has blocked me from contacting him, i want to take him to court, would i get legal aid? would i get compensation costs from lost revenue?
Any help, advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Have a great day, im sure its better than mine.
Jamie

 

[Scalloway]

Is this the same guy?

https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/news/939131/status-love-rat/

 

[Jwest2015]

Yes, same guy

 

[fisicx]

You could try this: https://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk/web/mcol/welcome

But actually getting cash out of him might be an issue. But if it goes in your favour you can then get the Bailiffs (aka HCEO) to knock on his door. The chances are you will never see your cash again.

£3200 for an auction site isn't much. Making any money out of is unlikely. There have been hundreds of them launched over the years an very few of them have survived.

 

[Jwest2015]

Thanks fisicx

 

[The Byre]

Now there's a lad I would enjoy having a beer with. I just have always had a soft spot for charming scoundrels!

As for the three women - er - I'll pass!

 

[Page]

I suspect your money has gone but ...

You should ask on the legal forum

Or decide that these things happen and compared with some you have got away lightly

IMHO had he built you the working website and even if it had been awesome - you would have just lost an additional £1600 because you were never going to make it pay

But if you have not given up I think there are off the shelf - for diddy squat maybe even free offerings in this area

Sometimes see it as the cost for learning in the university of life - it may not be nice - but those fees are what they are - and they do give learning

I suspect you have learned a bucket from this one

 

[antropy]

Now there's a lad I would enjoy having a beer with. I just have always had a soft spot for charming scoundrels!

As for the three women - er - I'll pass!

Haha there were 4 actually. They're all well and good until they steal thousands of pounds from you.

Sounds like the small claims court is a good start:
https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money/overview

 

[amhsolutions]

Haha there were 4 actually. They're all well and good until they steal thousands of pounds from you.

Sounds like the small claims court is a good start:
https://www.gov.uk/make-court-claim-for-money/overview

I would do this, he wont turn up for the hearing, then you can pay something like £60 for the bailiffs to pay him a visit.

 

[Rotor]

If you can convince the Police its a case of obtaining monies by deception then its a criminal offence and they will have to interview and maybe charge him , worth a try.

 

[Steven Bryant]

i honestly thought i was the only person to be ripped off by Shaun Richings

 

[Steven Bryant]

Unfortunately it does not seem to be the case, after spending time searching for shaun i found another company ripped off by him.

 

[The Byre]

Don't you people do any due diligence? I mean, seriously?

South West Web Marketing Ltd opened in 2009, but never traded or filed books (it took me all of ten seconds to find that out!) yet Mr.Richings continues to trade as if it were open and a legitimate company and nobody seems to have the gumption to take any action against him! Amazing!

You people need to get together and take joint action against him.

 

[JohnnyAkaroa]

Hi
Am currently having same issue with Shaun Richings. Bizarrely, he is a recent neighbour who offered to make a website for me. He offered a discount if paid in full. Three months later, nothing.
He has promised a refund next week which I very much doubt.
Would be keen to talk to other victims and maybe do a group action against him.
Johnny

 

[Rotor]

Hi
Am currently having same issue with Shaun Richings. Bizarrely, he is a recent neighbour who offered to make a website for me. He offered a discount if paid in full. Three months later, nothing.
He has promised a refund next week which I very much doubt.
Would be keen to talk to other victims and maybe do a group action against him.
Johnny

Issue a county court summons right away if you know where he lives , no doubt you'll get judgment against him then send the bailiffs in.

 

[japancool]

group action against him.

A group action with cricket bats?

 

[Shopclicks]

Am currently having same issue with Shaun Richings. Bizarrely, he is a recent neighbour who offered to make a website for me. He offered a discount if paid in full. Three months later, nothing.

Do you have a detailed invoice? How did you pay?

 

[MRQ]

A group action with cricket bats?

Baseball... aluminium... No skelfs (splinters) and easily melted down with an oxy-acetylene torch. ?

 

[antropy]

recent neighbour

So he knew he was moving? Or had already moved before ripping you off?

Paul.

 

[antropy]

Mr.Richings continues to trade as if it were open and a legitimate company and nobody seems to have the gumption to take any action against him! Amazing!

You people need to get together and take joint action against him.

People need to actually take court action and go through with it as we do - even though it takes time and effort.

A recent court case of ours was for a former client who owed us ~£400 from October 2021 and thought he could get away without paying - well I'm not surprised people think that as there were an unbelievable amount of errors on the court's side including letters not being sent, us being told we'd won only for that to turn out to be another admin error, the defendant delaying and cancelling hearings at the last minute which delays things by many months each time, etc. etc.

It took us until only last month, nearly 2 years later to actually win the case in court and get the money (although by then fees and interested had pushed it well over £500).

However we'll continue to take court action against people who think they can get away without paying their web development bills as a matter of principle.

Paul.

 

[fisicx]

I take payment in advance. Sometimes a deposit but mostly the full amount. It’s lost me some work but most clients are agreeable. Not had a meeting with any sort of baseball bat.

That being said, there are many dodgy dealers in all walks of life, websites is no exception. But a bit of due diligence will weed out the scams.

 

[antropy]

I take payment in advance. Sometimes a deposit but mostly the full amount. It’s lost me some work but most clients are agreeable. Not had a meeting with any sort of baseball bat.

Yes we take full payment for almost everything in advance these days and very few clients have queried it. With the above it was a client who had signed up to a 3 month retainer to get a much lower hourly rate, got his work done at the lower rate, then disappeared without paying months 2 and 3.

That being said, there are many dodgy dealers in all walks of life, websites is no exception. But a bit of due diligence will weed out the scams.

I would say the website business has more than its fair share because it's mostly done impersonally without meetings etc.

Paul

 

[japancool]

Presumably though, you guys who take full payment in advance don't normally ask for it in folding pictures of His Majesty.

 

[antropy]

Presumably though, you guys who take full payment in advance don't normally ask for it in folding pictures of His Majesty.

No, why do you ask?

Paul.

 

[japancool]

No, why do you ask?

Paul.

The OP paid in cash!

 

[antropy]

The OP paid in cash!

How does that affect anything though?

Paul.

 

[Shopclicks]

How does that affect anything though?

"I paid you"
"No you didn't"
"Yes I did"
"Prove it"

 

[MRQ]

How does that affect anything though?

Paul.

As the old song says... "No income-tax no V-A-T, no money back, no guarantee" - Nice, easy-to-carry bundles of untraceable ten pound notes...

 

[antropy]

"I paid you"
"No you didn't"
"Yes I did"
"Prove it"

I guess that adds an additional thing to dispute in court.

Paul.

 

[japancool]

How does that affect anything though?

Paul.

Warning sign, IMO, that something's not right if the person asks for payment in cash.

 

[JEREMY HAWKE]

This is the biggest laugh I have had on here in ages this bloke is more famous down here than the King and doing a deal with him is like sending money to bloke in the middle east that claims to have your share of 90 million

 

[MRQ]

...this bloke is more famous down here than the King

Wot? More famous than Elvis??? ????

 

[JohnnyAkaroa]

Do you have a detailed invoice? How did you pay?

Yes. A detailed invoice and payment made by BACS. He is even still enjoying use of a mountain bike I lent him…

So he knew he was moving? Or had already moved before ripping you off?

Paul.

Still a neighbour. Recent as in recently moved in. The lease is in his partners name; he just moved in when she got the lease.

 

[Newchodge]

Still a neighbour. Recent as in recently moved in. The lease is in his partners name; he just moved in when she got the lease.

1. Go round. Get your bike back.
2. Sue him for anythng he owes you.
In that order.

 

[Russ Michaels]

The key here is likely perseverance.... are you prepared to put in all the time and effort and deal with all the stress it is likely to cause to get your money back.

I had a similar situation many years ago, I got conned by a cowboy builder called Arif Choudry trading as Mansion Driveways at the time. Spent £6k on a driveway that was not fit for purpose.

story here:

He was a nasty piece of work, used threats and intimidation against anyone who tried to take action against him, including other driveway fitters, he was very well known in kent.
He threatened me with everything you can imagine, he got other people to call me and threaten me, he threatened to take me to court and take my house, destroy my business and make me bankrupt, and even threatened to kidnap and torture my wife and kids.
Thankfully I am not easily intimidated, so all he succeeded in doing is making me angrier and more determined.
So I persevered, I tracked down other victims of his, and compiled statements and evidence of all his activities, and went to trading standards to help them take him down, I also encouraged the other victims to do the same.
I then used the legal cover that is included with my house insurance to take him to court.
My last words to Mr Choudry were, that I would do everything to him that he had threatened me with, which is exactly what happened.
Myself and several other victims and other creditors, all took him to court and won.

He was eventually made bankrupt, lost his house, family, and business and was also prosecuted by trading standards and sent to prison.

But it took me about 10 years and a lot of stress to get my money back, and the stress also made me quite ill. He dragged the court case on for a very long time, made up a lot of lies, accusing me of being racist and a hells angels biker among other things, all of which I had to disprove and even after I won, it then took years for insolvency service to deal with his bankruptcy and finally sell his house, in the end I got about £20k out of it.

Outside the court one day, he even tried to run me down in his car.

 

[japancool]

My last words to Mr Choudry were, that I would do everything to him that he had threatened me with, which is exactly what happened.

You kidnapped and tortured his wife and kids?

 

[Russ Michaels]

You kidnapped and tortured his wife and kids?

Don;t be daft, obviously not, I stayed within the law and did just what I mentioned above.

 

[Revenge]

Hi Guys,

Unfortunately i hate to say ive been victim of a con-man.
In August 2016 i paid Shaun Richings of Landkey at SWWM (South West Web Marketing) a total of £1,600 deposit (yes it was in cash - yes im stupid!), with the understanding he would build / develop an auction style website and i would pay a furhter £1,600 on completion (when the site was making money in actual fact). - thankfully we do have a contract (and lots of email correspondence to prove EVERYTHING)
It became apparent after 10 months he had clearly done nothing and was plying me with excuse after excuse about EVERYTHING, including not giving me the passwords to get onto the build dahsboard, a 3 month delay to live completion date etc etc etc the list goes on.
He has agreed via email to refund me, twice, once claiming the repayment would take 7-10 days as he was out of the area and needed his laptop and pin machine to process the payment, then when the 10 days was up claimed he "had still not been paid money he was owed", he then said he would meet me 2 days later to pay me and instead of arriving he emailed to say he was "still awaiting payment".
He has blocked my phone from texting and calling him.
When i demanded my money he claimed im bullying him and will take me to court for bieng violent and abusive (this is a 50 year old - 20 stone man).
On the 2nd failed refund day he sent me a link to my website for the first time ever, it is a rushed "shop" style website rather than an auction based site, it must have taken him a maximum of 10 minutes as its literally had nothing done to the template other thana few pictures, titles and category names changed. The sub titles are still even named after womens designer clothing.
Hes literally done nothing, until i reported him to actionfraud and then demanded a refund after terminating the contract.
Im so angry and frustrated and upset and just aaaarrrggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Where can i go from here, he seems to never be at home and he has blocked me from contacting him, i want to take him to court, would i get legal aid? would i get compensation costs from lost revenue?
Any help, advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Have a great day, im sure its better than mine.
Jamie

Hi, Can you please update on this, as Richings has contacted me now. regarding SEO.

 

[Revenge]

How can l make messages private on this, do you have a email

 

[antropy]

Hi, Can you please update on this, as Richings has contacted me now. regarding SEO.

What update do you want? Why would you consider buying SEO off him?

Paul.