They connect household appliances, take care of defective machines, act as an exterminator against pests or open the locked front door as a locksmith – and the bills afterwards repeatedly cause horror among customers. Germany’s consumer advocates regularly receive complaints about dubious providers, rip-offs and scams.
Those affected visited the consumer program “Markt” on NDR. One of them is a homeowner from Stade who had a moth problem. He looked for professional help on the Internet. It was important for the person concerned to hire a company from the region. He supposedly found them too, the two men came on foot, said they wanted to use poison against the pests and explained that the operation would take around 30 minutes. The homeowner waited in the garden while the men were free to move around the house alone. The result? The wedding ring that had been in the house was suddenly gone. There was also a hefty bill of 360 euros. And what about the moths? Were still there.
The homeowner filed a complaint against the company. But the police could not determine the alleged acts, they can not be found.
Rip off by craftsmen
Another case that “Markt” deals with: A customer with a broken pipe looked for help on the Internet. The company should also come from the region again. The craftsmen were initially four hours late, then they asked for 1700 euros in advance, the bill would come later. The customer refused. His insurance company also declined: it would not have paid this amount. Weeks later I received an invoice for a travel fee of 49 euros. The customer researched and discovered: The company does not come from the region at all; there is a whole network of companies behind it, right across Germany with the headquarters in Regensburg.
The problem: There are trade brokers in the industry who do not repair anything themselves, but rather act as platforms. And make it especially easy for fraudsters. Presumably intermediaries and dubious craftsmen are working hand in hand here to demand inflated bills. The consumer advice center Baden-Württemberg even recognizes the same forms for these rip-off bills. Apparently these are used by fraudsters across Germany and are almost identical in type and presentation. Only the company names were changed.
All this has little to do with the honest craft business around the corner. But what to do if a craftsman is urgently needed? In our photo series we explain the tips from consumer advocates.
You can see the entire broadcast of “NDR-Markt” in the media library.