Rogue carpenter who disappeared after taking £700 from customer winds up in court
A rogue carpenter who took more than £700 from a customer for work they never carried out must pay out more than £1,000.
Richard Clive Jenks, who traded as Richard Jenks Carpentry, took a deposit of £710 from a woman in Dudley to buy and fit a new composite door at her home.
After taking the money he failed to deliver the door or offer a refund, despite several requests from her and her family, whose calls went unanswered as he made no attempted to resolve the issue.
After the customer made a complaint to Trading Standards, Jenks was summonsed to appear in court but failed to attend, leading to an arrest warrant being issued.
Jenks was arrested and appeared at Dudley Magistrates Court on Wednesday, where he admitted two offences under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. One charge was of engaging in a misleading action containing false information by taking money for work he never carried out, and the other was a misleading omission by not including a right to cancel for the customer.
The 42-year-old, of Walker Avenue, Brierley Hill, was ordered to pay £710 compensation as well as a £120 fine and £395 costs. In total he must pay £1,225.
Councillor Ian Bevan, cabinet member responsible for trading standards, said: “It never ceases to amaze me what rogue traders think they will get away with.
“In this case, the tradesman thought he could take the money and run, but thanks to the consumer reporting this, we were able to take action on their behalf and stop him in his tracks.”
