Web script for Great British Mobility Presenter: Matt Allwright A 1970s scene, an old lady is sitting opposite a salesman in her home. What s going on here? You re an old lady, aren t you? LADY NODS And this chap? Well, he s a salesman by the look of him. SALESMAN LOOKS PLEASED WITH HIMSELF Let me guess he s trying to sell you something which you might want but you d like time to think about? LADY NODS Hold on, this is making him angry. Which isn t at all like he was two hours ago when he first arrived. He seemed so nice then! He was full of compliments. He even showed you pictures of his favourite horse! THE SALESMAN SEEMS NICER AT FIRST, REVEALS PICTURE OF HIS FAVOURTIE HORSE. But now he s not so friendly any more. Would you do anything to make him leave? Even paying him a cheque, just to get him out the door? LADY NODS, LOOKING SCARED. Matt steps in. MATT (TO CAMERA) Well today that won t be necessary. Go on, sling your hook, 70s salesman! SALESMAN EXITS. And relax. But unfortunately, we can t. Because despite decades of campaigning and legislation to prevent it, old ladies are still being pressure sold to by men in cheap suits. Don t go anywhere, you. We re going to need you in a bit And so it gives me no pleasure whatsoever to introduce you to Great British Mobility which is the trading name for The Mobility Rental Group Limited. A company specialising in adjustable beds and recliner arm chairs. 1
It s based near Weston Supermare, and is run by 4 directors. Timothy Hedgecock, Graeme Pattullo, Nigel Edwards and Timothy Lockett. But their salesmen are on the loose right across the country. William and Janet Wood asked one to give them a free demo last March. This is Jodie, their grand daughter JODIE WOOD: He brought a chair in for them to try out, he didn t leave for 2 hours. He wouldn t leave without a sale basically. They definitely felt pressured into buying these chairs. The salesman wanted them to buy 2 reclining chairs - for 4,500. They say they felt pressured into paying the full amount that very day. JODIE WOOD: I was very disappointed that he d gone into the house and that he d actually put this sale through without giving them time to think about what they actually wanted. When Jodie complained, the company eventually agreed to rip up the cheque but it left Janet very shaken indeed JODIE WOOD: She was very upset, she lost a lot of sleep over it - I think that it s disgraceful. Yeah, I can understand why. Right, time to do what we do best. We call Great British Mobility out to a house filled with tiny cameras. Awaiting them is Eleanor, our actress. Now this is a different GBM representative to the one Jodie s grandparents met, and he s here to give us a free home demo. That means, just like magic yoyo s, there are no strings attached. And who am I to doubt? MATT (TO CAMERA) Look at me open mind. Anything can happen. I settle in to watch proceedings with occupational therapist and mobility furniture expert Maggie Winchcombe. MALCOLM: I m Malcolm from Great British Mobility. 2
ELEANOR : Oh thank you, yeah. Malcolm sets up his demo chair, and measures up our actress. But it s not long before the questionable claims begin. MALCOLM: So this looks like an armchair but it s actually designed to keep your health as good as possible. MAGGIE WINCHCOMBE (to Matt) It s getting a bit concerning because now he s talking up the benefits, the health benefits, that somehow or other this chair is going to do something for this person s health MALCOLM: This controller is an inbuilt massage system the massage stimulates the blood gets oxygen into it you can sit on one of these chairs press a button it s like going for a walk. MAGGIE WINCHCOMBE (to Matt) Oh, sorry, and now he s saying this chair will be like going for a walk, that s not true. Malcolm also lies by telling us that the foam in the chair helps to circulate your blood and that the massage function can numb pain. But the medical mischief gets worse. Eleanor tells Malcolm that she s got a bad back. ELEANOR : The doctor said did say I should sit with my back upright. MALCOLM: I m not contradicting your doctor I would never do that but this chair is supporting you but what the doctor is really saying is you need to sit supported. MAGGIE WINCHCOMBE (to Matt) So he s not contracting the doctor but he is redefining what the doctor s telling her. I don t know on what basis he can give that advice MATT (to Maggie) When I have aches and pains I go to the doctor and then I usually seek a second opinion from a chair salesman So that s the magical health powers of the chair but what about the price though? It 3
takes him more than an hour for him to mention it, but here it is MALCOLM: That chair would cost you 3860 Hold on. Nearly 4 grand for a CHAIR?? MATT (with Maggie) For me it would need a steering wheel and four tyres for that price. ELEANOR : Can I sleep on it overnight? Is that alright? MALCOLM: What we try and do ELEANOR : I think it will give me time to turn it over in my mind and think about it. It s a reasonable request. But Malcolm s having none of it MALCOLM: What we try and do is, we try and get to a conclusion today because it s all fresh. ELEANOR : Yeah but my mind, to be honest, is quite confused with all my different options. Malcolm even tries desperation tactics, offering to pay the 700 cost of the additional massage function himself! MALCOLM: I will pay for the massage for you But Eleanor still insists she needs time to think. And she tells him so on 16 occasions Malcolm s response? The silent treatment ELEANOR : Let it go through my head and then think, Yes.you know? SILENCE 4
MATT (VOICEOVER) Let s time it No we can t make you watch all of this but trust me, it s awkward TIMER ENDS ON 28 SECONDS MALCOM: Is the speed of delivery Matt (to Maggie) Cor dear, he s finally said something. Malcolm s final roll of the dice is the good old fashioned guilt trip. MALCOLM: Every time I jump in that vehicle and go anywhere it s a cost, so to come back is an additional cost MATT (to Maggie) This doesn t feel like a no obligation MAGGIE No MATT Demonstration does it? This feels like I ve come I ve spent money coming to see you therefore we ought to do this deal. Sensing he s beaten, after two and a half hours Malcolm finally packs his bags and leaves. So far then, Great British Mobility have lied to us, they made medical muppets of us, and they ve given us the silent treatment in our own home. It s bad. It s really bad. But I want more. Because I m still hungry. Some cake appears from the side of the screen, Matt pushes it away. And I think there s a lot more to come. 5
END OF PART ONE. PART TWO. Yes, we ve decided to buy one of GBM s chairs.. and Malcolm s back to seal the deal. We ve opted for a model called the Cheltenham but instead of paying more than 3 grand to get it made-to-measure, we buy one that Malcolm says has been already made up in the factory for the knock-down price of wait for it 2200. Look at it all MALCOLM: Thanks for your business No Malcolm, Thank you. 5 days later, and the most expensive chair that I, or anyone else I know has ever bought arrives in all its glory. It s.. oooh, it s a bit green isn t it? But, is this a technological wonder seat? To find out, Simon Biddulph who s from the British Standards Committee for rise and Recline Chairs, I think he sounds like the man for the job SIMON (to Matt) Well Matt, OK I ve had a quick look at the chair. MATT (to Simon) Yes SIMON (to Matt) And it looks pretty much representative of what s available on the market at the moment. You can buy them from high street furniture stores or mobility outlets. It s pretty much run of the mill. MATT (to Simon) They claim it s been made in the UK, what s the truth? SIMON (to Matt) The frame definitely is, but the actuation system as far as I m aware is made in China. MATT (to Simon) How much would you expect to spend on a chair like this SIMON (to Matt) Anywhere between 5, 6, 7, 800 pound MATT (to Simon) We paid 2200 for it SIMON (to Matt) Really? That s a lot, lot of money for this type of chair 6
MATT (to Simon) Does it make any sense at all? SIMON (to Matt) No, I believe it s grossly over inflated. Now, all we ve seen so far is the handiwork of just one salesman. The one we really want to see in action is the guy who pressure sold to Jodie s grandparents. What was his name again? JODIE WOOD: It was Nick I m sorry, once again. JODIE WOOD: Nick. Thank you Jodie. Hmm, wouldn t it be great if we could call this Nick out for a free no obligation home demonstration with one of our stoodges and find out exactly how he works NICK: Nick from Great British Mobility. I love it when that happens. Yes, it s a new house and Nick Edmunds who dealt with Jodie s grandparents is knocking on the door. Now, Katie, remember her? Well she s back and raring to stooge. There is however a slight hiccup, you see it s band practice tonight. But luckily, the boys have agreed, I can keep an eye on proceedings and comment musically wherever appropriate. NICK: And please call me Nick as well KATIE : Nick. Nick, OKAY. 7
Nick kicks off by talking us through the different chairs Great British Mobility have on offer Nick: So all the parts, elements, components, motors, are British, they're not Chinese or Malaysian import. Okay. Hold on what was it Simon Biddulph said? SIMON BIDDULPH The actuation system s are made in Chin, made in China made in China, China (fade out) So that s not true. Therefore Nick is potentially MATT (PLAYING WITH BAND) (sings) BREAKING THE LAW, BREAKING THE LAW. BREAKING THE LAW, BREAKING THE LAW. A commercial practice is misleading if it contains false information and it causes or is likely to cause the average consumer to take a transactional decision he would not have taken otherwise. We re an hour in to the demonstration and Nick still hasn t mentioned the cost KATIE : So how much do these chairs come out at? She s just asked for the price so we should know any moment now. Aaaany minute now (fast forward footage) no, no, Nick doesn t tell us for almost another half an hour! NICK: You re looking at 2,798 is what you're looking at for that. KATIE : That s a lot of money NICK: That s a lot of chair. 8
When Katie says she s unsure she wants to spend almost 3 grand on a chair - Nick deploys the favourite tactic of the pressure seller. The old call back to office on the off chance we can do a special deal! routine. And sure enough, he s now miraculously able to drop the price to 2200. Or offer us an offthe-shelf version of the same chair for 2000. NICK: I ve got you a fantastic price. Yeah but we know that isn t fantastic price, and therefore HE IS (plays with band) BREAKING THE LAW, BREAKING THE LAW. Let me refer you to Schedule 1 paragraph 18 passing on materially inaccurate information on market conditions or on the possibility of finding the product with the intention of inducing the consumer to acquire the product at conditions less favourable than normal market conditions. Ok, so now Katharine needs to tell Nick that she wants time to think it over. Remember Malcolm? Eleanor said she unsure whether she wanted to buy today 16 times before he got the message. How about Nick? KATIE : I m sorry, I can t make an instant decision today NICK: Well it s not instant is it so, it s not instant because of the work we ve done today. KATIE : Well it feels instant to me KATIE : Maybe I should think about it a bit more KATIE : I don t want to make the wrong decision KATIE : I don t want to rush into anything And it s a new PB! Katie s said she unsure or needs time to think 31 times before Nick 9
finally gives up! NICK: What I am slightly confused about is I don t honestly know what you re going to think about. MATT (playing with band) BREAKING THE (they stop playing) No, Wait wait wait, high pressure sales in and of themselves are not against the law, however Nick was invited into our home under on the basis of a free no obligation home demonstration therefore his overall presentation was deceptive and breaching regulation 5 of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and therefore HE IS (Band start playing) BREAKING THE LAW, BREAKING THE LAW. BREAKING THE LAW, BREAKING THE LAW. And after almost 2 and half hours Nick finally gives up and leaves So, two GBM salesman, two badgering high pressure sales pitches. Clearly, GBM is a company we need to talk to. Possibly with a bit of accompaniment. MATT (to band) See you next week guys MATT S BAND MATE Plonker END OF PART 2 PART 3 Well here s the news Nick Edmunds from Great British Mobility is on his way around. And we ve put a new line up together to meet him. We re called No Obligation Home Demonstration. OK MATT (playing with band) One way or another, we re gonna find you 10
Yes, Our actress Katie has called Nick round for a second consultation, except this time, my band and I are waiting to rock out in the conservatory. Right on time, Nick approaches our house, so it s time to stop rehearsals and get ready for the headline act. Katie answers the door whilst the band and I wait quietly in the back conservatory to see what he s got to say NICK: Hello, you alright? KATIE : Oh, hello. After a bit of chit chat whilst Nick sets up the demonstration chair, Katie asks him one more time about the 2200 he s quoted her KATIE : You think this is a really good price yeah? NICK: Yeah I do, yes well it s the retail price and you ve got some discounts. You do get what you pay for. MATT: (whispers) No you don t. And that, ladies and gentleman is yet another potential breach of consumer legislation. He isn t allowed to suggest it s a good price when we know it s not. With that, we decide the serenading should perhaps begin. Katie asks Nick to come and check if the chair would fit into her conservatory.which clearly it won t as currently squeezed in there are me, a bass player, a drummer and a camera crew DOORSTEP KATIE : So, Perhaps you could have a look for me to see if you think it will fit alright out there. MATT: Nick, you are potentially (MATT playing with band) BREAKING THE LAW, BREAKING THE LAW. MATT: He s gone he s gone. Nick, Matt Allwright BBC Rogue Traders. You re running off How you doing? NICK: I m fine 11
MATT: The point we re making of course is that what you ve been doing breaches, we think, several regulations. Specifically, the Consumer Protection against Unfair Trading Regulations of 2008. When you enter someone s home on the basis of a free, no obligation demonstration in your home and then you pursue a high pressure sales technique as we ve seen you do NICK: No I didn t though MATT: You did, I m afraid because on 31 occasions, our lady expressed reservations about what was taking place and you overrode those and tried to get an answer from her today. To get the decision today. NICK: That was fine and then I walked away from that. MATT: The chair that we were potentially buying is worth roughly 6 or 700 thats what the equivalent chair would cost if you were going to buy it on the open market. Whereas in fact you were selling it for roughly 3 times that value, if you re going to do that again it s a potential breach of the consumer protection against unfair trading regulations of 2008. Do you have a copy? NICK: My company probably does yeah MATT: Do you know what, I m going to give you one here. We ve marked up the areas in which you were deficient and misleading in your sales pitch Nick. NICK: Well I don t mean to be. MATT: Can you see that when you re pushing for people to make a sale on the day like that it leads people to make the wrong decisions- leads people to make decisions they wouldn t have made otherwise. NICK: Yeah it can do which is why I rarely do it. MATT: But you did on this occasion Nick NICK: Because I thought she needed a chair. But she didn t need a chair did she, so you re lying aren t you. she didn t need a chair. MATT: Well you can understand why we ve done what we ve done. I ll tell you the circumstance under which we wouldn t be having this conversation right now Nick is when she said I need some time to think about this, you say fine, here s my card, take as much time as you want because that would have been a no obligation, free home demonstration. NICK: So it s the one thing really MATT: Well we ve got 4 possible, potential breaches here, ok, of the consumer protection from unfair trading regulations. We also have the fact they you re saying it s a great deal. NICK: What I first initially said was, was you can get cheap chairs and I make that very clear about that 12
MATT: We re talking about equivalent chair. Would be available for about 700. NICK: Well I don t know because MATT: You need to know that when you re telling someone it s a great deal. NICK: Well I don t need to do I because my company whatever they buy wholesale. MATT: You do need to know, you do need to know NICK: Well I do tell them that. MATT: If you re telling people it s a great deal you need to know it s a great deal and not 3 times the cost of an equivalent chair somewhere else. Our conversation goes on for a few minutes whilst Nick packs his demo chair away. DOORSTEP MATT: I think the crucial thing is, you re going in for a free, no obligation home demonstration NICK: But I am allowed to ask if they want to buy? MATT: Of course you are NICK: Thank you, good. Because otherwise, commerce would stop. MATT: No no no, listen, we understand that people need to sell things. Yeah, that makes sense, but the way they sell them, which is what those regulations are there to prescribe and make sure it s being done properly is absolutely crucial. NICK: Yeah, well I ll pass it on to my company and we ll take it on board. And I certainly will. MATT: Thank you Nick. NICK: Well I won t say it s been a pleasure. MATT: Nice to meet you. NICK: Nice to meet you. There goes Nick from Great British Mobility, I think he took some of that on board.. anyway, there he goes rocking and rolling his way out of Telford END OF PART 3 13
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