Here's a story that perhaps you can help to round out.

I have just been chatting with a young lady who has had rather an unhappy experience with what appears to be borderline illegal actions of a shop when she tried to sell her phone.

Her story was that she took her phone to a Cliftonville shop in order to raise some cash. This is an increasingly common activity as cash is a touch hard to come by presently.

However when she did not agree to the price offered by the shop for her phone things became less than friendly. She tells me that the man in the shop refused to return her property and insisted it was too late for her to change her mind. Given the phone model in question and the offered amount I would have said no thanks too.

I have no reason to doubt the young lady in question.

What I would like to figure out is was her experience with this rogue traders a one off? Or have other people had similar experiences with cash-trade-in shops?

Did the man in the shop simply get over excited at the prospect of making what must have seemed like some easy money or does one or more shops have a policy of not giving people their good back if they say no?

Having only ever sold some scrap gold to a trader I know and trust I have no experience to bring to this story. Certainly if there is a shop owner being this rude and questionably lawful I would rather see something done. On the other hand if there is nothing in this I'd like to know that too. But as I said I have no reason to doubt the young lady (who was very cross).



Her story it seems is a topic of discussion on certain social networks as this screen clipping shows.

I also found a review of a trade inn station on Google maps which said the man took my phone, put it under the counter ... i had to get the police involved in order to retrieve my phone. I'm quite keen to chat to the shop owner in question if he would like to put his side of the story here in comments or by private email. (It's a bit late to try phoning right now).

I would like to ask if he remembers the exchange mentioned in the review and if he feels his actions were completely correct.

Obviously there will always be those in every walk of life that count on people being to embarrassed to go to the police over what they have experienced but it would be nice to think that we are largely safe.

If this or something like it should ever happen to you (I hope it does not) please do talk to the police as soon as it is safe to do so. If someone has your property refusing to give it back is not acceptable. You might also like to speak with trading standards (08454 04 05 06).

With such large demand for cash-for-goods services are there those that take advantage of the desperate and vulnerable operating in Thanet? If how can we identify such rogue traders? What can be done to bring the bad guy to justice and what can we do to protect ourselves from being taken advantage of?

Has the industry become this aggressive, always been this aggressive or... ? I'm not sure what to make of it all.

Is this rather poor treatment of customers a big problem? I don't know? Was the young lady I spoke to alone in what happened to her?

If you have been subject to highly aggressive tactics by cash-for-goods shops I'd like to hear from you.

Stay safe.

Today's post is actually the content of an email from a reader. Variety being the spice of life here is that letter.

It is my feeling that our island is being poorly managed in the retail business sector, and that the KCC has sold out to corporate fatcats. The building of WWX, which I will add was badly planned and not based on the orignal plans put forward to the public, signed a slow death sentence to Thanet's retail sector.

The only town that has the right idea is Broadstairs. It is a picture perfect postcard ideal for the typical British tourist. It has attractions like bleak house and also caters for the community it upholds. It is my feeling that if Margate and Ramsgate was to follow suit; it would kick start the tourist trade that we sorely need.

The town's high streets should have a small business feel that Canterbury has mostly trademarked, along with small supermarkets to serve the locals. Let WWX be where you do the weekly shop or buy a special outfit, but do not let it suck our towns dry and leave them as withering husks that are crumbling.

KCC needs to stop floundering in what potentially are shallow waters. Regenerate, renew, repaint and rebuild an island we can all be proud of.

The author of this letter would rather not put his name forward.