Nigel Gray hunts out Cowboy Customers for ITV1
Presented by Nigel Gray, Cowboy Customers reveals the plague of patrons destroying small businesses by taking goods and services but not paying for them. This hard-hitting documentary brings to light the devastating human cost on the real families behind the small businesses who are dependent upon the bills being paid.
Builder Nigel Gray hit the headlines when he demolished a brand-new, £15,000 conservatory and porch because a customer refused to pay the bill. His company went bankrupt because of this one, massive unpaid debt. It hurt him and his family so badly that he felt he had to do something.
In the programme, Nigel goes on a quest to confront customers who owe some of the £38 billion in overdue or unpaid bills to Britain’s small businesses (source: Federation of Small Businesses). He’ll speak to families about the very real human costs of these cowboy customers and find out the devastating consequences that they now face.
He meets a family who fear their home will be repossessed and a man who will have to wait more than twenty-seven years to get all his money back.
Nigel highlights how the law is failing to bring these cowboy customers to justice. Shockingly, he discovers that even if you get a county court judgement against bad debtors, there’s no guarantee as to when they might receive their money.
Britain’s small businesses keep more than 13m people in work and are the backbone of our nation. They contribute a massive 90 billion pounds each year to the economy and in the current economic climate, it’s more important than ever that they are given the best chance possible to survive.
His campaign takes him to the heart of Westminster where he lobbies for significant new laws to help small businesses collect their money and keep afloat.
ITV1, Tuesday 8th September, 10:35pm
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Since my last posting a few minutes ago I have scrolled back through the postings on this website and noticed that Colin Barber made the posting which I have just referenced on the 6th of October.
It has taken over 4 days for the notification to reach me by email.
Strange!!!
Wew’ll have to go back to writing letters!
i have just been throught 3 years of hell with someone who wouldnt pay the £10.000 they owed me now we have been to court and they have won brand new roofs and materials all by perjuy and fraudulent documents as we couldnt afford a solicitor we ended up being stitched by there solicitor and the judge who realy did band together to make them win the solicitor perjured himself to claim his costs and even when i pointed this out to the judge he just laughed at me and dismissed it they us fraudulent documents and even tho they had them the judge wouldnt allow me to to bring it up , he gave their solicitor 90 full minutes to cross exmine me then when it was my turn to ask questions he gave me 30 minutes and would not even allow me to choose which one of the couple i would question, railroaded all the way now i have to find £5000 to pay their costs , an honest tradesman who does his best and this is how we are treated you could see the judge just took me to be a low life builder it is outrageous, there is so much more to this but probably take too much time to write down exactly how the courts let these people make a mockery of the system. any ideas for any help would be gratefully appreciated .
I may have been able to help before the case went to court Mark, but most definitely not after.
I’ve been there Mark, and experienced much of the same as yourself.
For whatever reason, once a judge gets it wrong, you are beyond help from the ’system’.
The legal professionals can mock and deride and laugh at you. To them, it’s just a lucrative game, but to you, perhaps, like it was for myself, it is your whole life going down the pan.
Many years ago, I clearly remember how outside a court, I turned to my rogue customers legal executive and pleaded with him, “How can you support this man. You know he’s lying!”
He laughed in my face and retorted, “Yes, but he’s still got the benefit of a legal aid certificate!”.
That’s all that matters to them.– How much they can screw out of the system.
In my case £32,000 of public monies was squandered in helping the rogue customer avade a debt of just £6,173.
This appalling abuse of people like myself/yourself and the abuse of public funds should be tackled but then, how does one appeal to Satan from Satan?
Hi again all.
Further to my moan following the first episode, I have now been issued with personal bankruptcy petition, by my creditors, so far the bill has escalated to 75k. The court date is set for the 3rd December. If anyone can give a donation to try and save my house that I have worked 22 years for, it would greatly be appreciated. however do not send the monies to me as the dirty bastards will get their hands on it and if it does not mount up to the full 75k debt, I will still be made bankrupt. Thanks to all the asshole cowboy customers. May you rot in hell twice!
I’m really sorry to hear of all this Chris. I know only too well what it’s like, since I lost my home and property and everything that I had, and meant anything to me in human, not just materialistic terms, many years ago.
I can understand your reference to ‘asshole cowboy customers’, and your hatred of them, but look beyond them and take a look at the whole picture.
They are supported by members an evil ’system’ of law and ancillary professions who thrive upon, and make a good living out of, supporting them in their criminal activities.
As an example of how evil and insiduous this ‘’system’ is, let me tell you that the barrister, — now judge,– who knowingly supported my rogue customers deceptions in court, was, and still is, the chancellor to the diocese of the Anglican church here in Bradford.
THe whole rotten system is of the devil and that is the reason why you and I worked so damned bloody hard only for the crooks to walk all over us.
why is there no way to get justice from the system even though they perjured themselves supplied fraudulent documents,this is surely a criminal matter. the system says i have to try and appeal and that alone will cost nearly £10.000 then i have the actual appeal which is probably another £10.000 . the law society whom i have complained to aboth their solicitor perjuring himself will not even acknowledge my complaint.surely somewhere there is a way to make these liars face the justice they so deserve, its not so much about the money now but about how the achieved their verdict and a judge who simply couldnt care less about fraud and perjury in his courtroom because it was all presented by a memebr of his legal fraternity, the woman of the couple is a well ‘respected’ university lecturer at birmingham mayeb this did not help my case as i am only a low builder. this is disgracefull one law for the rich one for the builders
You’re going to have to stop beating yourself up over this Mark. You might think that it easy for me to say when I advise you to drop it and put it all behind you.
It’s not. It’s very hard because like yourself, I know the feelings of outrage and frustration and resentment that burn away inside you, and the feeling of futility battling away against a ’system’ whose members hold all the cards and are determined that you shall not have justice no matter how many lies and deceptions that you have the proof of.
I made it through to the court of appeal as a Litigant in Person and spent one hour and twenty minutes before two judges pointing out the differences between the crooks documented ‘pleaded case’ and his conflicting verbal claims to the court.
The judges ruled that their lower court brother judge had ‘been right on the evidence’.
All that I can do is wish you well Mark.