Dodgy parts supplier Sparefinder

[cranchi44]

Searching google for a porsche 997 carbon front lip the name sparefinder.co.uk popped up. They promised to supply details of sources for this part and gave me the option to text parts to what I now know to be a premium rate text service. They emailed a dozen or so confirmed suppliers numbers and oddly enough all numbers began 07099 851 ..
It was only on the fourth call I thought it strange none of them had a clue and didn't have the part. That acording to Vodaphone THE SCAM just cost me £6 + vat for wasting my time and further lining the pockets of this DUBIOUS outfit. Happily Porsche now make one and it's on it's way

[handpaper]

Nominet said:

~ $ whois sparefinder.co.uk

Domain name:
sparefinder.co.uk

Registrant:
sparefinder

Registrant type:
UK Individual

Registrant's address:
The registrant is a non-trading individual who has opted to have their
address omitted from the WHOIS service.

Registrar:
Fasthosts Internet Ltd [Tag = FASTHOSTS]
URL: http://www.fasthosts.co.uk

A 'non-trading individual' running a commercial website that texts you premium-rate numbers to call? Definite scam.
Call Nominet and out them, then report them to OFT and possibly the Fraud Squad.
BT will probably be interested, too - they can yank the 070.... if they even suspect it's being abused.

[Banner]

I started a similar thread to this a while ago. I used the Breakerlink service and opted for the companies to call me if they had the said part. I got 2 calls - both from the same company (a place in Bradford). They claimed to have the part and I paid the quoted price over the phone. In brief - the part never arrived, despite numerous phone calls on my part and excuses from them after 2 weeks of waiting I phoned to cancel. Meantime my bank statement had arrived and I noticed they had debited about £30 more!! They made me write to them to cancel and then I received a reply that told me that they had delivered the part and that they would not refund. I contacted my bank and after providing the evidence they reversed the transaction.

If anyone would like to know the name of the dodgy breakers yard please PM me. They have lost a lot more than the £58 they tried to scam off of me.

[DaveL86]

It's worth dropping Nominet an email letting them know about the abuse of the domain name system, I've done it before when I got ripped off on a website and they gave the website the ultimatum of displaying or going, the website disappeared.

[robm3]

Banner said:

I started a similar thread to this a while ago. I used the Breakerlink service and opted for the companies to call me if they had the said part. I got 2 calls - both from the same company (a place in Bradford). They claimed to have the part and I paid the quoted price over the phone. In brief - the part never arrived, despite numerous phone calls on my part and excuses from them after 2 weeks of waiting I phoned to cancel. Meantime my bank statement had arrived and I noticed they had debited about £30 more!! They made me write to them to cancel and then I received a reply that told me that they had delivered the part and that they would not refund. I contacted my bank and after providing the evidence they reversed the transaction.

If anyone would like to know the name of the dodgy breakers yard please PM me. They have lost a lot more than the £58 they tried to scam off of me.

Funny, I went to buy a set of AP brakes out of PH classifieds from a Breakers in Bradford. Chap on the phone insisted on full payment plus postage before sending, for some reason my 'spider-sense' was tingling, I was hesitant and then called him back to say I'd pick them up instead.

He wanted my Phone number, which I left and then called me back 10 minutes later to say the calipers had been sold!

I guess I can thank my lucky stars he had the 'decency' not to let me drive the 100 miles or so up there to tell me but really think it was a con now.