‘I got the waste bit of skin with six millimetres of pink flesh...’
Trading Standards warning not to buy from doorstep sellers
RESIDENTS have been warned not to buy from doorstep sellers after villagers claimed they were mis sold fish.
Two residents of Newbold Verdon gave similar accounts of how they were approached by a group of door-to-door salesmen, at around noon on May 6.
They both said they paid £99 for several packs of fish which they said were of poor quality.
Graham Wileman, 73, lives in the Peters Avenue area, and was approached by the vendors.
He said he was told the fish had to be bought in bulk packs and was initially offered 50 packs for £500, and that they then agreed a smaller amount of 10 packs for £99.
Mr Wileman said he would have preferred to buy even fewer packs with a variety of different fish for him to try.
He said: “I picked some fish off his chart, he came up to the door with the bundle, I put them in the freezer.
“Then we got it out over the weekend and saw what we had actually got.
“I got the waste bit of skin, with six milimetres of pink flesh, all covered in oil.”
Mr Wileman said he usually buys his fish from the market such as in Leicester but the coronavirus outbreak has restricted his movements, so the offer was very convenient.
Another resident of the village said she had a similar experience on the same day, paying £99 for a “small pack” of cod and sea trout.
The woman, who is in her 70s and is self isolating, remain nameless.
She said some of the fish arrived frozen, while others were only partly frozen, and that they were of poor quality when she ate them.
She said: “I then felt so cross with myself for being so gullible.”
Mr Wileman complained to Trading Standards about the incident.
A spokesperson for Leicestershire County Council Trading Standards said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases, however we are aware of reports made regarding door-to-door fish sellers operating in the area.
“Reports include instances of fish not being as described, for example, customers being sold only fish skin rather than the fish promised.
“We urge consumers to be vigilant and not to buy products from doorstep sellers.
“You never know who you are buying from, where the goods are from and whether they are safe to eat. Any reports we receive where we can identify the seller will be referred to the relevant authorities or actioned by us as appropriate.” asked to