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CROSSHIRE: KNOW YOUR ENEMY When the cost of doing business rises, and finding anyone to do business with becomes more challenging, one thing is certain: everyone tries to hang on to their cash longer. Obviously, some reputable clients just take time and need harder kicks from our credit controllers. However, there are an increasing number of individuals who have no intention of paying for anything, because they are in business to steal our equipment, either by deception or theft. When business becomes difficult, these villains seem to multiply quicker than slime on a pond. On our patch in the last three months, a scam has been operated whereby many hirers and builders merchants have given credit to a plausible new company that was set up purely to acquire plant and materials, and then make them disappear. Needless to say, the con men behind this operation also disappeared! Blatant outright theft of plant continues, with stories of premises being entered by walls being cut open, or lax security allowing machines to be loaded and driven away in broad daylight just because no one bothered to check what was going on. If direct losses by theft and deception are not bad enough, a quick chat with any of the specialist credit reference agencies for our industry confirms that insolvencies and other company failures are rising rapidly. When any outfit remotely connected with building or construction goes belly up, the creditors list is a 'who's who' of hire. I firmly believe that, while we cannot stop this trend, we can reduce it by some simple and cheap actions. Knowledge, as ever, is a powerful weapon and we must talk to each other on a local basis to stay alert. The scam mentioned above was fuelled by silly counter staff being duped by the promise that the 'client' was unhappy with a competitor, and so they could enjoy all his future business. If local hirers had spoken to each other, the warning bells might have rung a lot earlier. Whether it is corporate depots or proud independents, we seem to be more concerned at 'putting one over' on each other than helping our industry rid itself of a real threat to our bottom line. It may not be politically correct, but it is accurate to state categorically that, where theft and deception are concerned, the itinerant community will usually not be far away. In addition to direct action on their own behalf, they have become the foot soldiers of organised plant theft. When they are not lifting manhole covers or church roofs for scrap, they are at the business end of a large swathe of equipment theft. Know your enemy: they typically drive flashy 4 x 4 utilities or expensive German saloons with blacked-out windows. They often park outside premises or drive into larger yards for a look around. Did you know that you can punch any registration number into www.askmid.com and check if it is currently insured, and what type of vehicle it should be? Informing the police that an apparently uninsured vehicle is behaving suspiciously will usually bring a response. Odds are that it won't be taxed and may be running on red diesel as well. Crosshire realises there are gadgets that can be fitted to our kit to prevent theft, or to locate it if stolen. I am sorry to inform the purveyors of these gizmos that the window of useful life between the introduction of a device and the criminals devising counter measures is narrowing rapidly. The best and cheapest defence is vigilance, and spreading information. Do you train your staff to recognise our enemy? Do they always say NO, however plausible the deal on offer? Do you tell your local competitors that trouble is in town? There are many instances where counter staff have been lured by the dark side of our enemy who will wave rolls of high-value cash at them to instil false security. Warn your people that you will never get your hands on any significant amount of this cash compared to the value of the plant they may intend to spirit away. Above all, everyone in our industry should be in no doubt that, whatever equipment the travelling people get their hands on, it may end up travelling with them! Executive Hire News › Archives › September 2008 › Crosshire › Know your enemy
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