However many warnings are given out by Trading Standards about buying counterfeit goods, it seems that the trade is alive and well in Beds, Herts and Bucks.

Stephen Rhodes of the BBC Three Counties Radio consumer programme investigates.

How many times have we heard the warnings from Trading Standards and the like, about buying counterfeit goods? Especially CDs, videos and now DVDs.

There were bags of suspect goods at each car boot sale visited

Well, if the experiences of Stephen Rhodes of the BBC Three Counties Radio programme is anything to go by, there is still a market for them.

Sunday is the big day for car boot sales so Stephen took himself off to a couple of them in Hertfordshire recently. The first was at the car park attached to
St Albans Railway Station.

Surprised
When he arrived, there were only a small number of stalls there, about 10 in all, so he was surprised to see that one of them was selling nothing but videos and DVDs of all the
latest movies.

"I was aware that these would not be on general release to the public yet," he says, "but it was also obvious from the poor quality of the printed labels, and the fact that the videos had no labels on them at all, that the entire stock, and there were hundreds, were all counterfeit."

Stephen decided to buy Men in Black II on video and then left the stall to examine the merchandise more closely with a Trading Standards Officer.

"He confirmed what I already thought," says Stephen, "it was a counterfeit, and not a very good one at that."

Trading Standard Officers took away box loads of goods

Stephen confronted the sellers who told him that they were just selling them to earn extra money and for no other reason.

Trading Standards enforcement officers then moved in and removed all of the stock from their table as well as boxes of videos and DVDs from the back seat and the boot of their car.

Stephen then visited a much larger car boot sale at the Herts Showground and once again came across quite a big display of chart albums on CD, "and as for the array of DVDs, it looked like the 'What's On list at the cinema" says Stephen.

Not one of these DVDs was available on general release in this country. The price was £5 for any CD album and £8 for the DVDs.

This time Stephen bought a DVD of Austin Powers Goldmember and discussed with the traders the possibility of getting a DVD of the newly-released Bourne Identity. Sadly they had just sold their last 10 copies.

He spoke to them about buying large quantities and was told that there would be no problem. They also confirmed that they were at this car boot sale "every time it's on".

After examining his new DVD, Trading Standards once again raided the stall and removed hundreds of CDs and DVDs with a street value running into thousands of pounds.

With the quality of the printing, the fact the DVDs weren't on general release in this country and that they had been selling them for so long, I could only conclude that he was either lying through his teeth or he was incredibly stupid

BBC consumer champion Stephen Rhodes

After the Trading Standards Officers had taken statements from the men involved, Stephen went to speak to them and questioned them about the
statement they had just made.

He was especially keen to clarify the part where they said that this was the first time they had ever been there.

One of them admitted to him on tape that he had lied to the officer but said that he had only just realised that what he was selling was counterfeit.

"With the quality of the printing, the fact they weren't on general release in this country and that they had been selling them for so long, I could only conclude that he was either lying through his teeth or he was incredibly
stupid," says Stephen.

"Mind you it was only at this point that he realised I was holding a microphone under his nose and was recording the entire conversation," he adds.

With that, the two salesmen drove off in the car they were sitting in, nearly running him over in the process.

When he got back to the studios of BBC Three Counties Radio he tried to play his Goldmember DVD but it wouldn't work in any player.

Stephen Rhodes

Then, when he tried the Men In Black II video, he first got another film. Then when he eventually got to Men in Black there was a black band at the top and bottom of the picture, subtitles and a very poor quality picture.

Stephen says: "Remember, when you buy counterfeit goods, you are not cheating the system to get a bargain, it's you that's being conned!

"Finally," says Stephen, "I wanted to know how Trading Standards knew in advance who was responsible for supplying all these counterfeit goods. Have you guessed it?

"Yes, it was 'some bloke down the pub' who didn't leave a phone number or address.

The Stephen Rhodes consumer programme is broadcast on BBC Three Counties Radio every weekday between 10am and 12pm.

Chris, Hertford	Wednesday, 02-Apr-2003 12:24:41 GMT
I've purchased such films before and must say that the quality was absolutely brilliant (apart from a copyright notice that kept appearing every 20 minutes or so). I aggree with the earlier comment that there are far more pressing issues to be tackled. I've also heard that these copies can be classed as 'back-ups', to protect originals from damage and that legally, you're only in trouble of you have more than one copy. Can anyone shed any light on this?

elba njoroge, nairobi	Thursday, 27-Nov-2003 07:19:48 GMT
here in Kenya, virtually all the movies on sale are fakes retailing at about sh. 200 or us$ 3 and they are sold anywhere not just carboot sales. The problem is a global one and the suppliers of the fakes ought to be delt with first.

Nickki,	Saturday 25 January, 2003
Not all copies are bad,i have bought loads,i had to buy them at a car boot sale as the originals are far to expensive,surely the police and trading standards should be doing more important work such as tracing the latest surge of poisonous cigarettes,booze etc.

Graham Evans, Hemel Hempsted	Tuesday 29 October, 2002
I dont think the trading standards people come out as very concerned. as is stated above these traders are at every boot sale and market also selling cigerettes and alchool

Ashkan, Finchley	Sun 22 September, 2002
It is very easy to get such films and music from the internet using file sharing programs, and anyone stupid enough to sell them deserves to be caught. These films which can be downloaded are usually very poor quality as they are filmed using a video camera inside a cinema. You are guaranteed to be able to find any film you want to online.

Grant, Potters Bar	Wed 18 September, 2002
The people who sell these goods are only part of the problem, most of the "goods" they sell are first got from the internet, via media "sharing" organisations. Stop this and the rest will follow .

Colin Bowles, Luton	Wed 18 September, 2002
Yes - I've been guilty in the past. From buying "jewel" encrusted watches as a soldier passing through Aden in 1954 (guaranteed until the troop ship sailed) to buying a knife set at a mock auction in Oxford Street (1956) with a "lifetime" guarantee but no manufacturer's name. It has taken me a long time to learn the truth in the well known quote - "the bitterness of disappointment outlasts the sweetness of a bargain price". There is also nothing that someone cannot make cheaper or poorer.

Roberta Carr	Wed 18 September, 2002
common sense for people who have any! seriously though i think teenagers spend hard earned pocket money unwittingly on fakes as they are not as cynical as their parents-as well as cd's & dvd's i think the "hoodies" with rock band prints are fakes & often poor quality-does trading standards check these?i know Stephen Rhodes said we have the right to return fakes but how likely is it that the seller will be there next week? he's more likely to tell you to shove off as you wont have a receipt or proof you bought it at their stall.

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