A new escort agency has started in Bradford - run by the man who took money from new recruits in his last business and gave them no work.

Last week Rights and Wrongs told how Chris Osborne had run the City Escorts agency from a bedsit in the city, visiting potential escorts in their homes and taking a £30 "portfolio creation fee".

Four people we spoke to said they heard little if anything from him after handing over their money. Since than we have been contacted by three more who paid him £30 each and had no contact with him afterwards.

Mr Osborne had moved from his address when we tried to talk to him last week, but a Rights and Wrongs reader told us where he had gone. He has moved into a small office in Woolston House in Tetley Street, off Sunbridge Road, where his new venture, Escorts Direct, started on Monday.

Mr Osborne said City Escorts started in September last year and ceased trading in the middle of March - and Escorts Direct was nothing to do with it. He claimed he ran City Escorts with a partner from Manchester who he refused to name.

Asked how many people he had recruited and how many £30 fees he had taken during that period, he said he would not answer because he couldn't give accurate figures as his partner had all the records.

Asked when City Escorts last had a customer for the escorts, he gave the same reply. "City Escorts operating as a business had its own costs and unfortunately as a business it hasn't made a profit," he said.

"We were not able to make the business work and it's unfortunate the individuals lost their £30."

Mr Osborne refused to give any details of how his new business would operate or how much he would charge people wanting to become escorts and earn extra cash.

"I am not prepared to discuss any other business I am involved in," he said. "With the experience I acquired in managing that business, I have now set up on my own and the reputation of Escorts Direct will be built up on the very good work we plan to do."

He said he was unaware people had not been able to contact him by phone or letter.

As reported last week, the City Escorts contract claimed the business was working in accordance with "Trading Standards guidelines".

West Yorkshire Trading Standards officers say no guidelines have been published by their department or by the Office of Fair Trading.

Mr Osborne was unable to supply Rights and Wrongs with a copy of these guidelines.

Asked why none of the people we spoke to had received any work from his business in return for the £30 fee, he said: "They came on board with us in the knowledge business was not always available.

"They signed a contract which states that as and when work could be passed to them, it will be, and we obviously have endeavoured to provide that service."

One of three other people who contacted us after our report was Peter Greenwood, from Keighley, who said: "Mr Osborne came out to my house, took my details and a cheque for £30."

Mr Greenwood, 54, added: "He said he would be in touch and I haven't heard anything since."

A 45-year-old woman from Thornton, who asked not to be identified, said: "He was very smartly dressed, very well spoken and utterly convincing.

"I just wanted a little bit of extra money and he was talking about £70 for a few hours' work escorting someone.

"I have heard nothing since."

A 35-year-old divorcee from Undercliffe said: "When I saw your report, I thought it was brilliant that someone was doing something.

"I signed in October and by December - after paying my £30 and hearing nothing - I was leaving messages on his answer machines and writing pretty sharp letters to him.

"But I have never had any reply."

Ripped off at the garage

Cowboy garages who rip off customers are being put under the spotlight by the Office of Fair Trading.

The watchdog has launched a major inquiry into car servicing and repairs following thousands of complaints to trading standards departments by angry customers.

John Bridgeman, Director General of Fair Trading, said research by local trading standards officers showed garages gave little or no information to the customers about the work to be done.

"Far more worrying is the fact that they also found evidence that known faults were not corrected, faults were introduced during the service or work was so shoddy that it posed a threat to road safety," he said.

"The majority of customer complaints are about sub-standard service. Other significant areas for complaint are misleading claims for unnecessary repairs and lack of information."

A West Yorkshire Trading Standards spokesman welcomed the move and said about 1,000 complaints were received locally about servicing and repairs last year.

"The majority are disputes about what has or hasn't been done," he said. "You take it on trust that your car is being serviced properly but people should be aware of the limitations of the type of service they are paying for."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.