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Dragons Den scam
by Bill Saint » Sat Nov 03, 2007 2:58 am
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In Nov 2006 I was exhibiting and the British Inventors Show in Alexandre Palace in London.
On the stall next to me was Trevor Bayliss. Trevor has been a very supportive contct for me in the past.
BBC Dragons Den also had a stall there.
They approached me and asked if I would consider putting my invention on the show.
I agreed, and an audition was done there and then at the show. I was told they would contact me.
A few weeks later they did.
They said audition was great,They loved the product and me, and asked would I come along to the London Studio in Tanner Street, to make a full Presentation and filming in front of the Dragons. They also wanted lots of DUE DILLIGENCE material.. copy of patents, invoices, qualifications, certificates./. and of all a full three years businesss forecast ideally certified by a qualified firm Of accountant..The price quoted for this was over £5000.!
I did not have the money so opted for a shortened version costing £1500
None of which were ever even shown to the Dragons.
The filming went well, all the Dragons were impressed none actually
made me an offer but Duncan Bannantyne was so impressed he ordered one there and then.
After months of anxious waiting an hour before the last program was due to be released the BBC telephoned me and said they would not be able to transmit the program.
The reason they said was there was not the right material in the (almost 1 hour film) to edit to and make the 10 minutes they needed.They ran out of time they said.
They have since had a further year to make any edits needed and put it on the current series... if they are honest in their reasons.[/
[/b]My invention (Floodcheck) is a tried and tested product,[/b] and really does ,save water,and energy, I cannot see how the BBC could, select some of the stupid products they did over mine
I was very annoyed at them wasting so much of my time.
On the day I made my film in London WED 29th Nov 2006
there were at leat another six inventors showing their products. [b]I can't recall seeing any if these either on AIR. Was the material in all these also unsuitable? I dont think so!
At a time when the BBC is under presure to save cost.. I am amazed at waste of money, and complete lack of consideration for the inventors and waste of money.
The contract with the BBC makes it clear that there is no guarantee of the film being aired. But Considering they contacted me..they saw the audition, had a sample of the product...asked me to attend for a full day..filming and the expense they put me through, I would say that there would have to be a pretty important reason why the film was not shown..
I think this practice is most unprofessional and a lot more common than the BBC are willing to admit.
I am sure other inventors have had the same experiences.I am trying to contact these others to ask them.Thanks.
My Invention by the way is the Floodcheck.It monitors water flow to property and turns it off if a fault occurs. see http://www/floodcheck.co.uk
or call me on 07803 071001 bill saint.Thanks for your time
On the stall next to me was Trevor Bayliss. Trevor has been a very supportive contct for me in the past.
BBC Dragons Den also had a stall there.
They approached me and asked if I would consider putting my invention on the show.
I agreed, and an audition was done there and then at the show. I was told they would contact me.
A few weeks later they did.
They said audition was great,They loved the product and me, and asked would I come along to the London Studio in Tanner Street, to make a full Presentation and filming in front of the Dragons. They also wanted lots of DUE DILLIGENCE material.. copy of patents, invoices, qualifications, certificates./. and of all a full three years businesss forecast ideally certified by a qualified firm Of accountant..The price quoted for this was over £5000.!
I did not have the money so opted for a shortened version costing £1500
None of which were ever even shown to the Dragons.
The filming went well, all the Dragons were impressed none actually
made me an offer but Duncan Bannantyne was so impressed he ordered one there and then.
After months of anxious waiting an hour before the last program was due to be released the BBC telephoned me and said they would not be able to transmit the program.
The reason they said was there was not the right material in the (almost 1 hour film) to edit to and make the 10 minutes they needed.They ran out of time they said.
They have since had a further year to make any edits needed and put it on the current series... if they are honest in their reasons.[/
[/b]My invention (Floodcheck) is a tried and tested product,[/b] and really does ,save water,and energy, I cannot see how the BBC could, select some of the stupid products they did over mine
I was very annoyed at them wasting so much of my time.
On the day I made my film in London WED 29th Nov 2006
there were at leat another six inventors showing their products. [b]I can't recall seeing any if these either on AIR. Was the material in all these also unsuitable? I dont think so!
At a time when the BBC is under presure to save cost.. I am amazed at waste of money, and complete lack of consideration for the inventors and waste of money.
The contract with the BBC makes it clear that there is no guarantee of the film being aired. But Considering they contacted me..they saw the audition, had a sample of the product...asked me to attend for a full day..filming and the expense they put me through, I would say that there would have to be a pretty important reason why the film was not shown..
I think this practice is most unprofessional and a lot more common than the BBC are willing to admit.
I am sure other inventors have had the same experiences.I am trying to contact these others to ask them.Thanks.
My Invention by the way is the Floodcheck.It monitors water flow to property and turns it off if a fault occurs. see http://www/floodcheck.co.uk
or call me on 07803 071001 bill saint.Thanks for your time
auditions
by Roger Brown » Sat Nov 03, 2007 8:42 pm
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It appears that no matter what country you are from Inventors are treated about the same. Sorry to hear about your experience. If you have read any of the American Inventro posts you see pretty much the same treatment. The shows seem to focus more on the sob story of the Inventor and not on actually looking for a great invention.
Hopefully things will change as more exposure is given to Inventors.
Hopefully things will change as more exposure is given to Inventors.
Come visit my sites at http://www.RogerBrown.net
or http://www.looking2license.com
I have gotten 9 products licensed spending less than $100 on each, you can too.
or http://www.looking2license.com
I have gotten 9 products licensed spending less than $100 on each, you can too.
Re: auditions
by Scrupulous » Sun Nov 04, 2007 7:04 am
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Roger Brown wrote:It appears that no matter what country you are from Inventors are treated about the same. Sorry to hear about your experience. If you have read any of the American Inventro posts you see pretty much the same treatment. The shows seem to focus more on the sob story of the Inventor and not on actually looking for a great invention.
Hopefully things will change as more exposure is given to Inventors.
I third that.
Hey BTW Roger, it'd be nice to have you in the "Think Tank"
by bottleslingguy » Sun Nov 04, 2007 7:28 am
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Once we get enough of the inventors who would've gone on these shows to sign up here at this websitewe'll be bigger than those shows and contests. This is the go to spot for anyone wanting to learn more about inventing and everything else to do with inventing. The Invention Gallery is free and looks really great too. It gives you a blog feature all for free. Other websites charge you one way or another. This site can become a place like the Island of Misfit Toys. Once it gets past a tipping point people will start to notice. I can imagine they (the shows) would still never run out of people to make fun of. But out of them all, so far, how many products have seen the light of day?
How many people out there who auditioned for any of the recent inventor genre reality shows felt at some point the show might even steal your invention? Like they would be more interested in producing and selling your invention than they would making more tv shows?
I haven't seen The Guardian Angel being advertised as of late. It's getting close to THAT season again, this would be a great time to have it on store shelves. I'll bet a dollar it never sees the light of day.
How many people out there who auditioned for any of the recent inventor genre reality shows felt at some point the show might even steal your invention? Like they would be more interested in producing and selling your invention than they would making more tv shows?
I haven't seen The Guardian Angel being advertised as of late. It's getting close to THAT season again, this would be a great time to have it on store shelves. I'll bet a dollar it never sees the light of day.
Re: auditions
by Bill Saint » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:47 am
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Scrupulous wrote:Roger Brown wrote:It appears that no matter what country you are from Inventors are treated about the same. Sorry to hear about your experience. If you have read any of the American Inventro posts you see pretty much the same treatment. The shows seem to focus more on the sob story of the Inventor and not on actually looking for a great invention.
Hopefully things will change as more exposure is given to Inventors.
I third that.
Hey BTW Roger, it'd be nice to have you in the "Think Tank"
Hi Rojer, thanks for you reply.
Like you I am under no illusions... the Dragons Den is not about showiong the wotrld super new ideas, or getting funding for them.. it is about viewer rating and numbers.
I feel sure, had I gone over and put my tongue in Deborah Meehan's ear, or smacked one of the Dragons in the face. or fell up the stairs and broke my nek.. it would have been shown.. ALL OVER THE WORLD. I am determined to get exposure for this and see if I can that other inventors are made aware of the scam.
Did you get a chance to loom, at my website... and suggestion for improvement? www.floodcheck.co.uk
Thanks again..Keep in touch.. Good Luck.. Bill Saint
by Scrupulous » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:38 pm
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Hey Bill, welcome to the forum.
I'm sure your product is useful. But, when I loomed your site, I found that it didn't pass the 'twenty-second test"...that is, I couldn't tell within twenty seconds how your product works.
If you're open to constructive criticism, I would suggest that you add a simple diagram to the front page that shows where the product is placed during use, and what it does while it's there.
I know darn well I could figure it out, being an engineer and all. But, in this consumable world of ours, many people may not spend the time to do that.
Cheers!
I'm sure your product is useful. But, when I loomed your site, I found that it didn't pass the 'twenty-second test"...that is, I couldn't tell within twenty seconds how your product works.
If you're open to constructive criticism, I would suggest that you add a simple diagram to the front page that shows where the product is placed during use, and what it does while it's there.
I know darn well I could figure it out, being an engineer and all. But, in this consumable world of ours, many people may not spend the time to do that.
Cheers!
by Scrupulous » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:42 pm
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bottleslingguy wrote:...I haven't seen The Guardian Angel being advertised as of late. It's getting close to THAT season again, this would be a great time to have it on store shelves. I'll bet a dollar it never sees the light of day.
I would not take that bet. That thing has so many hurdles to get past, it's almost as if it was intentional. The same thing goes for the winner of season one. The excuse is obviously months, if not years, of overcoming safety concerns.
Does anyone else see a pattern forming?
by AmericanCynic » Mon Nov 05, 2007 8:44 pm
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There's no way the Guardian Angel could have made the market this year, even with the resources of First Alert behind it. It would take at least 2-3 years before it could be properly developed, assuming First Alert has enough faith in the product to complete the process.
by Bill Saint » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:25 pm
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Scrupulous wrote:Hey Bill, welcome to the forum.
I'm sure your product is useful. But, when I loomed your site, I found that it didn't pass the 'twenty-second test"...that is, I couldn't tell within twenty seconds how your product works.
If you're open to constructive criticism, I would suggest that you add a simple diagram to the front page that shows where the product is placed during use, and what it does while it's there.
I know darn well I could figure it out, being an engineer and all. But, in this consumable world of ours, many people may not spend the time to do that.
Cheers!
Thanks for the reply.
As you see I am new to the forum.I dfid not know about adding anything about my product. I will see if I can fathom it out and add something to describe the product better. Keep an eye out ..I may need some more help doing this..Thanks Bill Saint.
angel
by Roger Brown » Mon Nov 05, 2007 10:27 pm
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One thing I didn't understand about the Guardian Angel was its fire suppression material. Why did he pick water to dose a electrical fire. Most ctah fire due to a short in the lights. You could get the same effect using CO2. It would be more effective and quicker to suppress. Then all you have to do is replace the canister. It is already under pressure.
I am sure they have their reasons.
I am sure they have their reasons.
Come visit my sites at http://www.RogerBrown.net
or http://www.looking2license.com
I have gotten 9 products licensed spending less than $100 on each, you can too.
or http://www.looking2license.com
I have gotten 9 products licensed spending less than $100 on each, you can too.
19 posts
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