The brief fightback against Dagenham & Redbridge did little to paper over the cracks of a dire defeat. The Daggers were allowed to coast into a three-goal lead before Brentford finally switched on.
Ben Strevens headed the first on 22 minutes, finishing off a cross from ex-Brentford striker Chris Moore.
The visitors' second came a minute after the break, when Lee Thorpe, a striker who was being employed at the back by a Bees side shorn of two centre-backs, brought down Dave Rainford. The Daggers' frontman promptly picked himself up and scored from the spot.
It was three on the hour mark when Moore, who was released by Brentford in January after just six months with the club, got the goal he so badly wanted.
Moore muscled Adrian Pettigrew off the ball before gleefully slotting past home keeper Simon Brown.
John Mousinho gave Brentford hope when he pulled back a goal just a minute later with a neat side step and finish.
With Thorpe back up front Brentford were looking a different side and the lanky striker pulled back another with a 74th minute header which crept in off the far post.
The Bees laid siege to Dagenham's goal and skipper Kevin O'Connor came closest to equalising when his header from a corner was tipped over superbly by Tony Roberts.
But it was not to be and Bees boss Terry Butcher stormed off to boos ringing in his ears.
Butcher said: "We played some good football at times, but conceded some soft goals to put ourselves on the back foot.
"You can't win games when you do that, but there's enough ability in the side to turn things around."