Anyone had any dealings with VITAL BEAUTY

My mother recieves this nonsense all the time. She is always falling for it. She has recieved many such notifications telling her she has won £6000, £10,000, and above and to date she has only recieved 2 £1.00 vouchers which are not really cheques but can be used the next time you order something from them. It's a very clever scam and it may even be legal as they word it very cleverly.

They will often send you a document named "Notification of the Allocation of a cheque". Then " It's confirmed! This unique prize winning number is undeniably yours" Then "The value of the first prize is £16,100.00" Then "Congratulations! You are the winner of a verified prize." (but not THE prize) "Reply within 9 days and if you order we'll send your prize cheque to you within 2 weeks."

My mum has even had a couple stating, "...Yes, Mrs RB Maw, thanks to your number 500 260 602 you have really won a cheque for £16,100.00. Yes all this money is definitely yours. Well done!" (She hasn't recieved a thing)

However she persists in replying to them everytime in the hope of a miracle that the people behind these companies might grow a conscience. Fat chance I'm afraid.

There products may well be good but they are extortionately priced and your local Holland and Barratt could sell it to you for a third of the price.

The wording is designed to get you excited and act without looking at the small print. They put catchy phrases near each other like; Confirmed winner of a cheque, 1st prize is a Cheque for £10,000, Winner of a verified prize, You have won! (But usually not in the same sentence and there in lies the deception) They don't tell you that the verified prize is a voucher worth £1.00 redeemable with your next purchase.

If you read the small print, you can of course enter the prize draw without buying their products and you send your entry in a plain white envelope with "Service Without Order" written on it. These envelopes go to a different processing department that looks alot like a bin.

My dear mum is sweet natured and utterly gullible. Don't be sucked in!
Another such company is "Swiss Home Shopping".

Yes we've had dealings with them. DON'T BUY ANYTHING its all rubbish. My wife purchased a "first aid kit" If you take the tweezers out it's ideal for a little girls nurses outfit. As for the free towel set. Have you tried drying yourself with a bath towel measuring 56 * 90 CENTMETERS. Hardly worth the postage stamp!

Yes I got a letter from vital beauty and was told that I was the grand prize winner of £10.000 if I sent an order they would process and send my personal cheq in two weeks - I did make a small order as I felt my luck had changed, three weeks later I was sent another confirmation that I was the sole winner of £10.500 up by £500 - I have been conned haven't I - I know it because in order for them to process my claim quickly I need to place yet another order.

There is no such thing as a free lunch - remember that in future and have nothing to do with this company