Farepak in administration: What to do? (Merged Thread)

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  • MEMBER02
    MEMBER02 Posts: 811 Forumite
    Its actually freedom shopping vouchers i ordered from,funny they went into administration just as most payments were received and this years vouchers/hampers had not been sent,two fingers up to this company and merry xmas to them.:mad:
  • moosetastic
    moosetastic Posts: 1,195
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    ive just found out about this too, absolutely devastated. ive lost £400 and my family has lost in total over a grand. :(:(

    our friend who was the agent is feeling so terrible, she had over £5000 of orders, she feels so responsible.
    You're so very special, I wish I was special :dance:

  • trisontana wrote:
    I have never understood the attraction of these hamper companies. Wouldn't it be better to pay some money every week or month into a savings account and then use the money to buy your Christmas stuff. It must work out better value because some of your money in the hamper schemes has to pay for such things as agent's commission. Also I have found that the hamper invariably contains a few items which you don't want and so that's another waste of money.

    That's a really helpful post, and is no doubt a huge comfort to all the people worried about the money they have lost. Well done, hope you're proud of yourself.
    You can tell he's Super Womble 'cos his name is on his vest :cool:
  • Just wanted to say that I sincerely hope that you are all issued refunds or given alternative vouchers etc in time for Christmas. This personally doesn't affect me but I can imagine how devastated you all must feel:mad:

    For anyone interested here is the link to the article in The Sunday Mail:
    http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/feed/tm_method=full%26objectid=17933407%26siteid=64736-name_page.html

    and I hope this gets sorted out for you all asap.
    Good luck
  • trisontana
    trisontana Posts: 9,472
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    That's a really helpful post, and is no doubt a huge comfort to all the people worried about the money they have lost. Well done, hope you're proud of yourself.

    I was only stating my opinion that these schemes are not value for money. After all this is a money-saving website! I have every sympathy with everyone who has lost money and I hope that they all receive a refund.
    What part of "A whop bop-a-lu a whop bam boo" don't you understand?
  • Trow
    Trow Posts: 2,298
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    I don't think it was an unhelpful post - in the light of what is happening, and someone has already mentioned an alternative provider, it is probably wise to consider alternatives, as obviously the people that use these services feel they have a need to save throughout the year for christmas. A bank is much less likely to go bust than a retail company, and will also pay interest on the balance.

    As to those who have lost money - I wish you well and hope that you will get your money back. Such a bad time of year for this to happen.
  • mandy6979
    mandy6979 Posts: 105 Forumite
    My mum has been a Farepak agent for nearly 20 years and is blissfully unaware of the situation as she is on holiday in Hawaii and won't be home until Friday. I've decided not to tell her if she phones, as I know that she will not enjoy the rest of her holiday.

    She has £4,500 worth of vouchers ordered, including £400 for herself, £280 for me and £300 for my brother. Worst of all, one of her friends who she is on holiday with has ordered £1,100 of shopping vouchers and £250 of gifts.

    She will be devastated for all her customers, but it's no-one's fault but Farepaks. They should have an insurance against this kind of thing happening.

    I'll let her enjoy her holiday first before I break the bad news to her.

    Mandy :mad:
  • susanmc
    susanmc Posts: 206 Forumite
    i've read on other posts that all shops have stopped taking Choice vouchers today. This is my first year paying into a hamper for vouchers and its with Park. I think its high street vouchers I've ordered. Does anyone know if these are affected? I think Parks a separate company but wasn't sure about the vouchers. Help!!
  • trisontana
    trisontana Posts: 9,472
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    It's a pity that the money paid in advance by customers wasn't lodged in some sort of third-party trust account which couldn't be accessed by the company until they started issuing the vouchers or hampers. That way the money is protected. This is the scheme that's in place for travel agents. They cannot touch the money until the customer gets their tickets.
    What part of "A whop bop-a-lu a whop bam boo" don't you understand?
  • pfpf
    pfpf Posts: 4,930
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    susanmc wrote:
    i've read on other posts that all shops have stopped taking Choice vouchers today. This is my first year paying into a hamper for vouchers and its with Park. I think its high street vouchers I've ordered. Does anyone know if these are affected? I think Parks a separate company but wasn't sure about the vouchers. Help!!

    park use love2shop vouchers as their general voucher. Choices vouchers went bust about jan/feb 2006, so they have not been accepted for some time, not just from "today".

    good luck to everyone, hope you have some good news soon.
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