EHIC Scam website www.ehic.org

Geoffsave

luckwudaveit wrote: »

It is not a scam as they provide the service they offer and the charges that will be incurred. There is clear notice at the bottom of the website which states:

IMPORTANT: EHIC are a third party data processor and check and send service registered with the UK Data Protection Public Register (Number Z2497964) to collect and retain EHIC card applications. This website is not connected to or affiliated with the National Health Service, the Department of Health, the NHSBSA or any other official Government body. You can apply independently and free of charge for EHIC by visiting the official website. EHIC is a third-party data processor for European Health Insurance Card applications.

I guess you or your friends work for them - or why do you nit pick. It is a misleading (small print at bottom ) attempt to make money out of susceptible people by charging them for something which is free. I have spoken to the government department by phone. There is no such thing as a fast tracking process as offered for (£5 extra) - that is a downright lie.:(

Pollycat

Geoffsave wrote: »

I guess you or your friends work for them - or why do you nit pick. It is a misleading (small print at bottom ) attempt to make money out of susceptible people by charging them for something which is free.

I don't work for them and it's not actually in the small print at the bottom.
This:

Everyone who is resident in the UK should have the EHIC and carry it with them when they travel abroad. Please remember to check your EHIC is still valid before you travel. Applying for the card directly from the NHS is free and it is valid for up to five years. The application checking services available from the Post Office and this web site incur a small administrative charge.

appears in the top half of the webpage.

I'm not nit-picking and I don't approve of these companies but I do like statements to be accurate.

As you said in your earlier post, it's an ad - i.e advert.

However, on the left hand side if you google, there's this link:
http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/Introduction.aspx

and you can actually see this text (without even clicking on the link):
The EHIC is entirely free of charge. However, other, unofficial, websites may charge you if you apply through them.
which should be a warning not to pay for the card.

Trading Standards closed a number of these websites down (see the link in my post at the top of the page in this thread) but I guess they've just reopened them.

Geoffsave

Pollycat wrote: »

I don't work for them and it's not actually in the small print at the bottom.
This:

appears in the top half of the webpage.

I'm not nit-picking and I don't approve of these companies but I do like statements to be accurate.

As you said in your earlier post, it's an ad - i.e advert.

However, on the left hand side if you google, there's this link:
http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/Introduction.aspx

and you can actually see this text (without even clicking on the link):
The EHIC is entirely free of charge. However, other, unofficial, websites may charge you if you apply through them.
which should be a warning not to pay for the card.

Trading Standards closed a number of these websites down (see the link in my post at the top of the page in this thread) but I guess they've just reopened them.

Open up their webpage which is also what I was talking about and you will find at the very bottom in the smallest grey font the disclaimer you 'highlight in red'. Before then most people will have clicked the Apply/ Renew Now link four lines from the top.
And do you have anything to say about the 'fast track' extra £5 for nothing? I am glad you seem also to disapprove of the practice you are defending however.

Pollycat

Geoffsave wrote: »

Open up their webpage which is also what I was talking about and you will find at the very bottom in the smallest grey font the disclaimer you 'highlight in red'. Before then most people will have clicked the Apply/ Renew Now link four lines from the top.
And do you have anything to say about the 'fast track' extra £5 for nothing? I am glad you seem also to disapprove of the practice you are defending however.

Open up their webpage and you will see - not just at the very bottom in the smallest grey font - but also the text I mentioned.
You don't even have to page down, it's right there in front of you.
So no, it's not just hidden in the small print at the bottom.

I'm afraid lots of people are often too eager to pay rather than bother to read things (even things that aren't hidden in the small print at the very bottom in the smallest grey font).

I've not commented on the additional £5 fast-track service because I can't see it mentioned on their website (at least on the front page).

I'm not defending this practice.

Geoffsave

Pollycat wrote: »

Open up their webpage and you will see - not just at the very bottom in the smallest grey font - but also the text I mentioned.
You don't even have to page down, it's right there in front of you.
So no, it's not just hidden in the small print at the bottom.

I'm afraid lots of people are often too eager to pay rather than bother to read things (even things that aren't hidden in the small print at the very bottom in the smallest grey font).

I've not commented on the additional £5 fast-track service because I can't see it mentioned on their website (at least on the front page).

I'm not defending this practice.

Perhaps we are looking at different web pages?

http://www.e111-nhs.org/

gives what I describe
and sure, my daughter told me the 'why not pay £5 more' is further into the slippery trap.

moey

Unfortunately, I didn't make it to the bottom of the page, maybe I went on there in too much good faith, thinking I had actually got on the system, I did do it in a rush as we go away very soon.

I can't believe that some unscrupulous idiot has come up with this way of fleecing money though, especially the extra £5 express delivery which doesn't exist no matter what you say luckwudaveit.

If they are so legitimate how come I had the money taken out of my account and would still be waiting for my cards as they have told me that they couldn't process my application. It was only when speaking to someone from the EHIC official department that he told me they were a scam. He should know more than you as he comes up against these low lifes on a daily basis.

They don't assist the process, they add a stage to it under a disguise and think its legitimate, it is wrong that they are allowed to do this as they don't help speed things up at all.

Pollycat

That's the website I was looking at - I followed the link provided by pampam in your post #69.

I still can't see where it mentions an additional £5 for a fast-track service.

Maybe it's an option further into the application.

Did your daughter need a fast-track application?

After looking further at the website your daughter used, I've also noticed that under 'How to apply for the EHIC' it gives 4 options:

• Online
• at the Post Office
• By telephone

and

• From NHSBSA - The NHSBSA site (www.ehic.org.uk) is usually available every day for 16 hours but cannot be used between 23.00 hrs and 07.00 hrs. If you prefer to log in during the hours that this site is open and are prepared to check the information yourself, these applications can be made without cost.

So it says twice about being able to get the card free in the home website page, not just in the small print.

FWIW, I think these companies are using sharp practice in charging for EHIC cards.

Geoffsave

Sure it does, but in smaller print than at the top.
It's designed to work the way it does. Perhaps we should agree to fight them anyway.
It wouldn't have caught me out as I am probably as astute as yourself and use this site, but it did fool my wife with an English degree and my daughter studying at uni when they were both tired and in a hurry late at night and I'd gone for a kip. Yes she needs it in a hurry.
However, the government site will give you a telephone number - 00441912181999 - which you can call to get the full service EVEN IF YOU CARD HAS NOT ARRIVED IN TIME.
So keep cool and use that everyone.

The pay £5 more scam for a faster service which it is not possible to provide is a few clicks further into the site. Unless you count retyping your information more quickly as a faster service. It stinks.:mad:

Pollycat

Geoffsave wrote: »

Sure it does, but in smaller print than at the top.
It's designed to work the way it does. Perhaps we should agree to fight them anyway.
It wouldn't have caught me out as I am probably as astute as yourself and use this site, but it did fool my wife with an English degree and my daughter studying at uni when they were both tired and in a hurry late at night and I'd gone for a kip. Yes she needs it in a hurry.
However, the government site will give you a telephone number - 00441912181999 - which you can call to get the full service EVEN IF YOU CARD HAS NOT ARRIVED IN TIME.
So keep cool and use that everyone.

The pay £5 more scam for a faster service which it is not possible to provide is a few clicks further into the site. Unless you count retyping your information more quickly as a faster service. It stinks.:mad:

Maybe worth reading this link and reporting them to OFT:

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/insurance/2010/08/fake-ehic-websites-shut-down

That's what I'd do if I were caught out.

Interesting quote from this representative of OFT:

Heather Clayton, from the OFT, says:
"While it is not unlawful to charge money for a reviewing and forwarding service, traders must be clear about the product or service they are offering, and not trick consumers into parting with money for services they don't want.
"People seeking to obtain government-funded services such as an EHIC should check carefully that they are using an official government website."

There's also a number of other threads on MSE about the same thing.

ETA:
I don't think that having an English degree neccessarily means you're internet savvy.

FRS

I'm really internet savvy being a software engineer, but this site caught me out and I'm so mad at myself for it.

Last Friday I was packing to go away on holiday the very next day. I went to get my EHIC card but couldn't find it anywhere. I was panicking as in the past this card has proved extremely useful for me.

While I was searching my partner jumped on the computer and google'd "lost my ehic card, going on holiday tomorrow". She came across the euhealthcard site. Great I though they have an express service for an extra £5 which offers to send me a card with 5-10 days but cover me after just 2 hours, by sending me a number I can ring from abroad to obtain a temporary certificate. In total it cost me £14.99.

Off I go on holiday, armed with this number and safe in the knowledge that my card will be waiting for me when I return.

When I got back my card hadn't arrived. So I rang the number in the email. I spoke to the women at the NHS but they had no record of any application made my name. I was shocked!

I then looked at the website (which by the way has subsequently changed - they've now removed the fast track service but up the charge to £14.99). I was gutted to see the disclaimer at the bottom of the page and it suddenly hit me that this is a scam site.

What annoys me most is that they didn't even copy my details into the official site. If they had I would have got the card and probably been none the wiser. Instead they just ripped me off, all they did was email the telephone numbers from the main site.

Fortunately this time I didn't need the card and I had a great holiday. Even though they completely ripped me off, I did have piece of mind for a week, maybe that's worth the £15. However I just feel a little stupid as these things never normally catch me out. It's amazing what we'll believe when we're in a panic.