Lapland New Forest Scam. How to get money back...

cridders_2

have just got off the phone to the bank,usual lack of help or knowledge from call centre asked to speak to the debit card dept.then spoke to someone slightly more knowledgeable and tryed to fob me off but i insisted under ' section 75 chargeback' now have claim form coming in post.maybe there is hope for debit card customers.

champ1011

New to this this is my 1st post hope I'm doing it right??!! But I had to post to say that my bank also contacted me to tell me about a fraud transaction that had taken place on my credit card - lucily they had stopped it going through! This happened a few days after I brought my tickets on Lapland New Forest Website!! I don't use my crdit card often so seems a bit fishy!!

cridders_2

thank you just ordered new debit card. the misery doesn't stop when you leave there car park !!!!

GomerPyle

Thanks for posting that cynical-lady. I had missed it.

Phil doesn't like me does he ?

I like the idea of being called 'pompous'. If he knew my work at the other place I visit, he'd call me something much different. :rotfl:

I have a low tolerance level for scammers and I was attracted by the commotion and thought I could add something. I appreciate thanks from anyone, though I am not solely resposible for what has happened. Indeed if those who began this thread hadn't begun it I would never have noticed. I just had the right attitude for what was needed at the time - in my own opinion.

Much of the work we do at the other place goes without thanks, but that's accepted. It's not why most of us do it. I am not a victim in this scam but that does not bar me from acting.

On a lighter note - noticing that the site has disappeared again. I couldn't help but smile to read the overblown threats of legal action against unnamed parties sitting beside a slanderous statement referring to Streamline.

I have visions of some purple faced denizen pouring his vitriol out through his website, as saner parties try to restrain him. I'll need to keep all the website versions on a separate hard drive.:rotfl:

Phil - no hard feelings, right ?

whitewing

Don't know if anyone's posted this from the Lapland west Midland's website:

We are nothing to do with Lapland New Forest
we are a separate company

We have been inspected by the local authorities and given the go ahead to open this Saturday, we look forward to seeing you there.
Enjoy an authentic taste of Christmas this year at Lapland West Midlands.

Perhaps their 'top man' could publish his own photo on the website then?

______________________________________________________________

ATTENTION PLEASE! Added mid-Jan 2009: Just as a reminder, the latest Lapland New Forest Refund Guide is here:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=17633351#post17633351

GomerPyle

Thanks for the chuckle whitewing.

EdnaCloud

spark0101 wrote: »

Just sent my letter to Barclays. We let you know if i get my £100 back

If i receive will spend on shed, and Elves costume and some snow in a can. Should have change and will be more fun than Crapland Pooforest

Wishing everybody who's giving there time and efforts in the last few days on this forum.

A VERY MERRY XMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR



Sparky

Sparky, I've got a portacabin (ex building site lav, but could work for Santa's Throne), got some of those clip on antlers from the pound shop which I could put on my cats (superglue needed) and one fat white cat that could be mistaken for a polar bear at a distance, with fake snow in one's eyes and ice forming on eyelashes. Could we be in business?

Sorry to make make light of this horrible debacle but sometimes humour helps people through miserable situations.

There has been some admirable support on this forum and I would just like to add that I strongly recommend we all warn others where we can of theses type of scams, and in particular try to give heads up to the authorities in the W Mid that the event *may* be not what it is described as. I am sure they are rapidly coming to that conclusion but more pressure will not go amiss.

Edna

brightonman123

according to the bbc site, west midlands venue currently needs licence before it can open.. 'expected to be resolved within days'..?

Pan20

One of the sad things about this whole episode (aside from that little thing about ripping off thousands of people, and destroying parents' idea of a great day out for their kids) is the other businesses that have been damaged by association. Spare a thought for the Snow Company who, as has been mentioned earlier, are fine people who had no idea of the shoddy mess this would turn out to be. Infact, not a few people have commented that the only good thing about 'Lapland' was the snow on the trees.

Also worth a look is this website http://www.laplanduk.co.uk/ which seems to be the real deal, and which is now fighting to shake off the association. I've never been, and am not associated with it, but judging by the independent video reviews, and the fact that it's being repeated for a second year, it might well be worth considering for anyone who liked the idea of this sort of day out and has been let down. It would be nice if they would do something similar to alton towers and offer half price tickets to New Forest Lapland victims, or something like that. I have emailed them to suggest this, but I doubt they'll listen!

GomerPyle

Yes Pan20. I couldn't agree more. Many contractors will have been caught out by this scam as well, and I am sure that many were totally unaware of what was happening and they may be big financial losers too. In the current economic climate that is far from a joke.

As regards the West Midlands' version. This is from the Express and Star today

http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/12/04/lapland-festival-may-be-dropped/

Quote
A Christmas festival in a village near Wolverhampton could be scrapped – after licensing chiefs admitted that it had not been given permission to go ahead. Preparations are said to be well under way for the 18-day festival in Essington, which will see a field normally used for car boot sales transformed into a mini-Lapland.
Marquees have gone up in the field, off Bognop Road, ready to welcome thousands of visitors from Saturday.
But today it emerged that the event could be scrapped altogether due to fears over traffic management, trading standards issues and the fact that no licence application has been made.
Council officers held lengthy behind-closed-doors meetings about the festivities, which shocked councillors and villagers after being unveiled last week.
Unquote

Their statement that the event will go ahead my be seen as foolish bravado, but in view of that article and the terms and conditions on the web site, it may be seen as an attempt to get people to pay and then have a legitimate right to refuse to reimburse customers if the event doesn't go ahead.

It would be foolish for anyone to pay for anything with those terms and conditions in force and continuing uncertainty over whether or not the event will go ahead. That aside from whether it is going to be a rerun of the Brighton fiasco.