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

whitewing

Oh dear. Looks like paypal is back up again for Lapland West Midlands.

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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

codger

Godalmighty. Have I just wasted £22,500?

I'm beginning to have some doubts about this Experience.

Re-reading the website, the welcome page is quite explicit:

Get the whole family involved in:
Skating on a Real Ice Rink
Face Painting
Balloon Making
Gingerbread Decorating
Take your pictures with the skating stars, baby huskies and reindeer free

All under the cover of ornate decorative marquees.

As the marquees are 10ft x 8ft from B&Q or similar, I'm not sure how the "skating stars" are all going to crowd inside one, plus an ice rink, plus an audience, plus baby huskies and reindeer.

Is there a Health & Safety issue here or am I perhaps worrying unduly?

EdnaCloud

Codger,
Santas little helpers have been looking at all these xmas goodies and as we speak they are reporting them.

codger wrote: »

. . . so having paid by PayPal -- which exists to protect your credit card details etc from the merchant -- you have to turn up at Lapland West Midlands with:

(a) your PayPal transaction number (which if you're a registered PayPal user will have your ID there as well);

Tx number *only* may be acceptable but email confirmation (which I believe has this anyway) should suffice

(b) the credit or debit card you used on PayPal and which no merchant in such circumstances ever gets to see

Totally contravenes PayPals terms and conditions for merchants.

(c) a document testifying to your home address.

Not required given (a) above.

Now then, let's see what else is missing from this collection of confidential personal data you're about to hand over to a complete stranger in a field near Wolverhampton? Ah yes:

Sorry Codger, you missed fingerprints, iris scan, DNA swab, blood type, mothers maiden name, cat/dog name, aunt's name, aunts cousin's name and address (for verification only of course) etc etc.

Edna

EdnaCloud

santaclaus wrote: »

Can you imagine how much time this is going to take to check against their booking lists etc?

If say a few thousand people turn up, it would take hours to actually get in. Also like you quite rightly say, a PayPal payment does not give the merchant your card details, so taking your credit card and showing them is going to prove nothing. What if you had funds in your paypal account and didn't actually use a credit card? They would not know what method you funded your PayPal account with.

Something is wrong, very wrong with that ID collection. Maybe the Home Office are going to be inputting it on a database against cruelty to Elves or similar?

I think we should offer a reward, for the first pictures of what this does actually look like tomorrow once it is opened is awarded a prize of say £20?

To claim it you would need to post them on here, along with the same ID requested to get in? We promise not to use your details and credit cards for illegal purposes.

I bet the Daily Mail are there all night and most definitely tomorrow.

Good idea on the prize Santa, in fact I'll throw 20 squidley diddlies in for a copy of all the IDs. Just for the record you understand. And to prove the competition entries were valid of course. But as we recognise the law and as a draw everyone may enter with no purchase necessary those who cannot go to the site may call 09078 787878 for a *free* entry into this magnificent draw. Calls cost £1.50 a minute and will last a maximum of 6 minutes.

Ooops, wrong thread! Only joshing folk, but it is the same type of people behind all these scams.

Edna

codger

EdnaCloud wrote: »

Codger,
Sorry Codger, you missed fingerprints, iris scan, DNA swab, blood type, mothers maiden name, cat/dog name, aunt's name, aunts cousin's name and address (for verification only of course) etc etc.

Edna

Thanks for that Edna, I hadn't thought it through. Will they want to see my bus pass as well?

I'm really starting to worry now about that £22,500 I'm paying for Sunday's Lapland West Midlands Experience Event.

It was earmarked as a payment to a Nigerian Government Minister for expenses in depositing £10 million in the bank account whose details it seems I now have to give to see the real Santa Claus in a Wolverhampton field.

I don't usually fall for scams.

atinkerfairy

I got my money on Lapland Newcastle Upon Tyne popping up when this one gets shut dow.

cynical-lady

Huh that's not fair...

If I book 4 tickets I get the discount ,however if I book any more than 4 or in multiples of 4 (ie 984!)tickets...I don't!!

That means people who are booking more than 4 and want the discount will only ever spend £80 at a time...below the £100 figure needed to reclaim.


Sneaky or what....

trisontana

atinkerfairy wrote: »

I got my money on Lapland Newcastle Upon Tyne popping up when this one gets shut dow.

Or Lapland Emmerdal run by the Dingles.

codger

atinkerfairy wrote: »

I got my money on Lapland Newcastle Upon Tyne popping up when this one gets shut dow.

Be even worse if there's a Newcastle Upon Tyne Lapland Experience.

codger

Why is Martin promoting this event at the top of this page?

The Christmas Tree is clearly in a Wolverhampton field and the money-saving thing must be about buying multiple tickets to earn a discount.

I'm surprised at Martin.