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

EdnaCloud

GomerPyle wrote: »

Reports that Vic "Santa's Grotto" Mears has been sighted hiding in the woods have been proven to be unfounded.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/uk_lapland_new_forest/html/7.stm

I can corroborate this statement as the fake bear in question was in fact my fat white cat who is now not only out of pocket (if he'd ever had one) but also distraught at the negative publicity and the subsequent cancellation of all future contracts as a polar bear cub.
We are re-casting him as Santa Claws next year.

Vic "grotty santa" Mears remains at large (one look tells me he is large) - but local sources inform me that he is still around H's Cafe but I cannot substantiate this, nor do I know if the person referenced has any connection with any of the questionable businesses we have recently discussed..

I'd like to think he, and the other miscreants, were going to have have a miserable time but I suspect they will have filled their coffers some time ago. Sadly the authorities seem pretty inept at stopping scams even when warned of them. I could rant further but will desist for now.

Edna state of anger

essexlander_2

EdnaCloud wrote: »

Were on the move then! What cut does he want? 250 was the rent paid for the feild in wolves so for a deer it'd better not be that dear. say a pony? seems reasonable for a deer. if we make a good turn and the product is ok maybe we could tuck him a a lady godiva as a bonus. If it's really good we might stretch to an Ayrton. Depends on what you think.

What tranny is it? Does it have wood lining? if so my mate can spray a nativity on the cab partion - that would really wow the crowds - as long as it can be in yellow blue, green and dayglo orange cos he works on the roads and those are the only colors we can get easy. He's OK tho, I've seen his work all over the pavement round here.

Rockin' lapland all around the land!

its got a ply wood lining so we good there and even better my mate has found a roadkill deer that he say we can have for nowt all he wants is petrol money to deliever so £5 will do we,re gonna be rich i can feel it

EdnaCloud

essexlander wrote: »

its got a ply wood lining so we good there and even better my mate has found a roadkill deer that he say we can have for nowt all he wants is petrol money to deliever so £5 will do we,re gonna be rich i can feel it

I'm feelin that were goin to have a very rich Xmas! How much patching up will the deer need? No need to trubble too much just make it look OK for the kiddies and stick it in the van - best turn it into seasonal venison burgers before long tho - but there the engine to cook it on - red diesel for red meat eh? I'm game for that!

I'll tuck you the lady godiva for yor mates gas when we meet in the lay-by. Also meeting some others there - theyve got a couple of rides (don't tell elf and safety cos they were condemd a while back but they have assured me that theyve fixed the broken bits and have spent fifteen quid on WD40 so i knoe they are expurts.)

Were on a winner!

GomerPyle

I hope it's better than your last effort Essexlander, and you never did explain why it was plugged into an electric wall socket.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/uk_lapland_new_forest/img/9.jpg

cynical-lady

whitewing wrote: »

As someone who was thinking of going to Lapland New Forest, I thoroughly agree that ANYBODY and EVERYBODY who bought tickets of whatever value should be entitled to a FULL refund. Keep fighting, folks. Don't be fobbed off.

I just want to say how much I agree with this statement by whitewing.

I do knowit can see like too much time and trouble sometimes to chase money that will be difficult to recover, but everyone really does need to do all they can to get the money refunded.However much you are out of pocket,it has still been stolen from you,and was probably,like mine,hard earned.

For every 100 families (and thousands were booked)who don't bother to claim say £90 that's £9,000 in the pockets of these people.Also as Gomer(I think)said,the fact that people often don't bother/forget is what makes it attractive to these scammers in the first place.

One week ago all these people thought they could get away with anything from the British public...well now they know better.

Maybe it's about time the banks learned the same lesson.Please let's give the banks or the financial ombudsman a hard time...maybe 'people power' will win again.


One other thing ,my reclaim form from the bank clearly states 'one transaction' not the purchase of one item.
Also ,not sure if it's relevant to anyone but it also applies if only part of the payment was on the card.e.g.if you bought some tickets on credit card and some on debit ,the whole transaction may be covered.

EdnaCloud

GomerPyle wrote: »

I hope it's better than your last effort Essexlander, and you never did explain why it was plugged into an electric wall socket.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/08/uk_lapland_new_forest/img/9.jpg

It had to be so it could greet customers with a cheery ho ho ho and do a back flip. Also- it played jingle bulls and silent might, albeit in a tinny Japanese electronic way. It was clear there was no way that the organisers could have afforded the Duracell(tm) cells to actually use it stand alone. Ergo, mains power was required. Now the fact that the socket appears to be outdoors and definately not of an approved specification by IEEE requirements - (IP44 as a minimum in sheltered areas, IP45 or better elsewhere) must merely have been an oversight on behalf on the management.

Seriously though, I had looked at this previously and in the unfolding chaos had not spotted this clear breach of safety regulations (not elf and safety - that's a farce) the installation appears to contravene electrical safety regulations for outdoor applications.

I may be wrong. But probably not in this case.

EdnaCloud

cynical-lady wrote: »

I just want to say how much I agree with this statement by whitewing.

I do knowit can see like too much time and trouble sometimes to chase money that will be difficult to recover, but everyone really does need to do all they can to get the money refunded.However much you are out of pocket,it has still been stolen from you,and was probably,like mine,hard earned.

For every 100 families (and thousands were booked)who don't bother to claim say £90 that's £9,000 in the pockets of these people.Also as Gomer(I think)said,the fact that people often don't bother/forget is what makes it attractive to these scammers in the first place.

One week ago all these people thought they could get away with anything from the British public...well now they know better.

Maybe it's about time the banks learned the same lesson.Please let's give the banks or the financial ombudsman a hard time...maybe 'people power' will win again.

One other thing ,my reclaim form from the bank clearly states 'one transaction' not the purchase of one item.
Also ,not sure if it's relevant to anyone but it also applies if only part of the payment was on the card.e.g.if you bought some tickets on credit card and some on debit ,the whole transaction may be covered.

Well said cynical-lady, but I don't think you are cynical just sensible!

all on the thread: do everything you can to reclaim your money - spend a bit of time looking at the various sites offering advice, including, of course, this one. But I would humbly suggest that you do check these sites and check all the details you have before making a claim - if you do not have details to hand whilst trying to get sense from a nonsensical person on the phone this will only make things worse. Try and get details of the person(s) you have spoken to and note what course of action they intend to take. Try and confirm when and how *they* will take action - not you - also ask for the contact details of the person that the issue should be escalated to should it not be resolved.

That's just a start. I apologise to anyone here who feels I am teaching grandmother to suck eggs (hey, does anyone do that these days?) but it may be of help. If I am off beam with my post please correct me as you see fit, I am merely trying to make some suggestions about this and in no way claim to be an expert. There are far better minds than mine out there, as well as in this forum, so read my post, digest, cogitate, and discard if of no use.

Edna book (still)

GomerPyle

I am also collecting reports where the payments are referred to as combined transactions.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article5288734.ece

QUOTE
It is not known whether any of those who had paid up to £130 for a family ticket would get their money back.
UNQUOTE

The credit card companies can't claim to live in a different reality. Evidence of the tickets being referred to as combined tickets, even if not by the vendor will undermine any contention that they should be treated as separate and individual. Any similar mention by the vendor would be extremely helpful.

If you have a case to take to the FOS defending their position will cost the companies more than the sums you are claiming. Going to the FOS is free by the way, to consumers, and if they get enough cases they have a habit of reviewing the matter in the whole. That would be advantageous and make life easy for those who don't want to get involved in complex arguments.

A review would not reflect well on the financial arrangements surrounding this affair.

... and to be honest, even those without grounds to make a claim at the moment (payment by non-qualifying card or cheque, or total amount below the qualifying amount), I would feel inclined to write to your card company/bank making them aware of the situation, and that you are seeking to obtain a refund and are awaiting developments before you take further action.

Others may have advice on this and I am not the fount of all knowledge, but it is not worsening your situation, but puts your foot in the door. One thing that has driven this along is the pressure exerted by large numbers of people. By doing this you let them know that the pressure is still there.

neiljaxx

whitewing wrote: »

As someone who was thinking of going to Lapland New Forest, I thoroughly agree that ANYBODY and EVERYBODY who bought tickets of whatever value should be entitled to a FULL refund. Keep fighting, folks. Don't be fobbed off.

I couldn't agree more.

whitewing

I saw the following comment on a forum note on moneysupermarket.com about an entirely unrelated matter, but I wondered if it could apply to the Lapland "experience":

as you ordered online the company have 30 days in which to perform the contract - i.e. deliver the goods - from the time they accepted your order, unless you agreed to allow them a longer time. After the 30 days is up, you can hold them in breach of contract and claim a full refund. This is set out in the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 and covers all purchases made without face to face contact, i.e. mail order, telephone, internet, interactive TV sales.

Can any knowledgeable soul tell us if it may (be adapted) to apply here? (This comment was from 2007 so not sure if it is out-of-date anyway).

______________________________________________________________

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