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

SeaSmart

Dark-Star wrote: »

Hi SeaSmart,

Don't blame yourself - you weren't silly at all. There was no way you could have known what it would actually be like based on the website!

Did you actually attend Lapland New Forest or were your tickets for a date after it had already closed?

I think getting money back will be easier for those who had tickets for after it closed as the company is clearly in breach of contract as they had ceased trading and hence didn't deliver any service to you.

If you were unlucky enough to have gone there while it was still open I guess you'll have to discuss with the credit card company on what grounds you are claiming the refund ie that the website misrepresented what the event would be like.

Hi Dark Star, thanks

Yes we bought tickets ages ago for xmas eve. Got a family ticket for £100 (me,wife and two kids). Now its shut down we have not even had a chance to go along to see how crap it is.

100 quid for nowt! :mad:

Will definitely put this down to a lesson learned though.

SandraScarlett

SeaSmart wrote: »

Yes, was for the new forest one.

Can't believe i was so silly! grrrr

No way were you silly, and I can't believe some of the nasty comments people made in earlier posts about "suckers born every minute" and things like that.

If there'd have been such an event within an hour's drive from me, I would have taken my grandchildren there without a second thought.

It's bad enough in the current climate, and so near Christmas, trying to make £1 do the work of three, and give children and grandchildren a lovely experience, but when all this happens, I feel so sorry for everyone who has lost money.

And for the people who seem to think it's funny to poke fun at other people's misfortune - shame on you.

I am getting to be a very Cynical Old Lady myself - never used to be. But it seems that when you're an Obedient Person, save your money carefully, pay your taxes, abide by the law etc etc, and you get scammed, you don't hear a huge outcry from the government.

Full marks to the media who have covered this, and also to Alton Towers for offering a free day out. And good luck to everyone on this site who is trying to get a refund.

Dark-Star_2

Hi SeaSmart,

I think that the fact you didn't get to go will actually be a blessing as I think it should make it easier to get the money back.

So hopefully it won't end up as £100 down the drain and you will be able to use it to do something nice with (when you get it back).

I agree totally with SandraScarlett's comments. Most of my children are teenagers now so I hadn't even heard of this Lapland attraction until it hit the news last week. However if this had been say 10 years ago, when my oldest would have been 7 and the youngest then would have been 4, this is exactly the sort of place that I too would have thought looked great and would have booked tickets for myself, my wife, 3 children and my parents.

I think it's awful that so many people have been mislead through no fault of their own and that so many children have ended up disappointed and upset.

codger

Good news: Martin has done a sponsored link to Google re Section 75 on credit card protection re the Lapland New Forest case.

The link tops the Lapland New Forest Google page today.

The ludicrous, unenforceable T&Cs dreamt up by Lapland New Forest continue to be in Google's cache.

They appear at rank 3 on the seach engine page.

This specific thread is now ranked at 4 on the seach engine page.

Hopefully this situation will continue. Hopefully folks like Gomer will also keep beavering away with their own enquiries so as to provide continued clarification of the issues.

Finally. . . . hopefully people who were caught out by either of these scams will stop feeling guilty or apologising for what they seem to think is somehow their own fault.

The reality is, these scams were specifically conceived to target families at their most vulnerable, i.e., to exploit the commitment all loving parents have to their children at a time of year which is especially for children.

For that reason alone, the scams were of the nastiest kind and the perpetrators deserve all that's coming to them.

whitewing

I thoroughly agree with your points Codger, and urge everyone not to be apathetic; claiming refunds benefits everybody in the long run.

______________________________________________________________

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

SandraScarlett

There is another thread on this site about all us "suckers" who bought a "Free Child's Goody Bag! Worth £30! Just pay £3.98 p & p!" - and we have either had our money taken out but no goods delivered/money removed but goods not delivered for weeks (in spite of the company saying "monies will not be removed till goods are sent") or a load of old tat delivered.

Well I'm fed up for being thought of as a sucker, by some of the pompous individuals on that site, who probably walk round with a gherkin stuck up their ****!

Their posts proclaim "What did you expect for under 4 quid" etc, but I'll tell you what I expected. I'd hoped that I could get a couple of goody bags for my grandchildren that would have the items as advertised, that I could wrap individually, and use to supplement the fact that I can't afford to spend on them what I'd have liked to.

The same way, people on this site, thought they were giving their families a lovely experience of a wonderful day out, and furthermore, a lovely family memory.

Alas, reading through all the advice given on this page, although there seems to be some hope that people will get their money back, it couldn't come at a worse time. Now, along with worrying about a job/bills to pay/Christmas to organise etc, they have to worry about claiming a refund for this awful fiasco. And how long will the refund take?

And not everyone can cope with writing letters, making calls, dealing with banks, credit card companies etc.

I just hope there is some philanthropist out there, who is reading this, and wondering what to do with his/her millions, or shmillions - well play Father Christmas to all these people!

Good Luck everyone.

whitewing

SandraScarlett wrote: »

And not everyone can cope with writing letters, making calls, dealing with banks, credit card companies etc.

As someone who regularly has her head in a bucket of sand over various issues regarding money, and feeling stupid about it, I know EXACTLY how hard it can be to take action on something that feels enormous to you but a mere annoyance to anybody else.

Even the cost of one ticket would be a lot of money to me. It is well worth making that call, or sending that letter or filling in that form.

Do it and tell us here what happens. We will support you, and your doing so will inspire others to do so too.

______________________________________________________________

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

Yes rapido it has been regrettable that the 'gyppo' and '!!!!!' comments have been used, and the side argument about the care of the huskies may have been of lesser relevance to this fiasco than the main argument.

I have not had any involvement in either of the two issues. I think it would be preferred if the terms 'scumbag' or 'scammer' were used as an alternative, as they are more accurate and likely to be less offensive to other forum members. The issue over the huskies has boiled down to people's personal view, and I would have to agree that viewing huskies in what are squalid surrounding tethered to the ground howling, may be natural for that breed, but it is not really what a young child would expect to see or enjoy seeing at a fairytale winter grotto

Meanwhile I have received some pm's with some very useful links and information..

GomerPyle

I have rung the Dorset Trading Standards number 01305 224 702

and there is just a recorded message which refers to Lapland New Forest, and directs callers with a complaint to contact Consumer Direct.

I'll ring again after 2.00 pm just to make sure it isn't just there to cover the lunch time and then I'll speak to the FSA. That should be fun, and I'll have to put on my 'Don Quixote' hat for this one, but I have some strong and powerful arguments for their involvement., in my opinion.

If the bankers of Lapland New Forest Ltd have behaved improperly or negligently then it is likely that eveyone gets their money back without all this nonsense of having to prove that it was misrepresented by the trader, when in actual fact it appears to have been nothing but a complete sham.

I implore people who lost money or feel cheated to make claims and stay in touch. The whole fact is that you weren't foolish to have expected what was advertised, in spite of the cost. That is no defence to the trader. He is legally required to provide what he advertises, and customers are entitled to believe the advertised claims, or you must query and be suspicious of any trader, and that is one of the diseases affecting our economy at the moment.

It really sums sum up the current economic climate - a lot of money hungry 'spivs' being allowed to play fast and loose with the law, undermining trust in all the institutions and laws that are meant to protect consumers.

I've just reviewed streamline's own website for requirements that a merchant should adhere to to, to be enabled to have a merchant account, and that's an eye opener. It can be viewed here.

http://www.streamline.com/downloads/Streamline_web_site_rules_feb06.pdf

They add at the bottom, that it is the company's responsibility to comply with these requirements and the law, but it's not that easy for them to lay off responsibility.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/mlr/mlr8.pdf

Paras 6.3 and 6.4 are of particular interest.

I think Trading Standards are going to be too busy to answer - so onward and upward.

EdnaCloud

rapido wrote: »

Quite frankly your "very gyppo looking" slur says a lot about you; I hope you don't use such discriminatory and offensive language in front of your grand-daughter.

I also hope that Martin would disapprove of your comment, and the fact you chose to use his picture in your post.

-rapido

I cannot find the original post (deleted?) but I can say that I have the pleasure of the freindship of some Gypsies - admittedly not pure Romany, but intermixed with descendants of Irish navvies on the cuts (still on working narrow boats too) - however these people take a dim view of being bracketed with those that they sometimes refer to as Diddicoys or Ne'erdowells.

So, John Boy - if you are still there please take note. The people you refer to are very unlikely to be Gypsies, and even if they were, Gypo is an offensive term, period.