Advertising [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]

gordikin

Get out more?

CRANDO

Hey - I've been done by this and I stupidly paid on credit card - how do I go on claiming this back from the bank if I've handed over my details? Anyone know?

CRANDO

Can anyone help please?
thanks

davidine wrote: »

I've just had a telephone call on my work number asking if I wanted to advertise in an Emergency Services publication. I asked them to email details and was sent this (a mobile number was attached):-

Find enclosed information regards the Road to Recovery campaign on the national website for the Emergency Services and the Armed Forces personnel in the U.K.

On the 3rd September the feature will go live on (he supplied a web address here, but I'm not allowed to include it) The campaign has been started of the back of findings that were released by the Mental Health Foundation that have shown that young veterans are twice as likely to take their own lives than there counterparts.

What is already available is something called a re-settlement package however they are widely unavailale and seem to be based on their length of service as apposed to their need for treatment.

Our main aim is too provide one practitioner per county/region in the U.K for EFT, EMDR, NLP, Hypnotherapy and CBT. We are offering one of two size adverts and 250 words of editorial content to discuss the therapies that you use and too highlight there main benefits. If you are able to offer a free initial consultation we can offer very competitive advertising rates.

The campaign duration is 6 months.

the large block advert is £195.00 + vat

the small block advert is £95.00+ vat

Any further queries

Alex Phillips

Campaign manager

The idea he put forward is great, because there are many Service personel who need help. Is this a scam too? Who should I contact if it is?

Thanks to all of you.

blue_banana

CRANDO wrote: »

Hey - I've been done by this and I stupidly paid on credit card - how do I go on claiming this back from the bank if I've handed over my details? Anyone know?

I would explain the situation to your bank and CANCEL THE CARD, bofore the scammmers take another bite of the cherry. I would not trust these people with card details.:eek:

kirky2269

Hi all, have been following this thread with relief. [TEXT DELETED BAY FORUM TEAM] Usual story:-
Small business contacted by "police" when busy,
Supposedly agreed to advertise in community magazine,
Issued with invoice,
Persued by phone,
Issued with letter from CF&L debt collectors for 4x original amount!! [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]
Received call from CF&L asking why we'd not paid original bill, said we hadn't agreed to anything, apparently they have my fiance on disc and we now await call to play back proof over phone - I think we'll record that conversation!

We have also been contacted by Blueline Publications who claim to produce Frontline magazine, they have issued 4 invoices for ad we didn't agree to!

I followed a link from way back in this thread to Daily Mirror investigations and from there to The Advertising Protection Agency (I'm not allowed to post the link but google em) [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM] when complaints reach a certain level they pass on reports to Companies Investigation Branch, Trading Standards and the Police!! They also have a LEDGER OF SUPPORT PUBLISHING FIRMS, who they are already monitoring,&upon which Blueline Publications & PFA Media appear but not ESM or BCS multimedia. [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]

[TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]

kirky2269

I've just read a little more into the TAPA website and now realise that you have to pay to register and then contribute monthly. This may still prove beneficial to some but I don't know if they get involved with disputes prior to registering!

boldilocks

We were approached 2 years ago to advertise in booklet that was to be handed out by the local NHS Trust to people over the age of 55 when they leave hospital. We contacted the hospital & they confirmed that an agreement was in place, we scoured the internet for any bad comments about the company, and all looked very plausible and in order.
Well, guess what? We can't find any evidence that the booklet has ever been printed, and the company doesn't reply to letters and we are starting the court process to recover our money. Coincidently, we now find on the BBC News website that a chap with the same name from the same town, of about the same age was convicted in 2003 for £170,000 of Giro cheque fraud. Wish it had been at the time. Our local solicitor fell for it as well, it shows how good conmen are.
So, if you are approached by [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM], be very wary, as you are possibly about to be [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM].

Badger_Lady

The problem is it can actually be genuine, too... I'm trustee for a hospital radio station and we have a booklet published every year for distribution to patients, paid for by advertising by local businesses. It helps to fund our charity year-to-year.

DangerMouse_2

If you have been affected by this company, I would really like to hear from you. I'm putting together a report which will be sent to the Office of Fair Trading, Merseyside Trading Standards (They're based in Liverpool), the Police and Action Fraud. This [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM] has gone on long enough and is grossly unfair on the small businesses that they target. In our case, they didn't know we were a larger company as they targeted one of our branches directly; all invoices come to our head office accounts department where it was flagged. If enough of us stand up and try to do something about it maybe we'll get somewhere - a report [TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM] carries much more weight when backed by a group of business owners.

[TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]

I have contacted around 10 business owners whose adverts appeared in one of BCS's magazines and confirmed that they have all had the same problems with BCS and CF&L.

*** Action to be taken ***

If you have, or have had, issues with either BCS or CF&L, please post as much information as you can on this forum with the title "Information for Report". This may be done anonymously, or, if you're comfortable with doing so, please include your name and company name. Alternatively, please send information to myself through the forum's private messaging function.


I will of course post any updates with regards to the progress/outcome of the report on this forum.

*** UPDATE ***
[TEXT DELETED BY FORUM TEAM]

dave_the_plumb

Checking my latest Visa bill, BCS mutlimedia have charged me twice for the same amount on the same day for my "advert". They HAVE sent me their third class publication - looks like their publishers are using a ten-year-old colour inkjet printer - poor just doesn't go far enough. I have just sent request for immediate refund of second payment but from what I've read here, I've got no chance.... pursue through Visa payment protection insurance, I think may be better.