BEWARE: Aloe Gardens/Vitamail

DemiDee

Before Christmas I got some unsolicited mail through from VitaMail. In the package there was details of another company called The Aloe Gardens, PO Box 382, Bedford, MK40 2WZ. The latter leaflet contained details of some Aloe Vera pills and free creams. It was a no-risk offer, where you could send back the products if they weren't suitable or didn't work. I sent off a cheque for almost £60 for a larger package, only to find that the pills weren't suitable for vegetarians, and contained blue dyes which I am allergic to. I sent all these things straight back by recorded delivery, but heard nothing about a refund. I have chased them up twice, to no avail. Nothing on the web, and I have no phone number. However, I have found out from the Royal Mail that this PO Box is trading under several names, and their true address and name is:

Irene and William Ames
48 Kimbolton Road
Bedford
MK40 2NX

I wrote to them using the company name rather than their names, and they opened the letter and sent a reply saying they don't know who I am and that they are just a forwarding company. I cannot believe this! I really don't know what to do next. This is a lot of money to me and I feel angry and upset that yet another 'company' is conning people in this way.

Does anyone here live in Bedford and if so, do you know if this Kimbolton Road is business or residential? I really don't know what to do next.

BFG_2

Vitamail are based overseas so these people are probably just as they say - a mail forwarding company.

Because Vitamail (& presumably the other names you mention) are based overseas the UK authorities (and yourself) are powerless to do anything.

Bad luck, try trading standards, but don't hold your breath.

emmab_2

Hello,

I've seen your message and I might be able to help you. I received too those letters from vitamail... I managed to know that Vitamail is in fact a french company based in the south of France, in Carros (near Nice). The adress in Bedford is only a PO pox.

This company is part of a bigger one: Promondo, doing exactly the same business all over the world and mainly in France.

They had severals problems with consumers who toke them to court... some of them have win!

I believe that if you sue them you will win because our legislation is far more strict than the french one.

I advise you to report them to ASA, Advertising Standards Authority. They know how to deal with those people. That's is exactly what I've done.
https://www.asa.org.uk/

Good luck,

BFG_2

emmab wrote:

Hello,

I advise you to report them to ASA, Advertising Standards Authority. They know how to deal with those people.

Alas, unfortunately not.. the ASA are powerless to do anything about the mailshots coz they come from/are based overseas.

All they can do is 'inform the media' not to accept adverts from the company, but frankly I think most papers would forget this when it comes to money!!

Another toothless QUANGO...think ICSTIS only worse.

DemiDee

Thank you so much for your kind replies, and for instilling in me a sense of strength Emma, even if ultimately I cannot do anything. I can't believe that there is nobody this end that can be prosecuted. They have receieved recorded delivery goods which have had to be signed for, they have a PO Box in this country, and they are sending the mail in this country. So their crimes are being committed here, even if they are abroad. Also, the goods are sent within this country. If the people at the addy I have listed in my first post are forwarding mail on to a fraudulent company, then surely they are also implicated. They opened my letter (and probably the letters of many others before me) and so know of the problems. Instead, they just wrote back and said 'I am sure the literature has the company address on, write to them there, we do not know you and are only a forwarding company' Not a very heartening or understanding letter, and signed (deliberately?) with an unreadable signature. Of course, no phone number either, which is also the case with the literature from the company (do I ever learn?).

Is it worth me taking these people to court? How much would it cost?
How can they still be allowed to have a PO Box in THIS country?????? I am very angry at having to spend all this time on something I sent money off for in good faith. Thank goodness this board exists where I can vent my concerns!!!!

BFG_2

DemiDee wrote:

Is it worth me taking these people to court?
How much would it cost?
How can they still be allowed to have a PO Box in THIS country??????

taking them in order

Probably not from a financial POV, but it might make you feel better; also the costs (in preparing responses and worry etc) they incur might deter them from being so dodgy?
£30 for a claim under £300
Coz the Post Office don't care what kind of criminals use their services as long as they pay. Eg they will quite happily distribute the mass spam mailings that come into this country even they they could easily be removed from the system; they typically arrive en mass and in big bags of 1000's, they are easy to see that they are spam/cons, etc; IIRC the PO bleat about not having powers to do anything, etc) - Rant over.

Good luck

BFG

RoCas

Hi,

How frustrating! I would be tempted to get in touch with Watchdog - you never know, they may have had complaints from others too and might investigate on your behalf.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/contact/

Good luck!

RoCas

DemiDee

Thank you for this interesting information Toots! I actually managed to get my money back eventually but it took a lot of follow up letters and threats of legal action, which sort of invalidates their claim to give a full refund if not happy with their (dodgy, hyped up) products. Hopefully, these posts will go some way to warn people about sending money to this address, or indeed to ANY business that either (a) promotes products that make claims that seem almost too good to be true and (b) doesn't have a phone number on their literature. Good luck all!

clearvisor

DemiDee wrote:

Before Christmas I got some unsolicited mail through from VitaMail. In the package there was details of another company called The Aloe Gardens, PO Box 382, Bedford, MK40 2WZ. The latter leaflet contained details of some Aloe Vera pills and free creams. It was a no-risk offer, where you could send back the products if they weren't suitable or didn't work. I sent off a cheque for almost £60 for a larger package, only to find that the pills weren't suitable for vegetarians, and contained blue dyes which I am allergic to. I sent all these things straight back by recorded delivery, but heard nothing about a refund. I have chased them up twice, to no avail. Nothing on the web, and I have no phone number. However, I have found out from the Royal Mail that this PO Box is trading under several names, and their true address and name is:

Irene and William Ames
48 Kimbolton Road
Bedford
MK40 2NX

I wrote to them using the company name rather than their names, and they opened the letter and sent a reply saying they don't know who I am and that they are just a forwarding company. I cannot believe this! I really don't know what to do next. This is a lot of money to me and I feel angry and upset that yet another 'company' is conning people in this way.

Does anyone here live in Bedford and if so, do you know if this Kimbolton Road is business or residential? I really don't know what to do next.

Hi, sorry to hear about this, My neighbour has some spary Being A OAP I had put my knee out, she sprayed it on and 5 hrs later it's so much better so I asked her whaere she brought it from, she said it was french and had helpped cure her knee's. I live in Cambridge so If i can help in any way, Bedofrd is approx 25 miles away,but I could go for a ride when knee is better,

RickHiggers2000

BEWARE!!

Also trading "through" that address/Post Code is another company called:

PRR International
PO Box 382
Bedford
MK40 2WZ

A Dr Ernesto Padilla promoting a product called "OLIVEN".

Nearly sent off a cheque for around £50, but looked up names & addresss online beforehand and found all this. THANK YOU ALL. If only his claims were true..... probably worth the risk, though decided against it!

All The Best,

Rick H

steph25

I live about 20 minutes from milton keynes and would gladly pop round to that address and offer a few well placed headbutts and a bag of lit dog poop through the letter box on behalf of my fellow msers

Seriously though i hate hearing about things like this.About time something got done about it.
As for the people at the MK addy they know exactly whats going on but don't care cause they get paid for it.