URGENT ADVICE PLEASE..is this illegal....

tsl1200

Someone Help

Vista print....v.p.rewards!!!
i have recently started my own business & hunted around for some cards & rubber stamps etc.. found vista print on the internet with some good prices.
I had no problems with the products, good quality and at the right price, however, i have just twigged on that they have been taking £9.95 pcm for the last 5 months!! So i looked into it & cancelled the subscription i had inadvertantly joined to v.p.rewards. Today i check my bank & v.p. have helped themselves to 5 lots of £9.95 in one day, the day after i cancelled??
What do i do???:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

tsl1200

Someone Help

Vista print....v.p.rewards!!!
i have recently started my own business & hunted around for some cards & rubber stamps etc.. found vista print on the internet with some good prices.
I had no problems with the products, good quality and at the right price, however, i have just twigged on that they have been taking £9.95 pcm for the last 5 months!! So i looked into it & cancelled the subscription i had inadvertantly joined to v.p.rewards. Today i check my bank & v.p. have helped themselves to 5 lots of £9.95 in one day, thats nearly £50.00 in one go on the day after i cancelled!! Expense i dont need as a 1 man small business.
anybody had these problems with v.p.?

What do i do???:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

superscaper

I suggest you search the forum, I seem to remember quite a few threads of people not realising they'd signed up to a subscription with vistaprint.

Here's one to get you started: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=188057&highlight=vistaprint+subscription

jonilon

Suggest you read Masterice article dated 4.11.07 which gives lots of useful information. Also ring Vistaprint on their freephone number 0800 028 8251 (option 3). Tell them YOU DID NOT SUBSCRIBE to their rewards scheme and demand they refund the payments they have fraudulently taken from your account. Advise them that you are contacting your Local Trading Standards Office, Watchdog and anyone else you can think of. Be totally focused and persistent even if you have to keep e mailing and phoning DO NOT GIVE UP. This scam seems to have been going on now for a couple of years and it seems there is nothing anyone can do to stop it. The banks and credit card company say they cannot help until you cancel your subscription (even though the majority of people never even subscribed in the first place!) but from what I've read on these forums, this seems virtually impossible as cancellations are ignored and monies are taken on an ongoing basis! Some people have had hundreds of pounds taken from their account or credit card. It is pure THEFT. I really can't believe this scam is legal but no-one has yet been able to put an end to it. Just keep harassing them - it worked for me and I do wish you the best of luck and everyone else who has been conned by this corrupt company.

codger

Complaints about unauthorised taking of funds have been so numerous, and continue to be so numerous, that even the most reasonable observer could be forgiven for wondering if the Vista Print operation exists primarily to harvest money from unsuspecting "free" business card customers.

Just as there's a statistically predictable response rate to mail shots, so too, presumably, is there likely to be a statistically predictable percentage of unwitting "customers" to whom monies have to be refunded. . .

Leaving a similarly statistically predictable percentage of "customers" who aren't.

Why the authorities haven't closed down this operation long since escapes me -- though the fact that it is registered offshore may have more than a little to do with it.

Sadly though, too many are too quick to fall victim to any scam.

If this is one, then what possible explanation can there be for anyone with a functioning brain cell to accept "free business cards" which, as Vista Print makes clear, are over-printed on the reverse with an advertisement for Vista Print??

Do such people seriously think that producing such a card will impress anyone at all??

Distributing business cards containing adverts for the printer speaks either of a business that's so unsuccessful it can't even afford a few quid for corporate stationery. . .

Or of a business owner who's just so darn cheap he / she will happily allow their name and reputation to be nothing more than a platform upon which a far bigger company can dance.

Why not go the whole hog and walk down the street wearing a Vista Print sandwich board? There might even be some free letter headed stationery thrown in for that.

I hope the action group referred to at the start of this thread does achieve its aims. Above all though, I wish that everyone who has been improperly disadvantaged as a result of taking up the business cards offer contacts Amazon UK.

There's no excuse for the way that Amazon continues to profit from Vista Print. No excuse at all.

marleyboy

It seems this company have been doing this for a good 2 yars, regularly with just about all their customers. They constantly say "oh its an error" eventually paying just those back whom challenge them. My OH purchased some cards from them last year, fortunatley at least upto now, they havent dipped into her a/c yet. She said she read the T&C including the small print, and was adamant she ticked and unticked all the relevant boxes. I guess she hit the right box.

But as I have constantly heard nothing but stories like these regarding Vista, It seems they are getting away with too much. Lets say that 10% of irate customers have commented on MSE, leaving 90% of those whom havent. Thats just a percentage of aware and irate customers, lets say 20% of customers are aware of it , leaving another 80% oblivious.

thats still a HUGE proportion, and even in paying the 20% back, are still making a tidy sum out of it. I think its time Watchdog or Trading Standards did something about this.

codger

"Watchdog" is a toothless BBC Light Entertainment programme that has become identified in the mass audience's mind as its Consumer Saviour.

Investigative journalism of the calibre needed in a case like Vista Print, VP rewards et al is more likely to be found in BBC Radio 4's "You and Yours" which is not concerned with how pretty its presenters look nor so paranoid about audience attention span that it has to hop from one "case" to another every few minutes.

The best remedy for shutting down operations like Vista Print / VP Rewards is always in the hands of the victims themselves: formation of a consumer group; co-ordinated reporting to Trading Standards & OFT; co-ordinated reporting to each victim's individual Member of Parliament.

Sadly, too many flail around for too long to no effect at all.

And too many still seem unable to grasp that "Watchdog" is showbusiness and nothing more.

mccstuff

They have started writing their own PR now! http://www.pr-inside.com/high-street-max-urges-uk-consumers-r301419.htm

Look at the disclaimer at the bottom, it's a laugh.

Disclaimer: If you have any questions regarding information in these press releases please contact the company added in the press release. Please do not contact pr-inside. We will not be able to assist you. PR-inside disclaims contents contained in this release.

naivete

Medusa wrote: »

As promised I am keeping you updated. I phoned Vista Print on monday to cancel my unwanted subscriptions. 48 hours later I received a cancellation email. On friday I had a full refund in my account. Not bad I guess, although it shouldn't have happened in the first place.

:T Hope I'm not being premature but thank you anyway for your assistance re: VPrewards and ClubPrem. I have received a reply from at least ClubPrem this morning confirming that they have cancelled "my membership"? and will be crediting my bank account within the next 2 days. This has only happened because whilst I was doing a Google search I came across your posting. Thanks again.

markandnicky

We bought some invitations from vistaprint.co.uk back in July. We had no idea until recently that we had become members of their VPRewards scheme and they have taken four payments of £9.95 - £40 stolen!

We were alerted to it by Intelligent Finance and they told us all about it and what we should do.

We contacted VPRewards using the number on their website (easy to find via Google, as are the masses of forums about this very prevalent scam) and, even having spoken to a manager - Rachel Manner - they would only agree to cancel the membership and refund one payment, even when I threatened Trading Standards, etc.

When I called Trading Standards, I was referred to Consumer Direct and they advised that VPRewards are based in Bahamas and only subject to those laws. They gave me some good advice but this evening, I thought that I would call VistaPrint rather than VPRewards.

Their 0800 028 8251 tel nr is diverted to their USA operation in the evenings. I had to get past the call centre bod but when I managed to speak with a manager - Martin Allen - he listened and said that he would arrange the remaining refund by contacting VPRewards whilst I was on the phone. This he did and he has promised the balance of the refund will be wit me in 3 to 5 working days.

Assuming that we get this refund, this seems to be a way of by=passing the totally unhelpful UK end of VPRewards.

Howver, there really is a biger picture here and this scam should be closed down and vistaprint.co.uk put of business.

Is it illegal to start a chain email advising people of this scam and recommending that they either do not shop with vistaprint or are VERY careful with how the website works? If it can be done, within a few days most of the UK could know of this scam!

Mark and Nicky