Worldwide Marketing Solutions / Worldwideems con? Beware!

pammie1

Why does clicking on your own ad effect the expose of your campaign???

mgroves

My wife and I were caught out by this fraudulent company too. Katie introduced herself as being "from Google", and then sold an advertising package over the phone that was entirely different from how things were described in the terms and conditions that were emailed to us later. We immediately asked for a refund on the grounds that there had been a misunderstanding, but they delayed their answer until the ad appeared the following day. Then, according to them, it was too late - they can't refund for an ad that has already been placed! Lots of words back and forth, but they were adamant they weren't going to refund.

I contacted Halifax to get a chargeback on the payment made with my credit card, and they were very helpful on the phone. A few days later I received a request for more information from the Disputes Department at Halifax - which I supplied in detail, including a link to this thread (and several others on the Internet), as evidence that this was not a misunderstanding on our part. Very disappointingly, the reply from Halifax was unhelpful in the extremem: "I regret that I am unable to help you further as Worldwide Marketing has stated they cannot issue a refund for a published advert". I was appalled! "Worldwide Marketing has stated they can't issue a refund"? !!!!!!??? If they have misrepresented their offer, they not only can issue a refund, they have to issue a refund!

Anyway, I have now written to Halifax again, asking them to preferably reconsider their position on a chargeback, failing which I am demanding a full refund from Halifax directly under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, as they are jointly and severally liable for any misrepresentation or breach of contract with the supplier. I hope they charge it back, so that WM makes the loss, but if Halifx prefers to take it on the chin themselves, well, whatever...

I will post up whatever result I get.

M...

steve1980

There seems to be alot of newbie posters for this.....coincidence....

Just do what I do when you get a call from "Google" or any other company......"Do you know Gary in marketing? He's a personal friend of mine, put him on the phone would you, I need to confirm plans for the weekend"

hampshirebabe

I got called up by them in Feb and fell for them, thinking they were google, and they took 2 payments. I soon realised they were a scam and phoned my bank who said there was nothing they could do, not even cancelling my credit card could stop them, so I phoned them and paused my account indefinately which they said was fine. A week later I phoned again and cancelled it, which they said they did, although neither of those calls are on their records. But now they've just taken anothe £118. I phoned my bank again but they said seeing as I gave them my card details theres nothing they can do, they can carry on taking money as much as they like. I phoned wwms as suggested by the bank to ask for my money back and he said its definately cancelled, but I dont think I'll take his word for it, but i cant get my money back as there's no record of me cancelling it. now I've put in a secur message to my bank, Smile, to see what happens.
Its just so rediculous that they can carry on taking money and my bank wont stop it!
Hasa anyone got anything back from trading standards?

hampshirebabe

I'm about to send them an email to cancel my account with them, can I also send it trading standards at the same time do you think, so they can see I'm not going to let it drop?

Editted to say I also sent it to [EMAIL="tradingstandards@oldham.gov.uk"]tradingstandards@oldham.gov.uk[/EMAIL], although no idea if they'll reply.

And this is what I put.
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to cancel my account with you with effect immediatly as agreed on the telephone yesterday.
I would like a refund of the £118.80 you took on 31/05/2011, which you say was a rollover fee, but I phoned you on 23/03/2011 to pause the account. I had arranged in your first phone call for the account to be activated on the 21/03/2011, once I was back from holiday, so it was 3 days after that I decided I no longer needed it and so phoned you to pause it, as was recomended by you. Which means I had used only 3 days of the months contract and no need for an extra unorthorised amount to be taken.
Regards


Eddited again to say after speaking to traiding standards, this is the letter I'm sending, and send a copy to my credit card company.
To whom it may concern,
I am writing to cancel my account with you with immediate effect as agreed on the telephone yesterday.
Having contacted traiding standards, I would like a full refund of the 3 amounts you took from my account due to misrepresentation. £142.80 on the 03/02/2011, £58.80 on the 08/02/2011 and £118.80 on 31/05/2011.
I would like full settlement of this within 14 days, and written conformation immediately that you will take no further payments .

hampshirebabe

After speaking to traing standards, then Finacial services Authority, I've made a complaint to my credit card company, this is what I've put, (incase it helps anyone else)
On 03/02/2011 I authorised a payment of £99 to a company called Worldwide Marketing Solutions Ltd, who were at the time claiming to be google. I paid using my credit card, thinking this was the safest way, but they took £142.80 and then on 08/02/2011 they took a further £58.80, without my authorisation. I phoned my bank, Smile, and told them I hadn't authorised it but they said there was nothing they could do. I asked them to cancel the card to stop them taking anymore money, but again they said there was nothing they could do to stop it, they could in theory take hundreds if not thousand from me each month.

On 31/05/2011 I had a further £118.80 taken from my account and once again when I phoned Smile they said its my fault for giving my card details out and noting they can do either to refund the money taken without my authority, nor to stop it happening any other time in the future.

I have just spoken to the financial services authority who directed me to The Lending Code which says under its Credit card section, paragraph 139, If someone else uses the card details without the customer’s permission, and the card has not been lost or stolen, the customer will not have to pay anything; and paragraph 138, If a credit card transaction has not been authorised by the customer then any interest that may have been charged on this transaction will be refunded unless the customer has acted fraudulently or with gross negligence.
I would in this case like put in a complaint so you can look into this matter and then refund me the full amount of £320.40, plus interest.

I believe you have up to 8 weeks to respond to this, after which I will forward it to the Financial Ombudsman, although I hope the matter can be resolved much quicker.
I would also like to find a way to stop this company taking more money from my credit card whenever they feel like it, and hope you can deal with that matter urgently.

mgroves

steve1980 wrote: »

There seems to be alot of newbie posters for this.....coincidence....

Just do what I do when you get a call from "Google" or any other company......"Do you know Gary in marketing? He's a personal friend of mine, put him on the phone would you, I need to confirm plans for the weekend"

What's your point, Steve? I'd guess most of the other "newbie" posters on this thread are in my position: they got cheated, they searched the Internet to see what information they could find about the company, and that brought them here.

People selling advertising often do cold calling, and it's not always a bad deal. What people are complaining about on this thread is the gross and deliberate misrepresentation by Worldwide Marketing, not the fact they got cold-called!

steve1980

mgroves wrote: »

What's your point, Steve? I'd guess most of the other "newbie" posters on this thread are in my position: they got cheated, they searched the Internet to see what information they could find about the company, and that brought them here.

People selling advertising often do cold calling, and it's not always a bad deal. What people are complaining about on this thread is the gross and deliberate misrepresentation by Worldwide Marketing, not the fact they got cold-called!

Calm down!

It's just amazing that so many people posted within such a short amount of time.

I find it unbelievable so many people will just give their bank details over to a cold caller on the phone. Does no one check these people out these days??

Also, I've not seen it mentioned but all these "sales" are subject to the DSR so there is an automatic 7 day cooling off period.

hampshirebabe

steve1980 wrote: »

Calm down!

Also, I've not seen it mentioned but all these "sales" are subject to the DSR so there is an automatic 7 day cooling off period.

Have you not seen all the posts where the person conned tried to stop it that day or the day after? They just refused to give the money back and the banks have been useless!
I believed what I'd been told, if you pay by credit card and it turns out not to be what it seems then I'd be covered. I certainly never knew anyone I give my card details to can make up a contract and keep taking money whenever they want.
They never told me they weren't actually google, all I knew was Yell coldcall, so do lots of other advertising companies, so why wouldn't they actualy be who they said they were.

steve1980

Taken from the Office of Fair Trading Website:

If you sell goods or services to consumers by:

• the internet
• digital television
• mail order, including catalogue shopping
• phone
• fax

then you need to know about the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000.

The key features of the regulations are:

• you must give consumers clear information including details of the goods or services offered, delivery arrangements and payment, the supplier's details and the consumer's cancellation right before they buy (known as prior information)
• you must also provide this information in writing
• the consumer has a cooling-off period of seven working days.

They don't actually have a leg to stand on. It only takes one person to start the process.

Alternatively, I'm sure a legal eagle would happily take up a tort against them.