Worldwide Marketing Solutions / Worldwideems con? Beware!

Resolved

Hello

I have recently set up a business and was caught out, when in a hurry, by these people. I fell for the "we are Google" line and thought it worth a try.

I discovered that this company was not google within hours of signing up for the month's trial. I went online and read all the horror stories on this thread and on many others.

I 'phoned them to protest at being misled but it became clear that I would not get my money back. I decided to call it a £118 lesson in never falling for such scams in the future.

I cancelled my credit card as lost or stolen (at the company's recommendation) and explained why. I ensured that details of this conversation were recorded on their computers.

I emailed worldwidems at customer services and explained in very clear language that I was cancelling my part in the trial period and had cancelled my card, that they would thus receive no more monies if they tried to extract payment. I very clearly explained that I wanted nothing more to do with them and that I would not be renewing, that I had read of their underhand techniques online and that nothing would induce me to change my mind. They would thus find it hard to argue, to my credit card company, that I had changed my mind.

I sent them a copy of this email, along with a copy of the invoice and a letter - by recorded delivery - explaining the very same thing.

Copies of every correspondence were kept.

A few days later a salesman from this company called - trying to sell me the product I'd already bought. I then wrote a new email to Marvin Jarvis (my account manager) asking him to clear me from their records and not to call me again. I again explained that I would not be renewing this product and again copied this to their customer services dept.

No reply.

I emailed a couple more times, again explaining my wish to end the account at the end of the trial and asked him to have the manners to respond to this expression of my wishes. He replied that the ads would continue for the rest of the month and would then end if I did not renew.

I replied to this and thanked him for acknowledging my cancellation. I copied this to their customer services dept.

I had thus cancelled with many belts and braces. They would have nothing to work with if they tried going for more cash against my wishes.

This is how to ensure that you are not charged beyond the initial 30 day trial.

Good luck. These people are scammers but there are ways to limit the damage. It's an expensive lesson but I'll never be fooled again.

Furthermore, I remained friendly throughout. Perhaps this threw them into being slightly less willing to screw me over. They must learn how to handle such irate customers. I even thanked them for teaching me this lesson. It's a different approach to that to which they must, by now, be inured.

It was a stressful time, wondering if they'd try their luck at the end of the month, but they didn't. I'm free of it now. A lesson learned.

Resolved

By the way, simply ignore their "legal" threats. The debt collection agency will be fabricated and if you have cancelled according to their "online agreement" they haven't a leg to stand on.

mgroves

While I can fully understand that ongoing unauthorised monthly charges are a nightmare to deal with, I'm still amazed at how many people seem willing to allow them to get away with the initial payment of ~£120! If a company has msirpresented their identity and the nature of their product/service in any material way, you are not obliged to pay for it.

My opinion is that we should stand up to this kind of fraudster as a matter of principle, because the profits they reap by gouging £120 each from several thousand people, is precisely their motive for doing it! It seems the worst case scenario for them is that they don't get away with further charges to their victims' credit cards!

sarah_paddon

I have recently set up a wedding company and this company contacted me selling Facebook ad - promising 50k hits per month to my ad for £100 a month. After a quick google search I realised it was a scam. Beware.

gospo

Hi all.
I gave them my credit card deatils, they took 120 pounds initial payment(monthly trial) and next day they took 30quid extra without telling me nothing about this charge. I can see there is a big ammount people being rippped. So what should i do to cut it off? contact my bank? please any options?

mgroves

gospo wrote: »

Hi all.
I gave them my credit card deatils, they took 120 pounds initial payment(monthly trial) and next day they took 30quid extra without telling me nothing about this charge. I can see there is a big ammount people being rippped. So what should i do to cut it off? contact my bank? please any options?

Read the thread above!

gospo

I did, just wondering is there any other ways but not to cancel my credit card... This is unbelivable! is XXI century... where is law...

mgroves

Yes, contact the bank/credit card provider and tell them you got defrauded, and that you want them either to charge it back, or to refund you under Section 75 of the consumer credit act. State quite clearly that you made the payment on the basis of WMS's oral representations, and that you immediately contacted WMS cancelling the sale, when you saw that the written terms differed completely from what they had said on the phone.

In evidence, you can point out that you have subsequently investigated the bona fides of WMS, and there is ample evidence (this thread is a good example) that they do this kind of thing on a regular basis. Point out that in the absence of your signature on a contract, the onus is on the company to show that they comprehensively and fairly represented their offer. (If WMS say they have recorded the conversation, ask for a copy).

Hope this helps!

donnacollins

I've been had too. Soo upset. I initially paid £149 and have just realised they've taken another £118.80 today using my card details :-(
So gutted. Have cancelled my card and will go to my bank tomorrow but after reading the post om here am not optimistic

mgroves

No need to be pessimistic. If a card merchant (WMS) has defrauded you, or misrepresented their offering in any material way, explain that fact to your bank in no uncertain terms. The bank is jointly liable for the product or service you purchased, and if they fail to refund your money, you can complain to the Ombudsman, who will order them to do so.

The bank knows this, so in the end, they will either recharge the amount back to WMS, or simply take the loss themselves. If they recharge WMS, you can expect a few threatening letters from them, but always remember their business model is to scam lots of people, and intimidate the few that fight back. But actually taking legal action against you would open them up to all kinds of problems when they lose in court, so they'll balk at it in the end.

Anyway, that's just my opinion, of course, but it's based on what happened in my case. If you need copies of my letters to the Bank etc., PM me with contact details, and I'll email you copies.