Worldwide Marketing Solutions / Worldwideems con? Beware!

stansted

This is odd. I posted on here last week regarding the Radio 4 'You and Yours' Programme last week (available on BBC Ii-player) whereby Worldwide Marketing and their cohorts was exposed but my post has disappeared. I also asked Scott whether he could provide any information about how he managed to lose the court case and on what grounds? This is surprising considering all the evidence that exists. According to the 'You and Yours' programme the local Trading Standards are aware of this company's activities. I suggested that anyone who feel they have had payments taken from their credit cards without authority should report the matter to the Greater Manchester Police fraud squad.

born7

I am happy you came back to repost your insights. I am going to contact the Police. Very grateful for your information.

stansted

I am suspicious that one of the posts on this forum may not be genuine and could have originated from Wordwide Marketing in an attempt to raise fears in some of the members. Although I am not a lawyer, I do not believe that the activities of this company would hold up particularly well in court providing you defend your case properly.

Apart from Scott (above) I have not heard of anyone else who has actually been taken to court by this firm even though they dish out threats like they have gone out of fashion. I would certainly challenge them at every level especially if anyone believes they are taking money from their credit card or bank without authority. It appears that few (if any) people who had dealings with Worldwide Marketing or their other company/s have recieved either a written contract outlining the terms and conditions, or a VAT receipt for any payments. It is a legal requiement to provide VAT receipts when it is being charged by a VAT registered business. Similarly, if Worldwide Marketing can bring an action for a contract they perceive to have been made by telephone; equally I would suggest that a telephone contract can also be cancelled by telephone.

widivic

So Im not alone

I got conned into taking the ONE MONTH TRIAL last may
no service given at all and no matter what I do they still keep taking my money.
For me the worst thing about all of this has been the responce from mastercard.As thier customer they will not take my instruction to stop payments,they say I must get proof from retailer of cancelation of contract.THERE NEVER WAS A CONTRACTand so the retailer simply ignores any contact I have with them so can continue to take my money
As for chappie who said he lost a court case sorry but Im mighty susspicious

jonnyfive

After speaking to tradding standards i have been told that i dont have to pay anything they would have to take us to small claims court, when they do (not that they will) they will lose with the amount of bad press they have. I dont think frank burns is real but is a made up name other wise he would be very over worked sending all these emails.
Please no one give them any more money tell them to get lost it not be long till they are shut down!
As i am from oldham and use a wholesaler on the same park as them i would love to meet this frank burns and wait to her some one call his name out i will have a word or 3!

stansted

Hi Johnnyfive
These posts seem to be just the tip of the iceberg - there are other posts on other website as well. So, I agree Frank Burns must be very budy sending countless threatening emails out.

If you live in Oldham have you tried paying a visit to this clown's office to see who works there and if he really exists or whether he is just a name used in email communications. It seems somebody called Danny Kaye is behind the company and he seems to reside in a semi-detached house (I haven't got the address to hand) but you can view his house on Google maps. It is high time these scammers were put out of business once and for all because they rely on the honesty of people like those who have been conned by them.
Has anyone here had any response yet from Greater Manchester Police fraud squad over this. I am aware that they have been reported but it seems the police have better things to do. What's new?

If they are taking money from people's credit cards without permission (including after someone has cancelled their account) then this sirely must be an act of fraud therefore the police should be taking more of an active interest. Perhaps they are - who know - maybe Frank Burns and his henchmen are already being investigated. We can only hope.

alisonmeyers

it amazes me that so many people get taken in by these scams. they all work the same way - it'sjust the details that differ from year to year

they must have a really refined sales pitch!

just what do people think they are paying for?! Getting "to the top of Google" - how? Define "top of Google"? "more hits" for such a cheap one off fee? It shows a total lack of understanding about how websites, and their promotion.

And if it was as simple as paying 200 quid, don't you think everyone would be doing it, therefore offsetting any positive effect? There's a reason why even high profile, branded companies use legitimate online marketing companies, with reputations to uphold, and verifiable methods to promote their client websites... AND who will tell you all about the methods they use in detail, if you ask. just like how you would ask a normal PR company how they plan to raise the profile of your business OFFLINE. or if they cold called you and said "hey we can get you on page 1 of The New Yorker for 200 quid".

i've employed some amazing SEOs myself on a freelance basis (ok they were mostly website programmers who'd had training in that really), when i used to work with my brother's wholly-online business (he was in IT himself, though, so he knew what he was looking to hire for, and just communicated it to me at first - i just did admin mostly).

i feel sorry for the people getting scammed like this, but i'm constantly surprised by how naive some business owners are. if it's too good to be true, and you don't know the details, and you're not sure HOW your money is going to be used/what exactly it's paying for... hang up the phone, google around what they;ve told you - if it's legit, they won't mind if you think about it and call them back.

some people have tried to sell the eiffel tower, and some people have bought it - this is just the same, people scamming others whereever they can see that someone's ignorance is there to be exploited, but on a smaller scale. it's such a shame - and to target smaller companies too, who are struggling so much in this economy

anyway, good luck sorting it out with your banks/credit card companies if they choose to help/block further transactions from this company!

stansted

Hi Alison
Fortunately I am not one of those who has been scammed by this ... I am merely assisting a colleague who has been. But, you must appreciate that many business owners are not blessed with your knowledge about SEO and web marketing activities in general and these clowns who scam can be quite believable if you are not familiar with how things work. The important issue here is that this company, judging by what I have been able to ascertain, has passed themselves off as being Google - and although they deny ever saying this the evidence from a good many people suggests that they were. When some people hear the name Google they tend to believe that the caller is indeed from a company that they know and trust. This of course does not excuse any perceived naivity of anyone who falls for the scam but it must also be appreciated that these businesses who have been taken in by the scams genuinely believe they are being helped and offered a genuine service. This is in part because so much business is now conducted online or by telephone.

Trading Standards, the Police, HMRC (for failing to provide VAT invoices) and the government should all being doing far more to clamp down on these scammers and jail those reponsible for fraud. But too frequently we see 'officialdom' sitting on the fence and failing to protect people from these kinds of unpleasant activities.

jexygirl

I agree Stansted,
Alison, When myself and OH bought our first pub, after 15 years of me nursing and him being a on the techincal side of theatre management, as well as having a wealth of "life experience" we were called within a week of moving in about the ad in the police diary. (I know its in a diff thread but the prinicple is still the same!)

No amount of experience in whatever field can make you see through things in a totally different or new industry, especially when its your new buisness or something you are investing everything you ever worked for, have researched what you consider to be every aspect, as well as gaining as much experience as possible, and are risking. These people that do the scam are VERY clever with how they word things, and are effectively "good" sales people - and often, in the moment, its easy to be sold if only to get them off the phone, on the proviso, that you haven't said yes to anything (tho i have to say giving card or payment details over the phone before seeing anything in writing is further than i would ever go - to me that effects a deal and your agreement as you gave details).

For us, it was a chance call, at the right time, 3 or 4 days after our lives had totally changed, and we bought an ad as it was for the "emergency services" Tho payment was only sent after receiving a "proof" but again, we felt we had agreed and understood it was a fundraiser so paid it. We learned, as do most people fortunately. We did however receive the erm "diary", complete with "our ad" - most expensive diary i ever bought!!!

6 years on and another pub in, We get weekly if not daily calls from "police diary", "selling tickets for something or other", "get you to the top of google", "blind children in africa win a teddy raffle", the sad thing is, we now say no to everything regardless and support only our chosen charities that are close to us - with so many scams going around, these people are not only being a pita, but are preventing genuine causes getting their so desperately needed funding as "once bitten, twice shy"

jex

LadyOfTheStream

Hi all,
I am in a similar boat and have been scammed by them. It started in May 2010 with a phone call saying they were Google & I parted with nearly £120 and told it would be a trial period of one Month & if it was to go on longer they would phone me, review and I could either not continue or renew. Needless to say nothing in writing, and no extra business generated. About two months ago started to receive nasty e-mail demands. They took another £300 (silly me) I then realised the scam and tried to get support from my bank - no joy. I contacted Trading Standards who said don't pay anymore. I then stopped my bank card so they could not take any more money. I also sent them a recorded letter, telling them they would get no further money & I had not agreed to continuing using their services. This has made no difference. They sent further demands for £400 and today I received a demand for £700 saying legal action was being commenced today. I would support anyone who is taking legal action or is taken to court by them, just let me know and I will happy to provide the evidence I have. I also strongly feel that group legal action against this company by all of us may be a way forward.