help!model agency scam!

sarahblonde

Hello mse, can anyone help.
I sent some photos to a model agency and was contacted and asked to come to london and have some more photos taken, alarm bells didnt ring at this stage, i 'stupidly' paid a £50 deposit and was told if i cancel or didnt turn up they could take more money... i had every intention of going...but overnight changed my mind and had not signed anything, i emailed the contact i had and phoned several times to let them know, i did almost beg them not to take money from my account. I have now noticed they did take £140 out of my account and i am furious, both at myself and them. How dare they!! i have sent emails asking to refund me and warning i will take action but to no avail, i am still fuming and hoping to get the money back somehow! any ideas??!
sarah!

scheming_gypsy

you could possibly try and contact your bank to report an unauthorised transaction?

vax2002

The police are your first call, this is basic fraud

unholyangel

Have you contacted your bank?

Verbal agreements can be binding but it basically comes down to who said what < and trying to prove it. Although I would think it may be reasonable that you expected some payment to be taken else how did they get a hold of your card/bank details.

How much notice did you give them you were cancelling? Write to them again, send it recorded delivery. Keep it simple. Ask for a breakdown of their actual losses due to your cancellation and what reasonable steps they took to mitigate their loss. Point out that the original agreement had been for a deposit not exceeding £50, that any amount over that was not authorised. Also ask them to provide you with copies of evidence of loss/mitigation of loss.

Say without this information provided, you will assume they have incurred no loss on top of breaching the original contract conditions and will issue legal proceedings.

Give them 7 days to reply. Remember to keep the receipt the post office gives you as it will let you track it to know when they received it. Remember to also keep a copy of the letter for yourself.

sarahblonde

Thanks, i have sent a couple of emails but havent even received a 'read' receipt, not even sure they have a postal address. I feel a bit stupid and that i dont really have a leg to stand on, but i am so angry that a company can take £140 out of your account!

I did speak to the bank just when i decided not to go to the appointment to see if could stop any money being taken and they said they couldnt so i am not sure they will be very helpful, was thinking of trying a chargeback but i think the time limit has passed now.

scheming_gypsy

You'll only receive a read receipt if they tell it to send one. I have it permanently disabled as I don't want people to know when I've read an email; just because I've read it doesn't mean I'm free to action it.. So it's possible they're just telling it not to send one, rather than them not reading it.

vax2002

I think you need to call your local trading standards as they can just keep taking money, depending on what authorisation you have given.
I will give you bit of advice that you should stick to, you NEVER pay money for work. NEVER.
If you are asked to pay money upfront in promise of work later, you are getting scammed.

sarahblonde

Yes unfortunately i already know this! i have done a bit of modelling before and im now 30 so i shouldve known better, that's why i'm so angry!! http://www.formmodels.co.uk/index.php
have attached the link, there is no postal address, however i think i may have the paperwork they sent me, which includes 'terms and conditions' with terrible grammar and spelling, i was appalled when i read it and that put me off! i have scammed and i dont think i will see the money again, just have to put this down to a bad decision on my part!
sarah