UK-passport.net

robyab

I am yet another victim of this misleading website. I also clicked on the google link and was taken directly to the form section of the website. At no point from then does it warn that the site is not affiliated with the IPS and that the fee you are asked for is not actually for a new passport but purely for them checking your details and sending you a pre-printed form. I feel utterly conned. I should point out to users recommending 'not going to the first link you come across and going to the gov.uk sites' that the HM passport office site which you are directed to by clicking on one of the gov.uk search results also takes you to a similar check and send service. It would appear that you actually CANNOT apply ONLINE for a passport. I wish I had just gone into the post office for a form.

I have emailed the company informing them of my feelings - that I feel misled and asking for my money back. I will post if I get a response. In the meantime, I will be getting in touch with my credit card company in the hope that if passport.net will not refund me, then my credit card co. might be able to help.

gb12345

robyab wrote: »

I should point out to users recommending 'not going to the first link you come across and going to the gov.uk sites' that the HM passport office site which you are directed to by clicking on one of the gov.uk search results also takes you to a similar check and send service. It would appear that you actually CANNOT apply ONLINE for a passport. I wish I had just gone into the post office for a form.

You obviously get different results from me then. A search for "Passport Renewal" brings up the following legitimate Gov sites as that first 2 non-advertising results.

1. https://www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport - General details about applying for a passport (including the Post Office's check and send service which is a legitimate service).
2. https://www.gov.uk/apply-renew-passport - Renewing your passport online.

Incidentally, the second advertised link I get is also for the Post Office's check and send service - so there were plenty of opportunities for you not to get conned.

Pollycat

I too googled 'passport renewal' and these websites came up in this order:
uk-passport.net
renewal passport-uk.co.uk
passportuk.com
and then the official website - gov.uk

robyab wrote: »

I should point out to users recommending 'not going to the first link you come across and going to the gov.uk sites' that the HM passport office site which you are directed to by clicking on one of the gov.uk search results also takes you to a similar check and send service. It would appear that you actually CANNOT apply ONLINE for a passport. I wish I had just gone into the post office for a form.

From Directgov website:

You can renew or replace your passport at any time. It costs £72.50 by post or £81.25 through the Post Office’s Passport Check & Send service. Time left on an existing passport is added to your new one - up to a maximum of 9 months.

This doesn't seem to have an online option but I've not followed the link on the Directgov website through.
The link seems to take you to something called HM Passport Office - which looks official.
It certainly doesn't look anything like the other websites that charge for form-filling and I would doubt that a UK Government website would do that.

robyab wrote: »

I have emailed the company informing them of my feelings - that I feel misled and asking for my money back. I will post if I get a response. In the meantime, I will be getting in touch with my credit card company in the hope that if passport.net will not refund me, then my credit card co. might be able to help.

Have you contacted them in the way the website tell you to with the information they ask you to provide?
There is a specific email address to use.

hpuse

REPORT THE SITE TO GOOGLE

Use this link:
https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9110?topic=13930


ClimboJimbo

This appears to be a business that is clearly running on just ONE ideology.

a) Target the vulnerable people those who blindly trust google whether it is search results or advertisements.

There isn't anything illegal by this business as far I see it.
But the question is do we really want such businesses around us ?

- My answer is no. The only people that could make a difference is Google and IPS (our government !)

Clearly the proporeitors of this fake websites have done their maths. Even if they refund money swiftly to 80% of the customer who were 'link trapped' they get to keep the rest of 20% and that is a good margin in my view. Also they could be profiling customer based on their knowledge of UK consumer act and trading standards.

ClimboJimbo wrote: »

They are not there for our benefit in the way that they are either, advertised, offered or charged.

The Post Office provides a check and send service which is useful to a small percentage of passport applicants who use this service and happily pay the £8.75 fee. Their advertising is clear, their methods are fair and people have a choice.

UK-passport.net charge £45 for the same service and achieve payment by the following means:

1. Someone types ‘Passport Application’ into Google – the first link on the page is Passport Application - Official UK Passport Application Lost,Stolen,Renewal 24/7 Support
a. Firstly the word ‘Official’ is misleading and this complaint has been upheld by the ASA – Yet nothing has changed. (Interestingly the ASA have ruled against the affiliated companies named below on multiple occasions)
2. The user (maybe not paying as much attention as he/she should) clicks on the link, but instead of being taken to the homepage, where the service and charges are clearly explained. Is straight to the application process where the fees are not detailed.
3. The user, believing they are on an ‘Official’ website complete all the forms and click finish at which point they are asked to pay – the fee is not detailed at this point, only Credit Card details are requested. The majority of users at this point mistakenly believe they are making payment for the passport itself – which they are not.
4. Payment is made and an email is received (but not by all users of the service it seems) with the Order ID and payment amount.
5. It is here users are likely to suspect something is not what they expected, the payment is for £45 not for £72.50. So the penny drops.
6. Not to worry though, if you read the Terms you can cancel the order and receive a full refund – less £8 if the order has started to be processed – simply send an email quoting your Order ID and that is that, a refund will be sent.
7. Except it is not, because UK-passport.net do not reply to emails and the only other method of contact is a £1.53/min premium rate number. A week later we have received no refund and no acknowledgement of our emails.

Comparing the uk-passport.net service and how it is delivered, to the Post Office Check and send service is like chalk and cheese - and not very helpful.

Interestingly, (text removed by MSE Forum Team) director of Esta Visa Ltd. and PH Travel Consultants. It doesn’t take much Google searching to realise that Peter Hall under his various company names and projects has misled, deceived, defrauded and defaulted on payments to many many individuals and companies. Whether he is actually engaged in active law breaking or not – in all his work he has been knowingly sailing so close to the wind for one reason, and one reason only – to get rich from the tired, rushed, less savvy, clumsy, vulnerable and yes foolish/stupid members of society. Those of you so swift to defend the legitimacy of the business practices of such an individual should really ask yourselves whose side are you actually on? Just like me I wanted to shout at my wife telling her how stupid she was but I realised that through sleep deprivation and the stresses of having a new baby she was steered into a course of action which had been deliberately designed to deliver a paid for service to her that she did not want and would not have chosen had she been a little more on her toes.

It may be clear to some, but by not acting on our request to cancel the order (which we made within 10 minutes) UK-passport.net are in breach of the UK Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000.

gb12345

hpuse wrote: »

REPORT THE SITE TO GOOGLE

There isn't anything illegal by this business as far I see it.
But the question is do we really want such businesses around us ?

- My answer is no. The only people that could make a difference is Google and IPS (our government !)

Do you really expect Google to do anything about it? You say yourself that the site isn't doing anything illegal, so why should they act on it - afterall, they are getting an income from this business' advertising with them.

The only thing that IPS could possibly act on is the use of their helpline phone number (assuming the site still does that) - there is nothing else wrong with the site - they are providing a "value added" service, which is not illegal.

hpuse

gb12345 wrote: »

Do you really expect Google to do anything about it? You say yourself that the site isn't doing anything illegal, so why should they act on it - afterall, they are getting an income from this business' advertising with them.

The only thing that IPS could possibly act on is the use of their helpline phone number (assuming the site still does that) - there is nothing else wrong with the site - they are providing a "value added" service, which is not illegal.

It depends on the ethics and code of conduct. If I am the corporate social responsibility head for Google UK - I would strongly argue for removing this website. But thats just me !

wealdroam

If more people used Adblockplus, they wouldn't even see these 'sponsored listings' at the top of search lists.

It also banishes many many other adverts throughout the internet.

Oh... and it's free.

imoneyop

hpuse wrote: »

It depends on the ethics and code of conduct. If I am the corporate social responsibility head for Google UK - I would strongly argue for removing this website. But thats just me !

Do you really think that Google are that concerned with social responsibility - they're all about profits these days.

Welshwoofs

My 70yr old Mum has just fallen foul of http://www.passport.uk.com/ where she noticed the massive blue button called 'Apply for a passport online now' but didn't notice the rather smaller disclaimer that they were nothing to do with the passport office.

As soon as she got her confirmation email she realised her error and went to phone them...only to find a £1.53 per minute premium rate number. She emailed them instead seeking a refund and was refused. I emailed them and got the same template refusal...so I emailed again threatening a number of actions (all legal I'll hasten to add) and got a very unpleasant email in return.

So I went searching for information this shower of shytes and found that the company behind it is one WHO4 LIMITED (Company Number: 08020104) who have a registered address in Northants.

If anyone else is pursuing this company I'd advise having a little read of the website below which is registered and operated from the same address which, thanks to Google Earth, is revealed as a (large) private home in a rather well-heeled village. Pay particular attention to the contact details....especially the local rate, local telephone number that is the direct contact for that home address. I'd suggest that if you wanted to talk about a refund, then contacting Deseret Accountants direct would be the way to go ;-)

http://www.deseretaccountants.co.uk/

electronicfox

My girlfriends mother has just been caught by this site. She thought she was paying for a passport renewal service online, and she only realised what she has done after contacting the real IPS about the additional 70-something pounds she had to pay for the passport renewal.

She only uses her netbook for emails and skype calling her friends, so she has only the fundamental knowledge of the internet, and she will know an obvious scam when she sees it.

I had a look at the website and I can see how someone can easily fall for this kind of thing. It looks official, and can imply a direct connection with the IPS through the VERY similar logo.

As many here have stated, the site IS legal, the whole damn business here is perfectly legal, just extremely immoral. I am hoping to be able to get her a refund on grounds of being unaware of what was being paid for, which I know is a very long shot, but it never hurts to try.

I have seen many comments here about how people who fall for this kind of thing are bozos or just stupid. I disagree, sure they should have read everything before handing down details, but you see a logo that you've trusted many times before, you'll go with it. You wouldn't think twice about it, especially if you're not common to such areas of the internet.

She is not a stupid woman by any means, she DID however have a brain-fart moment while getting caught out by this. Heck, given the right circumstances (tired, rushed, etc.) I'd bet most people could fall for this same thing.

I, like a few othrs here, believe that TS, IPS AND Google have an obligation to do something about this. TS and IPS both at least know how much trouble this is causing, and Google? They're putting the damn thing up there. They should know full well whats being advertised.