UK-passport.net

Jamniccha

Be warned this site has changed the language on the front page to be even more misleading so that it can catch out the unwary. They are now charging the EXACT same service fee price of £72.50 as an actual passport application.

The impression being that you are charged the standard UK passport application fee as you would be at the Post Office when in reality you are paying £72 for them to send the form that you have filled in for them to the Passport Office who will then send the paper form to you and require the actual 72.50 fee.

To address post comments that this company is not acting fraudulently or trying to con people I would be interested to hear from them or the company itself. I'm sure it is just a coincidence that the two fees are identical and the company hasn't noticed that this is very very misleading!!!!!

bod1467

I don't think anyone disputes that these companies set themselves up to dupe the unwary. But the FACT is that (at the current time) they are mostly NOT acting/trading illegally or fraudulently.

Jamniccha

As a newbie to MSE having read through other threads about ukpassport.net I am very surprised that what seems to clearly be people associated with the company are allowed to justify what is a pretty scandalous and deliberately misleading activity.

What is very scary about this company is not only that they scam you out of money but that they then hold sensitive financial and personal information about you that they can profit from in the future. I would advise anyone who has used ukpassport.net to register themselves with CIFA (Protective Registration Service) and a reputable credit agency in order to prevent future identity theft. You should also contact your bank, credit card company, utilities etc and advise them that you may be the victim of identity theft and to put a marker on your account to this effect.

Pollycat

Jamniccha wrote: »

Be warned this site has changed the language on the front page to be even more misleading so that it can catch out the unwary. They are now charging the EXACT same service fee price of £72.50 as an actual passport application.

The impression being that you are charged the standard UK passport application fee as you would be at the Post Office when in reality you are paying £72 for them to send the form that you have filled in for them to the Passport Office who will then send the paper form to you and require the actual 72.50 fee.

What do you by 'even more misleading'?

The front page I'm looking at states this:

Disclaimer:
Our service is not connected to or affiliated with the Passport Office or any UK Government department. Our service fee is set out in our terms and conditions and is payable on completion of the form on this website, but you will not be required to pay the passport application fee until you receive and return the printed copy of your application from IPS. The information on this website may also be available without charge from other sources.

Not only that, there is also a box with a comparison between what you get by using UK-Passport.net and the official website.

Jamniccha wrote: »

To address post comments that this company is not acting fraudulently or trying to con people I would be interested to hear from them or the company itself. I'm sure it is just a coincidence that the two fees are identical and the company hasn't noticed that this is very very misleading!!!!!

It is very unlikely that you will hear from UK-Passport.net on this thread.

Of course it's not a coincidence that the fee charged by UK-Passport.net is the same as that charged for a passport.

If you believe that this website is misleading, report it to Trading Standards (via CAB):
http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/advice/index.cfm

Pollycat

Jamniccha wrote: »

As a newbie to MSE having read through other threads about ukpassport.net I am very surprised that what seems to clearly be people associated with the company are allowed to justify what is a pretty scandalous and deliberately misleading activity.

Not that old chestnut again, please.....

You need to realise that (most of) these companies are operating within the law.

Posters pointing that fact out are not supporting, defending, employed by or affiliated to these companies.

Jamniccha wrote: »

What is very scary about this company is not only that they scam you out of money but that they then hold sensitive financial and personal information about you that they can profit from in the future. I would advise anyone who has used ukpassport.net to register themselves with CIFA (Protective Registration Service) and a reputable credit agency in order to prevent future identity theft. You should also contact your bank, credit card company, utilities etc and advise them that you may be the victim of identity theft and to put a marker on your account to this effect.

Have you asked them to remove your personal & financial details from their records?

wealdroam

Jamniccha wrote: »

What is very scary about this company is not only that they scam you out of money but that they then hold sensitive financial and personal information about you that they can profit from in the future.

Hello Jamniccha, welcome to the forums.

What I find very scary is that people are happily giving their sensitive financial and personal information to a company without checking exactly where that data is going, nor what it is going to be used for.

Jamniccha

Not sure what your point is. I know it's not illegal (but it IS barely legal....for now). Being legal isn't a defence.

'old chestnut'? .....that companies couldn't possibly be monitoring these forums and then responding to mitigate public criticism. The alternative is that some participants are more interested in absurd narcissistic commentary than actual advice....not directed at Pollycat

QUOTE=Pollycat;64761532]Not that old chestnut again, please.....

You need to realise that (most of) these companies are operating within the law.

Posters pointing that fact out are not supporting, defending, employed by or affiliated to these companies.



Have you asked them to remove your personal & financial details from their records?[/QUOTE]

wealdroam

Jamniccha wrote: »

I know it's not illegal (but it IS barely legal....for now). Being legal isn't a defence.

On the contrary.

Being legal, i.e. not breaking the law, is a very good defence against someone, like perhaps the Advertising Standards Authority, trying to shut down a particular website.

Even Her Majesty's Passport Office appears not to be able to close down these websites... and quite rightly too if in fact they are not illegal.
Read this:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/hm-passport-office-warns-customers-against-charges-by-rogue-companies

Can you imagine the public outcry if some authority could actually close websites that were perfectly legal?
I can.

Pollycat

Jamniccha wrote: »

Not sure what your point is. I know it's not illegal (but it IS barely legal....for now). Being legal isn't a defence.

"Isn't a defence"?

Defence against what? Or whom?

A lot of these websites have been investigated and have been found to be operating legally - for now.
And it's 'now' that matters.
Do you understand what 'operating legally' means?

What is your point?

Jamniccha wrote: »

As a newbie to MSE having read through other threads about ukpassport.net I am very surprised that what seems to clearly be people associated with the company are allowed to justify what is a pretty scandalous and deliberately misleading activity.

Which 'people' are you referring to?
Do you suspect any particular posters?
Or are you just clutching at straws and hitting out indiscriminately because you've lost your money?

TBH, if I really was employed by all the companies I've been accused of working for (all these 'copycat' websites, most of the major airlines, Argos.....), I'd been jockeying for position on Dragon's Den with Peter Jones et al.

Jamniccha wrote: »

'old chestnut'? .....that companies couldn't possibly be monitoring these forums and then responding to mitigate public criticism. The alternative is that some participants are more interested in absurd narcissistic commentary than actual advice....not directed at Pollycat

I doubt that these companies care what is written on forums such as these.
I'm sure they are not bothered about mitigating public criticism.

As long as they are safe from the law, they know that there will always be people in too much of a rush, too trusting, too naïve, too sure of their computer-savviness etc etc who will use their websites and line their pockets.

I've already given you advice:
if you believe the website you used is misleading (or operating illegally) report it to trading Standards.

Jamniccha

.....wealdroam and Pollycat, you are obsessed with legality while overlooking best practice, moral obligation and what is right. Are you lawyers per chance?

Thanks for taking the time to reply but given your previous form with other posters please spare me any more 'advice'. I am sure you could use your time better....perhaps chase a few more ambulances.