My Media Guru - Disgusting company! Help!

snowsteph

Hi
We were contacted by My Media Guru about them setting us up a facebook page for our business and giving us an app to use which collects peoples emails for us to use for marketing (they know they are giving their emails to us when they sign up so no issue there).

I couldn't decide what to do and got called numerous times over several weeks by quite a pushy sales person. It was a massively busy time of year at the business so I was quite rushed and felt a bit harrassed, not the guys fault but I stupidly said ok and gave him my card details, but told him to hold of processing them until I had thought about things more. He did do that and I rang him the Monday after and said I didn't want to go ahead. He told me that I have already given him card details so had entered into a contract with them and if they didn't process the details they could take legal action against me and my business. Being an idiot I panicked as a new business I didn't want anything bad against mine or the businesses name and even though I didn't agree with what they were doing they took my payment. £420. He said if we weren't happy with the service and product we could have a full refund.

Took a while to get things going with them and I was not happy with the service and had to email loads of times to get them to sort the site. Sometimes they were helpful, sometimes if I wasn't happy they were a bit arsey with me. I definately not happy with things and asked for a refund. I was denied point blank even though it states that'

No Risk Initiative !!

We are so confident that we can increase business opportunities for you by marketing your company and promoting engagement between you and your potential clients that if we fail to create this increased engagement we will give you a FULL refund. ''

I've never had a penny back off them and had to carry on with the app. I feel intimidated by them when I speak to them and feel I have been conned but felt trapped and that there was nothing I could do.

Now I have just had £23.99 taken from my bank account by them. I've rung them to see why, they said it is a hosting fee and I was told about it when I signed up. I said I don't remember ever being told about it. He said we were told about it as it is in their script and I had an email sent on 3rd December reminding me about it. I have never received an email so told him so and said I dont remember being told or why would I be questioning what the money was taken for. He said I was told and they did send the email, basically making me out to be a liar. I said it said that you record your calls so can you go back and listen to them and see if we were told. He just said again we were told and the email didn't bounce back so we did receive it. I've checked my email and we did not. He said he could do me a refund but for the £23.99 but he would take my facebook page down. So that means we would loose the £420 we paid for it and the app.

I'm totally disgusted that they threaten people in this way. I feel intimidated and like we have been conned out of money. Can anyone offer me any advice about this as if I complain again to them they are just going to take my facebook page down and I'll loose all my money.

Help!

frugal_mike

Since you are a business this is a business to business contract so you have no consumer rights. You do still have some rights, but I'm not sure how extensive they are.

unholyangel

Wait, hosting fee for what? Why does refunding your hosting fee mean losing your facebook?

Have you ever been sent T&C's from them in writing? If you've never received anything in writing from them I'd be tempted to write a letter stating contracted for xyz with moneyback if it doesn't increase client base (check their terms of this claim though - as often they will stipulate the services have to be used in a certain way for a minimum term). Hasn't increased client base so requesting a refund of monies paid and also a refund of the £20 odd quid they took without contractual provision or authorisation from yourself.

After all, if they're claiming for monies due, it will be for them to prove money is owed (ie that a contract exists) and not for you to prove it doesn't.

You may very well need proper legal advice because (as above) we're more used to consumer issues than b2b and businesses don't have as much protection as consumers because they're supposed to be used to dealing with contracts.