Steps to take if you have been ripped-off by a copy-cat government website

gik

If you get a passport form from the PO and fill it in and post it to the genuine passport office do you have seven days to cancel under the DSR?

shaun_from_Africa

hpuse wrote: »

Please enlighten me, for copycats what do you think the 'service' is that starts within cooling off period ?

The service is what is being provided by the companies concerned.

Trading Standards consider that the websites are providing a service.

In most cases, the firms offering these services do state that they are not the official government agencies, but many people do not realise that they are not on the official site for the service they are trying to book and end up paying a fee.

One way of ensuring that you are not paying more than necessary is to use the NI Direct website, which makes it easy to navigate to the official site where you will not have to pay over the odds for any of these services

http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/extra/news-item.cfm/newsid/1158


The ASA consider it to be a service:

The website, www.passport-uk.co.uk promoted a passport application assistance service.

http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2013/12/IQ-Channels-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_242630.aspx

and funnilly enough, you seem to think that it is a service.

What the poster has failed to take note is, dispute here is not about a "transaction" it is all about "misrepresentation" of a service and a financial loss as a result of that..

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=64391109&postcount=50

T&C's of these companies are the basic starting point that leads to rip-off. These companies exempt consumers from cancelling their service

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=64443030&postcount=184

a) sign up for a service,
b) swiftly cancel it and request for a refund stating that you have strong reasons to believe that their service is
misrepresented and cancelling terms and conditions are unfair and against trading standards.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=64628616&postcount=443

You clearly referred to what was being provided as a service on numerous occasions and it was only when it was pointed out to you that these services could be legally exempted from the cancellation section of the DSR's that you suddenly switched and decided that a service wasn't being provided.

hpuse

wealdroam wrote: »

As I and others have mentioned several times, with substantiating documentation from authorities like The Office of Fair Trading, if the consumer agrees to the service starting 'immediately' then the consumer has waived their right to cancel the transaction.

Like you Hpuse, I too find it somewhat frustrating that I, and others, need to keep on repeating the same thing over and over and still you don't appear to understand.

@wealdroam
You hit the nail right on the head. Look, it took 4 paragraphs for you to explain the conning-dynamics and the rip-off company strategy to achieve this. All they do is lure the customer to a 'tick' in the box and click pay now button by misleading them.
That is why we have Unfair trading regulation 2008, which is currently under amendment. Clicking T&C's is not the end of the world. No Trader gets a license to 'rip-off' a customer by that. Agree or disagree?

hpuse

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

You clearly referred to what was being provided as a service on numerous occasions and it was only when it was pointed out to you that these services could be legally exempted from the cancellation section of the DSR's that you suddenly switched and decided that a service wasn't being provided.

In case of rip off copycats, their 'service' is still something tangible, right?
Do you agree or not?

bod1467

bod1467 wrote: »

Needs repeating. :eek:

wealdroam

hpuse wrote: »

In case of rip off copycats, their 'service' is still something tangible, right?
Do you agree or not?

A service does not need to be tangible... whoever provides it.

hpuse

wealdroam wrote: »

A service does not need to be tangible... whoever provides it.

Correct, a service need not be tangible .
In case of copycats rip-offs, their service is still tangible.
For e.g ) they process customer data (for e.g name/address/age ) spread across in parts of application, and that can be counted, and represented by a number?.
So clearly that is tangible?

Valli

Do you not know what 'tangible' means then?

hpuse

Valli wrote: »

Do you not know what 'tangible' means then?

Lets not test literacy skills....rather focus on the title of the thread

If I say a copycat website trader processes 20-25 items in an application form, would you disagree ?

hpuse

transient,

Did you have a bad day and called the wrong call centre??:rotfl:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2566569/Furious-customer-sends-complaint-Trading-Standards-turned-prostitute-brothel.html

transient wrote: »