Tax return gateway ltd whats their phone number?

[Deleted User]

No_one_is_immune wrote: »

It's not that clear citricsquid, as this happened to me too on 18th Jan 2014, though I won't be taking it lying down - far from it.

...

The more people that complain about this the more publicity it will get and the fewer people that will get scammed...

The site doesn't hide it and you haven't been scammed. They are certainly clever in their advertising, unfortunately I don't see how you can expect a refund in this case.

From the homepage:

We are not connected to or affiliated with HMRC, DWP or any other official government body. We offer a bespoke, value for money, tax return assistance service for which we levy a charge. You may submit your tax return directly to HMRC at no charge, without the benefits of our services, by visiting the official website.

From the footer:

We are not connected to or affiliated with HMRC, DWP or any other official government body. We offer a bespoke, value for money, tax return assistance service for which we levy a charge. You may submit your tax return directly to HMRC at no charge, without the benefits of our services by visiting the official website. Please read our Terms and Conditions before using our services.

From their FAQ:

The Government Gateway is the system operated by the official HMRC (Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs) agency to receive electronic submissions of self assessment tax returns. The Tax Return Gateway is a private service operated by Who4 Ltd. It offers a value added service for customers wishing to submit a tax return. We are not in any way affiliated with HMRC.

From their Terms:

11.5 By making an order with us and completing the Application form you are deemed to be granting authority for us to begin providing our Service immediately. This means that you will not have the right to cancel your contract with us once you have made your order.

11.6 You will not be entitled to any refund of money you have paid to us, in accordance with these conditions, unless we have been unable to deliver the Service to you. If such an event occurs we may refund all or part of the money paid at our absolute discretion.

They make it very clear in their literature that they are not associated with HMRC. The common theme is "I was in a rush..." ergo people were not paying attention, in which case no matter how big and bold it was on the website you wouldn't have seen that it wasn't the HMRC website.

What is the justification for this being a scam?

1. They provide a service that differentiates itself from HMRC

2. They don't hide that they are not affiliated with HMRC, it's included on their homepage, in their footer and in their terms and conditions

3. I would argue that if someone is in a rush to fill in their self assessment, so much so that they would accidentally use the wrong website, they would probably make a mistake on their self assessment (it can be confusing at times) and therefore should be using a service that manages the process for them.

Whether or not they intentionally misrepresent themselves or take advantage of people, I don't know, and maybe watchdog or another consumer rights organisation will be interested, but it doesn't seem as if it's fair to label this as a scam.

[Deleted User]

Cook_County wrote: »

Their website does not claim they have any professional qualifications at all; so you cannot complain to any professional tax or accounting body if they do not belong to any.

They may however be acting criminally if they are not registered with a supervisor for anti-money laundering purposes. HMRC are in charge of enforcement.

They are registered tax agents according to their website, so it's unlikely that they are operating fraudulently:

As a private company, we are registered with HMRC as tax agents but we are not affiliated with HMRC or the UK Government. If you would rather deal with HMRC directly and submit your tax return at no additional cost, click here to access their official website. As a company, we take security of personal data extremely seriously and are registered with the Information Commissioners Office as Data Holders. Please click here to read our privacy statement. Please click here to read more about our fees and charges.

freddiefinney

Thanks for all the helpful advice, it's also nice to know I'm not the only one who fell for it! Consumer rights should come into play here surely.... They may put all the disclaimers on the website but if you think you're on the HMRC website you just click on the file a tax return button. My husband is a fraud lawyer, I'm going to get his advice tonight. I will share the knowledge if I manage to get the refund.

[Deleted User]

freddiefinney wrote: »

They may put all the disclaimers on the website but if you think you're on the HMRC website you just click on the file a tax return button. My husband is a fraud lawyer, I'm going to get his advice tonight. I will share the knowledge if I manage to get the refund.

Please do share what he says, it will be interesting to hear what counts as fraud. Although the site is misleading through their usage of colours, they do have numerous disclaimers and their service can be considered value-adding to some.

Apparently trading standards consider these websites legal as long as they follow these guidelines:

Trading Standards said businesses must make it clear on their website that they are not affiliated to the government and that consumers will be paying for a service that they could obtain free.

It said they must also provide a link to the official government website. (source)

Tax Return Gateway does follow these guidelines, so it seems as if this indeed legal.

System

For those of you who have unfortunately used this company and are regretting it can I recommend that you contact HMRC and let them know that you do not want the company recorded as your Agent on their records.
If they are then future correspondence could be sent to them aswell as yourselves including any refund of tax if you are entitled.
This is because it is quite likely that in using them you have inadvertently given them authority to act on your behalf in relation to your tax affairs.

DaveTheMus

No_one_is_immune wrote: »

It's not that clear citricsquid, as this happened to me too on 18th Jan 2014, though I won't be taking it lying down - far from it.

I thought it was the updated Government Gateway website though somewhat slicker. It's devious and deceptive - look at the colouring of th "SUBMIT A TAX RETURN" button. I've called them and emailed them and spent 1 hour waiting to get through this morning. They told me there was no refund and I couldn't cancel the service.

I've been on to my Credit Card Co - TESCO BANK who will investigate, I've written a recorded letter to the Directors; Mr Stephen Graham Oliver, Mr James Wyatt, Mr Michael Hughes - who also ran Driving License Services Ltd - a similar Service Company - demanding a refund.

I've also called the Citizens Advice Bureau, The Trading Standards and the Office of Fair Trading. Also try Which Consumer Services and for £49 you can get their legal services. I've also e-mailed BBC Watchdog - suggest you do the same.

Distance Selling Legislation states; "you must waive your rights to cancel a service" in order for the contract to be enforceable. I did not event know I was buying a service let alone waive my right to cancel one - I thought I was paying a Tax Bill!!

I "cancelled" the service as soon as it became obvious I had purchased one - about 1 hour after they took my credit card details. If they were a bone fide organisation they would give a refund with no quibble as they have incurred no costs and suffered no loss or inconvenience.

The more people that complain about this the more publicity it will get and the fewer people that will get scammed...

Did it not dawn on you when they asked for your credit card details?

Pentheus

How encouraging - and depressing - to discover that I'm not the only one to have been fooled by Tax Return Gateway! They may be trading legally but the fact that so many of us have been sucked into their site - and have ended up parting with hard-earned cash in the genuine belief that we were dealing direct with HMRC surely brings their morals into question. The TRG site and even the use of the word 'Gateway' (ref HMRC's Government Gateway) is clearly designed to lull people into believing they are submitting their tax returns to a genuine government department. This was the first time I was filing a Self Assessment Tax Return so when I was asked to make a payment of £500, I assumed (I think understandably) that it was part-settlement of tax owed and the balance would be requested by HMRC subsequently. And since the total tax owed was only £900, I was delighted to think that I was instantly paying off 55%. Instead, it's added 55% onto my tax bill! When I eventually got through to HMRC on the phone, they confirmed that they had received many complaints about Tax Return Gateway but whether they can actually do anything about them - well, we'll just have to wait and see. I for one will certainly be logging my experience with the BBC's Watchdog!

No_one_is_immune

DaveTheMus wrote: »

Did it not dawn on you when they asked for your credit card details?

I believed I was paying my tax liability to the HMRC! When it did dawn on me I was duped into paying for a "service", I cancelled it!

If the were providing a bone fide service of value, they would allow you to cancel - why not?

I cancelled my "service" within an hour of giving my credit card details - they suffered no loss of earnings, opportunity cost or inconvenience, so why not give a refund - unless it is a scam?

No_one_is_immune

Pentheus wrote: »

How encouraging - and depressing - to discover that I'm not the only one to have been fooled by Tax Return Gateway! They may be trading legally but the fact that so many of us have been sucked into their site - and have ended up parting with hard-earned cash in the genuine belief that we were dealing direct with HMRC surely brings their morals into question. The TRG site and even the use of the word 'Gateway' (ref HMRC's Government Gateway) is clearly designed to lull people into believing they are submitting their tax returns to a genuine government department. This was the first time I was filing a Self Assessment Tax Return so when I was asked to make a payment of £500, I assumed (I think understandably) that it was part-settlement of tax owed and the balance would be requested by HMRC subsequently. And since the total tax owed was only £900, I was delighted to think that I was instantly paying off 55%. Instead, it's added 55% onto my tax bill! When I eventually got through to HMRC on the phone, they confirmed that they had received many complaints about Tax Return Gateway but whether they can actually do anything about them - well, we'll just have to wait and see. I for one will certainly be logging my experience with the BBC's Watchdog!

Also try your credit card co. The Office of FAIR trading, Trading Standards

TM1976

This website offers poor value. You could get a qualified accountant to do it all for you for less money.

I've been on the website however, https://www.taxreturngateway.com , and it's beyond me how anyone could mistake it for the HMRC site. It even specifically says on the site that it's not HMRC's site.