vitamail p.o box 1075 bedford mk41 9xp

Chictee2004

Hi Toots,

Have just had time today to read the last few reports on Promondo, since I posted my last comments in November. I have still had nothing from them.

It was annoying reading that you spent a lot of Postage writing to all the companies who were mailing junk to your father. You should consider adopting the method I use mentioned in my earlier comments. I just re address all junk mail and put it back in the pillar box, The Post Office can then do what they want with it and I just hope that they charge it against the printed Postage Company Number which is shown on the front of the envelope.

All The Very Best For 2008 To Everyone For A Year Free Of Junk Mail...:beer: :j :T :money: :rotfl: :A

trisontana

There is a very interesting article in this week's Private Eye about Vitamail and its sister company called Biotinic. The article says that the company sends out about 1 million mail-shots a week, which generates 4,000 orders a day. Both companies are owned by a guy called Claude Francois who was forced out of France in 2003, and is now operating from Belgium.

The reason that Private Eye printed the article is to have a go (rightly in my opinion) at such organisations as Trading Standards, the ASA , the DTI and even Royal Mail who seem powerless to stop this scam.

lynx10

trisontana wrote: »

There is a very interesting article in this week's Private Eye about Vitamail and its sister company called Biotinic. The article says that the company sends out about 1 million mail-shots a week, which generates 4,000 orders a day. Both companies are owned by a guy called Claude Francois who was forced out of France in 2003, and is now operating from Belgium.

The reason that Private Eye printed the article is to have a go (rightly in my opinion) at such organisations as Trading Standards, the ASA , the DTI and even Royal Mail who seem powerless to stop this scam.

Very good - I've had a quick look but can't trace it (11-24 Jan 2008). Which page is it on ? TIA

trisontana

lynx10 wrote: »

Very good - I've had a quick look but can't trace it (11-24 Jan 2008). Which page is it on ? TIA

It's on page 9 as part of the article headlined "Smells of Wii", which also deals with another company (Ozone Electronics) that has been featured on this forum.

lynx10

"... After visiting Oldham, Mark Jones stoutly declared: "I hope these dogs [behind Ozone Electronics] can be caught!" Some hope. As the Eye's City columnist "Slicker" keeps pointing out, the "light touch regulation" Gordon Brown once boasted of means the dogs can run wild and everyday conmen can swindle with virtual impunity. Doubters should speak to the owners of Biotinic and Vitamail, who have proved how easy it is to rip off the British. Both send personalised junk mail announcing to the recipient "You have won £10,000." All they have to do to receive their windfall is place an order for medically worthless vitamin supplements and New Age "complementary" medicines. Biotonic and Vitamail's bogus jackpots have been exposed by the media so often that financial hacks yawn when their names come up. At least the French have taken action. Biotonic was based in Lille, until a court action in late 2003 fined its founder, Claude Francois, €30,000 (£20,300), gave him a suspended prison sentence and drove his company to Belgium. Although the Advertising Standards Authority wrings its hands, the British authorities do nothing to stop him sending 1m mailings a month to Britain via the Royal Mail and generating 4,000 orders a day from credulous punters.", Smells of Wii, Private Eye, 11-24 January 2008

NB I have been unable, so far, to trace any convincing evidence which formally associates Vitamail with Biotonic.

elvis1975

I have never heard of vitamail until i just recieved a parcel with 2 tubs of vitamins, an invoice for 20.18 which has been paid, but not by me i dont think........what should i do, i have checked my card statements and there is no sign of any thing unusual
please help

Em x

trisontana

There is an interesting news feature here about how older people are targeted by these scam artists :- http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/consumer/article.html?in_article_id=429906&in_page_id=5&ito=1565.As you can see, the OFT have issued a leaflet for carers to warn them about these scams, and the signs to look out for amongst the people they are caring for.

Kaz64_2

Not quite the same thing, but I seem to have won £5000, AND a computer from a firm called "Delices & Gourmandises", which operates from a PO Box in Belgium. All I have to do is order some sweets from them, and my computer will arrive. Anyone else got this?

lynx10

"Not quite the same thing ...", although somewhat familiar ? A few thoughts ... but go straight to 3) if busy ...

1) Check rules of competition ('small print' !)
2) If entry is free, why order ? (also, ordering will only encourage more junk mail)
3) Discard promotional material received in post

Also, several articles about Delices & Gourmandises here (in German):
http://www.jur-abc.de/cms/index.php?id=202

Kaz64_2

LOL...thanks for that, Lynx. Have already gone to No3! Thanks for digging out those articles too. It's like they always say...if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!