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118trades.com – anyone else had a bad experience?
I just want to use this space to tell you all what happened to me, in the hope that it doesn’t happen to anyone else. Are you sitting comfortably?
In April this year I got a call from a very excited salesman from 118trades.com saying that a major advertiser in my area had just dropped out of the local directory leaving a full page ad space valued at £10,000, which I could have for just £1000 if I acted quickly as the directory was going to press very soon. All I had to do was agree to it and hand over my company credit card details so he could take £75 deposit and a further 6 monthly payments of £154. I would receive a welcome pack explaining everything and someone would be in touch from their artwork department about preparing a stunning full page ad. "Great" I thought… "happy days!"
One month later, 2 payments of £183 are taken from my credit card within 4 days of each other. "That’s not right!" I thought so I tried to contact them to ask why and find out why no-one’s been in contact about my ad, and where was my paperwork/welcome pack etc?
No joy, no-one knows who I am, what I’m talking about, I have to explain it over and over and over again. I ask if the directory has been printed yet and they tell me it’s been delayed because of problems. I smell a rat and say "listen I’m not happy, I’d like to cancel" so they tell me I have to put it in writing which I duly do. I also manage to claw the money back from my very helpful bank. They’ve since tried to take a further 2 payments for the same inflated amounts which again I have clawed back.
Every month, and I mean every month, someone from their finance department rings to say I’m in arrears and can I make a payment to bring my account up-to-date. Every month I tell them I’ve cancelled, because who wants to pay good money for nothing? "Nothing" that they still say is being held up because of problems, and won’t be printed until next year. "Nothing" that still no artwork exists for! I rant and rave and start swearing, and they tell me to calm down because the call is being recorded, so I tell them to go and listen to the countless previous calls between us because I’m sick of repeating myself. They say I’ve entered into a verbal contract. I say, "which I verbally un-entered" more than once, and wrote as instructed.
I’ve just had a quick search on google for 118trades.com and it seems I’m not the only one who’s had exactly this problem. No directory ever going to print. Un-authorised amounts being debited from there accounts. Watchdog have investigated them and found the same. Whatmore the CEO has been arrested and released on bail pending 3 counts of obtaining money without authorisation. I rest my case!
So if you get a call from an excited salesman – be warned…
…rant over!
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18 Replies
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Hi Wayne,
thanks for the warning, i had them contact me about a year ago i’m glad to say that after not being able to find any info on them i filed the paperwork in the bin. Glad you got your cash back though, thats one good thing about using credit cards for certain transactions you have some protection.Kev
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Wayne,
Thanks for the warning, a lot off these shysters depend on the fact that you will not publicise your mistakes. It does take b@lls to stand up and say you have been conned, so fair play to you, well done.It also teaches us a lesson, and this is in no way meant as a critism, I know how convincing some telesales can be, but if it sounds to good to be true, it usually is.
Glad you got the dosh back though, its not always the case.
Peter
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Well done Wayne for exposing these fraudsters.
Has anyone else had any calls from people wanting you to make a claim for miss selling of an endowment policy. I’ve had 2 in the last 2 days even though I’ve never been mis-sold any policies. Yet they insist that because I have an endowment policy it must have been mis-sold to me (?)
Very strange 😕 I smell a rat 🙄
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Thanks Wayne for the warning
So glad you were able to get your money back -
Phil
the time is running out for claiming on mis-sold policies.
you are an honest man, and obviously knew the pitfalls of an endowment when you bought it, good on you to take your loss like a man, (never heard of anyone making a profit on an endowment yet)Peter
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The problem is Peter we’re all subsidising these "ambulance chasers" – the insurance companies that are having to pay out have to get the money from somewhere – it comes out of our insurance premiums 🙄
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quote Phill:“ambulance chasers”
Is that a reference to the ‘Trotters’ who fell for a scam and they nearly got away in an ambulance?
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Not quite sure what you mean Phil,
Ambulance chasers?
Edowments were mostly sold on the belief that the policy would pay off your mortgage, and give you a bonus as well. It looked good at the time but most companies didnt make it obvious that you could loose out, and it was a gamble.the big insurance companies havnt missed a beat paying out to put people back to the position they would have been in, had they had a re-payment mortgage. No compensation was offered, so not really ambulance chasing.
The goverment have agreed it was a bit of a scam. that is why many people got back the money they lost
anyway if you believe you knew what you had entered into at the time, and were prepared to gamble, it excludes you from claiming.
Like I said, I admire your honesty, even though it may have cost you money
Peter
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Insurance agents used a projected forecast on how your endowment would fare should the inflation rate stay about the same.
In the 70’s and 80’s it was sold as an endowment which would pay off your mortgage with a little nest egg as a bonus. Ordinary Ten year and twenty year endowment policies were actually paying off quite well so I guess folks thought of it as a reasonably safe venture with a larger endowment over a longer period
As I say the rate of inflation is all the agents divulged in their patter
Interestingly the rate of inflation has not fluctuated much so folks should now be coming off winners – but of course other factors have caused things to go terribly wrong -
The "Ambulance chasers" I am referring to are the companies making the unsolicited phonecalls asking to represent people with their claims for "miss selling". Same as the companies that used to advertise for industrial injuries and so on. It all comes out of our insurance premiums. Hope that makes sense 😕
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It was/is easy to make your own claim for an endowment shortfall due to mis-selling. It’s now coming to an end. But for some people, filling out a form is quite a task, so if you look at it in a slightly different angle, Its better to to have 6o% of something, than 100% of nothing. the companies that claim for the mis-selling can only charge their client, and cannot increase the payout from the insurance company, Unlike no win no fee rip offs.
Just thought I would point that out,
Peter
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oops – wrong thread
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Wayne – easiest way to stop them taking the money is to get a new card issued.
Whether you ‘lost’ it and need another or you ask the bank to re-issue it will stop anyone taking unauthorised funds out.
Dave
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quote David Rogers:Wayne – easiest way to stop them taking the money is to get a new card issued.Whether you ‘lost’ it and need another or you ask the bank to re-issue it will stop anyone taking unauthorised funds out.
Dave
I am actually surprised the bank has not alrady made this suggestion. But as Dave says, cancel the card and get another reissued. Explain you have been scamed and they’ll probably do it pretty quickly.
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Dave
Wayne got the money back from the cc company, so no need for a new one.Peter
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Thanks for your comments everyone… my bank have advised me to cancel the card because it appears that 118trades.com are also Ufindus.com and have in the past used the other company name to take payments… very sneaky!
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that’s interesting ……….. Ufindus.com had major problems too didn’t they?
Anyway, glad you got your cash back. Shame about the hassle they’ve given you though…. 😕
We all know to avoid them like the plague now! 😀 -
There are always a few trying to get you to advertise and you get offered a so called deal of a lifetime 🙄 Theres another one that also does the rounds for a school directory, you advertise and you go to every school in your area and they will use you for sign work ….. Im yet to meet anyone who has had work from this?
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