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Ifonic Claims Ltd Swansea - 86yrs old apparently £990 out of pocket!


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Hi,

 

I really need some advice on how to deal with this bunch of clowns, Ifonic Claims Ltd in Swansea.

 

On Wednesday 10th April 2013 my father in law received and unsolicited telephone call from Ifonic Claims.

 

A few days later a set of documents arrived, dated 11th April 2013.

 

Once I had looked at these forms I then realised that my 86 year old father in law had been a victim of what I deem to be Advance Fee Fraud.

 

My father in law has never had a credit card or loan with Tesco or Marks & Spencer.

 

Neither has he an active mortgage with RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) or anyone other financial institution.

 

Finally, the shock of seeing a £990 debit from his account (taken by Debit Card) when he has neither agreed or has any need to use their services is beyond belief.

 

The documents contain the following:

 

Welcome letter & T's&C's

x2 - Letter of Engagement - Allowing Ifonics to deal with this claim, which is unsigned

Client Information - Containing very basic details about my father in law (address, telephone number etc)

x11 - Letter of Authority - Giving authority for Ifonics to act & reclaim PPI on my father in laws behalf, also unsigned

x11 - PPI Questionnaire

 

No documentation has been signed and returned, fortunately I got wind of this before it went further.

Nor has my father in law signed anything previously.

However, I assume that he has given them his Debit Card number for the £990 transaction to be taken

and whilst I didn't listen to the actual conversation, one can only assume that he was duped into giving it.

 

Furthermore, my mother in law has tried without fail to deal with this as my father in law is 86 years old, deaf & suffers from dementia.

 

Every time she tries to contact them to deal with this, she is rebuffed.

 

Also, the staff have been very cheeky with her, which has caused her distress which she doesn't need at her age.

 

I have tried to contact the company directly and have been stonewalled, especially as I have no authority from my in laws to deal with this.

 

I've been threatened by a company director with a defamation writ.

 

I have in the meantime contacted and filed a report with Action Fraud & also submitted a complaint with the Claims Management Regulator, which governs this set of parasites.

 

Furthermore looking into the Ministry of Justices own guidelines for companies like these

and it seems Ifonic Claims have broken their guidelines that companies should not charge an advance fee for services.

 

Ifonic Claims is also trading name of Cerys-Angharad Limited both based in Swansea.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

(Apologies if this is posted in the incorrect forum. As Ifonics mainly deal with PPI, I thought it best to start a thread here)

Edited by ims21
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please don't hit Quote...just type we know what we said earlier..

DCA's view debtors as suckers, marks and mugs

NO DCA has ANY legal powers whatsoever on ANY debt no matter what it's Type

and they

are NOT and can NEVER  be BAILIFFS. even if a debt has been to court..

If everyone stopped blindly paying DCA's Tomorrow, their industry would collapse overnight... 

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Hi dx100uk thanks for your reply.

 

As far as I'm aware my mother in law has already gone down this route, as she had called her local branch (RBS) and their Fraud team are looking into it.

 

Unfortunately though, the lady who has been dealing with my mother in law is away on annual leave so this is dragging it's heals a little bit

and still causing some upset & distress to both my in laws.

 

Other than what I personally have already done, is there anything else that really needs to be done.

 

Is this a case of Advance Fee Fraud (open to opinion)?

How likely is it that the in laws will get their cash back?

 

I note from their T's&C's:

 

(1) Anyone, after signing up for our service, may cancel that service at any time.

(2) If a customer cancels within 14 days of signing the agreement, he will receive a full refund, regardless of whatever work we have carried out.

(3) If a customer cancels after the 14 days, we are entitled to charge for work carried out.

(4) We are required to make any refund as soon as practicable and in any case within 30 days. Our average is around 14 days.

(5) We are regulated by the Ministry of Justice under registration number CRM24389; we are regularly inspected and the MoJ is aware of and has approved our terms of business.

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urm..

 

don't like what I am hearing here

 

chargeback should be immediate, they should investigate AFTERWARDS

 

few bank staff know the power of chargeback!

 

MOJ though is your people to complain too though as to what they have done

 

very very outrageous!

 

dx

please don't hit Quote...just type we know what we said earlier..

DCA's view debtors as suckers, marks and mugs

NO DCA has ANY legal powers whatsoever on ANY debt no matter what it's Type

and they

are NOT and can NEVER  be BAILIFFS. even if a debt has been to court..

If everyone stopped blindly paying DCA's Tomorrow, their industry would collapse overnight... 

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I am Cliff Stanford, managing director of Cerys-Angharad Limited which trades as Ifonic Claims. I'd like to take a moment to clarify this situation for the other members of this forum.

 

Yesterday, a gentleman under the pseudonym of [EDIT] began posting untruths and defamatory comments about our company, both on social media and via open email. Attempts to discuss the situation with Mr [EDIT] directly led to further public postings with derisive comments and threats.

 

I think it may be useful to make the following comments:

 

  • We are a regulated claims management company with a good relationship with the MoJ. All calls are monitored and recorded. If a complaint had been made, either to us or the MoJ, the call would have immediately been checked to ensure that no undue pressure was applied. If the call was not correctly handled, the agent in question would no longer have a job. We take our reputation very seriously.
  • Any customer can cancel an order within 14 days of signing the contract, without having to discuss, argue or even give a reason. These cancellations are always honoured by our company.
  • Our customer services team is run from our Swansea office and they would never make fun of a customer.
  • When your Mother-in-Law phoned, she was asked for further information about the transaction. She would never have been treated with derision.
  • It seems unlikely that any UK bank would refuse a charge-back because a staff member was on holiday. Royal Bank of Scotland is currently the second most-complained about company for PPI mis-selling. I am sure they would be more than happy to put the charge-back through immediately if they had been contacted.
     

Edited by ims21
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http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/claims-regulation/up-front-fee-rule-breach-sheet.pdf

 

According to this document, firms are not permitted to take up front fees, until the pre contract information has been provided .. in writing..

Have we helped you ...?         Please Donate button to the Consumer Action Group

Uploading documents to CAG ** Instructions **

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1: Making a PPI claim ? - Q & A's and spreadsheets for single premium policy - HERE

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3: Feel Bullied by Creditors or Debt Collectors? Read Here

4: Staying Calm About Debt  Read Here

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PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO GIVE ADVICE BY PM - IF YOU PROVIDE A LINK TO YOUR THREAD THEN I WILL BE HAPPY TO OFFER ADVICE THERE:D

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@ Cliff Stanford

 

We removed your advertising puff and contact numbers.

 

We will not carry that information here although we have left your reply to the issue untouched.

 

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We removed your advertising puff and contact numbers.

 

Fair enough, though that's not what I was attempting to say. The unpuffed version of what you are deleting is:

We attempt always to offer professional service.

 

Is that acceptable?

Edited by ims21
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I prefere to believe the customer here

 

something smells we are not party too.

 

why if its a true case

why did they not just give the money back

 

I think we need to see some scans of the posted docs to see if its all true.

 

doesn't seem to the only case of £990 being spoofed from people either

 

 

on mse too

 

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4395697

 

dx

please don't hit Quote...just type we know what we said earlier..

DCA's view debtors as suckers, marks and mugs

NO DCA has ANY legal powers whatsoever on ANY debt no matter what it's Type

and they

are NOT and can NEVER  be BAILIFFS. even if a debt has been to court..

If everyone stopped blindly paying DCA's Tomorrow, their industry would collapse overnight... 

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something smells we are not party to.

Why did they not just give the money back?

 

I think we need to see some scans of the posted docs to see if its all true.

 

doesn't seem to the only case of £990 being spoofed from people either

 

I cannot post the documents on a public forum for obvious reasons. If a customer asks for their money back, we give their money back, as required by MoJ rules.

 

on mse too

MSE have removed my response and banned my account. Well done CAG for its openness.
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why should they have to ask for their moneyback in the first place

 

you should NOT be taking upfront fees nor taking money until you GET the reclaim completed and settled.

 

dx

please don't hit Quote...just type we know what we said earlier..

DCA's view debtors as suckers, marks and mugs

NO DCA has ANY legal powers whatsoever on ANY debt no matter what it's Type

and they

are NOT and can NEVER  be BAILIFFS. even if a debt has been to court..

If everyone stopped blindly paying DCA's Tomorrow, their industry would collapse overnight... 

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According to this document, firms are not permitted to take up front fees, until the pre contract information has been provided .. in writing..

This is correct. Professional claims management firms (such as Ifonic Claims) will not charge a credit card until the contract has been provided in writing.

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it appears your [Professional claims management - cough] company does this when they post them....

 

should not the contract be SIGNED AND RETURNED FIRST, before you bill people.....

 

dx

please don't hit Quote...just type we know what we said earlier..

DCA's view debtors as suckers, marks and mugs

NO DCA has ANY legal powers whatsoever on ANY debt no matter what it's Type

and they

are NOT and can NEVER  be BAILIFFS. even if a debt has been to court..

If everyone stopped blindly paying DCA's Tomorrow, their industry would collapse overnight... 

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should not the contract be SIGNED AND RETURNED FIRST, before you bill people.....

Not currently, no.

 

It has been announced that this will be brought in later this year by the MoJ and we welcome the change. We do need a level playing field though.

 

Cliff.

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Not currently, no.

 

It has been announced that this will be brought in later this year by the MoJ and we welcome the change. We do need a level playing field though.

 

Cliff.

 

I never understand that statement "we welcome the change". We hear it from all sorts. If you are legitimate and trustworthy and helpful as you say, why do you have to wait for legislation to change the way you are working. You can make change with it having to be legislated. It is only legislated because it is wrong.

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Cliff, are you going to follow me from Facebook to various other forums to try

and put a spin on the actual fact that you have spoofed money from an elderly & vulnerable person?

 

I am more than happy to post scans of all the documentation that this so called professional claims management company has sent.

I will scan them using my Android mobile & upload/attach them here.

I will be careful to blank out sensitive information. I have nothing to hide unlike Cliff.

 

I would also respectfully ask the admin of this board to remove my name [EDIT] from the above post by Cliff.

 

Also Cliff, the fact that you claim I have made defamatory comments about you & your company are completely untrue.

 

The emails I have posted and the comments I have made on social media are just echoing comments

made by other people that have had the pleasure of dealing with your sham of a company.

 

Also, given your background & criminal record, it doesn't surprise me that you thrive off preying on the elderly & vulnerable.

 

Now you're trying to come across as nice as pie to other members of this forum and other forums.

If you want to come across as nice as pie then simply honour the request to have the money refunded without delay.

 

Also, change your companies practice by not charging an Advance Fee.

 

I have tried to reason with you both via email & social media and you have ignored my attempts to settle this as quickly & amicably as possible.

 

Trying to follow me from forum to forum to spout, what I deem are lies and make me out to be a bad guy, is just not cricket.

 

I have contacted Action Fraud and I am more than happy to let them deal with this.

However, to save you hassle Cliff, I contacted you, as stated above, to try and settle this without the need for police getting involved

and without the need for a service of writ being sent to my in laws address, thus putting them under more strain

& worry that they have already been put through by the dealings with your company.

 

 

Finally Cliff, I'd love to know exactly how I have threatened you?

 

Not once during our chats via email or Facebook have I made a direct threat to you.

 

Your comment above is just untrue.

Edited by CerberusSco
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I never understand that statement "we welcome the change". We hear it from all sorts. If you are legitimate and trustworthy and helpful as you say, why do you have to wait for legislation to change the way you are working. You can make change with it having to be legislated. It is only legislated because it is wrong.

We are in a highly regulated, highly competitive market. We are in business for two primary purposes: to provide a valuable service to our customers and to make money. As a side-effect, we also provide work for some 80 people in South West Wales.

 

Being a highly competitive business, we need to be tied by the same rules as our competitors. We have seen a number of claims management companies go bust recently because they tried to rely exclusively on the success fee. The cash-flow for this model just doesn't make sense.

 

That's what I meant by a level playing field. If, for example, the MoJ ruled that verification fees were illegal we would have to take a view on whether to stay in business. If claims management companies were closed down, it wouldn't be the customers cheering, it would be the banks.

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we are in a highly competitive market...

 

so its ok to spoof people out of money because you think all the other CMC's are doing it?

 

so until you are TOLD not to diddle people, you are going to continue to do it..

 

once you have sent the unsigned contract in the post - you will immediately

charge an upfront advance fee of £990 even if the customer DOES NOT SIGN AND RETURN your 'contract'

 

disgusting!!

 

dx

please don't hit Quote...just type we know what we said earlier..

DCA's view debtors as suckers, marks and mugs

NO DCA has ANY legal powers whatsoever on ANY debt no matter what it's Type

and they

are NOT and can NEVER  be BAILIFFS. even if a debt has been to court..

If everyone stopped blindly paying DCA's Tomorrow, their industry would collapse overnight... 

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so its ok to spoof people out of money because you think all the other CMC's are doing it?

 

so until you are TOLD not to diddle people, you are going to continue to do it..

 

once you have sent the unsigned contract in the post - you will immediately

charge an upfront advance fee of £990 even if the customer DOES NOT SIGN AND RETURN your 'contract'

 

disgusting!!

 

You are entitled to your opinion that our business practice is disgusting. However we have never "spoofed" or "diddled" anyone and I will continue to refute such allegations.

 

Frankly, I find the practices of the banks disgusting: they have systematically overcharged for a useless insurance; they have fiddled interest rates; they do everything they can to defend the indefensible. If the banks didn't "diddle" the customers, claims companies would not be in business. With whom are you more disgusted?

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We are in a highly regulated, highly competitive market. We are in business for two primary purposes: to provide a valuable service to our customers and to make money. As a side-effect, we also provide work for some 80 people in South West Wales.

 

But not in that order. The first goal of business, any business, is to make money

 

Being a highly competitive business, we need to be tied by the same rules as our competitors. We have seen a number of claims management companies go bust recently because they tried to rely exclusively on the success fee. The cash-flow for this model just doesn't make sense.

 

No, you don't have to be tied to the same rules as the competition. Business is all about beating the competition, not following in their footsteps. You use flair and regular meeting to come up with ideas your competitiors haven't thought of. Don't you think customers would be more likely to come to you if in prominent text it said "We do not charge any upfront fees" on the front page of your site.

 

That's what I meant by a level playing field. If, for example, the MoJ ruled that verification fees were illegal we would have to take a view on whether to stay in business. If claims management companies were closed down, it wouldn't be the customers cheering, it would be the banks.

 

You should be thinking now about how you will survive when this period of austerity ends and all the ppi has been reclaimed. No doubt there will be another bandwagon for a million startup companies to jump on when that time comes.

 

A lot of companies go bust because they are not enterprising enough, and to reiterate, if a law has to be made to stop something, then that something must have been wrong

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CerberusSc, your name was removed from Mr Stanford's post as soon as it was spotted. His name of course is a matter of record. However, posting your name on a public forum, was very unprofessional of him, and I wonder if it might be of interest to the Information Commissioner, as a breach of the Data Protection Act. You may wish to consider that route :)
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Uploading documents to CAG ** Instructions **

Looking for a draft letter? Use the CAG Library

Dealing with Customer Service Departments? - read the CAG Guide first

1: Making a PPI claim ? - Q & A's and spreadsheets for single premium policy - HERE

2: Take back control of your finances - Debt Diaries

3: Feel Bullied by Creditors or Debt Collectors? Read Here

4: Staying Calm About Debt  Read Here

5: Forum rules - These have been updated - Please Read

BCOBS

1: How can BCOBS protect you from your Banks unfair treatment

2: Does your Bank play fair - You can force your Bank to play Fair with you

3: Banking Conduct of Business Regulations - The Hidden Rules

4: BCOBS and Unfair Treatment - Common Examples of Banks Behaving Badly

5: Fair Treatment for Credit Card Holders and Borrowers - COBS

Advice & opinions given by citizenb are personal, are not endorsed by Consumer Action Group or Bank Action Group, and are offered informally, without prejudice & without liability. Your decisions and actions are your own, and should you be in any doubt, you are advised to seek the opinion of a qualified professional.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO GIVE ADVICE BY PM - IF YOU PROVIDE A LINK TO YOUR THREAD THEN I WILL BE HAPPY TO OFFER ADVICE THERE:D

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Dealing with Customer Service Departments? - read the CAG Guide first

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2: Take back control of your finances - Debt Diaries

3: Feel Bullied by Creditors or Debt Collectors? Read Here

4: Staying Calm About Debt  Read Here

5: Forum rules - These have been updated - Please Read

BCOBS

1: How can BCOBS protect you from your Banks unfair treatment

2: Does your Bank play fair - You can force your Bank to play Fair with you

3: Banking Conduct of Business Regulations - The Hidden Rules

4: BCOBS and Unfair Treatment - Common Examples of Banks Behaving Badly

5: Fair Treatment for Credit Card Holders and Borrowers - COBS

Advice & opinions given by citizenb are personal, are not endorsed by Consumer Action Group or Bank Action Group, and are offered informally, without prejudice & without liability. Your decisions and actions are your own, and should you be in any doubt, you are advised to seek the opinion of a qualified professional.

PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO GIVE ADVICE BY PM - IF YOU PROVIDE A LINK TO YOUR THREAD THEN I WILL BE HAPPY TO OFFER ADVICE THERE:D

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