I have just had a text saying "We have been instructed to proceed formally on this claim in 7 days in respect of the balance due to the Photo Studio Group unless discharged or an arrangement made. This will result in a formal letter before claim and court proceedings" I don't know what tis means as I have already had a letter before claim?

The same thing is happening to me. If it helps I have had confirmation this company "the Photo Studio Group" is being investigated by Westminster Trading Standards where they are registered so other people must have complained about them as well.

No not since that. I looked at the hype-digital web site and there is no complaints process so should I just email them and demand they cancel the contract and return the money i've already paid?

I like the reassuring advice I get from this site and I like to keep you in the loop as it develops

I don't think that will stop the solicitors letters or court action as the company driving that seems to be visualStudios.co.uk, not the Photo Studio Group who are supposedly the creditors. I think they are all part of the same web of scam companies. I see other people have had a hard time trying to complain to get their money back, they are mostly ignored and end up taking the company to court themselves. I think I would rather see what AJJB law are going to do next if I reply to their letter of claim.

I am still out of pocket by about £750 which is why I am waiting for the Sectiion 75 claim to start. I think I should reply to the letter before claim as I suggested above otherwise they might think I've moved away and can file a claim thinking I won't turn up to court and get a judgement by default. I don't think their clients will want to go to court if they don't know anything about it as suggested by the ADR email. Although I was sent the contract by somebody from visualstudios.co.uk when I asked for it and not the photo studio group so I don't know where they

This is a proper letter of claim. I posted the first page of the letter on this thread message #58. I have 30 days to respond.

They are now conducting a pre-court action review (whatever that is) so I am going to reply to the letter before claim as Nobby_v suggests :- I dispute the debt because your client is in breach of a number of consumer protections that have been in place for many years, and the service provided was not fair or acceptable which is how I successfully managed to recover funds already paid, that claim went unchallenged. Given that your client has had the opportunity to discuss this well in advance of your involvement I am surprised you are attempting to pursue. So f

That sounds good, but I have already had the signed contractual agreement which I posted on this thread at message#20 and the section 75 claim has not started yet because of a backlog, it was charge backs I have already done.

This is how I am going to respond to the Letter of Claim :- I dispute this debt because the contract is illegal for the following reasons :- 1. Among the services provided by Hype-Digital is introducing work-seekers (models) to (other) agencies. That makes Hype-Digital itself an employment agency. Under the Employment Agencies Act 1973 (the Act), an employment agency is defined thus: "13(2) For the purposes of this Act " employment agency " means the business (whether or not carried on with a view to profit and whether or not carried o

I know but up until now they have done everything that people have said they wouldn't do like send a letter before claim so now i'm not so sure they won't take me to court

I thought someone on here said it was only the creditor that could take a debtor to court unless the debt has been purchased. It seems like the solicitor is doing this without the creditor knowing.

The ADR company that have Photo Studio Group as a member has said this :- Further to my email below and after liaising with the trader, they have confirmed the following: “We have never encountered it and have no communication from the client. He's being chased for an unpaid debt by a third party. He needs to contact us and go through our complaints process before we will consider ADR.” This is strange as the corresondance from AJJB Law and CRS say their client is the Photo studio Group but they don't seem to know anything about it. So what now

I found a statement on a Facebbook page called "Modelling Information Service" that states Kube Studio (Renamed to The Photo Studio Group) is breaking the law because it is actually an employment agency and it is illegal for them to charge upfront. Maybe that would be a good defence? This is the quote:- Kube Studios - getting your money back: Kube Studios is one of those "agencies" which is using hard sell tactics to persuade models to pay the "agency" for photographs. In its feature on Kube Studios, the BBC's "Watchdog" programme repeated Kube Studios

The ADR company said they would contact their member within a few days after my application is submitted so that will be well within the 30 days of the letter before action