Any Help Appreciated! csplusonline.co.uk/commercialcreditsolutions .co.uk

[swhibley]

Hi..

 

I'm posting on here on behalf of my wife and mother-in-law...

 

Early December they set up and opened a new business. Just before Christmas my mother-in-law got cold called from a company who were offering an advert in a magazine (it was described as a community safety magazine and she was given the impression that this was handed out locally). She said that she might be interested but that they were quite busy so could they ring back after Christmas (she did give them some details like business address and email address)

 

Heard nothing until after Christmas when an email came through asking her to "approve artwork".. the "artwork" was an empty web template with just the company name and address on it.

 

The same day, they got an invoice in the post for £100 +VAT for the artwork and magazine insertion.

 

I did a bit of investigation and found that what they were actually offering was a listing on their website csplusonline.co.uk.

 

Obviously since she hadn't yet agreed to even take out an advert she wasn't going to pay but rather than just leave it, they phoned the company to find out what was going on. She was told that they had a tape recording from before Christmas where she agreed to take out an advert and as such that was a contract and the invoice was payable or else it would be passed to a debt collection agency. Again she said that she hadn't agreed to anything and asked for a copy of the phone call. She was told she couldn't have it and basically words to the effect that "we'll get the money one way or another"

 

Now they have received a letter from a "debt collection agency" (I have no idea how genuince this DCA is, the paper is very poor quality and there are spelling mistakes on the letter!) called Commercial Credit Solutions Ltd (commercialcreditsolutions.co.uk). I've done a quick check and they are on yell.com and also they are registered at companies house. It was the usual "you must pay or else" except I noticed one odd thing when I checked the website...

 

The address AND phone number are the same as CSPlusonline!!!!

 

So it seems to me that either the debt collection agency has been created purely to follow up on people who refuse to pay for the advert they never agreed to (in the hope that a letter fro a DCA will make people pay up) or that CSPlusonline has been created to channel business to the DCA..

 

Has anyone heard of either of these companies and have any idea what the best way forward is?

 

My initial thoughts are to 1) Ask the DCA for evidence of the debt and 2) to hit CSPlus with a Freedom of Information request requesting all letters, memos and phone recordings to the mother-in-law..

 

Does this sound reasonable? At least if we could get them to send us this phonecall "contract" we might see if she DID actually accidently agree to something!

 

Thanks for reading and any advice would be most appreciated!

[Guest wino]

We use to get these all the time. Tell them you have agreed to nothing and not to contact you again or you will report them for harassment.

If they continue then report them to Trading Standards.

[swhibley]

I forgot to say that when the invoice came through and after the "we'll get your money" phone call my father-in-law rang Trading Standards in Liverpool (which is where both companies are based) and they were basically totally uninterested... Said that she probably had entered into a contract with them and so we'd have to pay..

 

(I wonder if Liverpool Trading Standards are in the same building too..!)

[Revenant]

As they seem to rely on a verbal contract and state that the telephone calls are recorded write (Sent recorded delivery) and ask for a true copy/transcript as should things progress far enough I believe they would have to produce the original in Court

Of course if they say they don't have a copy then it's "your word agaisnt theirs" (as it is anyway) and then as far as I'm concerned that would put them in breach of their own Terms and Conditions as available on thier website

Good luck

R

[swhibley]

Should we send anything back to the DCA?

[Revenant]

Hi S

I would just go for a bog standard No Debt Acknowledged so send us what you have to prove it

R

[swhibley]

Just had it pointed out to me that it was actually my father-in-law who phoned them up about the invoice.. and the phrase they used to him was "I'll knock the cocky out of you"..!

 

I'm guessing we'll never get an accurate copy/transcript of THAT conversation!

[Revenant]

Nice eh

In which case within the prove it letter add that all contact will be in writing only

R

[swhibley]

sounds good to me.... the DCA has already been on the phone today apparently...

[Revenant]

sounds good to me.... the DCA has already been on the phone today apparently...

 

Then from now on the reply they get is "In writing only" and then put the phone down

R

[Huff&Puff]

They do not appear to hold a Consumer Credit Licence. Report them to the OFT.

 

I have to say that I'm a bit surprised at the response that you got from Trading Standards, as this is a well known [problem]. I think a written complaint to someone more senior would be in order too.

[swhibley]

We've got someone from OUR local trading standards coming round tomorrow to see if there is anything they can suggest...

 

Thanks for all the suggestions... will try and update as we hear things...

[swhibley]

just done google searches on csplusonline.co.uk and commercialcreditcolutions.co.uk and this thread comes 2nd top on both.... what does THAT say about either company?!!??!

[Huff&Puff]

We've got someone from OUR local trading standards coming round tomorrow to see if there is anything they can suggest...

 

Make sure that you get them to check whether there is a current credit licence. Not to have one is a serious offence, and means that they are b basically loan sharks.

[swhibley]

Well.. just thought I'd update to say that since OUR Trading Standards came and talked to us, then they went away and spoke to Liverpool TS... after a couple of days we stopped getting calls...

 

Not heard from them in a couple of weeks now...

[Huff&Puff]

Excellent, well done

 

Let's hope that TS take some action against them.

[Simba1958]

My mother has also just been scammed by csplusonline.co.uk, they rang her up posing to be a police officer and asked her to advertise in their online magazine to prevent crime and to promote community safety. As she had just recently had some contact with crime within her business she thought it was a good idea and wanted to hear more, she then got passed onto a woman who spouted off about the T&C, she told her how much it would cost, my mother then told her that she diddnt want to agree to anything but that the woman could send some information out in the post for her to look at. She then asked the woman 'Im not agreeing to anything am i? i dont want to agree to anthing' to that the woman replied 'no you arnt'

 

My mother then went on holiday and came back to find a letter from csplusonline.co.uk thanking her for choosing them and that she had taken out a full advertisment and it would cost her £105. She later got another letter telling her that her business listing were now on the website to veiw.

 

She called them up telling them that she did not agree to this and that she wished to cancel it. The man on the other end of the phone simply laughed and said 'you cant, as soon as you talked to the woman on the phone you entered an agreement'. She stated that she thought they were [problem] artists and to this he laughed and mocked her and says pay up or else and that he will be getting his money, with interest, as a balif will be coming to get it.

 

She has since rang the police and they are coming out to interview her as he impersonated a police officer and that is an offence.

 

She is also in the process of contacting BBC Watchdog and would appricate it if you have been scammed that you also do the same and we can try and pervent this from happening again.

 

will keep you updated

simba1958

[debt4get]

The contract between the parties hereto shall commence from the time c.s.p telephones the client to confirm the client’s order (which the conversation is recorded).

 

according to their own t/c the contract shall only commence from when they telephone and CONFIRM the clients order

[debt4get]

according to their website they record the conversations so if they do issue court proceedings then as part of that they are going to have to produce the recordings in court as part of the agreement....game over i think

[debt4get]

unbelievable csplusonline tel 0151 236 4284

commercial credit solutions..guess the number YEEEES 0151 236 4284

also have the same address..surely this is nothing more than fraud?

News

Contact

[Huff&Puff]

Unfortunately, the police will no longer investigate fraud - I actually heard a senior police officer admitting as much on Radio 4. It is not a government target, therefore they will not put any resources into investigating it, as it does not help their figures No doubt this is one of the main reasons why DCAs in general seem to be so willing to commit fraud these days. Crime pays very well indeed when there is no fear of even being investigated, let alone caught

[Simba1958]

just an update:

police came out today... no help said it was a civil matter, after some pursuasion the police man said he would give the company a call, what a waste of time. CSP were very lovely on the phone and said that she had entered into an agreement and it she wanted a transcript of the telephone conversation she could buy one for £7. HA!

 

Police said it would be better to get a solicitor. Still awating Trading Standards to get back to us. Hope there more help.

 

Simba1958

[big foot 1]

A friend of mine is also having trouble with CPS online and CC solutions (who are now becoming threatening)@ He has written to them denying contract and asking for no futher contact and evryting in writing but hey have continued to phone. This has been going on for quite a few weeks and he cannot actually remember what he did or didn't agree to on the phone but would not knowingly have agreed to the advert going ahead. Both TS and the Police say they can do nothing as it's business to business, is this correct, what can he do as this is making him ill.

[Simba1958]

tranding standards did get back to me, said that i should just ignore them, if i had anymore problems to get back in contact with them, well the phone calls started they were very threatening telling my staff that they would have my business shut down. rang back TS who were very understanding i told them about this site and all the people who were getting scamed and how they were laughing at us all, she has asked me to forward all my correspondence from cps-ccs and she would deal with this for me. the only time i have been in contacted with this company was when i received the first letter and i tried to tell them i was not interested and they became very nasty. so i have never contacted them again. if i was you in would go back to TS tell them again what has happened that u never agreed to anything and that this is happening thoughtout the country. unless we all stand up to them they will continue to do this makeing ours and other people lives a misery. i would stand up in any court and swear that i have never agreed to any advertising the only thing i am guilty of is aswering my telephone.

[big foot 1]

Thanks for your reply. We have now received the pay upor Court, so awaiting the Court papers, what joy