CRS AJJB chasing money for Photo Studio Group run by Michael John Hannah

[simond1000]

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.

[dx100uk]

read the letters carefully, they won't say WILL anything.

anyone inc you or me can down load the PAPLOC template and even template court forms and fill them out and send them.

doesn't mean you ARE going to court.

 

used to be quite a big thing with the mainstream consumer debt DCA's +10yrs ago, but they got carpeted for it

these bottom feeders you have still find it a useful rouse as most of them are unregulated

 

 

[simond1000]

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

[dx100uk]

only the owner of a debt can raise a court claim.

[AndyOrch]

And only a Solicitor can send a Letter before Claim.....I would forget about it .......try to get all your payments back ...and come back here when/  if you actually receive a court claim...anything else ignore.

 

Andy

[Nobby_v]

These people also stalk these forums. They are public after all. 

 

They think that by bullying you, you will settle it. 

 

As I have said before, it's stressing me and it's not even my case. 

 

Drop them a line - tell them if they think they have case against you, their client can take it to mediation which you are happy to do they can adhere to the pre court protocols in full and then take you to court.

 

These people are utter b******s. 

Ignore them.

Report it to your MP.

Wait and see if they dare take action.

If they do, then deal with it then. 

 

This is just one big game to them. 

 

Richard

 

[simond1000]

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 on in conjunction with any other business) of providing services (whether by the provision of information or otherwise) for the purpose of finding persons employment with employers or of supplying employers with persons for employment by them." 

In addition to the Employment Agencies Act 1973, employment agencies are governed by the Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003 (as amended) (the Conduct Regulations). 

The taking of photographs of work-seekers (models) is not a work-finding service, it is an additional (other service). Under the Conduct Regulations, it is a criminal offence for an employment agency to make the provision to work-seekers of the agency's work-finding services conditional on the work-seeker using any other services - whether these other services are provided by the employment agency or by any person with whom the employment agency is connected. 

In addition, where the service is the "production of a photographic image" of a work-seeker seeking employment as a fashion/photographic model (and/or actor etc) the employment agency is prohibited from charging the work-seeker a fee for 30 days from the date of the agency entering into the contract with the work-seeker (whether the contract is oral or written), during which time the work-seeker is entitled to withdraw from or cancel the contract without suffering detriment or penalty, and without being obliged to pay any fee to the agency. 

Both offences placing Hype-Digital, the "agency" in breach of the Conduct Regulations. 

 

2.  Hype-Digital have employed practices banned by the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 in order to secure a contract :- 

Limited offers   Falsely stating that a product will only be available for a very limited time, or that it will only be available on particular terms for a very limited time, in order to elicit an immediate decision and deprive consumers of sufficient opportunity or time to make an informed choice. 

Pressure selling   Creating the impression that the consumer cannot leave the premises until a contract is formed. 

In addition, this business model is a known scam as stated on the Action Fraud web site under Advanced Fee – Career Opportunity Scams https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/a-z-of-fraud/career-opportunity-scams 

Also, Hype-Digital and the Photo Studio Group are run by Michael Hannah who was exposed for committing this fraud by BBC Watchdog with the same company prior to changing its name from Kube Studio to the Photo Studio Group.  This is the link to the report: 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2DJ6GCxl7JWHd08jZMb4kSG/kube-studios 

The Guardian newspaper have also reported on modelling scams run by Michael Hanna here: 

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2017/dec/18/modelling-agencies-platforms-scam-studio-c 

I have reported this scam to Action Fraud and it is being investigated with case number:  NFRC201003978557 

It is also being investigated by Trading Standards case number WK/009785539 

I have initiated a Section 75 claim against the Photo Studio group with my credit card company to recover the monies paid so far and as they have already upheld and processed two chargebacks for direct debit payments which were unopposed, I am confident the Section 75 claim will also succeed. 

I will be fully represented in court and very happy to expose this scam. Press and TV journalists are already interested. 

[dx100uk]

 

On 17/11/2020 at 13:07, Nobby_v said:

Drop them a line - tell them if they think they have case against you, their client can take it to mediation which you are happy to do they can adhere to the pre court protocols in full and then take you to court.

 

 

a simple line not a book..

 

please don't send your idea above...

 

they've read it 1000's of times before

[Nobby_v]

 

Hold back on any evidence or references, they are not need for the time being. 

 

Or even as Dx100... replied as above.

 

I would respond in the following manner. 

 

References etc. ..

 

The demand made is an abuse of process.

 

So far you have ignored any "pre court protocol"  and I request for any claim to be closed  - what you are threatening is  an abuse of the legal process.  Any attempt at formal legal action will of course have an immediate request that it is  struck out as it has no chance of success.

 

It’s clear that you do not  have no intention of adhering to a formal process and are hoping that I will settle this matter.

 

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 the 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.

 

In order for me to continue discussing this matter with you please provide full details of the dispute, the signed copies of the contractual agreement and an explanation as to why there was no 

attempt to settle this at the time of the Section 75 process.

 

As you will be aware, if there was any liability under any contract  I would not have been able to use this process. 

 

I look forward to hearing from you in relation to the above points.

 

Please do not send me any further correspondence with out answering the above points which I believe is a far and reasonable response. If you do write without supporting evidence I will take the matter up with my MP and the local police as an example of harassment.

 

Note that this matter is already under investigation by trading standards/action fraud which you are now implicated in. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dx100uk]

just as bad IMHO

On 17/11/2020 at 13:07, Andyorch said:

And only a Solicitor can send a Letter before Claim.....I would forget about it .......try to get all your payments back ...and come back here when/  if you actually receive a court claim...anything else ignore.

 

Andy

 

 

[Nobby_v]

Fair point. 

 

Mind you, similar noted forced NCP's lot to respond over a parking. 

 

The didn't turn up for court tho...

 

Happy Saturday.

[simond1000]

2 hours ago, Nobby_v said:

 

Hold back on any evidence or references, they are not need for the time being. 

 

Or even as Dx100... replied as above.

 

I would respond in the following manner. 

 

References etc. ..

 

The demand made is an abuse of process.

 

So far you have ignored any "pre court protocol"  and I request for any claim to be closed  - what you are threatening is  an abuse of the legal process.  Any attempt at formal legal action will of course have an immediate request that it is  struck out as it has no chance of success.

 

It’s clear that you do not  have no intention of adhering to a formal process and are hoping that I will settle this matter.

 

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 the 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.

 

In order for me to continue discussing this matter with you please provide full details of the dispute, the signed copies of the contractual agreement and an explanation as to why there was no 

attempt to settle this at the time of the Section 75 process.

 

As you will be aware, if there was any liability under any contract  I would not have been able to use this process. 

 

I look forward to hearing from you in relation to the above points.

 

Please do not send me any further correspondence with out answering the above points which I believe is a far and reasonable response. If you do write without supporting evidence I will take the matter up with my MP and the local police as an example of harassment.

 

Note that this matter is already under investigation by trading standards/action fraud which you are now implicated in. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

[simond1000]

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 far you have ignored any "pre court protocol"  and I request for any claim to be closed  - what you are threatening is  an abuse of the legal process.  Any attempt at formal legal action will of course have an immediate request that it is  struck out as it has no chance of success.

 

It’s clear that you do not  have no intention of adhering to a formal process and are hoping that I will settle this matter.

 

In order for me to continue discussing this matter with you please provide full details of the dispute,

A copy of the Default Notice

A copy of the Notice of Assignment

A complete set of statements detailing exactly how the debt has accrued detailing all Transactions

and an explanation as to why there was no attempt to settle this at the time of chargeback  process.

 

Please do not send me any further correspondence with out answering the above points which I believe is a far and reasonable response. If you do write without supporting evidence I will take the matter up with my MP and the local police as an example of harassment.

 

Note that this matter is already under investigation by trading standards/action fraud which you are now implicated in. 

 

 

[dx100uk]

On 17/11/2020 at 13:07, Andyorch said:

And only a Solicitor can send a Letter before Claim.....I would forget about it .......try to get all your payments back ...and come back here when/  if you actually receive a court claim...anything else ignore.

 

Andy

Ignore them

 

Please dont respond

[Nobby_v]

That is how I would deal with it.

 

An attempt to force them to reveal their hand, and being very clear.

 

These people are a pain, and they have apply due process. After action fraud, an ' in ' is missing.

 

 

[dx100uk]

please do not respond until you get a proper letter of claim from a solicitor who's client is stated as the people you signed these supposed contracts/agreements with/to.

don't fire your arrows or play your cards yet.

 

concentrate on what you should be doing...getting those payments back.

 

 

[simond1000]

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.

 

Or have I had a letter before claim and I still have a letter of claim to come?

[dx100uk]

On 17/11/2020 at 11:38, simond1000 said:

 

“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.”

 

 

 

sorry yes

as their stated client is the above

and in the above the client states 

why not write directly to them 

ignore the sols and replying to the PAPLOC to them.

go thru their complaints and ADR.

they can;'t refuse as they have invited you to do so.

 

are you still out of pockets on this?

 

dx

 

[simond1000]

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 come into it.

Maybe part of the same scam?

[dx100uk]

just write direct to whomever made the comment above and raise a formal complaint and demand your moneyback.

they are the client

the dogs can't do anything without their say so.

as like private parking speculative invoices , forget the dogs , deal with the Original 'Creditor', the std PAPLOC is somewhat pointless

[simond1000]

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.

[dx100uk]

as you state they are all part of the same group.

About time YOU took control and get complaining and demanding your moneyback from these scammers as i advised above.

 

You don't need to reply to AJJB and their letter of claim, they, can't do anything unless instructed by their client, and as you are going to reply to their client directly complaining thus entering the ADR scheme and demanding your moneyback, AJJB are back in their box.

 

i'm still not really quite sure after 97 posts here and more than a year since you got scammed why you keep scanning around the internet and running to debt advice people seeking information that only supports your stance of being afraid of everyone and sucking up to the fact you've been had blind.

it's YOUR MONEY, you GOT SCAMMED....go get it back.

 

this was all explained in post 6 .

[simond1000]

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

 

I have already wriien to the studio that sent me the contract and they replied with this

 

"Please liaise with CRS and their Solicitors who are dealing with this matter, They will be able to furnish you with all the details required as they have all relevant information."

[dx100uk]

On 17/11/2020 at 11:38, simond1000 said:

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 correspondence 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?

 

but not since the above?

 

dx

 

[simond1000]

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?