QSL-TENDER - SCAM

Hi,

I need some advice re. a possible scam involving an online subscription service.

I work for a start up business, focussed on providing services for the public sector. Consequently, most of our business involves searching and replying to competitive tenders, all of which are published in OJEU [Official Journal of the European Union].

This is often a challenging task, so I recently signed up to a free trial for a website offering a customised search system for all current UK and European tenders. The company is called QSL Tenders.

Unfortunately I failed to cancel the subscription before my free trial expired [mainly because the site was useless and I never logged on after signing up]. However, I did end up cancelling the service 2 weeks later.

Despite this I was sent a bill for £695, claiming that “Our terms and conditions clearly state that you must cancel your account within your 28 day trial period should you not want to continue with the service. Failure to cancel leads to a 12 month subscription at £695.00. No cancellation has been received within this period. Your cancellation was required before the 20/09/2010, but was not placed until 06/10/2010″.

Their T&C’s also claim that there is an option to qualify for an early cancellation fee if you end the subscription within 28 days of the free trial expiring [which I did], however they never presented this as an option.

I’ve done a bit of searching on the web and discovered a lot of complaints on a website called ‘complaintsboard’ as to their service and conduct – see below:

“I know times are tough folks for us small businesses but whatever you do, do not sign up to the 15 day free trial of potential tenders from these people. Even if you do and cancel the free trial within the allocated time period stated, you will be hit with an invoice and an ongoing barrage of threatening emails, phone calls demanding payment. There website is littered with loopholes to entrap you. Finally they will threaten to send the bailiffs in when you still refuse to pay. When you ask to be sent paperwork as proof of their claims that you owe them money, it wont materialise. There are many innocent people out here who have been subject to nothing but constant abuse and harassment from these people. DO NOT PLEASE for your own sanity trial this site”.

“They are insisting I pay £650, when I wrote and cancelled. I tried talking to Natalie Marks, their credit controller who was extremely rude, cold and condesending. She did not listen to me and was quite intimadating. In the end I put the phone down and just cried. I jsut started this new company and don’t need this stress. What can I do? It is her word against mine. I sent the letter off after attempting to cancel online, but my eamail bounced back”.

Signed up for free trial, forgot to cancel and was sent a bill for £695, despite having said the service wasn’t right for our needs. We asked to cancel was told that would cost £205.

“Anyway, took some advice and was told to make them an offer. After 10 minutes of being told “Our directors don’t negotiate” they then said why not email us with an offer. Told then I’d pay £100 to get them off my back and lo and behold they accepted. A) Don’t go near them with a barge pole. B) if you do, stick to your guns. Sod the directors, I suspect they are 2 people with no scruples working out of a lock up. Half the time they can’t be bothered answering the phone or returning messages.Absolute scum!”

The founder – Gordon Hosie – was also recently quoted in an online publication ['construction enquirer'] justifying their practice.

I never thought it was a completely FREE service, but to penalise people so aggressively for a lapse of 2 weeks on cancellation can surely be contested!?

Unfortunately their website is littered with loopholes aimed at targeting the unsuspected! In my opinion, a vicious and underhand business practice!

To this end, I’d really appreciate any legal advice which offers some protection.

Thanks in advance!

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=2864704