UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSION

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Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

And now has us and the Mail on Sunday's Jeff Prestridge to deal with

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/bil...ers-court.html

[Amethyst]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

A very very good article. Well done to all who were involved, particularly those brave enough to have piccies Great work Jeff xx

Love this bit

COMMENT: British Passport Services, a monster with no moral core

The brains behind website British Passport Services is obviously an individual of some business talent. But he appears to be channelling it in the wrong direction.

Maybe Lord Sugar could knock the rough edges off and mould him into a business force for good but I fear even his lordship would struggle.

Richard Howard, the mastermind of British Passport Services, is delusional when he argues the ‘service’ he has created – getting appointments for people in urgent need of a passport – is a force for good. It isn’t.

Indeed, the empire Howard has created is a sinister one, according to those who have fallen victim to its dark side. On the one hand he pumps out a constant wave of propaganda proclaiming that the service provides people with much-needed choice over how they go about renewing their passport.

But on the other, he routinely takes dissatisfied customers to court if they refuse to pay his fees – bills bloated by a series of unjustifiable penalties that would cause uproar if levied by a high street bank.

If the Government is as serious as it says about clamping down on websites that charge a premium for Government services, it would do well to look hard at British Passport Services. A monster with no moral core.

Read more: http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/b...#ixzz3T5wwuAbm
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[EXC]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

It gets a 3 page spread in the print edition.

[Nibbler]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

Happy reading Mr Howard.

[enaid]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

Happy reading Mr Howard.

Yer doomed I tell yer, doomed. :tongue2:

[didactosaurus]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

The brains behind website British Passport Services is obviously an individual of some business talent. But he appears to be channelling it in the wrong direction.

Maybe Lord Sugar could knock the rough edges off and mould him into a business force for good but I fear even his lordship would struggle.

Firstly, really well done to everyone involved. Thanks to your efforts, the scam is exposed and this can only help our cases.

What really irks me, though, is the kind of comment quoted above. There is - or should be - a massive difference between a genuine, honest BUSINESSMAN and a conning, lying, cheating CRIMINAL.

I suppose MOS have to toe that journalistic line, but even so, there is no justification for crediting Howard as 'an individual with some business talent.'

You wouldn't describe a pickpocket as 'an individual with some skill in deception and dexterity' - unless you wanted to give the impression that there was something admirable in stealing from others. Same applies to this comment, IMO. :tinysmile_hmm_t2:

[Kati]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

Yer doomed I tell yer, doomed. :tongue2:

??? :lol:

[GrumpyOldHat]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

Hi folks.

I stumbled across your collective stories in an article on the BBC dated the 27th February ( http ://www.bbc .co .uk/news/business-31660829 ), and I felt so strongly about the treatment that you have received that I have been following this thread (as a guest) for the last couple of days to see what progress toward justice for you has been made.

Although I have had no dealings with this (or these) entities personally, I did have an experience a few years back concerning an overzealous individual pursuing me for a payment that I out rightly disputed which may help to ease pressure and distress upon many of you.

In my particular case, having properly challenged the entity claiming I owed them money and thoroughly unhappy about the pressure they were attempting to pile upon me, started to use the laws of harassment against them.

Firstly I sent a formal 'Cease and Desist' letter by recorded delivery to the registered address of the entity involved telling them in no uncertain terms that I wanted no further contact from them concerning their demands for money and that any and all further communications that they wished to have with me would have to be conducted through proper legal channels or I would report them to the police as having committed an offence under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

The CAB do have an info page on what may constitute harassment by a creditor (or in these cases a disputed creditor) http ://www.adviceguide.org. uk/wales/debt_w/debt_action_your_creditor_can_take_e/harassment_by_creditors. htm in which the following can be found:

• contacting you several times a day, or early in the morning or late at night
• using paperwork or business logos that appear to be official when they’re not, for example sending you letters that look like court forms
• ignoring you if you say you don't owe the money
• trying to embarrass you in public
• giving the impression that not paying the debt is a criminal offence. For most debts, it is not a criminal offence if you don't pay them.

I am hope that one of the Legal Beagles will be able to confirm whether this is applicable, but if it is, and enough people follow through to send the cease and desist letters, then the police will be able to take action should more text, letters, emails or phone calls be generated automatically by the software being used.

If this can be used then either BPS will have to considerably modify their system to filter out those who have sent "Cease and Desist" letters, stopping sending them altogether or risk being arrested for harassment...

I sincerely hope that this may be used to help you, as it really gets me going when I see good people being abused in this way.

BTW, I am not a legal expert, so please check with one that this approach is applicable to any individual case before taking action or spending money

[Kati]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

Hi [MENTION=62450]GrumpyOldHat[/MENTION] ... and welcome to LB
Thank you for your kind and supportive comments!

K

[Amethyst]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

I agree with you [MENTION=62450]GrumpyOldHat[/MENTION], the issue we seem to have is BPS didn't step up the harrassment and charges until the end of November 2014 and spent January and February issuing court claims against anyone who had the misfortune to come across his website or phone number.

I know a couple of people did go to the police and they weren't interested as it is a 'civil matter'. Howard doesn't appear to be scared of the police either and I doubt he'd give a flying spaniel about a cease and desist's.

Actually one of those who did go to the police had 15 voice texts a day since 1st January, and they weren't interested.

I was working on a timeline of contact for a lady yesterday who first used the site on the 5th January 2015, a court claim was issued on the 19th February 2015 and she's had at least 27 contacts from the company by sms.phone.email.letter between those dates - and she had CANCELLED within 8 minutes of clicking send on the online form.

Basically in theory and in normal circumstances I agree with you completely, and if people are being harrassed and haven't had a court claim yet it is certainly worth a try, but I wouldn't expect the police to bother their bottoms to help.

[GrumpyOldHat]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

Thank you for your welcome

My only hope is that my limited experience with this sort of thing might be of use to others as I know only too well the lengths that some will go to in an attempt to bully and confuse others into handing over money they have no right to by causing a great deal of unnecessary worry and distress to their victims.

[Tools]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

Thanks GrumpOldHat, it seems that once Court claims are issued they go very quiet, probably hoping that (as we have seen in well over 150 cases) people simply ignore it. Sadly, by ignoring a genuine Court claim UK S&S Ltd end up winning a judgment by default, much easier for them than to have to go to court and argue their unfounded case. That's why it is so important anyone who has received court papers does not ignore it.

[GrumpyOldHat]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

BPS didn't step up the harrassment and charges until the end of November 2014

Which would suggest to me that the owner of the company probably started to find that so many people were cancelling that he was either losing money on this venture, unable to support the lifestyle he has become accustomed to from its income, or both (one can only hope...).

I know a couple of people did go to the police and they weren't interested as it is a 'civil matter'.

This was the same response I received from the police when I initially approached them. However one of them must have taken pity on my plight and was kind enough to point out that harassment was a criminal offence, and - "perhaps it would be in my interests to take advice along those lines?"

because if I could show that harassment had been committed then they then would not only the power to act, but the obligation to do so.

Basically in theory and in normal circumstances I agree with you completely, and if people are being harrassed and haven't had a court claim yet it is certainly worth a try, but I wouldn't expect the police to bother their bottoms to help.

Sadly symptomatic of the ills that currently beset our society, and I guess police response will vary from region to region depending upon the various financial pressures being applied to any given police service.

I was lucky enough for my experience to have occurred in sleepy Gloucestershire pre-2008 at a time where my visit probably was the most excitement the police had all day..

[didactosaurus]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

Hi GrumpyOldHat, and thanks for tipping in to assist those of us unfortunate enough to be dealing with this shyster.

In our case personally, there isn't enough to constitute 'harrassment' in terms of volume of calls/emails etc., but I do consider that the whole manner of pursuit of the 'debt' constitutes harrassment - the content and manner of communications, and especially the 'example court forms', which are both inaccurate and misleading.

The police attitude to this is shocking. BPS are now national news and yet nothing appears to be happening. Howard is a slimy weasel and it will take a concerted effort to secure enough against him to get him sent down; he might be a nutter, but guessing that they seemingly couldn't pin anything on him personally re: those fake debt letters (that really should have been a police/prosecution matter), I am not hopeful.

However, fingers crossed that Mail/BBC coverage encourages police fraud units to investigate further.

On another note, BPS' site refers to Trading Standards in several places with their hokum 'advice' over debts etc - yet TS no longer exists. Right up to date there, Dick. Right up to date.

[Tools]

Re: UK Services & Support Ltd BRITISHPassportServices Copycat Website issues DISCUSSI

Not sure what you mean about TS not existing any more?? They do.