New Scammers?

[fowler9]

Yes, on the fining front, I got it confused so apologies. I was thinking of the FSA which have now been split into the FCA and the PRA.

I am pretty sure however that the FOS can make binding decisions. I will have a dig for a proper reference.

Once you have followed the complaint procedure with the company you have the complaint with in full then you can go to the ombudsman. The ombudsman will investigate and make a recommendation to the company the complaint is against.If the company doesn't follow the recommendation made then it is possible to take legal action. If you miss out any of those steps it is unlikely you will get far, if the company or the ombudsman etc miss out any of the steps involved in the procedure such as various letters that have to be sent and timescales etc. then it will go against them.

Unless things have changed massively in the last 5 years since I was working in finance anyway. Which is of course possible. Ha ha.

 

[IanXC]

Just to clarify the Financial Ombudsman does not have any power to fine a company.

http://financial-ombudsman.org.uk/about/index.html

I am not sure they can award compensation neither, as my dealings with FOS they have made recommendations but not enforced the compensation pay out, although the relevant company has paid up (eventually).

(I have been in a long drawn dispute with a bank who I used to be with)

I am pretty sure however that the FOS can make binding decisions. I will have a dig for a proper reference.

Indeed. The Financial Ombudsman Service investigate complaints and then their determination of whether the bank in question is to blame for the issue, what actions should be taken to resolve the matter and any financial consideration require to put the customer back in the position they would have been had the issue not occurred is binding on the bank, but the customer has the option to take the matter to court.

In my experience the Ombudsman may comment on their view of appropriate compensation, however that aspect doesn't fall within the scope of their binding determination. If an outcome has been given and the bank do not complete the actions or pay within a sensible time frame the Ombudsman will take this up.

 

[Clip]

Have just been reading that FB have finally pulled these from advertising on there. About bloody time too.

In future people, use adblock so you never see a FB ad again or get drawn in.

 

[Yew]

To be honest I am not that astounded how many years behind instant communication the multi billion pound banks are when it suits them.

My bank has an online email helpline, and branches. Hwever to request a new credit card (as the old one snapped in half) Its an 0845 number..

 

[richw]

My bank has an online email helpline, and branches. Hwever to request a new credit card (as the old one snapped in half) Its an 0845 number..

Santander have an option to select to order a new debit card on their internet banking page.

 

[fowler9]

Santander have an option to select to order a new debit card on their internet banking page.

A debit card isn't quite the same as a credit card though perhaps? On my Nat West internet banking page I can order a new debit card, not a new credit card though.

 

[sonic2009]

Have just been reading that FB have finally pulled these from advertising on there. About bloody time too.

In future people, use adblock so you never see a FB ad again or get drawn in.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/protect/2014/01/facebook-pulls-hot-crazy-deal-ads-after-users-lose-money


Link for anyone who wishes to read

 

[Tinkerpuss]

I have only just today been stupid enough to buy a deal from HotCrazyDeal, after clicking on their ad on Facebook, so it has not been removed. I only paid £2.50 and did not subscribe to their premium membership
They now of course have my credit cards details so I will phone my bank first thing in the morning telling them not to take any more payments to this company and if necessary, request a new card.
Shame on you Facebook!

 

[bb21]

I only paid £2.50 and did not subscribe to their premium membership

You are automatically enrolled unless you cancel, so yes, do let your bank know immediately. You should be able to get through to the fraud department 24/7 I would imagine so why not do it now?

Anything that looks too good to be true most probably is.

 

[maniacmartin]

Just saw another of their adverts today - this time on blogspot, advertising 30GBP of Oyster topup for 4GBP.

 

[maniacmartin]

Now they're using Google Ads and appearing on sites everywhere, even BRFares.

 

[Clip]

Now they're using Google Ads and appearing on sites everywhere, even BRFares.

Thats because you have used this thread about them - thats why they are popping up.

 

[jon0844]

Can you report an ad on Google, as a ordinary member of the public?

It might be worth writing to the owner of BRFares and asking for the ad to be blocked. That's quite easy to do with AdSense.

 

[KatieBrooks]

Hi,

I work for the Customer Support team at HotCrazyDeal.
As per the "Conditions of Use" of this forum, I am unable to go into much detail regarding the company, however I would simply like to apologise for any inconvenience caused, and to invite you to contact our support team using the email address or phone number displayed on our website.

We will ensure all pending issues are resolved.

Thanks
Katie Brooks

 

[maniacmartin]

The 7 day free trial is for a different membership service that has no benefits at all. Its only once you pay the monthly fee that you get the 'premium' membership service and become eligible to claim this cashback. I still don't think that the site makes this clear at all.

 

[gjee]

Look who's talking, i wonder who's behind Katie Brooks, must be someone really crazy to come appear here and irresponsibly spread lies over, same name signs all e-mails regarded as my refunds proceeded back, you guessed it, "I/They Love This Game", customer support you said, what a hoax...
Do not pay any attention to this statement guys, designed to to wipe your tears away, you'll get no money back, not sure who allowed this letter to come through...

Dear HotCrazyDeal users,

Firstly, I would like to deeply apologise on behalf of HotCrazyDeal for any inconvenience caused by using our service. We value our customers and we listen to your feedback to ensure we continually improve our service and your experience with us.

Following technical glitches and delays in our Customer Support operations, we have been late in delivering cashback to some of our customers. Be assured that we will process all claims. Should you continue to encounter any delays or issues, please contact our Customer Support team.

Email: contact@hotcrazydeal.com
Phone: 0808 178 8940 (Monday to Friday – 9am to 7pm).

I would like to take this opportunity to explain the service that we provide. When a customer purchases an offer, they are automatically entered into a 7 day free trial of the membership service. It is possible to unsubscribe at any time during this 7 day period, via email or phone to our support team. If the customer wishes to continue with the service after the trial has ended, a monthly charge of £29.90 will commence. As a member, entitlement allows for 1 cashback offer per week, worth up to £30. Once the offer has been purchased on the HotCrazyDeal website, the member can proceed to purchase the corresponding service or product and save up to £120 per month.

As previously mentioned, we always listen to feedback to improve our service. Here are some recent changes we have made:
• The trial period has been extended from 72 hours to 7 days
• Pricing information is clearer to avoid confusion
• Subscription cancellation is much easier with a new button located on our homepage
• Our Customer Support team has increased in capacity to respond to customers more efficiently

I hope this information helps. Please do get in touch if you have any further queries. Thank you for using our service. We hope to provide you with more crazy deals to help you save money soon.

Katie Brooks
Customer Support Manager

 

[Clip]

Well I hope she got permission to post under her company name and if not the post gets pulled after I report it - and even if she did I still hope it gets pulled as its all a big scam.

 

[Greenback]

Forum staff have not verified that the posts made by Katie Brooks come from the company named.

 

[Mojo]

A warning has appeared on the TfL website about this; linked to from the home page:
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14825.aspx

''Advertisements from a business using the name Hot Crazy Deals have recently been appearing on social media, and other websites offering 'discounts' and 'deals' on Oyster travel. We are aware of concerns having been raised by some consumers about these 'deals'. We do not enter into such arrangements with third parties and any such 'discounts' or 'deals' are not sanctioned or approved by TfL.''

 

[Amaroussi]

Anyone can take out an advert for anything, as long as Facebook does not find out.

I assume that maniacmartin's undercover investigation proves again why ad blockers like AdBlock is getting so popular in general these days, with the latest ads being intrusive, rubbish, misleading, garish, or a combination of the four.

I can't see Katie Brooks being a real name: they probably used that certain Random Name Generator.

 

[richw]

I can't see Katie Brooks being a real name: they probably used that certain Random Name Generator.

I had a call from a Nigerian today called Dave Smith trying to tell me I'd won some kind of financial prize. Didn't sound a very Nigerian name.

 

[Amaroussi]

I had a call from a Nigerian today called Dave Smith trying to tell me I'd won some kind of financial prize. Didn't sound a very Nigerian name.

The real world does not run on Luigi physics: i.e. winning by doing absolutely nothing. Sad to see how many people fall for that type of scam.

 

[fowler9]

If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.I once had a phone call from a London number and the chap on the phone seemed frankly disgusted that I wouldn't just give him my bank details. Yeah right! Here are my account details along with my debit card details, can't wait to get my new phone/millions of pounds for free.

 

[bb21]

If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.I once had a phone call from a London number and the chap on the phone seemed frankly disgusted that I wouldn't just give him my bank details. Yeah right! Here are my account details along with my debit card details, can't wait to get my new phone/millions of pounds for free.

You could have played along and given him something plucked out of thin air.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

You could have played along and given him something plucked out of thin air.

I know somene who has been known to give the landline number for their local nick when being called by a scammer...