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Ufindus.com Warning
The following email was sent out to members on January 8th 2007 and I received an overwhelming response. Some of the replies are listed below which I hope will be helpful if you are approached by Ufindus' telephone reps.
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Ufindus.com Warning I have just received the following disturbing email and wish to make it clear that Hypnotherapist Register does not have any connection whatsoever with Ufindus.com. If anyone else has been approached using the sales technique outlined below, I would appreciate it if you would let me know as soon as possible. Thanks Cliff, Hypnotherapist Register
Copy of email follows:
This morning I had a very unpleasant sales call from Ufindus.com They said they owned your site (Hypnotherapist Register) and tried to sell me space with them. I was interested but was unable to get straight answers from their caller; he read from a script and failed to answer my important questions. I said I’d call them back when I had more time as I had a client arriving soon. The operator called me back and threatened to remove my name from your Hypnotherapist Register and said I’d missed my once in a life time opportunity for my area. Can you tell me; are you connected with this other company. If not you need to know they are using your site to get leads and using your name saying they own your register and have the power to remove therapists and also offer enhanced profiles on your site if you sign up to them. This sales pitch is unprofessional and as such I would have nothing to do with them. Their response to my questions was threatening to say the least. I am unaffected by this call, but you need to know of this activity as they are using your name. I thank you for your support in this matter - For the record I do wish to stay on your site. With thanks, Mike |
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Member's comments re Ufindus.com
You are absolutely right, never have anything to do with Ufindus or their side-kick, Iomart. They conned me out of over £1000. They got me so confused with all their threats and unpleasantness that I really don't know the exact figure but during my researches I found numerous other people who had had the same sort of experience with them. Indeed it is amazing that they are still getting away with it! Kate
Cliff I too have been contacted by UFIND US today. The rep (Manager !!) also told me he was calling on behalf of two companies UFINDUS and the Hypnotherapistregister.com . He didn't say he would take me off your register as he did with Mike but he was very insistent. He kept reiterating that they were authentic and their offer was such ( if someone usually keeps on saying that with no prompt or apparent reason it is usually because they are guilty ) so I was really suspicious of him. I asked him to send what he was offering cost etc to me ( which he didn't really want to do ..... Never the less I told him I did not make snap decision where my business was concerned and would not entertain even thinking about them until he e mailed me, which he did.. See below e mail.. During my conversation and his insistence that he was authentic, he kept saying that as such all calls were recorded so he could not tell any untruths. - So if this is the case you should be able to use this information ( if he was telling the truth about the calls being recorded) to ascertain that they are using the hypnotherapistregister.com's name as part of their canvassing approach. If you need me to confirm this to anyone, please do not hesitate to give them my contact details. Kind regards Gayle
Thank you for your email regarding unfindus. I'm not sure why I got it as I am not a member of your organisation. However I do work with a hypnotherapist who is registered with you and have passed the message on. I have received many phone calls in the past from ufindus regarding my own counselling practice and web site. They have always been unprofessional and threatening towards me. They once tried to sell me my own web site domain name. I thought you might be interested to know that their head man recently featured in an article in the Mirror newspaper regarding illegal business practices and a large chunk of the article was devoted to unfindus. Kind Regards Andrea
Cliff, I had a similar very unpleasant call from them last year. Regards, Carol
Cliff Thanks very much for the message about ufindus.com This company seems to have a very chequered history. There is a lot on the internet about them, nearly all of it extremely negative. As an example click on the link below to see pages of numerous complaints from very unhappy customers of theirs. The joint MDs of this company are, apparently, a Mark Hallam and Stuart Forrester. Golden rules when contacted by this company, or indeed most others, is never set up a direct debit via your credit card as, unlike direct debits on bank accounts, they can't be cancelled by the credit card holder. You have to ask the recipient of the dd to cancel it. If they don't then you have to contact the credit card company yourself and hope they will be sympathetic and agree to cancel the dd. But this is a hassle. Secondly, people need to be aware that business to business transactions are not covered by the usual consumer protection law which is, naturally enough, designed to protect individuals (not those in business). So there is less protection when things go wrong and no easy recourse to, for example, a trading standards dept. Best wishes Adrian
Hi Cliff,
Hi Cliff How interesting! I have had a completely different experience with them and they are generating good business for me but it beggars belief that people would threaten you. I will phone and find out what is happening if you give me more details. Best wishes Hilary
Dear Cliff, I have just had a call from Ufindus.com asserting very strongly that they own hypnotherapistregister.com! Your e-mail warning was most timely. When I challenged them to verify their claim of ownership in some way, this rather spoilt the sales patter and their spokesman preferred to cease the call. They also said that they were linked in some way to Paul McKenna - but perhaps he advertises with them. It is a strange business altogether. Best wishes David
Hello Cliff I was left shaking somewhat after a most unpleasant encounter with this company. He spoke so quickly at the start of the call and I was unclear about just where he had gotten my name from, he just said a register, well obviously as a full time therapist, my contact details are on several registers. The call started by him asking if I could fit in one or two more people before the beginning of March to Stop Smoking? All my questions were answered by him simply reading off HIS next question. His manner was bullying at all times. He kept telling me I did not understand technical things to do with the internet. I told him I was busy and that I did not think this was anything I would really be interested in signing up to. He just kept on talking, obviously from a script, in the end I told him that I was going to put the phone down. He kept on talking and was very intimidating I thought, so I replaced my receiver after saying "Goodbye". He called me back straight away, (but I had put my answerphone on), he then ranted and raved on the answerphone, telling me I was a waste of time and unprofessional, and that I had missed the opportunity to advertise. I am sorry to hear that others have had a similar experience, I thought I had just got a rogue salesperson on a bad day. I certainly would never advertise with that company. With all good wishes Geraldine
Dear Cliff, I have had dealings with the UFindUs network previously. They offer free listings, then regularly email and call you regarding upgrading your listing on the pretext that you are missing out on huge amounts of website traffic. However, when you start asking them questions such as how many upgraded listings they already have for your area (City / Town) and then ask how many hits on their website they had in the same month - you quickly realise that what they are offering is a low volume turnover, that you could easily generate for yourself if you knew how. Fortunately, I have been in the IT industry for the last 26 years and Hypnotherapy is a growing second income for me. On balance my advice is, if you receive and email from the UFindUS network, delete it. If you receive a phone call tell them you don't want to receive any phone calls and hang up! If people want any advice on optimising website traffic, they can contact me free on Tim@5elements.co.uk Best wishes, Tim
Dear Cliff, I am at present in dispute with this company concerning a website I was sold over a year ago. The company trades under the name Iomart and are based in Glasgow, Scotland. If you would like any further information about their trading methods please look at Blagger.com (under Iomart) and you will find a whole list of complaints regarding this disreputable company. I cannot begin to tell you the stress they have caused me and the money I have wasted. I have been in regular contact with Trading Standards over the past few months and also the legal department of the Federation of Small Businesses, of which I am a member. This company is well known to Trading Standards and also to the solicitor that I spoke with at the FSB. I have also heard that they are targeting therapists at present. I f you would like any further information from me then please get back in touch. My case is too complicated to list here but if you wish I can send you copies of relevant correspondence. I would advise anybody to give this company (trading as UFindus, Iomart, Easyspace and other names I can't recall) a very wide berth. Regards, Linda
Hi Cliff, Myself and Ufindus are at loggerheads at the moment because they don’t tell the truth at all, their tactics are not ethical. There is a website for businesses that have problems with them. My bank has told me they have a great deal of complaints with Ufindus as well. I encourage anyone receiving a call from them to calmly end the call, although they will ring time and time again. Have a good 2007 everyone Lesley
Hi Cliff Thank you for your warning. Just now I received a call and I closed it down very quickly in light of your warning so all I can add is that the caller, Ben, claimed to be calling from the 'hypnotherapy department' at UFindUs. Just so you can add it to the overall picture... Kind regards, Paul
Hi Cliff Thanks for that Ufindus typically use a belittling sales tactic in their pitch but I've never known them mention your register. Regards, John
Hello Cliff I advertised through Ufindus for a year. I agree that no one should ever deal with them. They promised to set up a website to my liking. They did not. However they kept billing me every month for it. I contacted the Credit card company about it. They could not help or stop the payments. They made big promises but delivered nothing but headaches and problems. Absolutely Zero business. I thought you should know. Faridoon
Hi Cliff We have had all sorts of problems with these people in the past and I believe that this has been discussed on snore. That are very aggressive in their sales methods and I wonder if it is even legal. The one you mention is new to me but similar to others used. Everyone should stay well clear of them. Kind Regards Roy
Hi Cliff Now that is a coincidence… I had a call about an hour ago on the same lines as Mike described below! He was quite clear he was not a ‘salesman’ but that is exactly what he was. When I said that I wasn’t interested at the moment but may be in a few months time, he too threatened to remove my free listing from Ufindus and also from the Hypnotherapist Register. He said that Ufindus set up the Hypnotherapist Register and that it was unfortunate that I was not able to take up this great offer! It left me a little angry for a while as he was very arrogant! I am now comforted to see that my listing with your register will not be affected! Keep up the good work and a happy and prosperous 2007 to you! Regards John
Hello Cliff Hi Thanks for this, I've had bad experiences with this company also Peter
Dear Cliff Please tell people connected to your register know that Ufindus is presenting themselves in many guises but in fact they are a public limited company. The DTI can tell you who is the proprietor, the police are also aware of them. Three years ago they were passing themselves of as the "Business Link" by calling themselves Business Linx. I don't know if this is helpful, at the time I have reported them but since I did not suffer financial loss, it was not taken further. If your members want to deal with trust worthy listing then the tele-sales option is not one of them. Effie
Hi Cliff Thanks for your email. I haven't had a call like the one below, but I did put a "free entry" on their site a few months ago and the next day, someone called Paul rang to try and sell me some package whereby I would be guaranteed business. I prefer to mull things over, so asked him to put some info in the post to confirm what he was guaranteeing in writing. He was really edgy and kept saying that he wasn't allowed (?). I told him that I wouldn't be considering anything until I had something in writing, so he promised he would email it to me. Anyway, I received a series of emails with no attachment, as promised, and about 4 calls every day for the next week. I found their sales pitch very aggressive and the whole thing was a bit dubious. Louise
Hi Cliff, I constantly get calls from UFindus, although must admit that they haven't taken your name in vain to-date. However, this aside, I have still had a nasty experience with them. I was sold a package with Ufindus and their partner Co. Iomart. The package was for directory services and a website. I already had a basic website, but they offered me an improved version. Unfortunately, they shut down my old site as soon as I registered with them. I had planned to use the text from this site for the new one, but this was no longer accessible to me. This issue went on for several months, during which time they told me that I had to submit material within 14 days, or they would no longer honour our contract. Eventually they produced a temporary site, but it was very obviously an over-typed standard format, previously used for a hairdresser - I don't generally offer permanent waving as one of my services!! My original site had a sunflower logo and theme, which I asked them to replicate. Instead of this, they used a photo of a sunflower with a silly face painted on it - hardly the professional image I was trying to portray. In despair, I asked them to shut this site down, as I felt it was doing my business more harm than good. They refused to do this for over 12 months. They also refused to refund any of the considerable amount of money I paid. They also guaranteed my position on the main search engines, but I couldn't even get the website to list, so how anybody else got to it, other than by sheer fortune I really don't know. Needless to say, the conversations with their sales staff tend to be fairly brief these days. Please, if you wish, pass on my comments to other members - I wouldn't want anybody to go through this experience again. It cost me a fortune! Kind regards, Heidi
Dear
Cliff I told
them that I did not make advertising agreements
without having my questions answered, and neither
did I like make instant decisions to spend lump sums
of money with uninvited salesmen who spoke so
quickly that I didn't have a hope of fully
understanding what they were saying.
Hi Cliff Thank you for this. Despite being on the TPS register I have had a couple of calls from Ufindus with a different but equally aggressive approach. It was only when I threatened to sue them for breaking the DSA code that the calls stopped. Saying that your are on the TPS usually gets rid of them, at least for a while. King regards John
Cliff, Thanks, however are you sure that ufindus themselves know anything about this call? Its not uncommon for people to pretend to represent entirely innocent parties in scams like this, cheers, Mike
I also had a call from these people. They used an aggressive sales technique. I ended up putting the phone down on them. The register was mentioned but not to the same degree as this person had.
Yes I have had one the same yesterday… I told them I was not interested and if they had to remove my name because I did not buy space then so be it. I don’t know if it has been removed or not I have not checked yet. regards
Dear Cliff I have had bad experiences with Ufindus and encourage ALL MEMBERS TO HAVE NOTHING AT ALL to do with them. Kindest of regards Sue Hello, just to let you know I also was conned by this company and missold - I didn't need a website as I already had my own. Part my own fault by not digging further but it was at the same time as my Dad died so I will let myself off the hook. Also they would not cancel it and I had to pay for the whole year. Also, they would have renewed unless asked not to - it had to be when they could be told as they would not keep it on file. Their Karmic payment must be due soon eh! I contacted the MD via the contact details at their main website. Joanne
Hi, I have a separate but unprofessional issue with them too. They sold their service to me incorrectly and I have been arguing for months trying to get removed. Bottom line they are a bunch of sharks.
Kind regards Hello Cliff, Yes, I have had dealings/trouble with ufindus.com. They are fraudulent and I have reported them to the police.
Dear Cliff Well done for the way you've handled it. In case you wanted to complain here is the phone number of the company - 0141 931 6400. Kind regards John
Yes, I too was contacted by a rep from Ufindus. He was very persistent and was very shocked that I would not take up his once in a lifetime opportunity for my area.
I've not come across this one though a Thomsons rep once told me my google listing would be withdrawn if I stopped advertising with them! I've also had several calls from people selling advertising in "Police Talk" magazine. They say it goes to every serving and retired police officer - my friend who is a police officer has never heard of it - and sometimes they also say it goes to all emergency services stations and local councils. I've heard of other therapists who have paid to be in it and lost their money when the ad was never published. Thoughts on the email list I belong to seem to be that the mag may not actually exist. There are so many scams around. Best advice I ever had was to ask for a copy of any 'magazine' who rings, or to speak to existing advertisers.
Debbie
Dear Cliff, I would steer clear of ufindus company. I had a run in with them two years ago. Promised me I would be the only one in the area and it would cost me £199.95 that is all I would need to pay and the domain name would be mine as long as I needed it without any further payment. What I discovered , they sent me a contract which implied I would have to pay 19.99 every month and it would cost me another £199.95 each! Because I had paid with my debit card it took me some time to get this sorted. At the end of the day , I did not get any money back, but they did admit that they would not charge me the monthly instalment. I still lose £199.00 pounds. This company is associated with Iomart. I have kept all the information, just in case I have any more problems with either company. regards Jean
Cliff, Thank you for your E-Mail about ufindus.com I will pass it on to all UKCHO Members. Best wishes, Peter
Cliff As a point of interest, photos of the two MDs are shown in this link (pix 11 and 34) at an Iomart celebration (Iomart seems to be an associated company, or the parent company of Ufindus). From these photos you can see the kind of event that their customers finance for them! Best wishes again, Adrian
Hi Cliff, I am registered with ufindus.com and was not approached aggressively by them or given any misleading or false information or threats of any sort. However it is early days yet to see if they can produce the volume of interest they claim to be able to. It's a shame that they give themselves a bad name through the behaviour of certain of their employees. Alice
Cliff, Ufindus are a part of the Iomart group. The ufindus sales team is in Blackpool. I have the address if you want it. I have all their details as I have reported them twice before to the Telephone Preference Service for aggressive unsolicited sales calls. This latest technique takes the biscuit and I would suggest trading standards might be interested. As for Iomart, the parent company – one of their staff once told me to fuck off. I also wrote to there head office in Glasgow, got an apology and they cancelled my contract. The news groups are full of horror stories about both of these companies. Ian
Hello Cliff Thanks for the warning. I’ve not had a call like the one described but I get calls from Ufindus just a little too frequently and they seem to be getting more and more aggressive. They are usually quite friendly in tone but hard to get rid of and the most recent salesman told me that I could afford £200 because anyone in business could. I did, of course, challenge this. He eventually rang off quite abruptly, but politely, when he found out that my practice is only a few doors away from one of their existing customers. It is beginning to sound a little desperate to me and I doubt that I will do any more than use their free listing service now. Barry
Hi Cliff. I had a similar phone conversation about 2 years ago from the same company. Foolishly I fell into the trap and purchased what I thought was actually placing my existing website high in the google ratings. What I got instead was an awful website – which I wanted removed – as I felt it did more harm than no publicity. They “lifted” phrases from my existing website, added their own things – and it was quite clear that they didn’t know what they were talking about. However to anyone viewing the website, it looked like it was my view – very unprofessional. At the time I told the GHR and tried to get the Trading Standards involved. I lost a lot of money – they took a deposit from my debit card with my permission, then continued to debit my account without my permission., Luckily my bank recalled the payments, but this happened with about 6 or so payments. Unfortunately the website is still up and running – they will not take it off. This company were extremely rude when I tried to contact them, and despite being very assertive, would not, could not put me through to a Manager – as like your other writer – I was greeted with a scripted reply and when I wanted to complain or asked for explanations they put the phone down on me. I would tell all to be very wary. Allison
I have had exactly the same type of call, constant calls despite me telling them to take me off their call list. The sales technique are more than dubious. All the best Anna
HI Cliff, I haven't had this experience with ufindus, but I did have a chappy call who tried to sell me the service. He promised me x no of leads a month and if they didn't live up to this I could quit at any time. He wanted £100 (150?) up front and £30 (39?)per month thereafter. I queried if any of this was refundable if they didn't provide what they'd said; he said no. (So £100 plus 2 months before I could cancel and no guarantees). Also my professional association (IAH -The International Association of Hypno-Analysts) has an on-line chat room and Ufindus comes up time and time again as not delivering the goods they promise. Final point - they promise (though often fail to deliver) number of enquiries not quality of enquiries. Hope this is of use. Best Wishes, Rachel.
Hi Cliff I have had quite a few dealings with ufindus and so have some of my students. I am afraid to say all negative. If you wish to discuss in further detail please give me a call Regards
Kevin
Dear Cliff, Thank you for this warning. I was with Ufindus some time ago, but didn't find them useful in gaining clients and now don't pay for a listing but am still listed!! I think that they are a bona fide organisation, but obviously one of their sales people must have got a bit carried away! Perhaps you should contact them and clarify the situation. All good wishes, Graham
Hi Cliff I have had a call, but some ago, and with a different sales pitch. I read a while back that ufindus have had several complaints against them. I am not sure, but I think they are owned by a company called IOMART. It would be worth recommending to the group that if they register with TPS then they can make complaints directly to the Commissionaire office when receiving any type of unwanted call. I have done this and it works. Kind regards
Colleen
Hi there, I was conned into signing up with ufindus a few years back. They promised things like top listings in search engines etc but don't follow through. Their software didn't work either. They also used to phone me to sell me other listings as if I wasn't even a customer with them. Once I said, look if you can't find me on the web then you aren't doing your job because I'm already listed with you. Their response was to hang up on me. My dealings with them left me under the impression that they are a dubious lot and I would not recommend them to anyone., Doesn't surprise me that they use these kind of tactics. Rae
Hi Cliff, Thank you for this info. I seem to remember hearing negative things about Ufindus a good year or more ago. If I hear from them, I'll let you know. Regards, Steve
Dear Cliff Thank you for letting me know about the attached e-mail. I would like it to go on record that I have had so many problems with this company over recent months. I'm not sure they own my site, the company they took over (Iomart) designed it. Unfortunately the site is still being controlled by Ufindus but as soon as my new site is ready I will be cutting off all connection with them. I apologise for any concern this has caused you, and although its my intention to complain to them I know from previous experiences it will be ignored. Also for the record I would like to stay on your site. With kind regards
David
Well they have been hassling me of late Cliff but I don't recall them mentioning the register...I'll let you know if they do.
Geoffrey
I have also received an unpleasant telephone call (in December) from Ufindus.com. He slammed the phone down on me! Kind regards Sue
Hi, thanks I've had one of these calls too!! Told them to clear off (but not so politely!) Best regards Stella
Hi Cliff, I have had so many calls from ufindus.com, all have been pushy, sometimes rude and offering things that you just know are totally not correct. You can't get rid of them and they keep phoning. I am sure other people have had this.. One person did mention your register but I said no thanks and don't phone again because I was so fed up with them. They continue to phone... I have heard lots of people in other professions also complain about them. I would of course never use them even if they were free. Something should be done!! Gill
Hi Cliff 2 minutes before this email came in I had a phone call from someone "representing" the register selling referrals, and he too was unprofessional and aggressive in nature (hope he wasn't one of yours too) thanks John
Thanks for that Cliff - yes I have had a few calls from Ufindus since I put a free entry on their directory - most were completely unprofessional, hard-sell and sometimes downright rude - I now just hear the word "Ufindus" and issue a Pavlovian knee-jerk response! Cheers - John
Hi Cliff, further to the survey: I have never engaged the 'services' of Ufindus, but would like to complain about their sales techniques, which are pushy, belligerent and pestering. I used to work in sales, so I know how difficult cold-calling is, and because of that I am never rude or dismissive with sales representatives normally. However, the five calls I have had so far from Ufindus have been such a clumsy hard sell that I have resorted to cutting them off. There is a lot wrong with that organisation, and it would be a very good thing if there was a serious effort to sort them out. I would certainly support any such move, and thank you for organising this survey. Best regards, Chris
Thanks Cliff for the warning about Ufindus and for the opportunity to review the experience of other therapists in this regard. Ufindus have not ventured, as yet, to this side of the Irish sea but that is not to say they won’t! It is mainly e-mails that I get from various UK bodies trying to get me to subscribe whilst I do receive telephone calls from Irish bodies. It is not only Ufindus who may appear to be or are less than professional, another UK based (Cheshire/ Manchester area ) who produce brochures for local golf clubs etc with advertisements for local therapists got €500 plus [ and 8 other individuals ] from me under false pretences with no brochure produced at the end of the day. This firm claimed that it was their representative/ employee who misappropriated the money and the legal advice I got was it would cost me more to take the matter to court in the UK. So in summary Cliff, it is not just the aggressive telephone seller we need to be careful about….. the individual who conned me, actually had and paid for by cheque ( which subsequently bounced ) a session with me, such was his technique in selling the brochure!!!!! So your warning is timely. Gerry
Dear Cliff, many thanks for sharing this information about this unsavoury company, although I've never been approached personally, from the mails sent in to yourselves it does seem a widespread problem, your info will be passed on to all members.. many thanks for bringing this to our attention, cheers Keith.
Hi Cliff I did not get your original email 8th January for some reason. So I am responding now. I also have had dealings with Ufindus.com. I have had several telephone calls from them and they are always extremely aggressive and rude. The last time I lost my cool and told them what I thought of them and put the phone down. I have not been contacted again since! With Kind Regards Paola
Cliff And to add my two-penneth worth… I’ve had 4 or 5 calls in 6 months from a rep called Spencer. His first call was along the lines of ‘we have 14 clients waiting to see a therapist right NOW’. Under cross-examination, he admitted that the whole region that I was in received 14 hits a month and these were the ‘clients’ he was referring to! He was rude and aggressive in his manner and similar to other people’s experiences, he also told me that he was from the hypnotherapy department! His lack of understanding about our business was apparent when he suggested people would travel from all over the country for a one hour appointment with me and, therefore, the national statistics for hypnotherapists were extremely relevant. I told him quite bluntly that he clearly new nothing about my business so not to presuppose to know more than me. In fairness to him, every time I put him right on gross inaccuracies and exaggerations, he did put his hands up and confess he was being economical with the truth. It really was quite amusing the depths he was prepared to descend to in order to try to sell to me but clearly some people have been hurt by their tactics. He last called just after New Year, again pushing just how much business I was losing out on but still unable to provide any real reasons to advertise with them. When I said no AGAIN, he said his New Year’s resolution was to stop wasting his time and he then hung up. Charming! For the record, my free Ufindus listing (telephone and address but no website link) has NEVER generated a single call. Regards, Paul
Dear Cliff Just to add yet another negative about this company I was approached last year by them and they said that they would set up a web site for me which they haven't done, they send me reports through, of how many hits I have been getting on my WEB SITE??? the first report was dated before I signed with them. I rang them to point this out, and never got a clear answer about it, and was told that the hits were for my own web site, which I don't manage, a friend of mine does, and he has not been approached by ufindus. I'm still paying for this as my year is not up, you have to give 3 months notice, to finish with them, which I put in writing to them and still have not had a reply to. Is there anything we can do about These unprofessional people? Warmest regards Anne
Hello Cliff, thank you for sending this to me. When calls do get through the protection service, I just quickly ask them to hold the line ... then go back sometime later and put the phone down. At least they can run up the phone bill!! I would have no problem doing the same thing to the same place ... Regards, Joanne
Hi Cliff I am so surprised that therapists are having / had problems with Iomart, formerly NicNames. I have been with this company for 8 years and my six web sites and several others using domain names and server space. I make all my own and others websites, so do not have experience of Iomart doing this on my behalf. I also pay by credit card when it's time to pay for ongoing service. In all these years there has only been one slight problem, I started an account for catching emails, instead of forwarding like usual. I had a little bit of hassle stopping this order going through after changing my mind, however, I told them in no uncertain terms to stop it, which they did, I am or can be slightly persuasive, some call me aggressive on occasion!. Considering the amount of web spaces with them, they are very reasonable with cost. Each time I have phoned them for customer support or technical advice when their server has gone down (for maintenance) they have always been helpful. Therefore I am amazed at these complaints. Kind regards David
Hi Cliff, Reading your problems with Ufindus set me to having a look around the internet. I have found a website called Iomart Victim Support which may prove of some help to anyone who has experienced problems with this company. It also provides links to other sites such as DTI and Trading Standards and further information regarding how the company operates. www.iomart-victim-support.co.uk/ I hope this is of use to you. Regards Adrian
Hi Cliff, Thank you so much for you emails. Yes - I had one of those very disturbing phone call today (they are still at it) from a very hard-selling guy at Ufindus. He made a point of telling me that this would be the only offer they would make and I was to take it up there and then. When I refused to commit he became abusive and told me I was not being professional ! The only way I could end the call was by putting the phone down on him ! I guess most of us in this 'trade' can cope but I am very concerned that vulnerable people could be left quite disturbed and distressed by these calls. I will access your website tomorrow - thanks for all you do. Best regards, Sue.
I have had a solicitor contact me who has won the odd case against this company, and at the very least may get your money back for you. So far all I have done is sent him all my paperwork so nothing has happened yet for me. His name is Alan Scott Davies and his number is 01823 33 7529 if you would like to speak to him. Regards, Gayle P.S. Oh, I forgot to say, he is charging on a percentage basis so it isn’t costing me anything!
Hello Cliff, I have read the messages on from the link you previously sent with great interest. Having previously had a bad experience with Iomart now known as Ufindus.com which cost us several £100's. I would advise everyone to avoid having dealings with like the plague. We signed up with Iomart a few years back. They promised top listings in search engines (which never happened). The software they provided didn't work either. They try to sell you products you have already previously purchased from them, it's as if they don't keep a record of who their customers are or what the customer has already purchased from them, when you confront them about their unprofessionalism they just slam the phone down on you. I am under the impression that they have very dubious practices and I would not recommend them to anyone. After we managed to end our very stressful business dealings with Iomart, we were then bombarded constantly with telephone calls from their very rude sales people, in the end we had to make an official complaint before the phone calls stopped. Than two days ago, I had a very strange call asking for my business partner, Dr. R...... (who is listed on your site), I said that he wasn't currently available and asked if I could be of any help. The reply I got was that the information would be in the post, to which my reply was what information is that? (or words to that effect). I didn't get an answer except the information would be in the post then to phone was slammed down on me. I didn't get a chance to find out who the caller was or what they wanted. Then about an hour later, the same person telephoned back (I recognised their voice) who again just asked to speak to Dr. R...., I asked who was calling, the reply I then received was it was a personal call, this told me that the caller didn't want to speak to me at all and assumed that I was just the receptionist. Dr. R.... then encountered the type of very rude call you other members have described with the addition of trying to persuade pay £150 initially, then £39 per month via direct debit thereafter, the caller promised x no of referrals every month. But you are tied into the agreement for 3 months, we asked if any of this money was refundable if they didn't provide the agreed amount of referrals the answer was no! All this just for the privilege of being listed on your site (as we had previously contacted to with regards to advertising I knew how much you usually charge for advertising, so warning bells started to ring). They also tried bullying tactics saying among other things that two other hypnotherapists (even telling us their names - which is in breach of data protection!!!) in our area had already signed up with you for an enhanced listing. As we know one of these people personally we are very concerned that this person has made a big mistake (we are now trying to contact them to warn them). We are confused that Ufindus.com seem to have control of your website enabling them to add enhanced listings for anyone who signs up with them. As you own the hypnotherapyregister.com website how are they able to do this? (My reply below) We look forward to your reply. Kind Regards Maureen Hi Maureen Thank you for your interesting email. Ufindus.com do not have any control over my website and are not able to add enhanced listings. But it appears that some of their sales people are saying that they can. If you have no objection I will include your email on my website. I will of course remove any reference to your identity. Best wishes Cliff
Hi Cliff, I am not sure how relevant this is, but when UFINDUS called me, the chap told me that they 'owned the internet' and that I had also missed a once in a life time opportunity. I found him to be possibly the most irritating and pushy salesman I have ever spoken to. Best Wishes, Paul
Hi
just a quick response I
received a call yesterday early
evening via my mobile from a
male talking very fast u
findus... anyway as you may
guess manipulative
for many perhaps intimidating
certainly forceful ....
Kathleen
Dear Cliff. Some time ago I was conned by this company. I wrote complaint after complaint and was hassled by them for money I refused to pay. In the end I paid it just to be free of the stress. They took me for hundreds and my bank couldn't stop the payments. In the end I had to close the account to get them to stop taking my money. I wonder if there is any way we can all get our money back? Nina
Dear Cliff Many thanks for your e-mail and accompanying comments from other members. This has been greatly reassuring, as I am awaiting the next threatening phone call from ufindus. Julie
Dear Cliff Thank you very much for your message. There's no need to reply if you're unable to I realise how busy you must be. I have had quite a number of phone calls from this firm trying to get me to advertise with them, and they are very persistent and very expensive. I wouldn't trust this firm as far as I could throw'em. Many thanks and best wishes, Gill.
Hi Cliff Coincidence; My husband is a long standing share holder in IOMART. He has e-mailed them and said that the conduct of ufindus is unacceptable and can only damage the reputation of the holding company, and should be stopped, or they will find themselves on watchdog. Kind regards Colleen
Hi Cliff I have been approached by Ufindus several times in this same sharp way, but I simply tell them that my books are full and I do not wish to take on more clients. It is the most efficient way to get rid of them. Derek
I too have had bad experiences with Ufind us and they kept calling and insisting that I buy a deal from them to get me more clients. They said they had 9 clients waiting for me to call them and all I needed to do was pay their fees. I did not buy into it and eventually told them no and the phone was put down on me after telling me I was making a bit mistake. They are bullying cowboys!!! Regards Emma
Cliff I did not know Ufindus.com used to be bussineslinx I had some problems with them. I wrote to them demanding a full refund or I would take them to the small claims court. I received a cheque for the full amount the next day Regards Hugh
Thanks for the warning, I did get screwed by Ufindus with another company I own, would not use them again. Jan
I also have a very sad tale of woe regarding this company, although I've told it before to the group some time ago. I paid them about £500 and got a paltry small page of a website in return with no design at all, a child could have don it. It was attached to a domain name which they had spelt incorrectly and the town I'm in was also spelt incorrectly, so how would anyone ever find it? Each time I complained they said they would put it right but they never did, I wrote them numerous times with recorded delivery but I never received a reply, they refused to give me a refund and the only way I could stop them withdrawing money from my account each month was to cancel my credit card and get a new one! I contacted Trading Standards about them, but they said although they were interested they didn't hold out much hope because they are based in Scotland and they have different laws there! Grrrrrrrrrr........ and they still keep ringing me asking me to advertise with them, even though I give them my opinion of their company each time! Georgina P.S. I did say I would take them to a Small Claims Court but this had no effect at all. I decided to cut my losses.
Hi Cliff In answer to your e-mail, I have had many high-pressure sales calls from Ufindus.com. Eventually, I became extremely annoyed with the caller and told her to stop ringing me. They are very persistent and don't give up. Regards Carole
Dear colleague, I did have a business contract with ufindus, which finished very sourly, when, at their renewal point, they calmly withdrew nearly six hundred pounds from my account, some four months before the contract ended. Despite many efforts I have not been able to recover the money. They had produced for me an inferior and partly inaccurate website, in days when my computer literacy was poor; and I had no wish, by the end of the year, to have anything more to do with them. I am deeply saddened that they are using my professional contacts for their purposes, and welcome this evidence that you are circulating warnings to others against having any dealings with them. If you feel you need any other facts in this matter, do not hesitate to contact me again. Sincerely, Daphne
Hello Cliff Because my computer had failed, I did not receive your warning about Ufindus until I had already agreed to their service. I was somewhat disconcerted when their Confirmation of Direct Debit Instructions contained no details of the monthly amount agreed over the phone. I was not happy with their Contract either, since no mention had been made re: my staying with them for a minimum of 12 months. Because of this, I immediately contacted them and asked that the Contract be cancelled (I was in the 5 'cooling off' days) and all monies returned to me. Only after I had done this did I receive your e-mail. I would just like to say that at all times the staff were polite and professional. Although their initial sales personnel was persuasive, he was never rude or aggressive - just, perhaps, skirted around my direct questions. Because your e-mail had led me to believe that I was dealing with a bunch of fraudulent 'cowboys' I telephoned their customer service office on three consecutive days to monitor the progress of my refund. Each time the phone was answered promptly and I was dealt with courteously. Because I was obviously concerned, a member of the complaints department telephoned me and assured me that I would receive a full refund, but that it would take around 2 weeks. I am very pleased to say that I received a cheque for the full amount this morning- well within the 2 weeks. The deal that they offered was very competitive and I will monitor the progress of your on-going complaints about the company. Because of the way that my complaint was handled, I certainly would not dismiss using their service in the future. Please add my comments to the other 2 positive ones on the site! Regards Lynne
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