Hi

I was looking for assistance for professional study and contacted what I thought was a government helpline. I rang them and received a callback immediately by a very quick and efficient operator. He explained that he would need to take the sum of £14.99 to the I HELPLINE LTD-DOM. This was on 20 October 2009. He said that I would receive an email directly from him asking for more information regarding the grant and was composing it as he was talking to me on the phone. I kept saying I wasn't getting anything and he said he would get it through to me as soon as I went off the phone. He also said that as soon as I filled in the form I would receive a callback from a grant rep. Nothing came through so I emailed him just in case he got my email address wrong. He emailed me back (in capital letters) the following:

SORRY THEY HAVENT BEEN INTOUCH THEY SHOULD BE SOON

His details are:

mike.wyatt AT thehelpline.com

I emailed them asking for a reply on 2 November and today I have threatened them with Watchdog if I don't get a response by next week.

Has anyone at moneysupermarket.com ever heard of this company. I am getting the feeling that I've been had! What do you think?

J Forsythe

We can give totally impartial advice as The Grant Supportline is not affiliated with any government department/services

What gave you the impression this was a Government helpline, when the above quote is displayed at the top of their home page.?

.......................................................

I believe your association with this company should have ended and not have proceeded any further when they requested your card details.!

You need to carefully read the bullet number 8 in their terms and conditions copy below, which incidentally are identical to the terms and conditions displayed on the ihelpline.com site.......you need to pay urgent attention to this clause...it gives them the entitlement to keep making continuous membership deductions until you cancel. Cancel straight away.!

Cancellation 8.

Our contracts are for subscription periods of thirty days or twelve months and are renewed automatically by us unless you cancel your agreement before the renewal date. You can cancel your agreement at any time but it will take not less than twenty four hours to process your request for cancellation. You will not be entitled to any refund for any part of an 'unused' subscription. If you are offered free support for example for the first month but then decide to cancel your subscription your support will be cancelled immediately. If however you subscribe for our service for thirty days and then cancel before the end of the thirty days you will receive our support for the remainder of the thirty day period.

Hi Conmankiller

You're right. It was pretty stupid of me. Somehow you don't believe that people are trying to rip you off until it happens and then you get that awful feeling.

Thank for the advice. I'll cancel it straight away. Believe it or not but that was the second time that week I got ripped off. I must have been walking around with 'plonker' on my head.

Surely there must be some way that con merchants like this can get caught? Once something like this happens, I feel as if I have a public duty to stop them in their tracks. What do you reckon?

Jaygirl

Hi Jaygirl - Report this matter to your local trading standards department (Consumer direct), no promises on any action to a single complaint. However, if they have duped other unsuspecting individuals (which is likely) your complaint may add some fuel to the fire... and could be the deciding factor that makes them step in to investigate this firm(s) operation.??

Also importantly.... write to this firm by (recorded delivery) as well as sending a email and making a timed and dated telephone call to cancel. This way you at least have some proof that you have requested cancellation, should your bank possibly continue to make further future payments without your authorisation.!

Hi Conmankiller

I'll take all the steps you have recommended. Thanks very much for your help - much appreciated.

Jaygirl