Finding the address of a Internet business

[auzzie]

I sent two videos away to, Gifts and Gadgets, to be transferred to a DVD way back in May. This was via a Wowcher deal. I have still not received the videos or DVD's. I can only contact the company via email. An email i received from them on the 5th July stated that my videos was processed on the 11th June and would be with me shortly. I have asked Wowcher to give me the contact number they have but all they do is forward my email to the company. I know the company is in Edinburgh and that's about all the info i can find. These videos are of my Wedding 22 years ago and of my children when they were small. I am desperate to get these back, processed or unprocessed. I can't replace these. It's ironic that it was the fact that they were irreplaceable that prompted me to get them transferred to a DVD. This company is still running deals on a lot of the voucher deal sights. I have sent an email to Gifts & Gadgets giving them 7 days or i will seek legal advise. I have no details about them so where do i go from here? I have checked companies house website and they don't appear to be listed there or not at least under that name.

[MarkRae]

What's the domain of the email address, i.e. the part after the @ sign?

[auzzie]

[e-mail]

[MarkRae]

Standard domain trace (which anyone can do as it's on the public Internet) says:

Registrant:
Louise Toye
15 Saint Davids Grove
DALKEITH
EH22 3FG

[e-mail]
07590 602178

[auzzie]

omg, can't thank you enough. Never even thought about tracing it from the domain name. It is actually Peter Toye that the emails are coming from! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Let the battle begin..........................

[Buenchico]

If you find it necessary to apply a bit of pressure to Mr Toye, you should point out that his website contravenes Section 7 of the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 by failing to provide a geographic address, and that it further contravenes those Regulations by failing to ensure that you can access and store the terms and conditions of your contract with his business.

You could also point out that his other website (mentioned in Mark's post above) also contravenes the Regulations:
http://www.fastcanvas....co.uk/contact-us.php
(However there is a phone number there which might help you).

Interestingly, Peter Toye seems to have a different postal address to Louise Toye:
http://webwhois.nic.u...=16&WHOIS+Submit.y=10

You might also threaten to involve (or, indeed, go straight to)
Trading Standards
Midlothian Council
9 Ironmills Road
Dalkeith
Midlothian
EH22 1JN
[e-mail]
0131 271 3549

Chris

[auzzie]

Thank you Chris. I have already contacted CAB who at this moment in time say all i can do is send a registered letter telling him that if i don't get my videos back, processed or unprocessed, in 14 days, then i will find them in breach of contract under the sale of goods and services act. Then wait 14 days! The problem i have is if they have lost my videos, how do i put a price on that and take him to small claims?They are only priceless to me?

[grffindoor2011]

How I despise companies like this. Particularly those which are registered at home addresses and who do not seem to appear on companies house listings.

I would have also given you the same excellent info that MarkRae gave. Unfortunately, the company you mention is already on my list of one to avoid due to its appalling reviews of non receipt of orders and avoidance of replying to complaints.

I think the registrant Louise Toye is his mother.

Try a different angle. The CEO of Wowcher is on twitter https://twitter.com/rolyb77 - You could message a nice friendly tweet to Roland letting him know of your problem.

'Pete' Toye is on twitter too. https://twitter.com/pete_toye/ Unfortunately his tweets are protected. He is also on Facebook. His pictures are freely available to view and confirm his liking for pubs as stated on his twitter info.

Further investigation shows he 'owns' a company called 'ink in a wink' which took over from another company called ANSA Cart Ltd.

The actual address for Fast Canvas Prints is Unit 18 Dryden Road Loanhead EH20 9LZ phone [phone]

Good luck.

[auzzie]

Thank you for the info, i have found out a lot of info myself.It's amazing what you can actually find out. l Have been in touch with CAB who will be informing trading standards. Peter Toye's staff have emailed me to more or less say, we sent it, not our problem. They won't/can't confirm when or by what means they sent them and want me to contact Royal Mail myself! They have had a suitable reply giving 14 days. I'm keeping up the pressure and i will not give up.

[jkinni12]

Hi, Just came across your message trying to find an alternate way to contact Peter Toye as I have also had the same issue with two tapes I sent away at the start of June. I have had the same response from Wowcher, they have sent a couple of emails on my behalf. I sent 3 emails to Gifts & Gadgets to get an identical standard response in reply. Have you had any luck retrieving your tapes? Jackie

[auzzie]

Hi Jackie, i haven't had much luck. I have threatened them with court etc and they have now stopped all communications. They said that they sent my tapes back on the 10th June and that i should contact Royal Mail. My response to them was that it was up to them to to sort out with royal mail as i have no idea when they sent it, at which post office they sent it, and by what means they sent it. I told them that they had a duty of care to send my tapes back by the safest means. If they posted at the post office they would have a receipt with a bar code on that they could then track. My experience with recorded delivery in Scotland however, has been absolutely appalling. Spoke to Citizens advice who say that next time i ring them they will contact Trading standards, don't know what good that is going to do me. Peter Toye incidentaly is only 19 years old!!! I have been absolutely distraught about this. Memories that i can never get back. I am writing to Moya Greene CEO of Royal Mail too because of the shocking service they have given to me. What have they said to you, if anything?

[jkinni12]

I hadnt got as far as you. I contacted Gifts & Gadgets three times and had 3 emails exactly the same as each other basically stating they apologised for the delay but I would receive my cd's shortly. Of course nothing has materialised. I then moved onto Wowcher, emailed them to receive nothing back so have rung them twice and they have just sent an email on my behalf with the usual no response. I sent my tapes to them registered post thinking they would at least arrive safely. I didnt send them for a while after receiving my wowcher thinking about whether I should have taken the risk, now I wish I hadnt sent them! Interestingly wowcher told me they had had no other complaints about Gifts & Gadgets! It makes me so mad he is 19 and taking other peoples money with presumably no intention of returning peoples items. Stupidly I also paid for my tapes to be returned...

[auzzie]

I did exactly the same as you with the same trepidation, but still did it anyway. Wowcher have denied any other complaints to me too. Plus i know that they were advertising on other voucher sites too. They must be raking it in. I was wandering if this was a matter for the police because as far as i'm concerned they are con artists which i believe is a crime.

[jkinni12]

Hi I think it is a matter for Police. I looked at some reviews for another company of his fast canvas and the reviews were terrible, slow service, prints not turning up etc. I wonder also though how responsible wowcher are as they are the initial advertiser etc. I will give them a call again and see what else they come up with. Like you I want some answers, I feel it is the last I will see of my tapes, but I hate con artists!

[auzzie]

citizens advice told me that Wowcher cannot be held responsible, they are just an "advertising" tool!

[grffindoor2011]

Sorry to hear you have not got this resolved.

I know Mr Toye is 19. I found out quite a bit about him and his family since my original post. I used to do this for a living, tracking people down and getting a result.

Ok next step, why don't you try The One Show? http://www.bbc.co.uk/...s/theoneshow/stories/ If you all write in at the same time they will know it is not an isolated case. This kind of story is right up their street.

I'm sure we can get it resolved. I once had a case of finding a guy who owed the government a 6 figure sum who was living in America. We got a private investigator onto the case and although it took a while we got it resolved in the end and the idiot paid up.

[wolf63]

I am not sure if this is of any help to you - http://blog.moneysavi...thers-did-you-get-it/

[jkinni12]

Auzzie dont give up hope, I have just got in from work to my tapes and two plain looking disks. I am yet to try them but relieved to see them. I posted them registered mail 8/6/2012! Will let you know what the cd's are like. Hope you see yours back soon.

[auzzie]

Jackie, I'm so pleased for you. Trading standards were paying them a visit this afternoon, so maybe one way or another i will know. Thanks for letting me know, i'll keep you informed. x

[jkinni12]

How did you get on Auzzie, did you ever receive you dvds back?

[auzzie]

No, sadly not. Trading standards have apparently visited but they can't assist me any further. They Frank all tapes/DVD's and send them through the normal Post Box. They don't take them to the Post Office which is the service i paid for!! So no way of tracing them from their end. They run several businesses from their premises. Still trying Royal mail but without much luck. :-( Thanks for asking. I hope yours have turned out OK.