Oriel Debt Recovery

[Steve]

Just had a letter from these stating they have been appointed by Platte International to collect the £49.99 subscription plus their fee, outstanding amount £74.99!!!!!
I gave Platte my address so I could get the pop-ups off my computer and was told that that was the last I would hear from them. It wasn't and I sent them a message on their website, twice, then got an email asking for my user ID so they could sort out my query. This was on Friday last week, the letter from Oriel arrive Saturday!!
Will leave it a few days then ring them to see what happens, I will keep you posted.

[ForumFriend]

Steve,

Have you joined our letter writing campaign?  You don't give the circumstances of how you became entangled with Platte, but the letters offer a variety of circumstances.   If none of these fit your case and you would like some advice of what to do, don't hesitate to either post more here or to email myself or another moderator.

FF

[Steve]

Hi around the beginning of November 2008 an icon appeared on my desktop with Platte written under it. I deleted it but every time I turned on my computer it was back. Then a screen appeared saying they wanted £49.99 for the subscription. I could not stop this for sixty seconds when it was deleteable (is this a word?!!!).Eventually I started to get a pop-up in the bottom corner of the screen with a phone number saying I needed to ring to stop the pop-ups. This I eventually did and I spoke to a man and told him I never asked for this service and could I take it off my computer. He said he would send me a cd to do this and said he would make sure I was not asked for money again and I gave him my name and address.
What actually arrived was a letter with a twelve digit code that I had to access their website to activate. This I did. Anothe letter arrived asking for the money and I went on their website and wrote to them and explain what I had been told by their representative. When they had not replied in a few days I wrote again asking if they had stopped asking for money.
Last Friday 16th January I recieved an email asking for my User ID so they could deal with my query and on Saturday I recieved the letter from Oriel asking for £74.99!!!
How all this came about I have no idea. It just appeared, only two people use the computer, one is a 65 year old pensioner and one a part time care worker. We have never wanted a service like this and it is now wearing very thin. We are very worried as we could not afford the £49.99 never mind the £74.99!!!!

[ForumFriend]

From what you say it is really important that you make formal complaints about what has happened.  Copy Oriel into your correspondence and tell them that the matter is under dispute.  Write to Platte (disputing the download), then to Trading Standards, the OFT and your local MP. 

As regards how you deal with Oriel, as I say, you should emphasise that you did not access the Platte sites and that you are in dispute with Platte over the matter.  As a consequence, you cannot accede to their request for payment for a service you neither asked for nor used.  Be very polite to Oriel - they are a third party agent and not the cause of your problem.

Please see the section on making a written complaint (the letter writing campaign) and keep us informed of how things are going.  And remember - you are not alone.

FF

[Tomy Tee]

This is what I posted to Michael Pollits site, By Tomy Tee
Michael
Cant you under stand these people (Platte Media) are Thieving robbers they are invading peoples Computers and extorting money from us (its illegal it’s blackmail that’s what they are doing)
It seems to me that you are “RUNNING WITH THE FOX’S AND THE HOUND’S” here and that’s your provocative being a journalist.
You don’t believe any one, you keep saying on people’s comments that they are border line, when you mean I am sitting on the fence (and may I Add “VERY NERVOUSLY” in fear of the Illegal Plattte Team
 Have they got to you in some way Michael,  Have they threatened you or your family in any way (if so notify the “ Police that’s what they are there for),  or have they got to you in some other way Michael? have they,? have they Michael,? That's more than a little harsh, Tommy - Forum Friend
Want you need to do is shut down this Forum as you are doing “Jack shit” What’s the old proverb if you can’t stick the heat get out of the kitchen/ or Lab in your case.
And can you PLEASE REMOVE YOUR SELF OFF THE  “GOOGOL SEARCH SITE” as you are not doing any body any good.
DO YOUR SELF A FAVOUR Michael [I've removed this comment as it is unnecessarily unpleasant] and get back to what you know
“You can edit this if you want to” as I will also be posting this on the MBS Victims support site (They seem to have more Bottle/backbone/Guts than you Michael…. 

 

[ForumFriend]

Okay, Tommy, we know you're very angry - as are others - but you are not being fair to Michael Pollitt in your post.

Why not?  Well, for one thing, Michael has been the prime mover in getting this issue into the media, and we have good reason to be grateful to him for this.  For another thing, unlike people who post on this and other forums, he is immediately identifiable - and therefore needs to be careful, not only for his personal safety (though that is mere conjecture) but because he could lay himself open to legal action.  Since he has never himself fallen victim to Platte, why on earth would he want to lay his neck on the block over this?  He is a respected journalist, that is his living, and he would, frankly, be mad to put himself at risk in the way you are proposing.


I have, also, to disagree with you that his forum is doing very little - it is doing a great deal, and was, along with Andy Merrett's blog, the inspiration for this forum. 

Please remember that having a journalist onside in a case like this is very important.  Michael has stuck with this story for nearly two years now and provided a means for people to pass on their experiences in the early days before this forum was set up.  Not only that, he has worked with others to try to work out just what may be going on to cause the unexplained downloads.  He has access to considerable expertise, and we should acknowledge the usefulness of that.  It is not his fault that, to date, no evidence has been found to support the silent download theory - but he has never said that it isn't happening.  If this issue didn't interest him and he didn't believe all the many many people who've contacted him, do you seriously think he'd still be devoting as much time and energy to the issue?

I intend removing one or two items from your post because they are simply inappropriate in the circumstances and are likely to cause Mr. Pollitt considerable offence.

Don't misunderstand me, please - your anger in general is very understandable, but you are, in this instance, misdirecting it.