I note that the above post doesn't relate to Vardis about whom there have been many negative posts. I placed an ad with them - only after making enquiries via Foresters Fund for Children who expressed delight with them and assured me that the complaints they have looked into have been without foundation, including people agreeing then refusing to pay for ads. The Fund consider the 12.5% contribution is very good compared with other sources of charity income. What % do Christmas cards contribute? And you would be paying for the advertising after all.
I agree the initial artwork wasn't great but it is 'initial' prior to any input and they were happy to make numerous amendments. I was also irritated by unfortunately sleazy sounding salesman and felt misled over the size of the ad but this was put right via telephone and others in the company were extremely helpful. I suspect its the salesmen who are putting people off.
My impression was they are disorganised and disjointed rather than criminal; a bit more focused on production than communication. As someone has already said they have high profile patrons and I was happy with the booklet which was well produced, though again, it was like getting blood out of a stone trying to get details about distribution. I recently had a call thanking me for support and saying 30,000 copies of the booklets had raised £62,000 for children in West Yorkshire. This seems rather good and I keep meaning to 'phone Foresters Fund for Children to confirm this. If not exaggerated then it would be a shame for the charity to suffer as a result of the many adverse comments I've seen on this forum when the charity told me they are very happy with the work Vardis have done for them.
Foresters Fund for Children are a legitimate charity - I have interviewed their chairman. They are very pleased with what Vardis are doing for them - though I cannot understand why.
Vardis wouldn't talk to me when I tried to get their side of the story.
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Accountant & Business Consultant, based in London. Business Process Re-Engineering specialist.
Any comments made by me in the forum or by PM are my initial thoughts and are not intended to be a substitute for formal paid advice.
In October 2008 I had a call from 'The foresters' fund for children' Offering me an advertisement in a wallplanner for £175. They said it would go out to around 10,000 people and would be put up in doctors surgeries, dentists etc and they convinced me i would get business from it. I never agreed to pay the money but i did say i wanted to look at a proof. The salesman kept twisting my words saying "ok so you want to place an order with us". I replied "no i just want a copy before agreeing to anything" and he replied with "so thats a yes then".
They called me again within a few weeks starting the conversation with "on behalf of the children i'd just like to say thankyou so much for your generous contribution. They are so grateful" I had a right go at them saying i never agreed to anything!
A few weeks later i recieved an invoice for £230 and it highlighted one of the terms and conditions on the back which stated cancelations of orders have to be within the first month. (....of course i had no idea)
Yesterday i had another call...the wallplanner has been delivered to where i work along with another invoice! im getting so annoyed!
Please anyone who comes across the name 'VARDIS'....IGNORE! and especially the name 'FORESTERS' FUND FOR CHILDREN'! They are a total scam!
You obviously don't have to worry about the invoice as they have nothing in writing from you accepting the advert so clearly they can't pursue you for it. If they've really p1ssed you off you could always write them a "cease and desist" letter. Think you can find templates for these online somewhere. And/or threaten to report them for fraud. They're bullsh1tting and they know they are so the minute you argue back, I'm sure they'll give up.
Don't pay them whatever you do - it is a scam trust me. I previously worked for a radio station selling advertising and have come accross numerous scams like this before. They hope for people like your husband.
If it went to court it woudl get laughed out anyway as they would have no actual proof of you agreeing for the advert. You could always ask for a copy of the brochure that you were supposedly in! Be strong and they will give up! xx
I am currently dealing with a company that works in a similar fashion. They are called Fairchild Publications, based in Radcliffe, Manchester. They buy in stocks of PHSE style books, ring round for companies to buy a number of them and then send them onto a school of that business' choice. Trouble is, Fairchild are fairly aggressive in demanding payment and then, often as not, the books do not get delivered to the school anyway. They also have someone ringing the targetted business purporting to be a Crime Prevention Officer from the local police service, laying it on thick that if paayment is not received, then the poor little kiddies don't get their books. This is simply not true - no police service works in this way.
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