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I've had a run in with these, they reckon I owe then £295 for an advert I did not agree to. From experience most of the callers also have liverpudlian accents, and are most persistent. I have logged a complaint with trading sandards.
I can't comment on Chestnut House but reading the entries they sound like they are running a business exactly like Rose Garland Ltd. Search blagger.com for Rose Garland or Rosegarland for similar entries and tips.!!
I've put chestnut down for no score since I have no experience of them. Hope this lead helps some of you.
It was in the paper only yesterday! The overweight bald man with the glasses on is the man that The Mirror photographed at Chestnut House last year (there are several links to the article in this forum).
@jampots - do not pay these people unless you want to waste your money.
Regardless of whether other companies are phoning you, regardless that you were sold a calender for 'sick kids' and Honeyrose Foundation are an adult's charity, regardless of the assurances smooth-talking Jan Walker gave you about the validity of CH, the simple FACT is that:
THE COMPANIES WALLPLANNERS ARE DISTRIBUTED TO *NO-ONE* BUT THE COMPANIES THAT ADVERTISE ON THEM!
They are *NOT* distributed to 100s of people, not by any stretch of the imagination. This is the nature of the charity wallplanner thing you see, the same thing that all these companies use - including Barrington House and Hamilton Forbes, the 2 previous incarnations of Chestnut House (check here on blagger for details). All 3 companies are all run by the same individuals - for a laugh why not ring up Jan Walker again and ask about her time in Kirkby with Barrington House - that should be a laugh.
Cancel the order, ignore all their threats and badgering, they will not take action and judging by the way of things Chestnut House have no money or resources to take things further.
Which leads me to another reason not to pay them a penny: this company won't be around for much longer.
Hi Jampots,
I can't say whether they do or do not pass your details on to other companies. But, I can tell you that they DO NOT help sick and dying kids, that bit is a total fabrication. The Honeyrose Foundation is a charity for adults only, and Chestnut House only pass on 5% of their profits to them. If the advert has been fraudulently sold, I would consult Trading Standards and also the Charities Commission. You have every right to refuse to pay the bill if the advert was sold under false pretences.
JGR
Just as 'Birds and Bees' has written... I also run a small company from home and agreed to place the smallest, least expensive advertisment on a Honeyrose House wallplanner. I too was told it was for sick and dying kids - they caught me at a vunerable moment and I just said ok to it.
I have just recieved my wallplanner together with an invoice. I haven't got round to paying yet, and thankfully so. I became suspicious this week after receiving 2 very odd phone calls from people demanding cash for different wallplanners that I'd 'apparently' agreed to advertise on and telling me I owe them lots of money. I told them I'd only agreed to advertise on a planner for Honeyrose house and that was it, they put the phone down. I called Chestnut House straight away to report the odd calls, and the lady Jan reassured me that their company was legit and that there are some strange companies out there trying to undermine them. I was still suspicious, so I googled Chestnut House and found this site! Should I pay or just ignore the invoice??? I agreed to the advertisement so I too am really worried they'll come down on me like a ton of bricks and keep pestering if I don't pay!
Even though I told them where to go months ago, I still get sales calls from Chestnut House. I'm a member of a national federation and they tell me they are simply be getting my number from the online database. But even so I'm getting rather fed up with the same old lines about helping sick kids, its not even true!! I'm going to tape them next time and pass it to the police
We had dealings with Chestnut House at the end of 2007. I rang the charity & spoke to a lady, who dismissed all the bad press about Chestnut House she wouldn't hear a bad word about them! After investigations I found the charity did seem legit but the the publishing company are far from honest. They phoned me telling me that they had changed ownership as I had done an advert with Hamilton Forbes on the Children's Research Fund thing in 2006, they had all my personal information from that order even my date of birth & mothers maiden name I gave them.
I never heard from them again when I mentioned the DTI and Trading Standards. The talk they give you pulls on your heart strings then they start pestering several times a day and get very aggressive. I really don't like the way they told me the good cause is for dying kids when it quite clearly isn't, I'm not the only one they have said this too either.
Why the charity continue to do business with them beggars belief.
I too received a sales call asking if I would like my company to feature on their charity year planner. After advisng on the phone to just send me some information, I was greeted with a 'Confirmation of Order' which I was not impressed to say the least and so I returned this with a letter of cancellation of their so called order they appear to have made up. Stating clearly their own "Terms & Conditions" of the cancellation/cooling off period what ever they wish to call it. I also ensured that I sent this recorded delivery straight back at them. I now know reading all of the blogs and searching this company out, that this is not the last I have heard from them, because next will come we have a recording from you saying this that and the other...then a court summonds & charges... it goes on. However I am ready for the fight, because just like many of us out there I too will not be bullied by them and its associates who keep trying to call me and sell me advertisements to appear in, police mags, fire service mags, charity mags...yes the list goes on...! I have also contacted Trading Standards about this matter and I will be contacting every national newspaper if needs be so Chestnut House be aware!
Personally we have received many threats over the phone, for payment and court proceedings against us for advertising we have not asked for or agreed to! I have contacted The office of Fair Trading and the Charities Commission also Trading Standards. We did not sign a contract or agree to any works or publications with this company.
Let them try and take us to court! if they carry on and even just get 10 small business in every town then they must be making a mint
A lady from here called me the other day. Her name was something like Annabella or Amanda, or similar. She explained that they produce year-planners that help sick and dying kids and told me all about the work they’ve done in the past. I told her that I had seen bad reports about them in the press and on other internet forums so I wasn’t prepared to help her.
She said that was in the past and she/they were moving onto 'bigger and better things' and the old problems were 'tiny' in comparison to all the money they've raised for kids all over the country. She told me that not everything is ‘black & white’ and to trust her. She said that all the complaints on here and other forums are just a blip and will be sorted. She said that they have had a ‘personal trainer’ come into the firm and guide with the 'ins and outs' of charity contacts. She said she’s seen ‘big things’ ahead.
I’m still not sure if I trust them, I mean a firm with such a bad reputation makes me nervous, how am I supposed to know if she’s telling the truth. I think I’ll pass for now thanks love.
Please beware this publishers suggests you have supported them previously when you've not, gives the impression they are a childrens charity that give a dying child a 'last wish' day out. When you refuse to by an advert, like I did, they get very absusive. When I reported them to trading standards an officer called me back and told me that the autorities are well aware of this company and that they are being investigated.
i partner in a rubber plantation, i am hard working and get really annoyed with sales calls. let me tell you about one i had from chestnut house last week.
i was minding my own when the phone goes. picked it up and and a bloke at the other end said he was from chestnut house and was collecting money for 'fathers for justice' and focusing on helping those who are divorced and homeless and drive mazdas he asked me for £795 and said he needed urgent payment. i thought i was either hearing things or it was my naughty husband playing his cheeky games with me again. i asked him to repeat himself and he said the same again only then he said i had to buy advertising space on a year planner and if i did so i would save at least one divorced mans life. i asked if he was on medication, he told me to mind my own business. he then started to get aggressive with me. at this point i hung up. avoid a at all costs is what i say, weirdest experience i've ever had outside of chipstow
man phones me monday yea, sounds really on edge, quickly tried to talk me into something to do with sending a terminally ill kid to alton towers for the day. couldnt afford to do it so said sorry no. the abuse that followed from his mouth was disgusting like. dont think ive ever been spoken to like that, ever man. maybe its not for me to say, but he sounded like the most uncharitable person on the planet. avoid like the plague thats my advice bro.
Hamilton Forbes and Barrington House have rang me a few times in the past, usually the same chap initially thanking me so much for wanting to help all those sick and dying children. I only did it the two times because I found their credit controllers very aggressive and pushy for something that was supposed to be a charitable donation.
Then around spring time last year the same chap rang again, said he was from Chestnut House, thanked me for my help in the past and tried to get me to do it again.
I just said go away to them, twice bitten thrice shy and all that. I then saw the story in the Daily Mirror that others have posted on here so I was really glad I did not get invloved again.
The above is my experience and that is not to say that they are dodgy, it might just be a mistake but there seems to be a lot of evidence that all three companies are reincarnations of each other.
Ive got a bill from Chestnut House. But until they can prove are not connected to Hamilton Forbes they aint getting a penny from me. The bloke who roped me into it also told me every penny of my donation will help dying kids get a special day out. Until they can prove that I will not have anything to do with them. Any withheld numbers now are just left to ring out, they always bloke their number I wonder why?
@ T.J.F.K.C - If you havent already read all the comments here on blagger, then you'll realise something is most definately wong. Simply put, you have been ripped off. Chestnut House is run by exactly the same set of people as Hamilton Forbes (although different names appear on companies house documents). I find it strange that you book an advert for one company and one charity but are happy to pay for an advert with a 'different' company with a different charity without any question - but then you wouldnt be the first to be taken in by the smooth talking of one of their reps.
Youre right, the Honeyrose Foundation dont help kids, but also only 5% of the total proceeds of yours and everyone else's ads go to the chairty and most important the wall planners ONLY go to the people who book adverts - they are not distributed in any way, shape or form.
Good luck getting your money back, you'll probably need it. I would suggest contacting the DTI, trading standards, the daily mirror and any other official body that you think might be helpful.
I had a very strange experience with the company a while ago. It all started with a call I had from a salesman from Hamilton Forbes, who contacted me in late December 2006. I agreed to advertise on some year planners for The Children's Research Fund. I then sent over my artwork, logo and text for the advert via email but never heard from them again.
Then around February 2007, I had a bill for an advert with Chestnut House and two year planners with my advert on, it was for the Honeyrose Foundation charity. The bill was for the same amount of money as the advert I agreed to with Hamilton Forbes and the advert was exactly the same as the one I emailed over to them.
I called to question the bill with Chestnut House and a woman there told me that they had taken over the charity contract and the Children's Research Fund now had enough funds so they were helping the Honeyrose charity instead. She said my money would still help children and said they send terminally ill children on a special day out before they die. It touched my heart so I just paid thinking I was doing a nice thing for some poor dying child.
I paid the bill ages ago, but I have come across this site by mistake and I see that Hamilton Forbes were closed down by the Trading Standards around the time I got the bill from Chestnut House and that the Honeyrose people don’t help dying children at all.
Can anyone tell me what the connection to these two companies is? And can you please tell me if I’ve been had. I am beginning to think something is seriously wrong and think I should ask for my money back. Any advice would be gratefully received.
Just got a bill from this company for an advert I told them I did not want. I have called every other company on the amateur wall-planner and advised all not to pay, most of them told me they'd already cancelled anyway because they were told its 100% for kids when its not.
claimed i had placed an ad with them £295 + vat for a wallplanner. never spoke to them in my life never had any paper work or anything from them they verbally abused me and threatened 2 members of my staff,i ignored calls for a while then they started using alias's. then got a call from a solicitor from liverpool saying he was acting on their behalf wouldnt give me a return number and when i searched in yellow pages couldnt find any such solicitors. ive passed the details on to trading standards
Not sure what to make of this set up. I have had 4 calls in 2 months, offering ad space on a honeyrose year planner,which I can find no web reference to. I was directed to a web site which they stated to be 'under construction'. I was also told different distribution areas by each caller and vague ideas on when publication and distribution would take place. All very vague but I was asked for my date of birth??? Without being prejudice in this pc world of ours, smooth, fast talking scousers. Conflicting and or vague information? Bells are ringing!
this company has hounded us for 2 months saying that we placed an order over the phone ,but they cannot produce any paper work to back this up ,they are threatening debt collectors
I recently recieved a year planner and invoice from Chestnut House. I remember recieving a call on my mobile last year from a guy who started off by asking ""are you well?" then he started talking about dying kids asked me to confirm my name and address, he always finished each sentence with "will that be ok?" and talked very quickly. Approx an hour after the call I got another one asking to confirm my details again. All I told them was that my advert is in the Yellow Pages and asked them to send some details about the year planner. I never confirmed I wanted to place an advert on it. The guy told me that they would be distributed throughout the local business comunity, and to hospitals, dentists and doctors surgeries in North Yorkshire, but I'm yet to see one. I'm not going to pay for it I feel cheated.
If you have problems with Chestnut House , get in touch with Trading Standards, the OFT and the DTI. The Trading Standards office for Chestnut House is Liverpool not Halsall, as that is were their head office is based. There are new teams specially set up for this type of thing.
The specialist teams of trading standards officers will work with police and unlike their council counterparts will be able to carry out investigations across local authority borders.
This company is bombarding me with phone calls and bills I have never asked for so that is the root I am taking.
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Comments:
I've put chestnut down for no score since I have no experience of them. Hope this lead helps some of you.
hd1 at 26th Apr 2008, 09:16PM
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/investigates/2008/04/24/charity-publishers-fleece-generous-advertisers-89520-20392923/
It was in the paper only yesterday! The overweight bald man with the glasses on is the man that The Mirror photographed at Chestnut House last year (there are several links to the article in this forum).
Regardless of whether other companies are phoning you, regardless that you were sold a calender for 'sick kids' and Honeyrose Foundation are an adult's charity, regardless of the assurances smooth-talking Jan Walker gave you about the validity of CH, the simple FACT is that:
THE COMPANIES WALLPLANNERS ARE DISTRIBUTED TO *NO-ONE* BUT THE COMPANIES THAT ADVERTISE ON THEM!
They are *NOT* distributed to 100s of people, not by any stretch of the imagination. This is the nature of the charity wallplanner thing you see, the same thing that all these companies use - including Barrington House and Hamilton Forbes, the 2 previous incarnations of Chestnut House (check here on blagger for details). All 3 companies are all run by the same individuals - for a laugh why not ring up Jan Walker again and ask about her time in Kirkby with Barrington House - that should be a laugh.
Cancel the order, ignore all their threats and badgering, they will not take action and judging by the way of things Chestnut House have no money or resources to take things further.
Which leads me to another reason not to pay them a penny: this company won't be around for much longer.
I can't say whether they do or do not pass your details on to other companies. But, I can tell you that they DO NOT help sick and dying kids, that bit is a total fabrication. The Honeyrose Foundation is a charity for adults only, and Chestnut House only pass on 5% of their profits to them. If the advert has been fraudulently sold, I would consult Trading Standards and also the Charities Commission. You have every right to refuse to pay the bill if the advert was sold under false pretences.
JGR
I have just recieved my wallplanner together with an invoice. I haven't got round to paying yet, and thankfully so. I became suspicious this week after receiving 2 very odd phone calls from people demanding cash for different wallplanners that I'd 'apparently' agreed to advertise on and telling me I owe them lots of money. I told them I'd only agreed to advertise on a planner for Honeyrose house and that was it, they put the phone down. I called Chestnut House straight away to report the odd calls, and the lady Jan reassured me that their company was legit and that there are some strange companies out there trying to undermine them. I was still suspicious, so I googled Chestnut House and found this site! Should I pay or just ignore the invoice??? I agreed to the advertisement so I too am really worried they'll come down on me like a ton of bricks and keep pestering if I don't pay!
I never heard from them again when I mentioned the DTI and Trading Standards. The talk they give you pulls on your heart strings then they start pestering several times a day and get very aggressive. I really don't like the way they told me the good cause is for dying kids when it quite clearly isn't, I'm not the only one they have said this too either.
Why the charity continue to do business with them beggars belief.
Let them try and take us to court! if they carry on and even just get 10 small business in every town then they must be making a mint
She said that was in the past and she/they were moving onto 'bigger and better things' and the old problems were 'tiny' in comparison to all the money they've raised for kids all over the country. She told me that not everything is ‘black & white’ and to trust her. She said that all the complaints on here and other forums are just a blip and will be sorted. She said that they have had a ‘personal trainer’ come into the firm and guide with the 'ins and outs' of charity contacts. She said she’s seen ‘big things’ ahead.
I’m still not sure if I trust them, I mean a firm with such a bad reputation makes me nervous, how am I supposed to know if she’s telling the truth. I think I’ll pass for now thanks love.
i was minding my own when the phone goes. picked it up and and a bloke at the other end said he was from chestnut house and was collecting money for 'fathers for justice' and focusing on helping those who are divorced and homeless and drive mazdas he asked me for £795 and said he needed urgent payment. i thought i was either hearing things or it was my naughty husband playing his cheeky games with me again. i asked him to repeat himself and he said the same again only then he said i had to buy advertising space on a year planner and if i did so i would save at least one divorced mans life. i asked if he was on medication, he told me to mind my own business. he then started to get aggressive with me. at this point i hung up. avoid a at all costs is what i say, weirdest experience i've ever had outside of chipstow
Then around spring time last year the same chap rang again, said he was from Chestnut House, thanked me for my help in the past and tried to get me to do it again.
I just said go away to them, twice bitten thrice shy and all that. I then saw the story in the Daily Mirror that others have posted on here so I was really glad I did not get invloved again.
The above is my experience and that is not to say that they are dodgy, it might just be a mistake but there seems to be a lot of evidence that all three companies are reincarnations of each other.
Youre right, the Honeyrose Foundation dont help kids, but also only 5% of the total proceeds of yours and everyone else's ads go to the chairty and most important the wall planners ONLY go to the people who book adverts - they are not distributed in any way, shape or form.
Good luck getting your money back, you'll probably need it. I would suggest contacting the DTI, trading standards, the daily mirror and any other official body that you think might be helpful.
Then around February 2007, I had a bill for an advert with Chestnut House and two year planners with my advert on, it was for the Honeyrose Foundation charity. The bill was for the same amount of money as the advert I agreed to with Hamilton Forbes and the advert was exactly the same as the one I emailed over to them.
I called to question the bill with Chestnut House and a woman there told me that they had taken over the charity contract and the Children's Research Fund now had enough funds so they were helping the Honeyrose charity instead. She said my money would still help children and said they send terminally ill children on a special day out before they die. It touched my heart so I just paid thinking I was doing a nice thing for some poor dying child.
I paid the bill ages ago, but I have come across this site by mistake and I see that Hamilton Forbes were closed down by the Trading Standards around the time I got the bill from Chestnut House and that the Honeyrose people don’t help dying children at all.
Can anyone tell me what the connection to these two companies is? And can you please tell me if I’ve been had. I am beginning to think something is seriously wrong and think I should ask for my money back. Any advice would be gratefully received.
Thanks,
K.
The specialist teams of trading standards officers will work with police and unlike their council counterparts will be able to carry out investigations across local authority borders.
This company is bombarding me with phone calls and bills I have never asked for so that is the root I am taking.
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