Your say: Cashbacks in limbo

By Liz Phillips for MailOnline
Updated: 00:00 BST, 14 November 2001

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CASHBACK has turned out to be an empty 約束 for thousands of people in this country and overseas. The US company behind the 計画／陰謀 is even stonewalling its British intermediary. Have you been duped? Have your say on our Message boards.

MORE than 10,000 peopl e are out of pocket because cashback cheques 申し込む／申し出d with furniture, 温室s and 財政上の 製品s have 証明するd worthless.

Cashback 計画／陰謀s were 申し込む／申し出d by a number of retailers 約束ing to 支払う／賃金 sums to 顧客s five years later. But the 行政官／管理者s have 認める that they are not aware of anyone receiving the money.

The 計画／陰謀 was used by retailers to tempt 顧客s to buy expensive goods or services from them with the 約束 that they would get the 十分な price of their 購入（する） 支援する five years later. Some cashback cheques are made out for thousands of 続けざまに猛撃するs.

Since 最高潮の場面ing the problem a year ago, Money Mail has heard of hundreds of people who have been unable to cash their cheques when the time comes.

The 会社／堅い behind the 計画／陰謀 hides behind 行政官／管理者s here and an accommodation 演説（する）／住所 in New Jersey in the US. It also changes its 指名する frequently. We have seen cheques 問題／発行するd in the 指名する of Homefield 保険, based in Belgium, Eurofinance SA of Switzerland and Allstate 受託 会社／団体 of New Jersey, which is now known as Mineral 受託 会社／団体 (MAC).

The 行政官／管理者s in Britain, 延長するd 保証（人）s of Chelmsford in Essex, 今後 （人命などを）奪う，主張するs to the New Jersey 演説（する）／住所 by 記録，記録的な／記録するd 配達／演説／出産. But David Adams of 延長するd 保証（人）s says: 'As far as we are aware, no one's ever been paid. MAC tells us that it has had ソフトウェア problems. We are inclined to look at that rather sceptically.

'（人命などを）奪う，主張するs started to come in to us over a year ago. It seems unbelievable that they have taken 14 months to sort out their computer problem.

They keep fobbing us off. The last time we heard from them was four weeks ago, when they said they hoped to sort it out soon and to start 支払う／賃金ing the cheques. People complain to us. We try to be as helpful as we can, but we get very little 返答 from the fi rm in America. We've not been paid our 十分な 料金s either. We're in much the same position as the people with the cashback cheques.'

未亡人 Julia Riley, 51, has had no luck trying to cash her cheque for £1,770, which was 問題／発行するd to cover the costs of remortgaging through an intermediary, Mortgage Direct, of Newport, Gwent, in 1996. It is not connected to any other Mortgage Direct.

延長するd 保証（人）s replied to her last month 説: 'Although we are continuing to send all （人命などを）奪う，主張するs to スパイ／執行官s of MAC in the US, we do not believe that any cashback 支えるもの／所有者s have received 支払い（額） and must assume that the company does not ーするつもりである to honour its かかわり合いs. Mail is 存在 returned from MAC's 長，率いる office and their phone has been 削減（する） off.'

Mrs Riley, from Bristol, had already had her letter to an old 演説（する）／住所 in New Jersey returned unopened. She tried to 接触する Mortgage Direct at its offices in Newport, Gwent, and Reading, Berkshire, only to find that the telephones had been 削減（する） off.

'I am now really worried. I've drawn a blank everywhere I've turned,' she says. 'The annoying thing is the mortgage company has just washed their 手渡すs of it. It's not 許容できる for them to make 約束s and then just pass the buck.' Money Mail 設立する that a company of the same 指名する, but with 登録（する）d offices in Birmingham, has been （負債など）支払うd, によれば 記録，記録的な／記録するs held at Companies House.

It is not just British 消費者s who have been duped. The 演説（する）／住所 in New Jersey has also received 抱擁する envelopes bulging with （人命などを）奪う，主張するs from Holland and Germany.

Sherry Waronker, who 作品 at the 税金 accountant's office in New Jersey where the （人命などを）奪う，主張するs are sent, says: 'We receive large envelopes every week from all over the world. Someone comes and collects them about once a week. We don't know where their office is.'

They've been sent more than 10,000 letters by 延長するd 保証（人）s. 延長するd 保証（人）s thought they were 今後ing letters to the （人命などを）奪う，主張する handlers of MAC.

The cashback 計画／陰謀 課すs strict 条件s on people sending in their cheques. （人命などを）奪う，主張するs have to be received within 30 days of the five-year 周年記念日 and be …を伴ってd by the 初めの 領収書, proof of 支払い（額） and proof of 身元 同様に as the 初めの cheque.

MAC has told 延長するd 保証（人）s that more than half the （人命などを）奪う，主張するs are 無効の and that it will not tell anyone that they have failed one of the 条件s.

'We are advising people to go 支援する to the retailer if it is still in 存在 to （人命などを）奪う，主張する their money. Many of them are trying to get in touch with MAC 同様に,' says Mr Adams.

The retailers who used the 計画／陰謀 paid a 百分率 of the 購入（する） price to the company in the belief it would 支払う／賃金 their 顧客s in five years' time.

One company behind a cashback 計画／陰謀, Intervest 資本／首都, with offices in Essex, was の近くにd 負かす／撃墜する by the 公式の／役人 Receiver 'in the public 利益／興味' in 1997.

? MINERAL 受託 会社／団体's 郵便の 演説（する）／住所 is 15 支持を得ようと努めるd Avenue, Edison, New Jersey 08820.

? EXTENDED 保証（人）s Ltd is at Marlborough House, Victoria Road South, Chelmsford, CM1 1LN, tel: 01245 454548.