Meodotes (via Taurus Services/Esomiracle)

[sceptic]

Well, they've really excelled themselves this time.

Having received a letter for my deceased mother on 10/02/05 (the day before the first anniversary of her death), I can't remember if I returned my normal "she is deceased", or "She is deceased, that means she's an EX-PERSON" letter, or just ignored it (I can't find the original correspondence at the moment). However, today, "predictions" for her, done 21/03-23/02, have arrived; the first is for 1 April 2005.

Well. I don't remember asking for the predictions and if they chase payment, I will ask them to supply the original request for the predictions. I cannot remember sending any such request and so the predictions have, as far as I'm concerned, arrived under the auspices of the Unsolicited Services Act (ie they've provided a service which was not requested, therefore payment does not have to be made for it).

If they argue against that, there is also the point that the goods provided (ie the "predictions") are not of merchantable quality and are not fit for the purposes to which they have been provided, viz: predictions regarding the future of my mother, as she has been deceased for over a year and so has no future to which the predictions can relate. They are free to come and collect them, and/or provide return P&P.

I cannot remember sending off any request for the predictions. What has arrived, with them, is an invoice. If I was my mother, she would have probably thought that she had sent off for them and so would pay the invoice (for £24 - the same amount that Evastrella asked my mum to pay her last July, after my mum had replied to her letter of June!) fearing the consequences of bad credit.

I shall await to see what happens. They've given 7 days for payment to be made, and if they chase payment, then I would have to say that it would come under the auspices of fraud and I'm sure I'll have to pass it onto the appropriate authorities.

[Kevin Harrington]

I wonder what their reply would be if you said, "I'll see you in the County Court", accompanied by a journalist, of course.

It would be interesting to see who turned up to claim their dues from a person who was not able to attend.

[sceptic]

She might not be able to attend (I could go and collect her ashes I buried, I suppose), but as an executor of her will, I can, and would have to (or one of my brothers, the other joint executors), attend as her representative.

If they want to collect, then they'll have to provide the original order for the work - which would be most interesting for the signature on the form - and prove the merchantable quality of the goods supplied (which would very interesting to hear - how they can predict future events for someone who died over a year earlier).

[sceptic]

They've decided to send a reminder (on 16 March 2005) for the invoice for (as far as I am aware) unsolicited goods and service which has produced goods of unmerchantable quality, unfit for the purpose for which they were provided: viz future predictions as of 23 February 2005 for a person who died 11 February 2004.

I am sending back a letter to Taurus Atlantic Services pointing out that I am refusing to pay the invoice unless they can supply a true request for the service AND prove the goods are of merchantable quality. I have offered to supply a copy of her death certificate for an admin fee of £50.00; and have given them permission to come and collect the goods which are being rejected as unfit for the purpose, or supply me with packaging and postage to return the goods - plus a £50.00 admin fee.
I have also pointed out that there is a high chance of a case of Fraud being executed here: either against them by someone purporting to represent my mother's estate, or against my mother and her estate by them. It'll be interesting to see what comes back.

Last year, after her death we received an invoice from the Golden Esoteric Society (also under the Umbrella of Taurus Services Inc), also for predictions for her future which continued way past her death date. My brother, as joint executor of her will dealt with that.

I am beginning to suspect that companies that come under the umbrella of Taurus Services Inc (aka Taurus Atlantic Services), Freepost ANG 7708, Bedford, MK40 1ZA are fraudulent in that they do an unsolicited service for someone providing goods which they then send with an invoice to the mug^H^H^Hcustomer. If the customer then fails to pay, they send further invoices. By the time they arrive, the customer is likely to have forgotten whether they requested the service or not, and seeing an extra £1.50 reminder fee are liable to pay it to avoid extra costs.

I think the ASA/SFO may need to be informed.