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Trading Standards breakthrough

Hotel Scouting seminars plague the country each weekend and so many of you fall for this scam - trading standards are going to take a stand on this method of selling

Time to get your money Back - ALBA is pleased to announce, that The Trading Standards Office has agreed that this method of sellling is unacceptable.

If you have signed up with an employment ( model / scouting) agency at a hotel, and you are a member of the public, not a professional actor/extra or model; or you are an actor looking to become a model; and vice versa; and you have had no work from that agency; then you may be entitled to a complete refund under the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) Regulations!

Refer to the OFT 'Door Step Selling' Regulations. A doorstep means any venue other than the companies premises, which means places like your home or at a hotel.

Therefore if an agency gets you to sign a contract at a hotel, then you have a legal right to a 7 day cooling off period, which means that within this period you can exercise your legal right to cancel the contract, even if photographs have been taken of you etc; and to a full refund without any deductions!

If the agency does not show this cooling off clause clearly on the contract, next to your signature; then the cooling off period is in perpetuity. Which means there is no time limit to when you can exercise your right; to a full refund?

The Office of Fair Trading would like to hear from anyone who has paid such a fee as described above. Complaints should be made to the below mentioned OFT contact:

Mr Des Fitzpatrick
Consumer Regulation Enforcement
Office of Fair Trading
Fleetbank House
2-6 Salisbury Square
London EC4 8JX

Full details should be enclosed with your letter, with photocopies of any contracts or sales literature etc, to assist in the OFT enquiries. The days of the hard sell - by bogus agencies taking money from (wannabee) would-be performers, are numbered. Check out the OFT website:
http://www.oft.gov.uk/default.htm

ALBA very much welcomes this upturn, however, we point out that many of these scams will only run under a set name for one season, and then close down to open up a while later under a new name!

So we still say you should NEVER hand over any money at these scams, because past history to date has shown tha the promise of refunding your money made by these companies is a false one !