(2016-06-03, 3:37 am)henachoko Wrote: Worst thing I ever did was sign up to his program. I asked for a refund in Feb 2014 and my last payment was 5th October 2014. and I think one of the last refund payments I received was £30!
As it stands I've had £330 back out of £2,356.17 despite several emails and attempts to contact via facebook and twitter.
It's an absolute rip off. The only reason I signed up and paid out so much was I had the insurance of a refund if I didn't get on. He's stolen literally thousands from me.
if someone can suggest any action I can take - is legal action even feasible?
Sorry to hear that.
You should probably talk to a lawyer. A consultation shouldn't cost more than 100-200 and are often free. I'd imagine your prospects are complicated by the fact that you are conducting business across international borders and you might have a hard time finding him if his family cant even find him.
off the cuff, I'd imagine you could mount a litigious nutcase campaign by sending him threatening letters on official looking letterhead. Sending him emails from an address with "esq" in the name might convince him that he is being contacted by a lawyer. The goal of this, not necessarily an award in court, but to create the appearance of enough potential problems for him that he voluntarily pays you to call off the dogs. You might be able to even actually sue him in several different countries small claims court and if he doesn't show up to court, you could potentially freeze his domains or merchant account until he pays you. I'm not sure how successful all this would be, but perhaps if you convince him that you are just the sort of person that would devote time and money to being a constant thorn in his side, he might voluntarily pay you back simply to make you go away. It's basic debt collection 101.
Legal help wouldn't come cheap, but there are a few other people who have posted that they weren't payed back either. Perhaps joining forces, you could afford enough legal help to advocate for the group, or at least explain your legal options and probability of success.
Also, I'm not sure if debt collectors work on an a la carte basis, but you might be able to sell your claim to a debt collector, but you will get pennies on the dollar.