PARISH Reviews 115

So, not content with attempting to mislead users by pretending to be the gov.uk website AND sending spam ‘renewal’ emails to trick people into handing over money, they are also trying to stop others from warning about it by falsely flagging critical posts here as containing “harmful or illegal content” in an attempt to get them taken down. If their behaviour isn’t illegal, it should be.

Totally misleading!
I’ve read all the comments below which mirror my experience today. The mechanism of asking for a ‘renewal’ plays into the busy day to day experience of a small company management of business marketing and is a scam.
I’ve reported it to my bank and posted a warning to local businesses.

I have asked for a refund as I’m interested that another reviewer succeeded in getting the payment returned in February- I will be very surprised if this happens.
If I’d had an honest invitation to market my business on the site with an explanation of what I would get in return I could have made an informed decision to pay or not for a service. However to be tricked into paying by a company masquerading as being linked to the local Parish and pretending I’m renewing a previous registration is in my view a scam.

Never paid for this and got a renewal invoice. I read with concern about similar unsolicited invoices to others. Also read with concern about other reviewers talking about injunctions against this company. I have not verified this myself but it is concerning to receive a renewal like this that using underhand tactics to get our money.

I got an email to say my renewal is due, when I looked it had my details and a renewal link £19 with £5 off. How kind.

The Website looks like a copy of the UK Government website. At the bottom of the page it has a disclaimer that they are Not UK Government in small writing. This is Dodgy AF.

The first director Mr Brian Ronald WALMSLEY has over a thousand Ltd companies, He probably came up with the original name of CEDEX LIMITED - 05 Jan 2023 - 30 Mar 2023 (He likes business names that end in "ex") but then it was changed to Parish Services Ltd at the end of March 2023 when the new Director Alastair GORDON took over (owner, probably bought the company name Cedex only to change it. Weird, it's easier to set up a new one).

It looks like a proper gov website, I'm sure the Home Office would be very interested in it.

I would not touch them with a barge pole.

Received a "renewal notice" for a listing we've never paid for. Received notice via email and SMS. Checked their website and it's clearly a (very clever) money grab and an absolute con. Sharp practice at best, taking advantage of small local businesses to make a fast buck.

EDIT: Just amending my review to say that Parish reported my review as containing "illegal or harmful content". My review has now been restored.

I have received a request for money today. Very nearly 'fell' for it. Fortunately, my husband is the chairman of our village parish council and confirmed that THEY DO NOT TAKE ANY PAYMENT TO LIST LOCAL BUSINESSES. Avoid avoid avoid. I will ask my local PC to publish a warning on our village site & magazine. Very underhand practice.

(My Town) Parish as the SUBJECT line of an email, so I rang my local Parish and low and behold they know nothing about any listing.
I notice this company say its not a scam. Define the word scam!! If misleading companies to part with cash then YES, it is definitely a scam. The whole site and set up is designed solely for the purpose of misleading.

Received a reminder that my subscription was up for "renewal" despite me never having paid for it before. Trotted off to my local Parish office only to discover they knew nothing about this so-called "Parish Listing".
Checking up on parish dot uk this is what it says:
"The PARISH.UK Network is a Community Action Initiative and does not form part of HM Government. The PARISH.UK Network is operated by Parish Services Ltd (14573084) with a registered address of Gatcombe House, Copnor Rd, Portsmouth, PO3 5EJ"
I have no idea whether they promote their listings or just take £19 from multiple local (and often penniless) businesses across hundreds of parishes. Its probably a kosher business but its not value for money and its definately misrepresenting itself as a Parish entity.

SCAM - can i get a copy of the Standard cut and paste response please? Proove visitors actually get what they need from you, prove you are a viable hit in the serps for local search, guarantee our small business will benefit from this and £2 a month is great. but i doubt your can prove any of that. After reviewing the huge list of pub interiors websites in your back link list. I'm not impressed. But thanks for the "evidence"

Don't send these scammers any money please.

Misrepresentation - they gather details from Google, then create a listing for companies without the company being aware; they then send unsolicited emails advising that your business listing is expiring with options to "renew" or "cancel"; renewal of course has a fee associated with it.

Deceptive email spamming.
They make out like you are about to be de-registered from some kind of directory that you are signed up to. The website literally uses the template for .GOV.UK to try and appear like it's an official public body.
Probably not technically fraud, but most definitely bad faith representation. Avoid like the plague.

SCAM: Sites seem to have some interesting information however they're trying to get people to pay after adding them to listings automatically with a gov.uk style template making the whole thing look very official.

We've had a number of emails and texts telling us to pay to relist when we never listed in the 1st place - all the data seems to have been harvested from google and then used to try to generate some cash.

If it wasn't for the underhand way of trying to get money off people I'd actually say some of its been done well with some good info. Pitty they didn't explain their situation, and rather tried to scam.

Its a private site - only pay if you really want to have details on a site no-one uses!

I never signed up to a business listing and get harassed daily for a business listing renewal at £19 + VAT. I have reported this website to Action Fraud UK.

They use the .gov.uk template to track you into thinking it’s something official when it’s not. It has nothing to do with local councils or the government.

SCAM!! AVOID!!

Complete scam! Sending emails to “Renew” a business listing that I never signed up for.

UPDATE: If it is genuine as per the response given, then it does not change that I was asked to "renew" something I did not sign up for in the first place and therefore the organisation needs to be seriously altered. Misleading at the very least as it tried to get me to pay for something by suggesting I'd already signed up before. Call it what you want but it's not right.

Scam - avoid and block
Had several emails over the last few days from them asking me to renew a listing which I have never done to be on their directory. They make it look like they are emailing from my local parish council which is untrue. Asking for payment to renew a listing.

A complete money scam. Very misleading. Set up to look like a Government website when it is not. Very formal looking, but they are just trying to get money for nothing. Stay clear and warn others.

E Mail asks you to click a link to renew but instead of taking you to review listing or cancel it automatically generates an invoice, this company is storing your information without permission and should be investigated due to new data protection rules

I received one of these invoices. I had not created any such listing, but they may have added me to their list. So in my view, it is at least very sloppy practice, if not 'sharp practice'. I made the mistake of paying, but having reflected on this and researched it properly, I emailed asking for a refund. I got a fairly prompt reply granting my request.

Like others, I have received an email from this network, claiming my listing was due to expire. It looked like a government website link. It only had information freely available on Google and thankfully I checked before paying their invoice!
A very devious way of doing business!
IGNORE ANY SUCH EMAILS!