Raising Smiles Reviews 49

Raising smiles is a joke
Got an email from Drc telling me to pay £198 +390costs or get ccj
Has anyone actually got a ccj from these companies

Unfortunately I fell for this scam. They seemed so genuine. It's all learning

AVOID!!! AVOID!!! AVOID!!!
I was approached by Raising Smiles a while ago stating they were going to send information and pamphlets to a local school of my choice and would I 'sponsor' the school etc. My partner happens to work for a school so I thought it would be a good idea and would help her so I agreed. The initial payment was over £200 but I figured it was going to a good cause - and running a self funded organisation myself, I know how much donations and support can help...WRONG!!! The school was sent information worth around 50p and was USELESS. My partner told me it was absolute junk and not what was promised at all - total waste of money. Raising Smiles then started chasing me weekly for more money/installments and I refused to pay. Everything went quiet for a while...then today I received a debt collection email from a company called DRC Solutions. The woman on the phone was rude, patronising and her tone was awful, She explained if the outstanding debt of over £200 (plus their £185 collection fee) wasn't paid, then the debt would increase. I panicked and didn't want a debt so I reluctantly (and naively) gave my card details. I was called back approx 20 minutes later stating the payment had failed. I checked with my bank and they have taken almost £500 TWICE!!! Both amounts were refunded within minutes of being taken out however...and they are pending on my account?!?
I was then asked if I could do a bank transfer to send the payment...and now I don't know WHAT to do.

The email doesn't look like a professional debt company and the calls I received were from a mobile number not their registered number according to their email?!?

Has anyone else had any dealings with either of these companies at all? I'm worried now and thinking of seeking legal advice. I will never support a charity again unless I'm absolutely sure it's legitimate.

I wanted to WARN anyone else before they fall vicim to this SCAM!!!!!!!

BE CAREFUL SCAM SCAM SCAM!!!!!

If I could give them 0 stars I would ... absolute scum bags ... tried to tell me after apparently 3 years I had signed up to there so called childrens charity magazine, and because I hadn't paid I had high court bailiffs on the way to my house. Obviously I never paid a penny to some random on the phone. I do wonder how many people they actually get to fall for this scam.

Scan send an agency called apex claiming they will take it to court. I have never seen the product nor agreed to any advertising. Very rude

Think ive been scammed... phone call 2
Years ago stating they would
Like money in exchange for an advert to be posted in their so called magazine to raise for money for charity 'Raising Smiles' under Best Solutions mag.
Simply didnt seem interested but they insisted and sent me a draft of what the advert would look like.. never agreed anything with them so ignored them. Now 2 years later im getting hounded by Apex Collections... for 800pound.. original owed was 238 which im guessing was the charge for the advert!!! Is this one big
Scam or what? Me and my small business are being threatened with CCJs and all kinds.. they added charges of over 600pound!

Nice one For that... i have 3 autistic children and im on depression meds.. thanks for raising my smile!!

Scammers, I have sent this letter that you can use if you like
Apex are in a virtual office, and clearly part of raising smiles.org,

Dear

I am writing in response to your recent communication regarding a debt you claim I owes. Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), I am requesting that you provide the following information for validation of the debt:

The amount of the debt.
The name of the creditor to whom the debt is owed.
A copy of the original signed contract or other documentation that proves I owe this debt.
A complete account history, including any payments made and the balance due.
Proof that you are authorized to collect this debt on behalf of the original creditor.
Please provide the requested information within 30 days of receipt of this letter. If you cannot provide this verification, I request that you cease all collection efforts related to this alleged debt.

I would also like to remind you that under the FDCPA, you are prohibited from reporting this alleged debt to any credit reporting agencies until it is validated.
Please send the requested information to my address as listed above.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

These people are the SCUM of the earth. Its a massive scam. I'm now being chased by another scummy company for double the amount by a threating debt collectors APEX asset management.... AVOID THESE AT ALL COSTS

Hello, we have just read all your comments, and we suggest that you all contact the fundraising regulator and the charity commission and get this company removed from the register so that legit charities like ours can keep the trust in the general public to help us each year let's take this scam charity down and protect legit non-profit charities

Seem to have fallen foul of these scammers too. I’m being threatened with legal proceedings now too despite them not chasing for money for 18 months. This stinks

I've had the same scam as most of you, very rude woman thinking she can scare and bully a vulnerable person into paying £672 for an alleged debt of £192 to drc.

No evidence of alleged debt, refused to communicate through e mail refused to send proof of alleged debt.

This is a major scam that drc-services, best soloutions UK and raising smiles are all in together.

As best soloutions and raising smiles have each others numbers to hand, drc is not registered with the fca and neither is best soloutions uk as I contacted the fca for help.

I have reported all 3 to action fraud and kept the evidence I do have.

Alongside evidence that they are meant to be registered with the fca.

Attempted to scam us using this very well known scamming method. They front the scam debt collection company also. All the authorities are on to them, I have personally spoken to them and supplied details. Don't pay just let them know they are scammers and ask them to send some actual real identity. It won't happen. They are the most disgusting type of scammers you will ever come across

Absolute awful company
STAY AWAY !!!!
I agreed to one ad for 12 months paid no problem
Just b4 it lapsed they harassed my company every day more than once
We never again agreed to another year in their books.
X2 years later debt collection demands whole on holiday with an 865£ demand
Or they will take my company to court

FULL ON CORPORATION GREED SCAMMERS I have an option now to pay nearly 3k to defend my self in court or pay

Absolutely disgusting company, contacted me in 2021 ,I said I'd think about it then sent me an invoice for payment so I went mad at them and thought it was sorted but not just got an email for a payment of debt collectors

SCAM SCAM SCAM Vile company who cold calls and pretends to help sick children in hospitals up and down the country. Now they send DRC after me and they say I owe £700

I received a phone call back in 2022 asking if I wanted my business to appear in their 'charity magazine'
I agreed at the time then gave birth a month later, didn't hear anything back from them. No invoices, emails, phone calls or anything but last week received an email from a debt company saying they are taking me to court!
Absolutely avoid this fraud company!!

I’m a victim of best solutions with the kids with cancer scam . Then he phoned again , same guy saying they were working along side the police about good and bad business . Now I have DRC on my case on a weekly basis demanding £700 and threatening me with court action .

This company tried the same trick with me for my old company Drainwest followed by a phone call today to say that the publication was ready.
I had repeatedly told them that I am not interested, however they change their contact details to hide .
They need to be locked up . I can't wait to get an invoice for something that I haven't requested .

This is a scam. Do not fall for it.
Another linked scam is DRC Debt.
Keith is one of the call operators.
The booklet is fake.
Do not pay them. Call Fraud Action.
Absolutely disgusting that these people are getting away with it in the UK.
I hope these people read these reviews and are ashamed of themselves. This is a crime and as such passed on to the appropriate parties