European City Guide

We have been covering this issue since March 17 when we exposed the European City Guide's misleading methods. On July 17 I wrote about a very positive development when a Spanish court upheld a ruling against European City Guide on having seriously infringed Spanish laws on misleading advertising following international co-operation with the UK Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

The magistrate in Barcelona upheld the original ruling following an appeal by European City Guide. The judgment described European City Guide's mailshot as 'deceitful' and 'misleading' and "led those reading it to believe that by signing it they would incur no economic liabilities of any kind".

Today we have a letter which has been sent to Mr Edgar Caruana Montaldo who has kindly offered to share it with other bitten parties:

I am writing to you because I was tricked by a Spanish company called "The European City Guide" and I believe they have also tricked you or someone in your company as you are listed on their Website. You may be receiving demands for money for an advertisement you never wished to place.

Many people feel that the contracts they mail are deliberately designed to deceive you and it is very important that you do not pay them any money. They have tricked over 35,000 people and most of us are refusing to pay. To date, while they have used all sorts of threats, they have never taken anyone to court.

People right across Europe are fighting back; if you have access to the Internet, these Websites may help you:

http://www.stopecg.org/ (English); http://www.osservatorioaziende.it (Italian); http://www.arnaques.be.tf/index.shtml (French); http://www.frnorrbotten.nu/2001/cityguide0327.html (Swedish)

You should write and complain, stating that you have been tricked, to the Authorities in Barcelona at the following address:

Generalitat de Catalunya, Directión General de Consumo y Seguridad Industrial, Av.da Diagonal, 405 bis, 08008 Barcelona, Spain.

Enclose a copy of the form you signed and any letters the European City Guide have sent to you. Please also notify local government officials in your country so that they can warn other people about his scam.

Below is a list of what the ECG will do to try to get money from you. I hope it will help you to resist their demands!

1. Initial trick mailshot;

2. After some delay a proof arrives, most people do not realise they have been scammed and at this point they simply ask for a cancellation;

3. Refusal to accept cancellation. This takes the form of a letter stating that you have signed a "legally binding contract";

4. Various reminders - this stage can be very protracted if you challenge them in writing;

5. Threat to pass your case over to the "Legal Department";

6. "Legal Department" sends you a letter. At this stage they may add interest and/or "fees";

7. The "Legal Department" may send several letters. These develop into a threat of debt recovery action by a debt collection agency;

8. Enter Ovag International, Debt Collection Agency based in Switzerland. They use mail, faxes, and direct phone calls, to state that they have won court cases and that they will take you to court if you do not pay them. All these threats are hollow, but this is the most testing stage;

9. You receive a letter from the ECG noting that you failed to reach agreement with Ovag International offering the option of a much reduced settlement.

Generally that is it, though people who have paid any money were subjected to the whole process again, demanding a second or third year's instalment.

Please feel free to write back or to contact the British support group via e-mail at ecguide@lycos.com.

If we stand together and all refuse to pay, we can beat this scam. However if people give in and pay money, the European City Guide will continue to trick more people and to harass them. Please, however much they threaten you, do not pay anything to the European City Guide.

I thank Mr Attard Montaldo for sharing this useful information.