“CONGRATULATIONS you won a 19 Piece Knife Set from HOMEMARK. To Claim your prize call 011 430 6000. Quote ref:#####. Prizes excl P&P. T&C apply. Reply NO 2b removed” is an SMS I received somewhere last week, not very excited about the prize, I delayed calling them until yesterday, after going through the press one for this, two for that etc, I reached somebody saying “Congratulations on winning this 19 Piece Knife set” and he went on about the features and what is included, but in such an unexcited tone that I thought he was having a burial somewhere in the background.
After he went through the details of the knife set, I asked: “How do I claim my prize?” on which he replied, I’m going to need your credit card number on which I replied, “Can’t I pick it up at a local Homemark store?” on which he replied, “We’re a mail order company and only deliver, but I’m going to need your credit card number so we can deduct for handling and shipping fees”. If I remember correctly, he said the amount would be something like R9.40 for shipping and handling which apparently is from somewhere in Jo’burg to Cape Town.
Skeptical about the whole giving my credit card number over the phone, I said I don’t have a credit card, on which he just said “OK”, he didn’t offer an alternative way of paying and then a dead silence after which I said, “Thank you, but I’m not interested in this offer, have a fantastic day”
The whole thing smells like a scam to me, especially since I can’t remember entering such a competition and the fact that they are willing to give away a knife set worth “hundreds” but not willing to pay the shipping of “R9.40″, almost the same as those schemes saying you’ve won the jackpot, please send us your details so we can send you the money on which they request a handling fee or something similar.
I’m not going to leave it there, if they tried to scam me, they will probably try it with a million other South Africans, the whole thing sounded so legit on the phone until he asked for my credit card number :(
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Tags: 011 430 6000, 19 Piece Knife Set, Card, Credit, Homemark, Knife, Scam, Set, South Africans
Bahaha, yeah these days stuff like this pop up everywhere.
I must say these scams, online or offline, are really ruining a good 2nd hand tech business.
Take Gumtree for instance: there are hundreds of second hand products being listed every day, of which approximately 10% are scams I reckon. This 10% makes me too scared to even contact the sellers, even though some guy might legitimately have the world’s best bargain just waiting for me to go pick it up.
Risk nothing, gain nothing I suppose…
The number seems to be valid assuming that http://www.homemark.co.za is a valid site and assuming that the site’s security haven’t been compromised in some way, have contacted them via email regarding this matter, awaiting their response.
i have fwded this to the 94.7 crime line. Since i too have gone thru the exact experience
Fantastic idea, would love to hear some feedback from somewhere since Homemark themselves haven’t responded yet.
I just received an sms from home mark stating that I qualify for an Italian coffee machine ,that is one great prize.Previously I won an inflatable bed and they wanted my credit card details of which I did not give out.
Home Mark is a well known company and you can find it in every city,best way of collecting your prize if this is genuine is by collecting your prize directly from the store and you can pay with a savings card or credit card.
One trick is to find the cell numbers of the executives. A bit of Googling yielded Dino Hadjipaschalis (Executive Chairman Homemark). Of course none of this info is on their site as should be, in a PAIA manual. Rian Van Tonder is also mentioned in articles about all their court cases they’ve had to fight.
I lucked out in getting the numbers, but I would dearly love to send them an SMS:
“Excuse the unsolicited SMS, but I thought it only fair since your organisation is doing the same to me. Stop it now.”
Did that once to the CEO of Edgars – I emailed him. Boy did those SMSs stop and apologies start.
Hi Simon, the name Rian van Tonder does appear on facebook, maybe it’s a good idea to create a secondary profile with a good looking woman and simply add him, maybe his number and details is on his profile, otherwise you can ask him while turning up the charm factor (that’s if you’re really desperate at getting back at them :P)
Created a group on facebook to help fight SMS and Email type spam, we need people like you to help fight spam and encourage other people to do the same, fantastic job man :D
http://sun.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2434861648
Hey all,
http://homemark.blogspot.com here’s some answers to your questions. Homemark are the closest thing to the devil in my honest opinion :)
Thanx John, that’s a great resource on how they operate, you’ve just opened my eyes!!
I had received the sms in December while on holiday in Gauteng to let me know that I had won a knife set. I called them and asked if I could pick it up from the GP headoffice but was given the blah blah about delivery only since it was a home delivery competition. Since there were sooo many competitions and till slip draws at all the malls over the xmas season, I assumed it was for one of those competitions that I had won. I unfortunately paid the R99.00 postage fee. The knife set has been delivered but it is not the same product that homemark has advertised as R399.00. It came in an ugly grey case that resembled a screwdriver case. Just received another sms for a pot set valued at R 2 599. Its not even listed on their website!
I’m shocked to hear that you’ve actually received something from them, maybe you’re one of the 5% that received services from them. I asked them about the knife set and they told me all about the fancy casing, the wooden block where you can put it in and they even gave me links to go and view the product online, I’m still skeptical though, asking credit card details over the phone is typical of scammers.
i used to work for these guys if you are one of the so called gold card memebers i feel sorry for you.they will keep on snatching money from your credit card. you better phone your bank and cancell that credit card immidiately coz they do have your number on their system.
Off Tel;011-4030508
Nana from aspek studios,please use this. thanks
I blogged the same last year, have had masses of responses from people going through the exact same thing. Ridiculous. I’ve even tried contacting Homemark for a response a few times and received nothing in return. What a joke.
Have a read here:
http://nicharalambous.com/2007/03/20/sms-spam-out-of-control-homemark/
http://nicharalambous.com/2007/12/07/homemark-spam-scam-continued/
Amazing, can’t believe they haven’t been closed down yet!
I am having the same problem.
my wife received an sms on her phone 10/09/2008, I phoned the number and gave my number to the braindead motherfucker on the other side, which he then proceeded to ask for all my credit card
details, of which I replied do you think I am that Fucking stupid, take your inflatable bed and
shove it up your ass, if anyone out there is stupid enough to give your credit card details, then
you do not deserve to be called an intelligent South African.
My gosh, they spammed me in February this year and they’re still at it?
Thanks for the comment, your description sounds very accurate!
They’re the devil, run by Avi Ovadia. I would love to get his cell number and spam him back with his own “You’ve won!” crap. How do they get your numbers?
http://homemark.blogspot.com/
I explain it all, as an ex employee, I know the dirt.
It happend to me as well. I argued with the guy on the other end and did not give out my credit card details. I made a deposit (an internet transfer) for the amount of R99.95. I wrote on my proof of payment that I faxed to him, I do hope this is not a scam ect. ect. I will notify the right people if this is a scam.
A direct deposit sounds a lot safer, you might even get whatever they promised to give you. The scam comes in when you give them your credit card details, they will then send you stuff on a regular basis and charge for it even if you never asked for it.
The guy didn’t want to give me banking details. I said to him you know what my sister in law did a deposit into your account. I will get it from her. He said no it’s an old offer that’s why she was allowed to deposit it, but he will make an exception. I almost gave the details to him, she stormed me and grab the card out of my hand. Lucky me. Aren’t you surpose to sign an order for your card to be debited?
Did you ever receive anything from them?
My gosh, they spammed me in February this year and they’re still at it?
Thanks for the comment, your description sounds very accurate!
Did anyone acutally ever received something from them?
That’s ironic, I also asked for banking details to do an EFT or direct deposit and the dude on the other side almost seemed upset! Give your sister a big hug, she saved your from a lot of problems, have heard horrid stories from homemark and how they operate once they have your credit card details. Homemark, Verimark and Glomail all operate the same way and are still getting away with it.
I never gave them a cent, as I understood the setup well enough to not be scammed, luckily I was studying internet scams, phone scams, etc at that time, otherwise they probably would’ve caught me.
Some people did actually receive stuff, see comment #10 for example, but when you read other blogs regarding this scam, you’ll see that those people probably also had inflatable beds or other garbage delivered at their door approximately 3-6 months later and was then charged for it without their consent.
I have had the same experience but was caught big time, in my DSTV guide at the end of September I recevied a Lucky numbers form from homemark, I had won a Super hose valued at R399.95, I called the number on the claim form and was also informed that I need to pay R99.00 p&p. this could only be paid by credit card, I stated that I would rather pay this fee cash and was told I could not, I then said I would collect the item from their offices but was told the prize had to be couriered to me. I gave the consultant the credit card details and was assured the only amount that would be deducted would be the R99.00. I received my parcel on 20/10/08 included with the hose i “won” was A jump start 7 day weight loss program with a Milex juicer machine, an invoice stating an amount of R698.95 was deducted off the credit card.
I called the homemark offices and was told that they would collect the additional item, and refund my card once the item has been received by the warehouse. I expressed my disatisfaction at this and was told that this is the way things are done. I asked to speak to a manager to which I was told the manager will only be in later, I have tried calling again only to be told the manager is unavailable.I am going to seek legal advise as this is nothing but credit card fraud.
That’s bad, let us know what legal advice you get, maybe we can even make a joint action to take these scammers down.
I bought a MILEX BARISTA Coffee Machine, i now need to purchase
coffee pods but i am told by some dimwit that they have no stock.
He says they will only have stock in *Winter* what bull is this that one only drinks coffee in Winter.Typical of HOMEMARK sell a product but can not back up the service. These complaints should be brought to the attention
of the Consumer Council as people are being ripped off.
I couldn’t agree more!! Take them to Carte Blanche or 3′rd degree!
I’m submitting it to Carte Blanche at this very moment.
That’s excellent!!! I can guarantee you, we are not the only ones they scammed!!! There is millions out there!!!
Just got some more spam from them (I define it as spam as I’ve never given them my number and they don’t give me the option to unsubscribe from their SMS list)
“HOMEMARK wishes you & your families a Merry Xmas and a joyous New Year from all at HOMEMARK. We thank you for your loyal support. HOMEMARK 011 430 6000″
Don’t they ever get tired of spamming? Didn’t even get the option to unsubscribe :(
I keep getting SPAM sms’s from Homemark, completely unsoliceted.
And after using the WASPA site smscode, It confirms the number comes from Vodacom Service Providers.
I am Highly aggrivated with Vodacom selling Homemark my details.
There is no OPTOUT feature and what Vodacom and Homemark are doing is against the ECT Act.
Please supply your CEO’s details as I will be laying charges against him/her for harrasment and breaching the ECT Act.
I have purchased a number of items from Homemark incuding a coffee machine. Apart from not being able to get refill coffee pods, and continuous back end selling, I have not experienced any problemes with force debiting of my credit card etc
Oh my. Am I pleased I looked at this site as I was about to get the foot massager for my ol’ man by paying through the internet. Full stop. Won’t do it. I have also had these sms’s saying I’ve won various prizes, but always just sms’ed back asking where & how can I collect it, after which I normally hear no more……….
Guess what – I got an e-mail from Julie informing me my ‘free pan’ is on its way – she was going on leave at the end of December but my problem will be sorted out before she leaves…..2 months later – no reply and still NO PAN???
I want my money back because I did not receive what I was promised and to date have not received a single sms to inform me of ‘ special deals’ or ‘free gifts’ = as promised by the consultants I’ll receive a sms every month of free gifts and I only have to pay for the P&P?
What kind of company is this – making promises and lying and no results?
my mother has been a gold card member with homemark for a long time.in october last year a their sales phoned her selling her an electro vibe and my mother agreed. a few weeks later some cleaning machine was dropped of at my place.my mother told the courier that the delivery was incorrect but the courier said it wasn`t their fault but homemarks problem{bear in mind that R3100.00 for the cleaning machine was debited from her credit card}i phoned homemark counteless times for months for them to take back the machine and give my mother what she wants. all the consultants i spoke to at the call centre glenda,tshide etc. promices that it would be done and i also requested for them not to sell my mother anything ever again but until to date they call her.she`s a pensioner and doesn`t earn that much. on the 21st Jan I spoke to lizzy who spoke to her team leader and they promised that my mother would get her electro vibe in 7days and there other one would be taken back.On 03 feb lizzy calls me and says her previous team leader didn`t authorise for the exchange and they new team leader wants me to pay the courier to bring the machine to them for inspection then only they can make a decision
Today i received an UNSOLICITED spam sms from the *** ***@ homemark.
I have never done business with them, and because of this, i NEVER will.
In terms of Section 45 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, I
a) am entitled to to know the source of my details.
b) With the identifying particulars of the source from which that person
obtained the consumer’s personal information, on request of the consumer.
3) Any person who fails to comply with or contravenes subsection (1) is guilty
of an offence and liable, on conviction, to the penalties prescribed in section
89(1).
@Homemark: Please remove me from your ILLEGAL spam list AS WELL AS provide me with the contact information of the criminals who provided you with this info!
Wow, just went over to hellopeter.com and did a search for homemark, they seem to be at the top when it comes to bad service and spamming!
Aaaaah, I’ve just received another SMS from these bastards, why didn’t they remove me the first time?
“CONGRATULATIONS you have won a REMOTE CONTROL from HOMEMARK. To claim call 01143060000 quote ref:REM002. Prizes excl P&P. T&C apply. Reply NO 2b removed”
Removed from what, from the remote control SMS list they spam? They didn’t remove me from the their list, unless they have separate lists for each product.
I also won
“CONGRATULATIONS you have won a REMOTE CONTROL from HOMEMARK. To claim call 01143060000 quote ref:REM002. Prizes excl P&P. T&C apply. Reply NO 2b removed”
when i phoned the guy also wanted my credit card details, which i did not give to him. He then gave me the banking detail for an eft or direct deposit
Standard Bank
Rosebank
Banch Code 430517
Account Number 002034190
i was then ask to deposit R99.95 for postage, what a rip off as these remotes doesn’t cost that much more or less R200.00 i told T.S no thank you i will not pay R100 bucks for postage which he then replied suite our self.
I feel this company msut be closed down or taken to Carte Blanch they are ripping people off their hard earned money.
Wow, you managed to get banking details out of them, congrats :p
Interesting how the price of shipping goes up as soon as you don’t have a credit card!
I’ve contacted Carte Blanche somewhere last year and they haven’t responded yet, will try again.
I got an sms saying i won a universal remote control. and i must call 0114306000. I recieved it from a number : +2783775800009400 I reckon its an sms sent from a computer but if anyone has some technology to track the number down please do so and let us know
Entered that number into smscode.co.za and this is what I got:
The number you searched for could not be found.
The possible reasons for this include:
* The SMS was sent via a modem or telephone
* The SMS was sent from overseas
* The SMS was sent by an individual
If you feel that the SMS was not sent by an individual and is commercial spam, you can complain to WASPA by completing this form.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was sent from overseas, doing it from overseas would be a lot cheaper seeing as they are spamming the whole country.
Will mail WASPA a complaint and see if they can do anything about Homemark’s spam.
It is for real but there is a catch I was caught out. They say that you have won a set of knives for R99 plus some other arbitory thing for free and they do want your credit card. When I looked again on my statement a R349 odd was taken out my credit card on budget as well. Well when I spoke to them about it they would look into it and rectify it, well that was the last I heard about that. I am still receiving sms from them for all sorts of product and to get you number off there mailing list isn’t easy. The sms I have just received is for natural pills for loosing weight. On principle I will never buy anything from them again
That’s downright theft in my opinion!
Well, if nobody (including Carte Blanche) is going to listen and expose Homemark, then I guess it’s time to make some serious waves, any ideas?
Time to take down these bastards!
Anyone heard of Get Closure. It’s a website that helps you to get closure. Anyone thought of filing charges against them? If they take money of your credit card without your permission it’s stealing. Try the Ombudsman.
I’ve lodged a complaint on getclosure.co.za, don’t know where to get hold of the Ombudsman.
You can do a google search on Legal Ombudsman. Please use the link below to start a petition. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help.
http://www.mypetition.co.za/index.php?page=sign_petition&petition_id=125
Will think about ways, have already tried buying the other homemark.* domains to derank them from the internet, they’ve already taken all the good ones.
Got a response from them on getclosure.co.za
Homemark has sent you a message regarding your complaint as follows:
Message: We apologise for the inconvenience caused to you.
Message description:
Anyone wishing to be removed from our sms database needs only to call our customer care department on 011 430 6005 and request that it be removed. We take these requests very seriously.
.
Solution: n/a
Solution description:
n/a
I have a better solution, why don’t they take all the numbers out of the database? 011 is a Jo’burg number? Will call them when I have some skype credits.