EOW May 2007

word

on the wire

Write to: The Editor, ‘Word on the Wire’, EuroWire, 46 Holly Walk, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. CV32 4HY. UK

Thank you for the warning

Magazine changes have impressed us

Dear Sir

Dear Sir

I’ve just read with interest the article on page 31 of the March edition of EuroWire, regarding the FAIRguide organisation. I paid this company nearly £2,000 a few years ago. It was particularly upsetting at the time as I was struggling to balance the books at UKP Ltd and this was money I could ill afford!

We have been impressedwith the changes made within EuroWire, and are delighted to see that our articles are also being promoted on the wirefirst.comwebsite. However, the thing we have been most impressed with is the wide distribution which generates very positive results from our advertorials in your magazine’s Technology News column. I can always tell when a new customer requests an enquiry if he is a regular reader of your magazine – and I’m glad to say that most of them are. We wanted you to know that the response to our advertising in EuroWire has been increasing. We feel strongly that your magazine covers the readers we are trying to reach, and the result has been a very strong response with us receiving many enquiries about our new products. We also find that the wirefirst.com website is a very creative platform, containing lots of technical articles. Every article, hyperlinked to a separate page, is completed with illustrations and performances to help readers understand more about the company’s technology. Thanks to you and your editorial team. We greatly appreciate your support.

I can honestly say I didn’t receive a single enquiry from the advertisement.

I believed it was ‘free’ as suggested in the text of the letter and would never have dreamed of spending such a large amount of money, especially on such an obscure organisation. Of course, when the first invoice arrived I assumed that they had made a mistake and returned it, along with my explanation as to why I wasn’t going to pay it. Eventually, after several weeks of arguing, they threatened to charge interest on the outstanding amount, followed by legal action. I then received a 7-day payment notice, which I reluctantly paid. You can only begin to imagine my sense of anger and frustration when another invoice arrived the following year! I asked my German counterpart to check the document for me and he explained that it was indeed legal and that as I had signed it, there was nothing I could do to revoke it. He also informed me that it was a contract for three years! Perhaps it was too late for me but it did teach me to be extra vigilant about signing for any ‘free /special offers’. Well done to you and the IWMA for bringing this company to members’ attention.

Dominique Petkovic, Decalub, 31 Av de Conde, 77500 Chelles, France

Simon Lepine, Managing Director, UKP Limited, Horsham, West Sussex, UK

EuroWire – May 2007