Autoexpress tickets (not) [Archive]

Gobber

8th June 2007, 10:59

Like many I was attracted to subscribe to Autoexpress a month or so ago as they were offering two free tickets to BTCC meetings as an incentive. However, yesterday I received a letter from them saying they had run out of tickets and sending me three or four posters of flash cars instead.

Anyone else had this? I think it's pretty bad sport and memories of the Hoover flights fiasco spring to mind.

I have e-mailed Autoexpress and they say they have the right to substitute gifts of a similar value. I've suggested that if they think a few car posters has the same value as two BTCC tickets they are getting ripped off by their printers!

Not happy. Ready for battle.

GEDsjt

8th June 2007, 11:25

we have had exactly the same thing. four posters are hardly worth £40-£50! subscription was cancelled today!

BeeJ_UK

8th June 2007, 11:28

Become a marshal get free entry to any event you marshal for you and a friend and get the best view with no spectators in front of you :-)

Gobber

8th June 2007, 11:30

I sense a good scrap coming on. They have just e-mailed me to say the posters are worth £12 each. Correct me if I'm wrong but they are not signed Damien Hursts so I doubt this.

I've asked them for a copy of their small print! Not giving up yet.

thetrooper_uk

8th June 2007, 11:51

I agree there is no way that them crap posters are worth £50. They are nothing to do with motorsport. To be honest I wouldn't display them in my house. You would think being a sponser of the btcc they would have an unlimited supply of tickets. I would like to know how many tickets they did give away or was it just a con to get people to subscribe. I was well pi##ed off when I found out what was in the tube when the post delivered it.

VXRDartford

8th June 2007, 12:00

I was 1 of the lucky ones who got the tickets but my friends was told they had run out!! Last year when they did this they were almost givin them away as I was sent 1 to start with as they said they were reprinting them them they sent me another 2.

Hope you get it sorted. Auto express is a useless mag anyway

m0rk

8th June 2007, 13:14

Evo did the same

I'm in a mind to call them up & cancel - the prints are pretty useless, and far from the best I've seen

taffy

8th June 2007, 14:17

I had the same arrive today, except I took out the subscription with Evo.. Got four posters of Aston Martins instead.. Anyone wanna swap them for 2 BTCC tickets?? lol...

Gobber

8th June 2007, 14:43

I don't know why these firms can't see how many people they hack off when they try to do something like this. I suppose there could have been some small print somewhere, but I have yet to see it.

If they ran out of tickets they should have pulled the offer when they could see the response, then no-one would be the worse off. Seems as though they probably got all the subscriptions in and then went to see how many tickets they had available - a bit like inviting all your mates round for a beer when all you have in your fridge is a 2 litre bottle of Strongbow (depending how many mates you have of course!)

taffy

8th June 2007, 14:46

Just checked this out.. There is something called the misrepresentaion act 1967. It says about an inducement into the contract by a false statement of fact.
I have just emailed EVO they have to supply evidence of the value of the posters that they sent out. They have to prove that they were of the same value as what they offered as the free tickets.

MG2004

8th June 2007, 15:47

i am also livid. i applied to ae on the first advert. they were still advertising the offer at least 3 weeks later. if they did not have enough tickets for the peeps who applied in week 1 then the subsequent ads are untrue at best. i am going to repoqt them to the advertising standards authority on that basis. the complaint may carry more weight if ht comes from a group - pm me if you want to join in!

Gobber

8th June 2007, 17:08

. the complaint may carry more weight if ht comes from a group - pm me if you want to join in!

Welcome aboard - PM sent!

mattie007

8th June 2007, 19:02

Same has happened to me!
I did get some BTCC tickets from AE, but my bro didn't and nor did I get my tickets from Evo. Ive know got 8 crappy posters. How the hell is that worth £50??
Count me in MG2004.

BDunnell

9th June 2007, 14:00

I agree that this is pretty disgraceful, and worth trying to do something about.

However, I would sound a note of caution about making a complaint as a group. I think it's always better to complain individually, and with different letters/e-mails rather than all sending the same one, as it tends in my experience to make the recipient take the complaint more seriously.

Good luck! Keep us updated on what happens.

norwichsam1

10th June 2007, 09:08

sounds like a case for 'watchdog', gets the btcc a plug on prime time bbc1 as well!

thetrooper_uk

10th June 2007, 11:06

Steelrat

10th June 2007, 17:21

Cheers Taffy I might do the same as you and ask for proof. I got posters of an Aston, Lambo, Porsche and bugatti. All crap might I add.

I agree. 4 cars that a) aren't even in the BTCC and b) I'll never be able to afford.

I'm just writing this off as a typical marketing thing. Obviously I'm cancelling my subscription but I'm annoyed that they had the audacity to say that there were no more tickets available. 7 more meets to go, all of which I can purchase tickets for. If the offer was for one meet only, maybe I could understand but as it was for *any* meet then that statement is a load of dangly bits.

Not a happy teddy, me

P

tintin

10th June 2007, 21:09

I agree. 4 cars that a) aren't even in the BTCC and b) I'll never be able to afford.

They are aspirational cars.
...Which is what Evo is all about.

mattie007

10th June 2007, 23:17

Here is the email I got from AE:

Dear Mr Knight,

Thank you for your recent email regarding the auto express magazine.

Firstly please accept my apologies for the inconvenience this has caused you.

Unfortunately the BTCC Tickets are out of stock due to high demand, therefore we have arranged for 4 prints to be sent in there place, also you will receive a letter explaining and also apologising for the situation.
I am able to confirm that in the Terms & Conditions it does state that Dennis Publishing reserves the right to replace the gift shown with one of equal or greater value.
If you require any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.
Kind Regards
Lyndsay Bootes
Customer Services Advisor

[email:2blj2jod]Lyndsay.bootes@dovetailservices.com[/email:2blj2jod]

http://www.dovetailservices.com

Tel: 01795 414500

Fax: 01795 414555

Dovetail. Subcriptions marketing and fulfilment

Im not quite sure about the 'greater or equal' value part. The prints have been advertised in EVO for £12.99 but these are signed prints on quality paper. The ones I recieved were on thin paper and not signed so I doubt these are the £12.99 ones?

Gobber

11th June 2007, 09:23

I've clearly started something here and suggest we keep each other updated via this topic with any significant progress.

In the meantime as BDunnell helpfully suggests I think it's right that we all complain individually as well as they have to realise the size of the problem they have caused and the number of people they have not impressed.

Maybe they will get the message eventually.....this cannot be right or fair - don't give up!

taffy

11th June 2007, 11:41

I have been in touch with the comsumer direct people, explained the situation. They say that we do have a good argument with AE.. Everyone needs to contact them and ask for evidence as I said earlier that these posters are of the same or greater value than the 2 BTCC weekend tickets. They also said though that it may be pretty tough getting them to compensate for what they have done and at most maybe all we could do is cancel any agreement we have with them. Maybe if enough complain they might do the decent thing and hand out the tickets, but I am not holding my breath.

Mark

11th June 2007, 12:08

As has been said, everyone affected by this should contact BBC Watchdog. If enough people do it then they may well run it as a story.

I would also contact the Trading Standards authority for whereever Autoexpress is based.

Mark

11th June 2007, 12:11

Unfortunately the BTCC Tickets are out of stock due to high demand,

Absolute nonsense. When was the last time you heard of a BTCC race being sold out? While tickets are still on sale to the public they are capable of getting you tickets for the event.

GEDsjt

11th June 2007, 13:49

i did also think it was quite crafty that the posters arrived after the trial period of 6 free issues was over, meaning even if you cancel you will have paid!

thetrooper_uk

11th June 2007, 14:02

Here's a crafty thing that they have done. Once you signed up for the offer they took the money right away. Then it's not until the six weeks were up that people received the posters. So this means that all the people that cancelled and got there money back (me) think OK I got my money but here's the crafty bit, Auto Express/Evo had all these people money in their account for six weeks gaining interest which would easily cover the price of the posters and more I guess. So they haven't lost any money, they have just succeeded in aggravating a lot of people. I shall keep you posted on any progress I make.

thetrooper_uk

11th June 2007, 14:28

I have just submitted my complaint to the BBC Watchdog.

taffy

11th June 2007, 14:32

just finished doing the same..

mattie007

12th June 2007, 09:53

I have just recieved a second reply:

Dear Mr Knight

Thank you for your email.

As a main sponsor we were given 50 tickets to give to customers with
subscriptions. Once we saw how many subscribers wanted to take up this
offer we asked for more tickets.

Unfortunately we were never given anymore and this has led to
disappointing our customers. We were promised more and unfortunately we have
been let down ourselves.

Kind Regards

Lyndsay Bootes
Customer Services Advisor

[email:1lmh6c59]Lyndsay.bootes@dovetailservices.com[/email:1lmh6c59]
http://www.dovetailservices.com
Tel: 01795 414500
Fax: 01795 414555

So they ran a huge advert with just 50 tickets (or 25 sets) available, hoping they would get more???? What a complete joke.

Mark

12th June 2007, 10:26

25 pairs of tickets?! They must have been out of their tiny little minds! There is no way they would have fulfilled demand with that amount of tickets, they must have known that, so they advertised knowing full well that for the majority of people they wouldn't get the advertised gift.

The right thing to do would be to suck it up, and bear the responsibility for the mistake and buy some tickets for the subscribers.

Gobber

12th June 2007, 10:33

So they ran a huge advert with just 50 tickets (or 25 sets) available, hoping they would get more???? What a complete joke.

Astounding - I wonder if that allocation was for Dovetail services, and not Autoexpress as a whole - there seem to a number of routes to subscribe - either through agents or direct with Autoexpress. I think the principle is the same though, so keep up the good work!

Mark

12th June 2007, 12:06

A complaint to the advertising standards agency is in order here, as they were advertising a product they had no real intention of providing.

MG2004

12th June 2007, 12:36

A complaint to the advertising standards agency is in order here, as they were advertising a product they had no real intention of providing.

AND they ran the advert in Auto Express for at least 4 weeks - they will have had way more than 25 subscribers in the first week alone. When they ran the subsequent adverts they KNEW they didn't have the tickets.

thetrooper_uk

12th June 2007, 12:42

Get a Complaint to watchdog. So only 25 people got them, their have taking the mickey. You would expect it to be around 500 or more. When you look at the attendance figures for an entire season. So on average 2.5 people per race meeting got tickets. Pathetic

MG2004

12th June 2007, 12:46

I've looked on the Advertising Standards Authority website and this is the bit I think is relevant

http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/codes/cap_...clause_id=1539

"AVAILABILITY OF PRODUCTS
16.1 Marketers must make it clear if stocks are limited. Products must not be advertised unless marketers can demonstrate that they have reasonable grounds for believing that they can satisfy demand. If a product becomes unavailable, marketers will be required to show evidence of stock monitoring, communications with outlets and swift withdrawal of marketing communications whenever possible."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

I need to check dates to make my complaint more specific. I am having trouble finding my copies of AE and EVO but I know I remember that they were still advertising the offer in AE at least 3 weeks after I applied and there is no way they could have satisfied the demand at that stage if they could not supply me from week 1.

Does anybody still have their copies of AE from Late March through to late April? Can you confirm which issue dates carried the offer advert? Thanks.

taffy

12th June 2007, 12:49

I have emailed dovetail on 2 occasions asking for the evidence of the cost of the posters.. Still not had a reply, will try phoning them later.

tintin

12th June 2007, 13:09

Well now that Auto Express has admitted the tickets were free then the value of the posters is irrelevant, as they can't be of any less value.

Dave B

12th June 2007, 13:23

Isn't the arguement not what they would cost but what they're worth?

For example, the tickets may have been free, but stick them on eBay and see what you get. Whereas I'd imagine the posters would attract very few bids.

I'm no legal expert (on this at least ;) ) but that's my two cents worth.

Mark

12th June 2007, 13:49

I would tend to agree. They can say 'free' gift all they want but people did sign up for the magazine on the understanding they would get two tickets to a BTCC race, so what they did was almost certainly illegal.

However the chances of them getting away with it are 99.9% and the chances of them being prosecuted or being made to pay up are 0.01%. Companies like this rely on the fact that the losses for the individual are not significant to launch legal action. But you could always go to www.moneyclaim.gov.uk (http://www.moneyclaim.gov.uk) to start a small claim against them for the amount of £50 or two BTCC tickets :D

tintin

12th June 2007, 14:18

Isn't the arguement not what they would cost but what they're worth?

Worth is a subjective concept though.
To some people those tickets are worth £50. To others they are just bits of paper.

acorn

12th June 2007, 16:10

has anyone been on the btcc.net forum to get alan gow's response to this. i'm sure that he wouldn't want his championship's image to be tainted by what is obviously a poorly(or more likely cannily) thought out marketing exercise. my bet is he'll say it's between the mags and those who've been duped.

nicemms

12th June 2007, 17:11

25 Pairs of tickets for potentially hundreds of subscribers! With that number of tickets should have been a competition

Dave B

12th June 2007, 18:11

Is the BTCC coverage moving to ITV Play? :p

thetrooper_uk

12th June 2007, 22:45

Well now that Auto Express has admitted the tickets were free then the value of the posters is irrelevant, as they can't be of any less value.

They stated that the tickets would be worth £50 so they have to supply the tickets regardless of how much it cost them or replace them with something of the same or greater value. Thats their small print. If they didn't put a price on it then fair enough they could give you anything. I for one will not be letting them off lightly. Hoover did a offer years ago saying that if you bought a Hoover you would get a certain amount of free air miles then didn't give them out. I believe they were fined over £1 million by the trading standards.

thetrooper_uk

12th June 2007, 23:14

Gobber

13th June 2007, 09:15

taffy

13th June 2007, 09:33

I dont think it would be worth asking Alan Gow.. He would only say that it has nothing to do with the championship. It is not the fault of the BTCC..

CroftPilgrim

13th June 2007, 13:06

I don't think the argument of 'worth' to different people will hold water as value is totally a personal issue and a bit theoretical. At the end of the day I believe they said they would provide the tickets and they did not.

I have yet to see on the web subscription route or have provided by Autoexpress (I have asked them) for the text where it says they can in fact substitute gifts of equal value, but maybe it does exist.

My route is on the 'You should have supplied the tickets' first, and the value argument second, should they find the substitution text on the web somewhere.

I think the worth thing is a dead end. It is also not the issue. People applied for the subscription expecting to get BTCC tickets. AE didn't have enough. The argument has to be that AE knew they could not provide what was promised and therefore the substitution issue becomes an irrelevant defence

Gobber

27th June 2007, 10:11

Just thought I would quickly ask before this one fell off the lists, has anyone had any luck with Autosport on their tickets fiasco? I keep hitting dead ends and am about (although I hate to say this) to give up and do something more productive with my life.

I still believe what they did was grossly unfair, and I'll hate them forever!

ps Anyone want to buy some great car posters?

BDunnell

27th June 2007, 11:55

Just thought I would quickly ask before this one fell off the lists, has anyone had any luck with Autosport on their tickets fiasco?

I think it should be pointed out that it was Auto Express, not Autosport!

Gobber

27th June 2007, 12:09

I think it should be pointed out that it was Auto Express, not Autosport!

Very true and well spotted - I'd hate to have the wrong magazine on my hitlist!

BDunnell

27th June 2007, 13:12

Looking back through the thread, I still feel that a complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority and Trading Standards is a good bet. Writing to your local MP is always worth a punt, too.

thompp

27th June 2007, 14:07

Don't hold back - call out the Army...!

MG2004

27th June 2007, 17:54

I filed a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority about 2 weeks ago. I have a reference number but not a lot else yet.

My complaint direct to Dennis publishing is going nowhere fast. They've answered my questions, but they're not apologising or offering anything other than the cr*ppy posters which nobody wants. Is Maxim a Dennis publication? If so, I'll gladly take Mat Jackson's grid girl as compensation for not getting my tickets :) ))

mattie007

27th June 2007, 21:09

I keep getting the same reply from AE. "Its in the T&C's". What crap.

BDunnell

27th June 2007, 22:29

Well, the authorities may have something to say about that, one would hope.

28th June 2007, 02:55

If someone could find the original terms and conditions on the form they filled in for the subscription then that'd really help you lot.

Autoexpress could get done for obtaining money by deception, or you could all take them to the small claims court and get your entire subscription fee back, given that they said they would given you tickets if you subscribed - I think the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982 (or even the Sale of Goods Act since they are selling you goods) would cover this??

Daniel

1st July 2007, 11:41

tintin

1st July 2007, 12:04

I definitely think a complaint is in order.

But this thread leads me to ask. Why subscribe to Autoexpress even if they were offering free tickets? I'd sooner cut off my own genitals with a butter knife than support such a substandard publication.

I quite like AE, although I wouldn't buy it if I didn't get it free - that's true of most magazines though.

But it's the best-selling car magazine in the UK (by a long way), so clearly others agree.

Daniel

1st July 2007, 12:14

I quite like AE, although I wouldn't buy it if I didn't get it free - that's true of most magazines though.

But it's the best-selling car magazine in the UK (by a long way), so clearly others agree.
The thing is AutoExpress is nothing but a speculative and inventive reporting magazine.

They make up stuff like this
http://static.blogo.it/motorsportblog/SubaruImprezaMkIII_1.jpg

and this

http://www.clusterflock.org/car_photo_211020_7.jpg

Look familiar?
http://www.allcarwallpapers.com/wallpapers/previews/porsche-cayman-s-4419.jpg

And pass it off as fact.

When in fact it's just photoshopped crap that they've made up. On the odd occasion that AutoExpress does actually contain a fact or two they're usually things that were common knowledge or that were printed in other magazines a month or two before. Hence the fact that I'd rather mutilate my own genitals than subscribe to such a publication.

mattie007

1st July 2007, 13:58

After a few complaints I got some more posters and a bottle of alloy wheel cleaner spray.....

Dave B

1st July 2007, 14:56

I'd suggest that those affected try posting on the Consumer Action Group forums here: http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/general-consumer-issues/

There are some very experienced posters there who will probably give some good advice.

BDunnell

1st July 2007, 15:54

MG2004

9th August 2007, 13:32

I didn't think it was possible to be even more disgusted with dennis, but now I am!

I just had a call from someone working on behalf of Dennis to say they now have a fresh abtch of tickets in stock (now that there are only 3 races to go so not much choice there).

Great I thought, I'm finally going to get my tickets.

Oh no, they want to offer me the tickets if I take out another subscription to AE for 14.99 for 3 months!

I made the point that I think they need to supply the people who were already promised tickets and let down before they offer tickets under any new deals, and that I will now add this information to my compaint which is already under formal investigation by the Advertising Standards Authority.

So the news is AE now have more BTCC tickets in stock. Phone them up TODAY and badger them that you want your rightful allocation and will return their cr*ppy posters which they sent instead.

Don't let them get away with this!

Les

9th August 2007, 21:13

the absolute cheek of them.... so the phone call was nothing to do with the previous offer - it was just another attempt at getting you sign up for more grief.

MG2004

15th August 2007, 11:22

They finally gave in and sent me a pair of tickets!

Persistence pays off (well, that and reporting them to the Advertising Standards Authority of course).

Would have been better if they had just fulfilled the offer originally, without all the hassle, but I do now have the tickets in my hand.

mattie007

15th August 2007, 15:38

Ive just phoned them but the operator new squat about the new batch. She is going to get back to me though! Fingers crossed!

mattie007

16th August 2007, 22:33

Had a call back and I 'should' be getting 2 tickets for Thruxton!

taffy

17th August 2007, 14:31

Nice one.. good to hear someone got tickets at last.. I never got any luck with my complaint.. I did get 2 tickets from Dunlop which I used for Donny, and a mate just gave me another 2 from Dunlop which I will keep for Thruxton.. So I suppose it`s not all bad....