Agora Business Publications

I had a disappointing experience with Agora Business Publications LLP. Their website promises valuable information and documents that you can use, and advertises a one-month free trial. I signed up without providing any payment details—no credit card or direct debit—as I assumed that access would simply end after the trial if I did not confirm continuation.

Unfortunately, I was never able to access any of the promised resources. Instead, I was overwhelmed by a barrage of marketing emails. To make matters worse, I recently received an invoice for £79.00. When I contacted customer service to cancel everything and clarify that I had never agreed to continue the service or make any payments, they were unhelpful and still charged me £19.95 for services I never accessed.

My advice is to steer clear of this company and avoid any offers or free trials they provide. They seem to operate in a way that borders on scamming, legally speaking. I regret not checking reviews on Trust Pilot beforehand. Stay away from Agora Business Publications LLP.

Please report this company to trading standards as their policy is scamming people passing through their website, check their review anywhere is just disgusting knowing that companies like this exist.https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/get-more-help/report-to-trading-standards/#:~:text=If%20you%20think%20a%20business,like%20rogue%20traders%20and%20scams.

A big zero star for no service provided! They are among the biggest scammers. Please don’t visit the site, they are absolutely unscrupulous. Once they have any of your details they start billing you. I asked them to show me a signed contract I get an automated typed reply as below

I have reported them to fraud protection and trading standards. I’ve also informed my lawyers. I have no intentions of paying their ransom demands!

Seriously with all these negative reviews you would have thought they would change the way their work, surprisingly not

I’ve posted on x and fb alerting people to the unscrupulous ways!

Also I have reported them to bbc watchdog. Strength comes in number, if you have been victims of this fraudulent company keep reporting them.

Also, note for the company if can send posted invoices why can’t you send a letter saying we are going to starting charging you, no! That would be too easy for this fraudulent company. Beware everyone do not even go on to their website!

Date of experience: 26 january 2024

I signed up for a free subscription on behalf of my previous employer. Six months after leaving that employer Agora send me an invoice for $88.48. I did not respond and they send my name to debt collectors who contacted on behalf of their client. To avoid unnecessary disturbances, I paid CCS debtor collectors for a service I never enjoyed. Adora is fleecing people off their hard earned cash. Please

I recently received a letter from a debt collection agency, acting on behalf of Agora Business Publications, demanding payment of £309, which includes excessive administration fees, for a subscription.

I can confirm that I have never entered into any agreement with Agora Business Publications for a subscription to their HR services, nor have I provided my consent to be billed for such a subscription.

This unexpected invoice has caused significant distress and inconvenience. I believe this billing is a clear violation of my consumer rights under the applicable laws and regulations.

I had a free trail for info from this company

Got an email yesterday quoting I owe them 99 pounds for information never received or used asked them to revoke the invoice and then they said now owe them 119 pounds within a day for doing nothing!

Never had any contract with them and they never granted any service so at a lost as to what they are requesting money for

Customer number [protected]

I was given a free subscription but it is nothing very detailed to complete my dIploma course level 4 in health and social care.

I then received an invoice for £79.80 for units, which I had not even received yet up until September. This was crazy as I had not received any units.

I spoke with Anne/ Ann today on the phone number [protected] and she agreed to just charge me for one unit of £19.95.

I agreed to this knowing it was a scam but wanted an end to it.

I will be sending a cheque for the agreed amount and asking for a recording of the conversation that we had today on the 17th of June 2022.

This is if they are trying to demand any more money from me. I have confirmed the subscription is cancelled as of today though. I have emailed all three emails to confirm the phone conversation.

I will be writing a letter to their address and sending them their cheque today.

I will let you know if trading standards are coming into these proceedings if needed.

Being harrassed by this company for something I did not sign up to.
Did not open any 'free stuff' they sent me. No verbal or signed contract.
Now being harrassed by debt collection company.
All I did was click on their website!
No notice of 14 day free trial etc.
Extremely poor practise, to be avoided at all costs.
Thanks
Rose Shirvani

I have tried to cancel a free trial of quality care matters.
The emails keep bouncing back. Have rang numerous times to a message saying no one can take calls due to Covid.
My concern is I will be billed for a product I do not want.
They are impossible to contact.
I have 2 emails which will not go through.
The email on the message says to contact [protected]@agorabuisness.co.uk
I have also looked on the website and tried [protected]@agorabuisness.co.uk
but still not contactable. This is now URGENT.
Aliso Date
Manager

Same as the others.. took a look At their services and without signing anything get an invoice. They not even interested that the company I had opened and wanted to commence operating hadn't even started. There is no way I would given my bank account to them so they just send invoices. It seems this is how they do business. Shocking covid19 stopped my company from even starting. I am only one person so their services are of no use to me in any case and I was merely reading their website.

I have recieved an invoice today for free resgisteration. i have never downloaded their stuff and didnt use their services. This is a disgusting and unethical way of running a businees and forcing people pay for just a free registerations.
This is a scam and a ridiculous way of tying people up

In October 2017, less than 2 years ago, I paid Agora $3, 000 for a lifetime subscription to Rickard's Gold Speculator, a weekly publication related to investing in small gold miners. I was pleased with it.

Recently, this newsletter was discontinued and Agora Financial unilaterally substituted another publication, Jim Rickard's Project Prophecy, often which appear to be pitches for yet other products sold by Agora and usually has little to do with gold or miners when an occasional recommendation is made.

Then, just "coincidentally", Agora's subsidiary Stansberry Research recently initiated what appears to be a quite identical gold mining stock service, Gold Stock Analyst with John Doody.

On August 27, 2019, I spoke to "John", a senior account specialist at Agora about this. I inquired into whether there was a substitute publication available specifically for gold mining stocks but he indicated there wasn't. When I inquired about getting switched into the Gold Stock Analyst service, he indicated that wasn't possible. When I inquired about a full or even partial refund of the $3, 000, John said it wasn't refundable.

So, in less than 2 years, Agora discontinues a "lifetime" gold mining publication, has no substitute, won't provide a full or partial refund of a lifetime subscription to it, then initiates an almost identical gold stock advisory service service through it's sister publication Stansberry.

Highly unethical, if not illegal, in my opinion.

Client Number [protected]

This company made an offer via the internet for a free trial of a Health & Safety publication. I consented to the free trial. When the first issue arrived it was little more than 4 pages of A4 and worth nothing. I decided not to continue and emailed them that I didn't want a subscription when they sent me a bill. Many months later they demanded a copy of the email in order to give me a "partial refund". I explained that I don't keep emails once I consider they are no longer relevant. They continued to send their worthless publication and bombarded me with invoices. They have now threatened me by letter with their "nominated debt collection agency". Their business practices are little more than a scam, an attempt to take money under false pretences. I do not intend to pay them a penny.

This company is a SCAM! The people at trading standards are aware of agora I urge you all to leave them reviews on here and Trustpilot if you get the dreaded fake agora bill stating you owe money like we did again!

I never signed up for this service, I have no reason to claim otherwise, I run a very profitable business and thus have no need for a shoddy health and safety booklet that looks like junk mail.

This is the 2nd time my business has been targeted by this automated clever scam, their booklet wreaks desperation and so do their poor sales ethics.

It's a matter of time before they get shut down, a detailed complaint has been made to trading standards and action fraud .

Do not entertain their fake bailiff or debt recovery letters as their debts can't be enforced, their is no contract between you and their business and the original debt is not with the recovery clowns they use thus their debt is unenforceable.

Received a call from a very pushy sales guy about a free h&s magazine. This is sometime ago and the details are hazy - as you can tell this is not something that I wanted. Only agreed to get him off the phone. Thought nothing of it and didnt even read the magazines. A few weeks later I received an invoice for approx £50. I called agora to discuss this as I did not sign up to the agreement. I asked for proof of the email regarding the sign up fees etc as this was not mentioned on the phone call. I received a copy of this email which clearly showed that I hadn't even opened it as they did not have a read receipt. I am being charged for something that I didnt agree to and an email that I didnt even read! They were quick to reduce the invoice amount down to around £15 but after months of harrasment I have now received a letter saying this is now being dealt with by a collections agency. I tried to call but the phone number doesn't work and my emails are not being responded to. Exactly how am I meant to speak to them? Absolute scam of a business! Stay clear of any dealings with them. There are multiple threads, sites and scams associated with agora business publications.

Got an email from Agora publications back in 2017 offering free h&s advice. After receiving that via email they sent a leaflet through the post-I never asked for that. Few monts later they sent an invoice for £87 for that leaflet claiming I have signed up for that as well. I never agreed that I will buy something from them. I was never made aware properly in a normal manner that I am buying something. I am wondering if Agora would sell Rolls Royce cars, would they hand them to the customer and then ask for payment few monts later?
Since April 2018 they demanded payment for the above mentioned amount and this week they instructed an debt collection agency to collect the so called "debt" from me. This is harassment and it needs to be looked at by the competent organisations. I reported thos to policefraud online and trading standards will be informed as well.

Some time ago I vaguely remember a phone call from yourselves where I must have provided you with my name and address, as with all Sales calls I just want to get back to my work. I received no follow up email, even though you say you sent one, it must have been caught in our strict company spam filters, so nothing was received.

You later started sending me invoices for an unsolicited product. No contract was ever entered into with yourselves, by law when two parties want to enter in the environment of a contract, their mind will understand the contents of the contracts. This is due to their ‘intention' to be consenting mind which both of the parties must agree. No understanding happened here and no intention to create a legal relation was held, therefore the contract is not legally binding.

I have been in conversations with Trading Standards who say this is a breach of the Misleading and Aggressive Practice Amendment 2014, this legislation is an Amendment to the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Practice Regulations 2008 and you should be hearing from them in due course.

Your service falls well below the good-faith standards of skill and care that sales people would be expected to exercise towards customers and I hope you change your sales methods going forward as this is just giving you a bad reputation across the industry.

Please ensure that no subscription is entered on your system under anyone at Waldeck's name and record in relation to our company that no further unsolicited goods should be sent to us.

I signed up for two free trials with this company but quickly realised it wasn't what I thought. I emailed in to cancel the subscription within the 30 day period, but the company only cancelled one subscription and charged me a hefty fee for the second publication, for which I only received a load of junk emails. They then refused to do anything about it when I explained the situation.

I received a call frome this company offering a health and safety publication. I told them we weren't interested. The advisor told me there was a free issue, I said they were welcome to send the free one but we weren't interested in subscribing. Next thing we are recieving unwanted publications and getting billed! I phoned up and said we'd never signed up to this and to stop sending. The bills have kept coming and now there's now one from a collection agency. This is a complete scam, would rather go to court than pay a penny to this company.

I wish I'd looked at this before signing up to their pathetic newsletter! I've been charged £88 for 4 news letters! I actually cant believe it.

Speaking to their customer services department its clear that this happens all of the time!

After getting a cold call from someone about a free HR magazine (read PAMPHALET!) I get signed up to a years subscription of crap you can read for FREE anywhere else. If you dont see their email and dont cancel within the months trial (with no reminders like normal companies) you're immediately invoiced with a years subscription.

Honestly, what a scam! This leaflet is not worth £22 an issue. I'd avoid this #scam

So now "liable" for a few pieces of printed paper offering nothing more than you'd get elsewhere for a fraction of the cost.

This company sent me a magazine and then proceeded to invoice me for #84.78.
The invoice no. Is [protected] and first payment due date was 16.02.18.
I explained to them in email that I had no recollection of any dealing with their company and to provide me details and evidence of any subscription. They failed to do this. I explained that I would not be paying the bill and to cancel all information they had on me and my company as I did not give them permission to hold it. They have continued to harass me with overdue debt statements

Agora Business Publications sent me letter today. They congratulated me with the profitable buying and offered to buy more. I don’t know who they are and what they want from me! It is definitely a scam as two days later they charged me $200 and I never received the product.