Newsagents have received intimidating correspondence from Mobius Financial Services Pty Limited today outlining what Mobius considers is their obligation in relation to the rental agreements around the Bill Express equipment.
The correspondence demonstrates how completely newsagents were been conned by Bill Express, those who promoted the Bill Express offer to newsagents and those on whom newsagents relied to undertake due diligence on their behalf.
While Bill Express Directors are shareholders are walking away from debts of $250 million and probably more, newsagents are set to be chased for years to pay off equipment which is useless.
How ironic? Big business walks away and small business is left to pay millions for equipment it cannot use. No wonder newsagents are angry.
Newsagents were presented a single package of documents when they signed up for Bill Express. We were told that we had to sign all of these to get Bill Express in our businesses. While the fine print might have revealed that one agreement was with Technology Business International (TBI) and another with Bill Express and that there was no relationship between the two or no common ownership structure, mopst of us trusted the representations of Bill Express, their agents and the ANF, all of whom promoted and recommended we proceed.
TBI sold the book debt to Mobius earlier this year and called in the liquidators two weeks ago. Only then did newsagents see how much they were conned.
While Mobius will say they bought the book debt fair and square and that they are not party to the Bill Express problems, such a position is, I would hope, open to challenge.
I hope all have stopped your direct debits by now.
Mobius can threaten all they like, but lets all stick together and see what the courts have got to say about this.
If the courts rule that we have to pay, then I guess our business can come to some arrangement to pay under the terms we can afford.
People stop stressing! The Money is better in our pockets until a court rules otherwise.
Has the transaction been verified between TBI and Mobius. Where did all those funds go?
I HOPE YOU ALL REALISE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GIVE OTHERS THE RIGHT TO DIRECT DEBIT FROM A BANK ACCOUNT???
SECOND QUESTION:ARE WE ALL GOING TO GIVE THE NEXT GREAT IDEA OUR BANK ACCOUNT DETAILS ONCE AGAIN??
I’m new to all this and its all a bit firghtening not to mention extremely frustrating. I would greatly appreciate your advice.
Can you please tell me what everyone is doing. I think we need to be united on this one.
Has anyone heard from VANA or LAAV? Where are all these guys when you need them. They’re ready to take your money but you get very little for it.
Has anyone heard where the legal action taken up by QNF is at?
Is it worth taking this to A current affair or the like?
As purely an interested spectator to this whole debacle, I suggest that the person signing the Mobius notification have the “balls” to put his/her name to the correspondence. Talk about bully boy tactics. Only a coward, who believes that their position is either morally or legally indefensible (or both), doesn’t have the guts to tell you their name.
All you struggling newsagents – don’t give in or give up!! People power will win the day, so stick together.
The smartest crooks in the books are trying to take you to the cleaners. Don’t pay a cent, because you’ll never see it again.
I was wondering too about the signature myself, ie no printed name just a scrawl.
it might as well be a cow as far as I am concerned that signed the piece of paper.
it’s all a scam I might add from the beginning . What sort of sale is it from TBI to Mobius?
Don’t tell me there’s also no due diligence test done by Mobius before they bought.In that case then they should sue TBI/BillExp for false sales claims.
Who are the owners of Mobius?
I smell a rat here and we will certainly not be intimidated.
THE WORD FROM THE BANKS -CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNTS, CLOSE YOUR ACCOUNTS AND START UP NEW ONES OHERWISE THE NEW COMPANY WILL ALSO GRAB ALL THE BACK MONEY YOU HAVE NOT PAID OVER THE LAST 4 OR SO MONTHS.YOU HAVE UNTILL CLOSE OF BUSINESS FRIDAY!!!!!!
WHAT? if those scumbags want my money, they have to do better than the 2 pieces of worthless shit with a nameless ‘no balls’ dog scrawl.
I just recieved the letter now.
Ian Christianson and his cronies ought to see jail time after this. The contract sure is a piece of work, that we HAD to sign.
When will we be acknowledged in all this mess by the administrators????
Does any one has been informed that lease agreetment expired with TBI Or sign a renewal lease agreement?
I have nover been informed when the lease expired or has been renewal.
To All,
the letter only lists certain parts of the contract, meaning our responsibilities to the contract. It does not go dwn the path of the contract and TBI/ Mobius responsibities to the newsagents.
It certainly tells us all about the lease payments, but have a look and form your opinion about the balance of the contract.
Please tell me if I am wrong. The rental expires after the first initial 4 years has expired. Our first contract was signed by 2 owners ago and many more than 4 years ago. When BX were alive, we were told 3 different payout months by the staff. Now I wonder if it was the staff having no idea of the set up or they were plucking contract monthly numbers out of their backside.
We just received our letter and we sent a scathing email to them that we will not be giving them a cent as the equipment is out dated, un serviced and does not provide any of the services that it was signed up for many years ago.
Has anyone noticed the email address on the letter from Mobius does not work?
I received my letter today too. What makes me particularly cross is how completely we have been gyped. The previous owner has kep all their paperwork. We did the 4-day compulsory newsagency training prior to settlement where both BXP & ANF presented this as a complete package to us attendees. We duly signed the one package & at no point did we ever have it explained to us that there were any other companies involved. Even the page 2.2.1 of the ANF National Operations Manual that we used does not point out these other companies. It simply states ‘part of the OnQ group of companies. We’ve even had difficulty trying to find out the correct date of installation!
The equipment has never been serviced in our time & I sincerely doubt it was done prior to us. As far as IT goes, it was already outdated when we took over in mid-06.
This really stinks how so many people can still be conned so simply.
http://www.mobiusfinancial.com.au (bottom of letter) is a webb address that takes you to:
Allco Finance Group Lts
Level 24 Gateway
1 MacQuarie Place
Sydney NSW 2000
This may be fictitional too like the agreements we don’t ahve with them. The contract reference no. on the top of the letter is is not the agreement no I had with Bill Express in fact my agreement was with Dialtime.
I recieved one an email from the recievers but does anyone have their address.
The letter must have address to respond otherwise it’s bogus. All are the party in Bill Express and Newsagent Associations have done very little to protect the interest of Newsagents. My view to stop the direct debit and give a registered notice to Bill express to take all the equipments within one week otherwise we will disposs off.
just tried to ring these clowns at mobius and you can’t even speak to anyone there it is an aswering machine . has anyone else had any form of contact with these clowns . i also went to there web site that is not called mobius
Our Direct Debit Request form for our equipment rental dated April 2004 was made with Mobius Financial Processing. Have Mobius always had an association with TBI?
I informed these rip off merchants that this out of date, unserviced equipment is sitting in our store ready for collection. Payments of rental have stopped. I informed that a storage fee was to be charged each day whilst the equipment remained in the building. We will also obtain a quote for repair of building where they erected signs etc, this will be claimed for. Note Bill Express did not have authority from the owners of building to display signage or have Shire approval.
Yes we were conned, Bill Express sold us on, we give you a commission to cover rental. Another gripe, Bill Express deducted $200 from us (or thereabouts) for instore training re Bopo. We never have had anyone from Bill Express come to our store since it was first installed.
Just stick together on this, do not pay until all hope is lost.
I along with everyone else, fight the issue, we did not authorise or agree to accept our contracts be sold off to anyone else.
In schedule B- terms & conditions
31. On Q Performance Penalty Clause:
On Q agrees that in the event of breaches of the service levels in Clause 30.1 where the service is withdrawn or unavailable to the merchant, then on Q will continue the terminal rebate payments on a pro rata daily basis for the period where the service is withdraw or unavailable outside of the of the above service levels up to an until the time of replacement or termination.
30. Service Levels:
30.1 On Q will ensure, subject to poper operation of the Terminal That:
A) On Q will provide the merchant with 24 hour / 7 days a week customer help desk / support via a 1300 number.
It goes on, but if their is no support they are in a breach of contract.
32. Termination (either party): This agreement may be terminated immediatley by either party in the event that the other party breaches this agreement and the breach is not rectified within 28 days of a notice from the first party to remedy the same.
What we are doing is closing our account with the bank and opeing a new one. A letter will be sent stating a breach of the contract and we will be terminating the contact.
I obtained a payout fee quote, what a joke, not even a suggestion of a discount. They want around $9000. For outdated and non working equipment this is a joke. I informed that payments have been stopped. Until such time as the paraphernalia plus signage is removed a storage fee of $132 will apply for each 24 hours.
Also no approval was obtained from the owners of building or the local Shire council for signage etc to be displayed. We will also charge the rental company for repair and replacement of fixtures etc removed and or damaged during installation and removal of their equipment.
I agree, do not relent, let common sense take its course and no one pay until forced.
After typing in the http://www.mobius etc web site I was redirected to Allco Financial. The receptionist told me that Mobius had been bought out and gave me the phone no. 1800501090. I rang and was greeted with an answering machine. The Mobius letter I received had what I believe to be the incorrect Contract Ref No. Actually there is no contract ref. No. on my paperwork apart from a handwritten no. on the bottom of Schedule A of the Dialtime Agreement contract. The numbers are different. Both start with “604…..” but that’s where the similarity ends. Anyone else in this position and can anyone advise if where I would find the supposed contract ref. no. apart from being handwritten at the bottom of the page. We have and are being taken for a ride
mine is typed under dear sir / maddam they have not even got the correct address i moved my shop 12 months ago and they are using the old address
yeah lets all stick togeter. i have only 1 paymen left and i m not going to pay as well. even though it will probalby cost me more in legal fees and staff later on. do you know who i can claim my legal fee from?
Had our internet disconnected by Bill
Express today. AAPT To sign up with Telstra takes 7-10 days. Does anyone know of an ISP who can commence service much sooner?
on my original paperwork it states Billexpress LTD on behalf of Mobius financial processing pty ltd
so their both the same company as far as i can see.
I think james is on the right track the best thing to do is send them a termination notice due to breach of contract on their behalf as per clauses 30,31,32. Im not after a cent for storage of equipment and the like but i have only had the equipment for 24 months of the 60 mnth contract no way im giving them 20k for rent on equip that they cant provide a service for
The big screen is great in my loungeroom and ive got myself a new computer terminal for free
chris
we went with optus wireless/landline fusion plan. took 1 & a half days from ordering it to having broadband up & running, as we already have mobile & other accounts with optus.
79$ per month, free local, 13, & all std calls, & free to optus mobiles.
good.
If you look at the contract no on the corres from Moby Dick
you will probably discover that it is the same as your direct debit no
Thanks Darryl yes it is – but the only number on the signed agreement form is handwritten at the bottom of Schedule A and is a different to the contract reference number on the Mobius letter. The direct debit number however is the same as the ref. no. on the Mobius letter. I would have thought those numbers should correspond
i thought i might google mobius today and see who we are dealing with and i had to laugh at some of the things it just seems that they to like bill express have had a bad trott in the pass . I hate to laugh at others bad business dealings but hey mobius are just scum anyway have a read of this one i found on the REUTERS BUSINESS & FINANCE SITE …
SYDNEY, Feb 29 (Reuters) – Troubled Australian investment company Allco Finance Group (AFG.AX: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Friday it had decided to discontinue new investment in its Mobius financial services business and would look to sell the unit’s underlying assets.
Allco said the decision was in line with its announcement earlier this week that it would look to sell non-core assets as it tries to meet debt repayment deadlines. (Reporting by James Thornhill)
i don’t know how old the story is but i find it funny that they can’t afford to pay there bills ..
Ross,
Let me Guess the lucky number is
606061
Darryl – close but no cigar. The number on the Direct Debit and Mobius letter is 604300 – the number on the contract is 604757. Do you or anyone else have an actual number on their original agreement & if so, does it correspond with the number on the Mobius correspondence.