And so the saga begins....

First bit of correspondence back from ECG. However, they've failed to respond to a letter sent to their Valencia-based offices by registered post in which I point out that, as far as I'm concerned, I haven't signed a contract with them. In the letter I wrote:

It appears you believe that the document your company sent to me requesting updated data information is in an unsolicited contract.

However it appeared to me at the time of signing to be nothing more than a request for information. I returned it expecting a free correction of my data in your database, as such I have never agreed to a contract.

This letter is to notify you that I consider no agreement to exist between our two organizations, please reply at your earliest convenience to confirm that you understand this and that no further requests for payment will be made.

Yours Sincerely,

A pretty tame 'First Reminder' to start with - but of course, the worst is yet to come.



In anticipation of getting nasty phone calls (and the ever-persistant barrage of cold calls I was getting every day anyway - despite signing up the the Telephone Preference Service) I've got myself set up with a Caller-ID enabled phone.

Doing a bit more research this week I came across this very informative video clip. It's probably the best bit of info I've found on ECG since this all began.

I predict I'll be posting again in another two weeks! Also, when I have something more solid to complain about I'll be writing to my MEP.

Stop ECG

It's not very often that I feel compelled to add flashing banners to my websites/blogs but as of this week, this is a campaign that's close to my heart.

I returned home from a lovely weekend in Barcelona to find an invoice waiting on my doorstep for around 900 Euros (£700 or so). The invoice claimed that I had signed up to a worthless piece of advertising in the European City Guide and the money was now outstanding. Now, as far as I'm (and about 300,000 other people and counting) are concerned I never once signed up for advertising space in this junk of a directory. However, I vaguely remember sending off a form asking me to update my details for a European business scheme - but I get those sort of requests all the time for my Photography business so it was nothing out of the ordinary.

I'm feeling particularly stupid this week, especially as I'm normally the one condoning individuals for falling for junk mail and spam. However, the sheer scale of this scam and the fact that it's gaining coverage by the likes of BBC Radio 4, Watchdog and The Office of Fair Trading has given me the reassurance that I'm certainly not alone nor ridiculously gullible.







So, what can I expect to happen? After hours researching this malicious company I now have a good idea of what I can expect to receive including intimidating court and baliff warnings as well as death threats...nice. Apparently it could go on for three years. Luckily with the help of Google I've been able to reassure myself that these will merely be intimidating tactics rather than have any legal weight behind them. The solution will be to stand firm and not be intimidated by these cowboyish bullies. I have an archive folder and I'm not afraid to use it.

If you're reading this after realising you've fallen victim yourself, you're not alone.

Here are a couple of great resources to find out more. These also include in-depth advice on how to deal with threats from the ECG:

http://www.richardcorbett.org.uk/stopecg/

http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2005/01/30/story1947.asp

http://members.aol.com/ActionECG/MainPage.html

I'll add more links as I find them, and will also be keeping you up to date with the correspondance I receive.

Wedding Photography taking over!

Has it really been four months since I last posted on here? Blimin 'eck. Take it that I've been extremely busy rather than haven't had anything to mention on here. After all, that's the truth.

As well as now working under the title of 'Photoshop Editor' for Digital SLR Magazine (well, that's what the Dep Ed calls me anyway) in which I'm offering up a stash load of nifty Photoshop tutorials and tricks this summer has seen plenty of activity going on for my wedding photography company, Big Bouquet.



Working alongside my soon-to-be husband Ian Davenport we now rarely have a weekend or an evening spare as we whizz round the south coast showing off our contemporary wedding photography, visit couples, recce'ing some stunning wedding locations and wearing ourselves out running around with our weighty camera equipment. We've got some superb jobs lined up for this year and next and August will see our first foray into overseas weddings.

Ian has done an absolutely magical job on the Big Bouquet website (in exchange for ironing) and I think we can quite confidently say that we offer the best online customer service in town thanks to our nifty Online Personal Accounts and after wedding presentation previews (you can find out more about this on our Big Bouquet blog). There's plenty more to come as well so keep an eye on the website!

Colour boosting

Keep an eye out for the latest issue of Photoshop Creative. In it you'll find a two-page tutorial of mine on Colour Boosting images in Photoshop using the great (but easy) Orton Effect.

Mobile Broadband Genie

Broadband Genie has now expanded to cover the ever-increasing interest in the Mobile Broadband industry, and I'm now looking after the sister site as well as writing the Broadband Genie news pages.


If you're confused about any of the latest mobile broadband jargon then log onto http://mobile.broadbandgenie.co.uk.

I myself, don't have any access to any nifty mobile broadband package. However, I do have a rather smashing new pair of walkie talkies!

ITReviews

Keep an eye out for some regular reviews of mine on the excellent IT Reviews website, starting with a review of the Nikon D300 Digital SLR.

IT Reviews has been going for almost 10 years and in that time has proved itself to be a wonderful resource for hardware, software and games reviews. At the helm, Alex Cruickshanks does a wonderful job of keeping everything balanced and current, so if you're thinking of investing in some new kit it's worth checking up on www.itreviews.co.uk to read a thorough review first.

Bright features

Keep an eye out for a couple of features I've written that will be included in the latest issues of Digital Photo Pro and Digital SLR User.



Both published by Bright Publishing the first is an installment in the 'Improver Series' section of Digital SLR User where I show users how to do all sorts of nifty things like colour change objects and alter backgrounds.



Next is my interview with Bob Elsdale in Digital Photo Pro. Bob is amazing animal photographer who has created a series of books featuring his pet pigs, chimps and ducklings (there's more about him here). The interview coincides with the release of his new book and there's some fascinating bits on his photographic methods and explanations on how he photographs his animals with utmost respect.