Confused...

I came accross the UK DEED POLL SERVICE at www.ukdps.org.uk. This company charges £30. However I then found another website with the same company name at www.uk-deed-poll-service.org.uk but who charge £5.99.

The site at www.uk-deed-poll-service.org.uk say that they have been providing deed polls since 1989 and that they have helped 300, 000 people. I did the sums and 300, 000 x £5.99 means that the company has passed the VAT threshold - but there is no VAT number listed any where on the site at www.uk-deed-poll-service.org.uk. VAT is not added on the application form either. It just does not add up to me. I work hard and I pay my taxes - so should this company! I'm tempted to report them to HMRC.

It gets worse:

I started looking at deed polls on ebay where I found LEGALDEEDPOLLSERVICE who charge 12.95: http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/legaldeedpollservice/. I later found another company called the same but who charge slightly more - 13.39. I called the official legaldeedpoll company (13.39) and I explained the issue. I was asked to hold and then I was transferred to the manager - the manager then asked me to hold and then a solicitor from a firm in Shrewbury answered - all very odd at that point.

The solicitor said that the ebay listing is not connected to their clients (official legaldeedpoll) company, however, would I be willing to write a statement for trading standards about how it confused me - the official legaldeedpoll company filed a passing off claim with trading standards last week. I agreed to help (hopefully they'll change our names for nothing!).

I thought the uk deed poll service l issue was odd - but when I came accross the legaldeedpoll issue too it just threw me. I can#'t get hold of www.ukdps.co.uk today to see what they say and I don't want to report this to Watchdog until I am certain about the facts.

It seems to me that www.uk-deed-poll-service.org.uk are trading illegally - their website and company name seems to belong to somebody else - the website is very poor and the information they give on one page is inconsistent with the information they display on other pages on their site... Its got to be a scam - but i'm not 100% on this.

Can somebody (in the know) take a look at www.uk-deed-poll-service.org.uk and let me know what your thoughts are? If people are being ripped off by them I want to make sure that the authorities know.

Cheers,
Brian