Firms warned of cheap ads calls

OLDHAM businesses are warned to be wary of callers offering cut-priced advertisements.

A number of disgruntled business owners in the town gave out credit card details after believing they had been phoned by advertising reps from the Chronicle or Oldham Advertiser.

They say they fell for the cheap offers as they felt pushed into “meeting urgent deadlines for copy”.

After the adverts did not appear, businesses checked the number that called them — a Bristol-based company calling themselves the Northern Advertiser.

A business on Yorkshire Street said they then contacted the company who promised a free voucher copy, but he never received it, but was told he could easily get a copy in WH Smith.

Beau Todd-Nicholls, owner of Messy Rascals, said: “This guy called saying he was from the Oldham Chronicle and that he was offering me a cheap deal for the “Christmas centre special”.

“He was willing to waive hundreds of pounds off this advert because he said someone had let him down and he had a space to fill. I’m always really cautious about things like this and it sounded too good to be true — and it turns out he was calling from an 0117 number anyway. I think it’s disgusting, especially now when businesses are struggling.”

Dentist Chris Webb said he received a call to place an advert with the Oldham Advertiser and was waiting for them to call him back — so when he did receive a call from someone called “Ryan” from “the Advertiser” he started discussing the ad details.

But he got suspicious when the same man called him back about an advert in the Chronicle.

Mr Webb said: “He specifically said he was from the Oldham Chronicle and he was asking about getting some artwork for this ad — but I couldn’t understand it as the Chronicle have everything on file that they regularly use.”

Chronicle ad manager Noel McLaughlin said: “With new customers we always use the full title of the paper when ringing people. If anyone receives a call from us, the number will start 0161-622 or 0161-633...”

James Dalton, sales manager at the Northern Advertiser, said everyone who advertises with them receives a free copy by post — but was unwilling to send one to the Chronicle.

He claimed his staff always say they are from the ‘Oldham Northern Advertiser’ and that the free publication “goes though people’s doors in Oldham” but wouldn’t specify where. A member of staff at WHSmith in Spindles Shopping Centre said they had never heard of the publication.