PledgeBank United States
I’ll do it, but only if you’ll help

Pledge “Defend-StopECG”

"I will Donate 100 pounds to the defense of stopECG.org but only if 50 other people will do the same."

— Jules Woodell, Author, stopECG.org (contact)

Deadline to sign up by: 21^st June 2006
55 people signed up (5 over target)

More details
www.stopecg.org has offered advice and support to companies since 2001, helping small to medium sized businesses defend themselves against scams and other forms of sharp practice, particularly the cross-border use of misleading contracts. The site is currently linked to by many Trading standards offices, Citizens Advice Bureau, Embassies and a host of other official sites.

Some of the companies who's sharp practice it criticizes, particularly those owned by Meinolf Lüdenbach have threatened lawsuits against stopECG and have harassed service providers, forcing the site to move several times.

Should this actually end up in court we will ask you for the pledged amount to help fund our the defense of www.stopecg.org

Comments on this pledge

• I have no hesitation in adding my name to this pledge. In the event of any court action taken against Jules (or any other person standing up to ECG) I am certainly willing to be a witness to testify against the activities of this unscrupulous organisation ECG and its associates.
  Jon Swallow, 4 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Everyone who has been re-assured by Jules's web site and the frequent emails in which we see support being given to people being hounded by these outrageous moral (if not in the strictly legal sense) criminals should sign this pledge. It's an absolute must, no excuses.
  Brian Kerslake, 4 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• This website, todate, has been the most effective way to combat this practise.
  Chris Pavely, 4 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Sadly I've been hassled by IntercableVelag, the Swiss company of this ilk and so I'd love to sign the pledge, but unfortunately £100 is a little too much for me as I just don't have it spare. For anyone like me though who wants to help maybe you could offer your services and try and find people who have been attacked by businesses such as this and bring them all together, show them the website, build a strong group. These companies pray on the individuals who fear court action and pay immediately. They'll stop their practices when everyone stands together.
  Steve, 4 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Having explained to the Yank at Gravis that neither he nor his cohorts at Novachannel would ever get one penny from me, I am more than happy to pledge £100 to help defend Jules's brilliant website. Well done Jules!
  Maria Burek, 4 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I to have been conned by the ECG. this is going back 2 years or so. Yes it was a mistake on my part. I have tried to retract to no avail, I just keep receiving the invoices. I have today 7/02/2006 recived a debt collection letter from Gravis Inkasso GMBH
  I will not be paying!
  Dominic F P Harris, 4 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Anyone who has been enlightened by stopECG and saved themselves money as a result of seeing it should do the decent thing and help defend it by signing the pledge.
  Idris Jones, 4 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• While pledgebank is great for non-economic pledges, I thought I should inform you that the site fundable.org enables you to make a binding version of this pledge.
  Harald Korneliussen, 4 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Pledge bank is a cool place ! evryday i learn more and more about other issues :)
  
  i can donate 50$ is that .
  
  good luck with ur pledge
  Web Info, 4 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• i think more people should sign this pledge
  Thai boxing, 4 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• "ECG is of no value to anyone other than the producers who practice sharp business tactics and have refused to implement my notice of cancellation for inclusion in the CD.
  
  I will not be paying them any fee because the so called guide does not provide the benefits advertised for its perceived purpose. No useful service or benefits are provided in the Guide for the end user or advertiser and the product is unsuitable for the purpose for which it was designed. The product is no more than a very expensive, inaccurate, plain listing in a telephone business " Yellow Pages Business Drectory." and has clearly been produced to obtain easy mony from providors. My concern is that many of the providors have parted with the no value fees demanded on threat of litigation because payment represents a soft option. The business community of Europe has no room for people who complicate their lives with commercial sharp practice and villainy purely for personal gain."
  Dr Richard M Degen, 4 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• any one could plz give more info ?
  Thai boxing, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• The Stop-ECG website has been most useful. I have occasionally had to fight various catalogue-scams over the last 16 years, but never found better advice. I will be happy to make the donation and prepare thorough documentation on ECG and Construct Data Verlag practices if required. Also, I would be happy to meet Mr. Ludenbachs debt-collecting agencies in court, but so far they seem unwilling to take real court action.
  Hans Butenschon, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I to have had an ongoing dispute over 2 years with ECG and Gravis for the last couple of months. I cancelled all publications via email which they say had not been received. Gravis offered me a final settlement of 700 euro which I declined via email direct to Mike Ralfe and informed them of the various condeming sites and cases. I have refused to make any payments and will take my chances in court/s
  Yvonne Mcintosh, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Congratulations on the effort to organize against these unscrupulous individuals and unfair business practices. I am here to tell you that they are now peddling their scam across the pond. Although we are a small company, I will gladly contribute the US$ equivalent of 100 pounds to stop these guys.
  Keith Tholin, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I signed up ECG in August 2005. When the first invoice arrived I contacted the office to cancel . I received a letter from ECG stating I had missed the 7 Day Cooling Off period so I paid the first Invoice £638.57.
  This year 2006 a second Invoice requesting the same amount , I have telephoned and sent a Recorded Letter to ECG requseting cancellation .
  A return letter arrived excepting my cancellation but only after the 3 year period and with no alternative offer, should I not pay ?
  Some Advice would Help !
  Keith Hewitt, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I too subscribed thinking I was updating a database. Until they sent a proof. I informed them it was a mistake and an error on my part. I notified them by fax phone and recorded letter before they went to print! I have recieved loads of letters I have never paid and never will, they can take me to court first. I am a forensic practitioner and welcome the opportunity to put my case forward in a Court of Law. Whilst I have been hounded with threats of Court action they have never pursued it. This have been going on since 2003. It is interesting to note that I have never ever had a single enquiry as a result of this ECG publication.
  Dominic F P Harris, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• Thanks to all of you who kicked in for this. I knew nothing about it. These woodticks went into the woodwork (I thought.) After filing our claim with the Swiss Gov't, we heard nothing for almost a year.
  Enter GRAVIS. . .Wow. . .these guys have the accent down pat and talk tough. Thankfully they didn't get to 1st base with any of you so now they are starting on the Americans who were duped.
  I can't believe they hit a Benedictine Abbey. We know what circle of hell they get in DANTE'S INFERNO for that one!
  Joan Kiburz, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I have only found last night that this ECG thing is a big scum and so many people got trapped by them. I signed their contract in June this year thinking this was only an update for some phonebook database. I have not paid a penny to them and I don't intend to. I would rather go to court if it comes to it. What I don't understand is why the Spanish authorities are still not doing anything about them and they are still being allowed to operate.
  Tiziana Frianu, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I came to know of this issue recently, glad to see that this pledge is successfully closed =D
  Lock Picking Guide, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• I've got my first letter from Gravis. What do you think what should I do? Pay or not pay?
  I'm so depressed about this thing, because I signed the contract two years ago, now it's cost about 2500 euro.
  muci, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• muci, under no circumstances pay them anything!!! The firmer you are in telling them to p*ss off, the quicker they will leave you alone.
  Alice Trout, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!
• We also signed ECG and Intercable Verlag AG forms last august. We did not agree to pay any of them, and tried to cancel so called ¨contracts¨, but they both insist in payimg. Now we are receiving threats by mail and fax. We contacted SECO and Spanish legal autorities (we didn't get any answer from Spain yet), send Petition to European Parliment and we will not pay them nothing. Today we received CD from ECG which we will send it back. It is interesting that the return address on envelop is P.O. Box 2050, CZ 220 00 Breclav 120 (in Czech Republik), but ECG is located in Spain?
  Irena - Slovenia, 3 years ago. Abusive? Report it!