I got an unsolicited email in my in-box from Jean-Patrique Cookware offering a free five piece knife set for requesting their catalogue. I was dubious but thought hey ho lets fill in the form and see if they turn up.
I became even more suspicious when as part of the process they tried offering to sign me up for offers from other companies, I declined these.
The next screen asked you to pay £7-99 up front to get the “free” knives which would be refundable against a future order from them (see below). They justified this as part of the validation process.
Now I bailed out at this point but can see how some people would have gone ahead and paid.
I Googled Jean-Patrique Cookware and came up with a piece in The Guardian titled Putting the knife into Jean-Patrique Professional Cookware – Mail order knife firm sent gift worth far less than advertised.
