Deutscher Adressdienst GmbH / DAD

Trading from Hamburg, Germany and also known as Professional Directory Online, Classified Information 2005 ~ Telefax-Company-Register, and various national 'Internet registers'

28th December 2005, Swiss Newspaper article Exposes link between DAD and Meinolf Lüdenbach

Trusting StopECG
Have you been told by one of the guides that the advice offered here is erroneous? Read More


DISCLAIMER This website is in no way affiliated or assoaciated with the Deutscher Adressdienst GMBH / Telefax-Company-Register / Professional Directory Online. This is a non-commercial website established in Opposition to all companies that profit from the mailing of misleading contracts. If you have come here seeking their services you are in the wrong place!

Last Updated, November 2007

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CONTENTS
  1. Current Info
  2. Advice if you have signed the contract
  3. Info on DAD
International help.. Click your flag!

Stop DAD! - Polski Rejestr Internetowy Stop DAD! - Telefax-Company-Register, Advice for Chinese readers Deutscher Adressdienst GmbH / DAD - Telefaxkataloger Attenzione al Registro Italiano Internet 

Current Info
DAD has been around for many years, operating on a low level, mailing various misleading forms, using names such as Classified Information 2005 ~ Telefax-Company-Register however in late 2005 they massively ramped up their operation, using national or regional ‘Internet registers’. The forms give the impression of a free listing, however signing and returning it will be seen by DAD as acceptance of an onerous contract. It appears that DAD target domain name holders in individual countries, with large numbers of forms being sent out a country at a time. See reports for Switzerland and Holland. The targetting of domain name holders in this manner is not new, we have seen evidence that it was previously undertaken by Intercable Verlag AG



The Contracts used are a variation on those used by the European City Guide, Construct Data (Fair Guide), Novachannel AG / Tourist Directory and the now defunct Tour and Travel Guide. They have the closest similarity to those used by the TVV Telefax directory. At this time it is unclear if Deutscher Adressdienst GmbH are an associated to TVV or if this is a copycat operation.

Contact Info:
DAD Deutscher Adressdienst GmbH
Postfach 20 31 63
D-20221
Hamburg
Germany

Fax: +49 (0)40 23518589

E-Mails: info@dad-addresses.com
info@deutscher-adressdienst.de

Web: http://www.dad-addresses.com/
http://www.deutscher-adressdienst.de/


Contracts:

2007, 'Internet Register', Faxed Version
Front, 2004 Mailout
View High Resolution
Back, 2004 Mailout
View High Resolution
Reply Envelope,2004


A different and very misleading form was mailed by Deutscher Adressdienst GmbH, using the name Professional Directory Online in the summer of 2004 to addresses in Canada Click here to view a copy of this from hosted on the excellent Ergo Films site

The Canadian form used the highly deceptive enhanced options trick, where prices are placed against a number of optional extras, misleading the reader to conclude that a basic entry is free. A very similar form mailed by Deutsche Online Service was recently the subject of a German court case. Deutsche Online Service lost comprehensively More..

Advice if you have signed the contract
First, if you feel deceived, come out fighting! Write all the letters of complaint suggested below and follow them up, the more you do the harder it is for DAD and other companies to profit from the mailing of misleading contracts!
  1. Contact The German Authorities
  2. Contacting your MEP
  3. Contact Your National Self Regulation Organisation
The terms on the reverse offer only 1 week as a cooling off period, this is exceptionally short! Even if you are outside the week it is probably a good idea to write formally canceling the contract as the brevity of the cooling off period is likely challenged should these contracts ever be contested in court.

Contact The German Authorities

Whenever filing official complaints, we recommend you keep your letters short, polite and factual. It may help prosecutors if you explain why you feel the original document was misleading

Please include copies of all Correspondence you have had with the guide and with their agents. You should send high quality photocopies and should keep your original correspondence on file. If you have lost or destroyed any documents please note this in your letter of complaint.


There are 3 German addresses you can write to, the first organisation brings actions/injunctions against scams, they may not accept international complaints, however at this stage we recommend you write so at the very least they are aware of the situation

Deutscher Schutzverband gegen Wirtschaftskriminalität e.V.
Landgrafenbstr. 24 b
61348 Bad Homburg
Germany

Tel.: 06172-1215-0
Fax 06172 - 84 422
http://www.dsw-frankfurt.de/

The Public Prosecutor may provide a better avenue, Please carbon copy your correspondence to them.

Staatsanwaltschaft Hamburg
Gorch-Fock-Wall 15
20355 Hamburg
Germany

Tel +49 40 4 28 43 1700 / 1702
Fax: +49 40 4 28 43 1867


Finally, Directory Editors in Germany have a union, that is active against spam: Please Carbon Copy them in on any complaints you file.

VDAV - Verband Deutscher Auskunfts- und Verzeichnismedien e.V.,
Heerdter Sandberg 30,
40549 Düsseldorf,
Germany

Tel: +49 (0)211/57 79 95-0
Fax: +49 (0)211/57 79
E-Mail: info@vdav.org
Web http://www.vdav.de

Contact Your MEP
advice for residents of the European Union who are in dispute with Gravis Inkasso Gmbh Residents of the European Union are asked to send a copy of the complaint to their MEP (Member European Parliament). If you do not know who your MEP is, click the one of the links below and look them up. You may find that you are represented by more than one MEP, if so, please contact them all!!
http://www.europarl.eu.int/ ALL EU Countries please navigate to your country
http://www.writetothem.com/ UK Only (enter your postcode, you can then fax direct from the webform!)
http://www.europarl.org.uk/uk_meps/MembersMain.htm UK Only (for postal addresses)


Contact Your National Self Regulation Organisation
Why: Self Regulation Organisations (SROs) Enforce responsible advertising from within the industry, some have legal powers as well. They also liase with government enforcement agencies. Getting a letter to your national SRO is important.
How: To find the contact details for the SRO in your country visit:
http://www.easa-alliance.org/about_easa/en/easa_members.html

You should provide copies of your correspondence with DAD + a letter explaining why you feel mislead. Make it clear that you are filing a Cross Border Complaint


Detailed Info on DAD This section is under construction


Guises used:
DAD trade predominantly in the area of domain name registers and fax directories, they use a number of different names on their forms including:

Deutschen Internet Register
Deutscher Adressdienst GmbH
Classified Information 2005
Telefax-Company-Register DAD
Managing Director: Inga Kruskop

Associated Websites:
First, The ‘Internet registers’
www.norsk-internett-register.com
www.American-internet-register.com
www.Belgisch-internet-register.com
www.Canadian-internet-register.com
 + at least 15 more

www.dad-kruskop.de
www.branchen-fuer-deutschland.de
www.dad-addresses.com
www.deutscher-adressdienst.de
www.branchen-und-domains.de
www.dad-internetregister.de
www.deutschesinternetregister.de
www.dad-addresses.com
www.internet-register-der-schweiz.com
www.Belgisch-internet-register.com
www.branchen-und-domains.de
www.dienstleistungs.branchen-und-domains.de
www.unternehmensberatungs.branchen-und-domains.de
www.gastronomie.branchen-und-domains.de
www.touristik.branchen-und-domains.de
www.logistik.branchen-und-domains.de
www.bildungs.branchen-und-domains.de
www.computer.branchen-und-domains.de
www.immobilien.branchen-und-domains.de
www.hotel.branchen-und-domains.de
www.bau.branchen-und-domains.de
www.automobil.branchen-und-domains.de

www.inga-kruskop.de (Possibly)


Press Coverage | See all guide and scam related coverage

DAD: Mag ik even vangen? Emerce (In Dutch 1at March 2004)



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