COMPETITION: WINNER - Win unlimited adventures for a year

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From now until August 22nd No Boundaries want to give users the unique opportunity to win unlimited adventures with us for a year! This is an exciting opportunity with TWO winners being chosen at random to gain unlimited access to all our trips and activities. Making outdoors adventures easily accessible and a new, unique way to create a healthier lifestyle.

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21
 GHawksworth 16 Aug 2021
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

I wouldn't believe a thing this company claims to offer.

To whomever wins the competition, don't get your hopes up, and take out travel insurance for flights as they WILL cancel trips last minute with no solid excuse time and time again. The instructors they hire are world class, mind!

Post edited at 23:24
 Lankyman 18 Aug 2021
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

How can you have 'unlimited' adventures in a year? The actual number of adventures must be finite. I'm out.

 tehmarks 18 Aug 2021
In reply to Lankyman:

https://www.naturphilosophie.co.uk/zenos-paradoxes-or-what-happened-when-ac...

I see no problem as long as the adventures tend towards being infinitely short?

 GHawksworth 19 Aug 2021
In reply to Iamgregp:

Not the only thread about them cancelling about... Although I was one of the main posters on the below thread, their reputation is growing.

https://www.ukhillwalking.com/forums/off_belay/no_boundries_uk_-_tester_is_it_...

Post edited at 10:16
Message Removed 19 Aug 2021
Reason: Without wishing to censor your valid criticism, personal insults aren't OK. I'm going to ask NB if they'd like to respond to this thread.
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

This promotion doesnt seem to be going as hoped, I fear...

 TMM 19 Aug 2021
In reply to captain paranoia:

Oh I don't know. Didn't some idiot once state that "any publicity is good publicity".

 deepsoup 19 Aug 2021
In reply to TMM:

> Didn't some idiot once state that "any publicity is good publicity".

Was it Gerald Ratner?

The prize just doesn't seem credible to me somehow.  A holiday company offering a free holiday as a prize makes sense, but it'd be hard not to be sceptical and wonder what the catch is if they said it's as many holidays as you like.

Post edited at 14:16
1
 Jon Read 19 Aug 2021
In reply to deepsoup:

I advise all interested in entering to read the terms and conditions.

The winners announcement page doesn't seem to reflect the current prize draw: https://www.thisisapex.tv/events-1/unlimited-adventures-winners 

 Iamgregp 19 Aug 2021
In reply to TMM:

Tell that to Kevin Spacey

 Theo Moore 19 Aug 2021

Hi all, I can see that there have been some poor experiences and upsetting, frustrated feelings here. In light of this I have asked No Boundaries if they would like to respond to questions about course cancellation and customer service. In the meantime please refrain from posting personal insults.

Post edited at 16:47
 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to Theo Moore:

Thanks for bringing this to our attention.

I am going to respond and address the points that have been raised in this forum one by one and I will be happy to respond to any further query that may arise.

 

3
 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to Lankyman:

Hi!

I can see your point. This is a competition that No Boundaries has run before in two different occasions (although not on UKC) and already awarded more than 10 winners. It is free to enter and we think is a nice one to run. More than happy to put you in touch with previous winners and we welcome any feedback about how to improve. Feel free to contact us via email contact@noboundarieslimited.com 

Speak soon
Francesco

Post edited at 17:34
7
 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to Jon Read:

Thanks Jon!

Terms and conditions must always be read hence why they are on the main page and not hidden in links or tabs as we like to act transparently.

In regards to the link it was indeed an error which our website team has already addressed

9
 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to deepsoup:

I can certainly understand your concerns. We fund two prizes through our marketing budget. As said to LankyMan this is a competition that No Boundaries has run before in two different occasions (although not on UKC) and already awarded more than 10 winners. It is free to enter and we think is a nice one to run. More than happy to put you in touch with previous winners and we welcome any feedback about how to improve. Feel free to contact us via email contact@noboundarieslimited.com 

Speak soon 
Francesco

10
 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to GHawksworth:

Hi George,

I hope you are well. While we support and welcome any critic it would have been fair for you to tell the whole story. In particular you were not a customer of No Boundaries but a member of its adventure teams back in Spring 2018. The adventure teams was a project set up shortly after No Boundaries was born and allowed participant who passed a selection weekend to travel as No Boundaries adventure team members (on No Boundaries expenses) around Italy. You were not part of it anymore after you demanded the flights to be booked from your closest airport instead of London and this could not be accommodated as the adventure teams was a programme financed by us and sponsors and we ought to respect the budget at hand and pre-approved.

I have to admit that I have never used UKC forum before and can now see you are on mission here: wherever there is a mention of No Boundaries on UKC a comment from you appears. I genuinely wasn't aware you hold so much grief against us to put you in need to slander the company off every time it gets mentioned on this forum. I am sorry to see this and more than happy to chat about it if you would like

However I want to thank you because is thanks to experiences like the one we had we with you three years ago that we learnt from our mistakes, grow to a member base that exceeds 10,000 supporters, and brought outdoors more than 4,000 outdoor enthusiast. The relationship with our supporters has become so strong that allowed us to survive the pandemic despite the challenges we have been facing.

I also want to thank you about the comment you made about the world class quality of our Guides as I am sure they appreciate it.

I hope you are enjoying the mountains and I wish you a great evening.

Francesco

Post edited at 18:03
19
 GHawksworth 19 Aug 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

You are correct, I was not a customer but a selected team member. With that, the treatment of myself and almost every single other non London based "team member" was nearly identical and we all had agreeing conclusions to the handling of the experience by yourself personally.

I have since met several people who have used NB and not a single one had a positive experience, every single one was with regards to cancelling trips with poor excuses and threatening some with legal action.

With regards to the flights, I remember very clearly you mentioning in the hotel in the dolomites that I would be offered flights AT NO COST TO MYSELF from Cardiff or Manchester, the two locations I was likely to travel from (we shook on it). Only for that offer to be rescinded as soon as the next actual trip was to be organised. (Check our email correspondence from 28-29/06/2018).

In terms of poor weather or poor excuses for cancellations, customer or team member, we have access to weather data... Your very awesome guide Lorenzo had mentioned that although you claimed storms, the main short notice cancellation was because only 2 people were signed on.

When the call was made to relieve from the team, you couldn't even do it yourself and passed it on to Shiggi. I was more than happy to leave at that point.

I feel as so much money is spent on marketing and trying to hush any bad press as opposed to running great courses and holidays, that I have a duty to warn others of repeated bad experiences as a result of your company's lack of courtesy.

I'd love to see that No Boundaries is much better than back then, but I'm still to be convinced.

Send my best to Lorenzo and Margherita, they made my trips worthwhile.

Regards,

George

Post edited at 18:43
3
 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to GHawksworth:

Thanks George for confirming that you were not a customer of No Boundaries and and I am sorry that your comments are against me particularly. I am sorry you did not reach out to me in these three years to express this and I am disappointed that I did not pick up your dissatisfaction before.

In 2018 I had just set up No Boundaries by a less than a year together with Lorenzo. I did so with my own resources and I am sure I made some mistakes back then when comes to communications for which I am more than happy to apologise if they offended you in anyway.

In regards to no one having a good experience with us, it surprises me. Our social media channels are public and include positive reviews and feedback, as well as the one on Google and on our website. Also, if everyone had bad experience with No Boundaries we'd have never been able to survive the pandemic, develop further ventures, expand the regions where we operate and growth.

Developing a company from 0 to what is now in a short period of time resulted in some people having great experiences (the majority) and other not so great one, which disappoints me as we'd love to see everyone satisfied and returning. We all try to learn from each single mistake and we strive to improve. 

You mentioned that: "I'd love to see that No Boundaries is much better than back then, but I'm still to be convinced." I'd say, see it for yourself, I'd be very happy to host you and gather your feedback - you have my email and number if you wish to do so

Post edited at 18:45
11
 GHawksworth 19 Aug 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

>I am disappointed that I did not pick up your dissatisfaction before.

Oh you knew. I won't repeat what an employee of yours relayed to me of your name calling as Theo has already deleted and asked the thread to refrain from personal insults.

> In regards to no one having a good experience with us, it surprises me. Our social media channels are public and include positive reviews and feedback, as well as the one on Google and on our website.

Does silencing bad press via threatening legal action play a part in this?

Also "Wherever there is a mention of No Boundaries on UKC a comment from you appears." It's only twice, according to my My Topics

I think I've said all that needs to be said.

I hope to see No Boundaries do well and treat its customers and team well as it is a great concept and I remember the excitement that came over me when I first thought I could be a part of it.

Best wishes,

George

Post edited at 18:59
 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to GHawksworth:

Ok George - I won't try to convince you further. The door is always open and you will be always welcome to join the adventures and provide any feedback you see fit.

Thanks again for the wishes and the nice words

Fra

10
 deepsoup 19 Aug 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

> I can certainly understand your concerns.

They're not concerns, as I have no skin in the game.  It's merely the impression that I get from this comp.  "Free holidays - as many as you like!" almost seems too good to be true, and as a naturally suspicious soul I tend to wonder what's the catch.  There are a surprising number of very fit and active retirees on this site, it strikes me as a prize that could easily end up costing your marketing budget an awful lot of money won by someone with time on their hands keen to really suck the juice out of it.

> More than happy to put you in touch with previous winners..

Like I said, not concerns.  I have to admit I'd be curious to know how many adventures your previous winners took and what they elected to do though, but it's just idle curiosity really and I certainly wouldn't want to go bothering strangers to check up on you.  It's been a pretty dismal year and a half for international travel, but hopefully the most recent winners were able to at least enjoy a few adventures around the UK.

Perhaps you could just point to some of the social media photos of the previous sets of winners enjoying their prize(s)?  (I noticed the terms and conditions quite reasonably require the winners' to consent to your using images etc. for marketing purposes, social media etc.  I had a brief scan back through your Facebook timeline but didn't see any there.)

 Iamgregp 19 Aug 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

Hi Francesco.

seeing as you’re here and are addressing people’s concerns and, in part, expressing a view that some things could have been handled better. Could you explain what went on with the cancelled trip thread I linked to earlier?

To recap, the users trip was cancelled 11 days prior, reportedly due to bad weather, storms, melting snow etc which made the are dangerous.

I was in Finale on the day her trip was cancelled and the weather during that period, though not perfect, was fine and nothing like as described. The day her trip was cancelled was glorious in fact. 

At the time I suspected that the trip was in reality cancelled due to a lack of bookings, and that the bad weather was just and excuse.

Now another user here says that they have been told by a 3rd party that you have cancelled another trip due to lack of bookings and again blamed the weather (unless these were the same trips, which I doubt).

I know I can back up what I’m saying as I have photos from throughout that trip. Can you back up what you were saying and provide the weather reports that led you to cancel the trip? Or maybe proof that sufficient numbers of people were booked on it?

This may be none of my business, but when I see somethings which is wrong I’m not one to let it pass. And cancelling a trip, leaving a person out of pocket and misleading them about the reason why they have been left out of pocket would be wrong. 
 

Maybe you’ve got all the reports as emails that an back your claim up. I hope you do. If not, well… I’ll leave it up to you.

1
 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to Iamgregp:

I have no issue in personally investigate this matter. However I am presented with a link to a post that date as back as 2019 (two years ago) and a username. 

I'd need the full name and booking number to do this and it should be fairly straightforward to investigate. I am aware is not prudent to share such data on a public forum so feel free to send me a DM and I'll commit to post my findings here publicly in the aim of transparency.

8
 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to deepsoup:

It sounds fair. I have just dropped a Slack message asking the relevant person within the team to provide me with the links and will reply here in the thread as soon as she gets back to me.

2
 Iamgregp 19 Aug 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

I’m sorry but I’m not buying this for a second. 

How many other trips to Finale did your company have organised for that exact weekend?  Using the dates and location alone should be enough for you to identify what went on with this particular trip - your emails will still be saved… At the very least, by law, you’ll have the financial records.

Even if it’s more than one trip to Finale you had arranged in this weekend (which we all know it isn’t) you could investigate this on a group, rather than individual, basis and see how many people were booked, what weather reports you received from who and when etc…

Straight question - have you ever cancelled a trip and blamed it on the weather, when in fact the trip was cancelled for another reason?

3
 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to Iamgregp:

I think I am demonstrating to be available and open to answer any feedback or questions at 9pm in the evening, which believe shows how much I care about others opinion and feedback. I am not delegating this to anyone else. I am putting my name and not hiding behind a username. 

In 2019 we ran over 120 adventures. Certainly more than one in Finale. 

I can certainly go down the route you suggested but it would take longer than receiving a name an order number or at least name and date (apologies if I missed this in the thread and appreciate if you can put in the right direction).

In regards to your question the policy has always been that is the guide leading the activity to make a call on the whether because they are legally responsible for the members safety during the activity. Therefore if a guide says no we cancel.

I would assume that is what occurred but without investigating it wouldn't be prudent to say.

If a mistake has been made for any reason in that occasion then I would be happily recognise this but again I would need some info.

Otherwise I can go down the route you suggested and get back to you here in a couple of working days.

9
 TMM 19 Aug 2021

In reply to dez:

> Hi All, 

> Mark Walker (Dez) here (Francescos business partner) 

> I had totally forgotten the old days of UKC when a bunch of has-Beens or wannabes whined on on forums - seems theres not been much change.

> It’s a shame because we spend a lot of time and energy on making these promotions and of course paying for them, for them to be squealed on by some disgruntled individuals who haven’t chased the proper avenues and feel it worthwhile to drag up a here? Madness. This is a promotion not a dear diedre column - just bang it in an email! 

>  

> Fra and I also put our life and soul into running our businesses together and support and are supported by both the suppliers, staff, and participants which are part of our group. We are not a massive multinational company that can just smile about this and push the cash into something else like a huge corporation would.

>  

> As you all well know SME’s have been some of the hardest hit by the last couple of years,  and of course it’s easy to get on and bang on about this and that - but the bad mouthing and negativity does impact real people, with real passions for what they do, with real families. 

>  

> I mean I know as much as the next that the UKC forums are all good for taking the piss and some banter...but that’s that and this is a step a little too far,  in berating a business with no solid footing and no real reason why? 

> and also - this promotion which is what this post is about - is a fantastic opportunity for the winners - and it is very unique. 

> for any legitimate worries or comments please use:

> contact@noboundaries.com 

> Dez 

> Mark Walker 

> COO, World Adventure Group LTD

That's a very interesting reply that I think will help lots of users of this site get a much better understanding of the ethos that drives No Boundaries and the people that lead it.

Post edited at 21:52
1
 Iamgregp 19 Aug 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

Fair enough. I don’t know the person in the thread I linked so can’t provide any further details privately or otherwise. I think the date is clear from the original thread?  If not let me know and I can check the dates on my pics.

Having the guide make the call on whether a trip goes ahead or not seems a sound policy.

If you find that in this case, the guide said the area was a rainy, snow melt hell hole at the time then by all means give me a shout and back you up in taking issue with them - happy to share pictures of my trip.

Something didn’t ring true when that poster made the original thread. I was there, and the weather was fine and I just felt really sorry for the lass for having to lose out.

I’m happy to support you in getting to the bottom of this, if you’re committed to doing the same.

 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to Iamgregp:

I am absolutely. I am not very practical of UKC as its the first time I use it so if you can tell me the date it would be fantastic.

Also, thanks for all your support! It's really appreciated

 Iamgregp 19 Aug 2021
In reply to TMM:

Oh he’s deleted it. Thought he might. Car crash of a post that.

 dez 19 Aug 2021
In reply to TMM:

Look - I took the response down because re-read it and may have over egged it a bit. 
Fra and I are both just upset to see this happen to work that we complete. 
If folks have some reservations of complaints or anything at all they’re a more than welcome to email them through to us and they can be dealt with. 

I stand by my comment on SME’s.

I had some Arcteryx boots that broke when I was in Georgia once and they wouldn’t fix them, eventually a cobbler fixed them.  Every time Arcteryx post anything I could comment about this - but it wouldn’t make a huge difference as they are a huge company. 
 

These comments that have been made are damaging to us though, and that should be pointed out. 

I also appreciate that no matter what Fra or I or anyone else says - there are these occasions on UKC where the keyboard warriors get busy “trolling” as hard as possible, so it is futile for us to continue to keep answering folks in the “cleanest way” possible and sometimes people need a bit of a reality check. 
 

Dez

34
 Iamgregp 19 Aug 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

No worries.

17th-19th May 2019.

I think she said the trip was cancelled on the 6th.

Full disclosure, it did actually rain on the 18th but I don’t remember this being forecasted more than a few days out. It certainly wasn’t a stormy snow melt danger zone around that time!

 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to Iamgregp:

Fantastic! Thanks. I'll look into it tomorrow and get back to you have a great evening

 Mowglee 19 Aug 2021
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

Sounds like there's only actually one person on this thread with an old axe to grind, and one who has taken it upon themselves to grind some unknown posters' axe from a few years back. And now it seems it might have been raining after all.

Francesco is doing a decent job of trying to rescue this, so maybe cut the guys a bit of slack unless you have an actual complaint to make?

edit: typo

Post edited at 22:25
14
In reply to Mowglee:

> Francesco is doing a decent job of trying to rescue this,

His business partner seems pretty intent on undoing that!

 Iamgregp 19 Aug 2021
In reply to Mowglee:

If you look at the thread I linked previously, I said at the time it rained on the 18th. This isn’t new information.

Yes I don’t have a dog in this race, but as Mark Twain said “It ain't so much the things that people don't know that makes trouble in this world, as it is the things that people know that ain't so” and I’ve always had trouble keeping my mouth shut When I think something isn’t right. Sorry. 
 

As you’ll see from my later posts, I’m actually genuinely trying to help now. I’m really cutting Fran some slack and giving him the benefit of the doubt. 

Post edited at 22:51
 No Boundaries 19 Aug 2021
In reply to Stuart Williams:

I think things need to be read into context. 

No one on this forum knows the personal circumstances of who is involved and what people has been experiencing over the past year and half or are experiencing now.

I am sure everyone in their life may have overreacted to something, especially when they believed it was completely unjustified. Mark worked tiredelessy for the past 18 months sorting out operations and keeping all the business running and everyone who works in the industry knows how professional, dedicated, loyal and passionate he is both as an instructor and as managing operations.

I think that everyone should be entitled to voice their opinion or concern and because there is nothing to hide I will keep responding and doing my bit the best I can 

Post edited at 22:47
6
 TMM 20 Aug 2021
In reply to dez:

> Look - I took the response down because re-read it and may have over egged it a bit. 

> Fra and I are both just upset to see this happen to work that we complete. 

> If folks have some reservations of complaints or anything at all they’re a more than welcome to email them through to us and they can be dealt with. 

> I stand by my comment on SME’s.

> I had some Arcteryx boots that broke when I was in Georgia once and they wouldn’t fix them, eventually a cobbler fixed them.  Every time Arcteryx post anything I could comment about this - but it wouldn’t make a huge difference as they are a huge company. 

>  

> These comments that have been made are damaging to us though, and that should be pointed out. 

> I also appreciate that no matter what Fra or I or anyone else says - there are these occasions on UKC where the keyboard warriors get busy “trolling” as hard as possible, so it is futile for us to continue to keep answering folks in the “cleanest way” possible and sometimes people need a bit of a reality check. 

>  

> Dez

Hi Mark,

Thank you for your reply.

Social media engagement is fraught with difficulties for companies. I have often cautioned my clients against it as it can often provide a platform for the dissatisfied which rather negates the original intention of the engagement.

Customer service and perceived integrity are fundamental principles for businesses where safety and the expenditure of considerable funds are involved. When Francesco first started making posts I was actually going to post welcoming him to the forum and for attempting to engage with users in a polite and respectful way. He was patiently addressing each individual point and I was really encouraged by the diligent approach and thought that there was a chance that this promotion could be saved.

Your two posts manged to sink that good work by allowing your obvious passion for your company to spill over into pejorative statements about some past clients and the users of the very website where you hoping to secure business from. Passion is essential but it needs to be tempered with some sange froid; post in haste and repent at leisure.

I genuinely wish you and No Boundaries well and I hope that you are able to offer some fantastic experiences to your clients.

Good luck,

Ben aka TMM

 deepsoup 09 Sep 2021
In reply to UKC/UKH Articles:

So..  who won then?

 Theo Moore 09 Sep 2021
In reply to deepsoup:

Francesco did send me an email to say he'd picked the winners (and they did this internally). I've asked him if he'd like to reply to your comment, although he's out of office until 20 Sept.

Update: No Boundaries have announced the winners here: https://www.no-boundaries.co.uk/win-unlimited-adventures-for-a-year-ukc And they asked me to post this IG story from one of their winners.


Message Removed 09 Sep 2021
Reason: inappropriate content
 deepsoup 27 Sep 2021
In reply to Theo Moore:

I just saw a Facebook ad for No Boundaries and it reminded me to come and see if there's an update now that Francesco is (I guess) back in the office..

Any advance on the one winner identified so far?  Any word thus far on what any of the 12 current winners (including the 10 from the previous comp) are up to with their free adventures?

Also perhaps an idea of what previous winners did with theirs?  Francesco did mention in a reply to me above (19th Aug) that he'd post a few links to social media photos etc., of previous winners enjoying their adventures, but he was busy doing other things I guess and didn't get around to it.

1
 Moacs 27 Sep 2021
In reply to deepsoup:

What's that whiff in the air?

1
 deepsoup 27 Sep 2021
In reply to Moacs:

Well people do say that if a thing seems too good to be true it probably isn't, but I wouldn't know about that really - I'm just curious to know how it's going with the most generous prize I've ever seen offered in a comp on here by an absolute country mile*. 

* I think..  I just had a scan back through a year or two's worth of previous prizes and the next most expensive for the companies dishing them out that I could find were these ones I think.  Both pretty impressive prizes, but not even in the same league as a whole year of free jollies with travel included:
https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/competitions/winner_-_win_a_jottnar_winter_...
https://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/competitions/winner_-_win_2_days_climbing_a...

1
 Moacs 27 Sep 2021
In reply to deepsoup:

>  I'm just curious to know how it's going with the most generous prize I've ever seen offered in a comp on here by an absolute country mile*. 

Well, of course you are.  And I'm sure they'll be back to tell you

3
 Iamgregp 28 Sep 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

> Fantastic! Thanks. I'll look into it tomorrow and get back to you have a great evening

He never came back on this by the way.  Can’t say I’m surprised. Read into that what you will.

1
 deepsoup 07 Oct 2021
In reply to Iamgregp:

I saw another facebook ad.  £500 off a combined ice climbing, skiing and snowboarding trip.  (Didn't click it, but it looked like an absolute bargain.)  Which reminded me..

> He never came back on this by the way.

Probably just slipped his mind.  He'll be along any day now..

1
 Andy Moles 07 Oct 2021
In reply to Theo Moore:

> Update: No Boundaries have announced the winners here: https://www.no-boundaries.co.uk/win-unlimited-adventures-for-a-year-ukc And they asked me to post this IG story from one of their winners.

It's a bit interesting that both of the testimonials on the linked page and the Instagram post are future tense (i.e. people who have won, but whose 'unlimited adventures' have yet to happen):

> WOW!! I just won a year's unlimited adventures with No Boundaries and I am so excited! I look forward to all the adventures to come!!

> I've won a year of #unlimitedadventures with @noboundaries_uk ! Check out their incredible trips in the UK and beyond!

Not the way testimonials usually work. Personally, if I was looking to convince everyone how awesome my product/service was, I'd get a quote off one of my satisfied customers after the fact.

 Jon Read 07 Oct 2021
In reply to Andy Moles:

> "I've won a year of #unlimitedadventures with @noboundaries_uk ! Check out their incredible trips in the UK and beyond!"

Wonder why the lucky winner felt compelled to add that second sentence?

 GHawksworth 07 Oct 2021
In reply to Andy Moles:

> It's a bit interesting that both of the testimonials on the linked page and the Instagram post are future tense (i.e. people who have won, but whose 'unlimited adventures' have yet to happen):

This is pretty in line with my original comment and not surprising in the least. Flights will not be included, so get travel insurance or at least refundable tickets. I hope the winners do actually get to go out and enjoy free trips but I see it as very very unlikely.

It may be worth noting that Francesco emailed me privately after this thread to apologise for his conduct towards me during my time with NB. My points still stand but I appreciate his integrity to admit when he's done wrong. That being said, I doubt we'll hear from him on this thread again 😅

1
 No Boundaries 08 Oct 2021
In reply to deepsoup:

Taken on board your feedback we have started to add the screenshot from the IG and Facebook pages of our winners to the competition pages directly.

In regards to the winners enjoying their trip away, at the date of your post 19th August restrictions to enter the majority of the location where No Boundaries run adventures were still in place since when the first competition was run. 

However, the year of adventures starts from the date of the first one as per terms and condition to ensure no one misses out.

I would expect all of them to take advantage of the winter seasons now that there is more clarity around the restrictions.

Best way to stay tuned is to check the NB Instagram feed in the section with posts from others (not ours) as they will tag NB during the adventures.

 No Boundaries 08 Oct 2021
In reply to Iamgregp:

That is not true at all.

I have sent you a private message on 24th. 

See screenshot attached

Post edited at 10:31
3
 No Boundaries 08 Oct 2021
In reply to GHawksworth:

I am sorry that despite the clarification that took place between us you felt compelled to leave this comment.

On one line you mentioned to appreciate my integrity, on the next line that you doubt it by saying "I doubt we will hear from him again".

I have not responded for a while because my father had a stroke and my wife surgery so UKC forum was the least of my concern.

Best

2
 No Boundaries 08 Oct 2021
In reply to Andy Moles:

Very untrue and incorrect statement. While these posts were in future tense (why they should be in the past if they haven't been there yet?) It takes two seconds to see that both the testimonials on the website (linked to Google and Facebook), and TrustPilot reviews are in the past.

On Instagram, if you click on the section of posts where other tagged us instead of our posts you can clearly see pictures and caption from recent weeks of people enjoying their adventure.

Enquiring and criticising is one thing, spreading misinformation or inaccurate statements is another.

Hope you see my point

4
 No Boundaries 08 Oct 2021

I believe I responded to all outstanding comments.

As I am not able to check it everyday I leave my email here in case there are any further questions or concerns: francesco@noboundarieslimited.com

On 23rd and 24th October our group of companies will have a stand at the National Snow Show festival in Birmingham. If anyone wants to know us in person or have a chat please visit us at stand H2 and I'll be very happy to chat.

1
 Andy Moles 08 Oct 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

> Very untrue and incorrect statement.

> Hope you see my point

I don't see your point at all. What did I write that was untrue or incorrect?

Please be specific.

5
 gravy 08 Oct 2021

Is it time for a Windscale / Sellafield moment?

 deepsoup 08 Oct 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

> In regards to the winners enjoying their trip away, at the date of your post 19th August restrictions to enter the majority of the location where No Boundaries run adventures were still in place since when the first competition was run. 

Oh, right.  We might have been at cross purposes back then then - I was asking about previous competition winners.

Besides the two winners of the competition you promoted on here,  I see you had ten winners at the end of May 2021 this year, here:
https://www.thisisapex.tv/events-1/unlimited-adventures-winners

But I was under the impression that you had also run this competition before, and had had other winners besides the 12 currently eligible for free adventures.  Was I wrong about that?  When was your first competition run?  How many winners have you had in total?

> However, the year of adventures starts from the date of the first one as per terms and condition to ensure no one misses out.

Ah, that's even more generous than I'd thought then. 
I'd got the impression from Q5 of the FAQs that the year started as soon as the winners were announced - I didn't notice any mention of the year starting from the date of their first adventure in the terms and conditions here:
https://www.no-boundaries.co.uk/win-unlimited-adventures-for-a-year-ukc

Did the same conditions apply to the 10 winners you were due to announce on 31st May (but, please correct me if I'm wrong, don't seem to have ever got around to publicly announcing)? 

I was a bit surprised that none of those appeared to have taken advantage of any of your UK-based adventures during the summer, but if their year of freebies only starts with the first one, perhaps they've been waiting a while to start the clock.  Have you set any deadline for how long they can wait to actually begin their year?

> Best way to stay tuned is to check the NB Instagram feed in the section with posts from others (not ours) as they will tag NB during the adventures.

Ok, cool.  I'm not actually on Instagram, but perhaps I'll sign up so I can see those.  I did have a look on Facebook and was unable to find anything at all.  (Despite the T&Cs clearly obliging winners to post on FB as well as Insta.)

Given the hammering your marketing budget must be taking to provide these prizes, I am a bit surprised that the only way I can see the publicity generated is to sign up to Instagram and delve in there to find it.  I know nothing about business, but it doesn't seem to me like you're getting a great return on your marketing investment if that's the full extent of the 'social media' impact it's generating for you.

19th Aug was a long time ago now, and with everything you've had on your plate of course I can see how that, and UKC generally, is hardly a priority.  But just to remind you, what I was asking about back then was previous competition winners, and whether you could provide a few links to some of the social media pics of them enjoying their prizes, and this was what you said:

"I have just dropped a Slack message asking the relevant person within the team to provide me with the links and will reply here in the thread as soon as she gets back to me."
(That post is still visible way up there^^.)

Those were the links I mentioned in my more recent post (27th Sept) as never having been forthcoming.

 Wil Treasure 08 Oct 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

I can't help but feel you're digging an ever deeper hole here. As a travel agent your whole business is built on trust, and you are actively undermining it with your evasive posts. I'm sorry if personal troubles have got in the way of providing better answers, but the flippant replies given are consistent with previous posts.

As far as I can see you are offering ludicrously generous prizes here, as well as an unusual "tester" scheme and overly generous discounts that I see on Social Media. Offering promotional prizes is a great way to generate some goodwill and brand awareness, but when they are as wide-ranging and generous as this, from a company that is relatively unknown to many of us, they attract suspicion.

I can't see any named winners for any of these competitions on your (or Apex's) website.  This is normal practice. The only evidence provided is the screenshot Theo has shared. I'm not suggesting any of this is fraudulent, but given that the whole point of the competition is publicity, why are you not publicising it properly?

You haven't actually addressed most of the questions asked in the thread. The Dolomites episode a couple of years ago left a very poor impression, and it was the first thing that came to mind when I saw this competition. No useful answer has been forthcoming. It's quite clear that you were a young company who were unpleasant and dishonest with a customer in this instance, and by being evasive in answering simple questions about it now you are only making your company look untrustworthy.

I am glad to see that the trips you are currently running appear to be successful and well enjoyed by customers.

2
 Derry 08 Oct 2021
In reply to Wil Treasure:

> I can't help but feel you're digging an ever deeper hole here. As a travel agent your whole business is built on trust, and you are actively undermining it with your evasive posts. I'm sorry if personal troubles have got in the way of providing better answers, but the flippant replies given are consistent with previous posts.

As someone who has been following this post I would have to disagree with the above comment. Not knowing anyone on this thread, let alone the NB directors, I feel Francesco is being very honest and straight with the replies, unlike the since deleted post from his business partner Mark, which was very emotive and strongly worded. He seems to have emailed people privately to settle grievances, which imho is a much better way of addressing these issues than on a public forum where every word, sentence and exclamation mark can be interpreted against the tone that was intended. Even when this thread seemed to have died away, and would be forgotten about, he has come back on to reply. It would be much easier to ghost the whole conversation, but he has a business to protect which he obviously is very passionate about and will defend. This obviously does not correspond to everyone's experience be it recently or a few years back, but I for one think the answers are neither flippant nor evasive. 

My 2p worth anyway.

2
 Wil Treasure 08 Oct 2021
In reply to Derry:

I agree that not all of them are flippant or evasive. Some have been helpful, but there are outstanding questions being avoided.

 Derry 08 Oct 2021
In reply to Wil Treasure:

> I agree that not all of them are flippant or evasive. Some have been helpful, but there are outstanding questions being avoided.

Which may or may not have been addressed in private emails. Why does he have to talk about everything on here so that the bystanders (such as me) know every detail? At this stage people have probably made up their mind whether this is a cowboy outfit or something more professional. I doubt whether nit-picking through every issue (which will no doubt create even more questions) will change that.

Post edited at 12:51
2
 Wil Treasure 08 Oct 2021
In reply to Derry:

Because they are really simple questions to address. They've been asked publicly because of the previous poor behaviour of the company, a simple public response is all that is needed. We don't need to know every detail, but when the question concerns the integrity and honestly of the company it makes sense to demonstrate that publicly.

Outstanding questions: Who won your competition this time? Who were the previous 10 winners? Have they been able to go on any trips? Why is there no publicity about their winning or attendance?

Post edited at 12:59
1
 GHawksworth 08 Oct 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

I genuinely didn't expect a further reply on here simply for the hellfire that's directed to you.

I think my intention was misread, as I genuinely appreciate and accept your apology. I thought letting the others who are questioning you on here know that was a positive comment, but I feel you took it the other way.

My respect for you after that email sky rocketed.

Apologies don't answer questions though. There are plenty of questions that are left unanswered and an apology on a separate matter won't change that.

I will say no more on the matter as nothing constructive left to say.

All I will say is I hope your family recover well and quickly, it's always an awful time with family in hospital.

George

 Iamgregp 17 Oct 2021
In reply to No Boundaries:

I didn’t receive any PMs from you. Could you please resend?

 Luke90 17 Oct 2021
In reply to Derry:

> Which may or may not have been addressed in private emails. Why does he have to talk about everything on here so that the bystanders (such as me) know every detail?

Presumably this is still a marketing endeavour? Bystanders are kinda the point.

 Iamgregp 25 Oct 2021
In reply to Iamgregp:

I sent that whilst I was abroad and and couldn't search my emails thoroughly as I only had my phone.

Have now searched for his name, No Boundaries, UKC etc, and checked the emails I received on the day he said he sent me a PM. 

The guy never sent me a message.  He's a liar.

 Moacs 25 Oct 2021
In reply to Iamgregp:

> The guy never sent me a message.  He's a liar.

I think we'd all come to that conclusion.  Fancy sounding competition that has no actual winners, sounds too good to be true and gets called out.  Charlatans make a dogs' dinner of trying to fib/misrepresent their way out of it but only dig deeper hole.

Same happened with that Chamonix transfer service that was replying to their own post from shill accounts with the same IP address.  That one was hilarious!

Oh, and Rich Simpson's Action Directe (and boxing and 4-minute-miling), and that irish chap with the photoshopped new routes.  We get them all in the end.

2
 Iamgregp 26 Oct 2021
In reply to Moacs:

What really irks me about this guy is that he's called several people on this thread dishonest.  If he was just some Walter Mitty style character making up claims about his business that would be one thing.  But he clearly runs his operation by the seat of it's pants, makes stuff up when he gets into a tight spot, then calls people liars when he gets called out.  

Not a very nice way of going about things.

Post edited at 13:22
1
 Moacs 26 Oct 2021
In reply to Iamgregp:

> What really irks me about this guy is that he's called several people on this thread dishonest.  If he was just some Walter Mitty style character making up claims about his business that would be one thing.  But he clearly runs his operation by the seat of it's pants, makes stuff up when he gets into a tight spot, then calls people liars when he gets called out.  

> Not a very nice way of going about things.

Agreed...which is why folk are likely to keep popping up on this thread from time to time.

Of course, it's dimly possible that the perpetrators of the hoax competition come back, own up, run a smaller but genuine one, and recover some lost respect...

1
 deepsoup 26 Oct 2021
In reply to Moacs:

> Of course, it's dimly possible that the perpetrators of the hoax competition come back, own up, run a smaller but genuine one, and recover some lost respect...

Or that we doubters will have to eat our words when the remaining 11 of the 12(?) current lucky winners who remain nameless come out of the closet and we're deluged with photos of them all enjoying their free adventures..

 Andy Hardy 26 Oct 2021
In reply to Luke90:

> > Which may or may not have been addressed in private emails. Why does he have to talk about everything on here so that the bystanders (such as me) know every detail?

> Presumably this is still a marketing endeavour? Bystanders are kinda the point.

Only if they're actually selling popcorn 


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