Informdirect

just terrible. there is a lot of info on the website about forming companies. i telephoned, as the website stresses they are 'always pleased' to hear from us. that is not the case. i was greeted by a woman who knew nothing, understood nothing, and could not put me through to someone who might be able to help. it's a shame companies like this advertise great customer help, when in fact they are the opposite.

Registration process requires you to potentially open your company up to fraud!

This MIGHT well be a trustworthy company but it breaches the fundamentals of information security.

Inform Direct appears to have a portfolio of services which would make company secretarial work easier BUT the signup process requires you to enter your company house authentication code even if you don't intend to have Inform Direct file with Companies House on your behalf.

After getting stuck at step two of 'setup' The web chat person eventually confirmed that there is no way to proceed without giving them free and unrestricted access to your company house account – precisely the thing that PROOF is designed to prevent.

Like almost every organisation that has ever been hacked they claim they have "very robust and strict security measures" (a quote from the web chat person) unfortunately the experience of businesses that have been hacked suggests that they are robust right up to the point that the hack takes place.

One of the biggest risks in information security is providing information/access beyond the minimum required. Inform Direct appear to demand far more access than is necessary to use their services unless you wish them to file at companies house on your behalf. The code will be needed if that is the case, but at that stage you might have built trust in their capabilities.

The authentication code for companies house is like a credit card (but without the protection the card companies provide) only a fool would allow a company/individual you have just met to store credit card details including the cvv code. Yes, you might eventually build trust and provide that information (to speed up checkout in the future) but to require the information as a requirement to evaluate the service beggars belief.

Don't waste your time signing up unless you are prepared to potentially give a stranger the ability to change your registered address and appoint /
remove directors without your knowledge/consent.

Charged 拢2.40 for failed identity check which means I was not able to complete formation of a company.

I provided my passport, residential address and used the camera on laptop to take a selfie. Should have passed, no idea why it did not and no way to get back my money. The check is "non-refundable".

They should at least provide it as credit for their system.

I went on their website and paid 拢54.00 for their urgent 'same day' company formation service. Unfortunately, my website data entry experience was awful; there is no guidance and their system ended up putting the village name instead of the street name for the business addresses, and a business address instead of a required residential address. The application was then rejected because the addresses were wrong. Inform Direct did not bother checking the data entered at all, so I was left with the question "What did they do for their fee?". I phoned Inform Direct to ask them to re-submit and they flatly insisted that I would have to re-register and re-apply and PAY AGAIN because their system had not kept my details. When I tried to re-register on their website their system said I was already registered, I phoned again was told "sorry we forgot to delete you" and they promptly deleted me while I was on the phone. Evidently their system DID have my details (until they deleted them!). I was so fed up that I decided not to use a formations service and formed the company myself online instead; in comparison, this was a much more user-friendly, easier, and cheaper option and it only cost me 拢12.00. I recommend that you do this too as in my experience Inform Direct were just interested in taking my money again and again and all I got in return was stress, hassle, and a lot of wasted time.