Scam Alert UK

Index

- The warning
- The scam
- The payment
- The return
- The threats
- The non-existent contract
- The DNA Ultimate
- The experience
- The opportunist thief
- The intimidation
- The lessons
- The enablers
- The links

Avoid OA21.com and Adam Worsfold

Do not do business with OA21.com (OA21 Ltd) or Adam Worsfold - they are, in effect, one and the same.

Adam Worsfold scammed me out of £1,300. He is, in my opinion, no more than a common thief. Dealing with him - over a protracted period (July 2023 to March 2025) - was, by far, my worst experience online.

I'm making this public as a warning to others.

The scam

In 2023 I contacted OA21.com about servicing an old Onix OA21 amplifier which I bought new in the early 1990s. I was subsequently called by Adam Worsfold ('CTO' of Onix Ltd) and, over 2 or 3 phone calls, was upsold a new "DNA Ultimate" amplifier. He claimed it to be the "best amplifier ever made" and that he could do me a "special deal".

This deal comprised two payments totalling £1,300 and - assuming I was happy with the new Ultimate - my old OA21 amplifier in part-exchange.

I was in the middle of a major house move and somewhat distracted. A few emails later I agreed. "What've I got to lose?" I thought. Quite a lot as it turned out.

Far from being the 'best amplifier ever made' the 'DNA Ultimate' simply didn't work - and, when I eventually got Adam Worsfold to accept a return, he simple kept the returned amp - and my money.

The payment

Adam Worsfold insisted that the two payments were to be made to two separate Wise money transfer accounts - a month or two apart. Notably I paid one via my Visa credit card by mistake and AW immediately threw a tantrum, refunded me, and demanded the money again - this time to be sent to a Wise account.

I now know that he didn't want a payment to be made via Visa because he wanted to avoid chargeback - more evidence that he's a crook.

The return

When the amplifier arrived in February 2024 I was still unpacking at my new address - and dealing with my recently deceased father's probate. I wasn't able to set up and listen to the amplifier until May.

When I did listen to the new DNA Ultimate, it simply didn't work. It distorted on every channel and at all volumes. It sounded terrible - consistently terrible. I was mystified. I spent a few weeks replacing all cables and inter-connects and sought advice from a friend and a hi-fi dealer - but it still distorted.

I informed Adam Worsfold by email in July 2024. He replied:

It does not sound right to me, I suggest we get it back and I will personally resolve it.

It then took me until February 2025 to get him to accept the return - over the course of which his sparse communications ranged from excuses for inaction (an ear infection, a dodgy knee) to intermittent rants about social media and those he considered had wronged him. He never once addressed the fact that his 'ultimate' amplifier didn't work.

The threats

As soon as I had returned the defective amplifier (at my expense to an address near Southampton) he immediately moved the goalposts:

It has come to my attention that you have, spread lies about me on social media and our company. I suggest you call me ASAP .. You will become part of the litigation I am launching against the guy running that account. You are the cause of the problem with your unit ... I suggest you rethink you accusations. (sic)

Apparently - because I had briefly communicated with someone on Facebook about our 'deal' (my buying a DNA Ultimate amp and for how much), AW claimed I was in breach of a 'confidentiality clause' in a contract which I was unaware of. Nonsense.

I replied with:

What exactly are you saying? That your ‘lifetime warranty’ is conditional on who I speak to?

The non-existent contract

Anyone buying anything in the UK is protected by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which requires that any products you buy must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described.

Also - from GOV.UK - just because a term or condition is written down it doesn't make it legal. A contract term and notice has to be fair to be legally binding on your customer. If it isn’t, they can challenge it – including in court if necessary.

If necessary I will challenge this in court.

Regarding the non-existent contract:

1. I was not made aware of any contract;
2. Even if I was - a 'gagging order' is unlawful;
3. No court in the land would uphold his position.

My supposed 'breach of contract' was just an excuse to withhold my money - and an unlawful one at that.

More evidence that Adam Worsfold is a crook and not to be trusted.

The DNA Ultimate

The amplifier sent to me by Adam Worsfold - the so-called "DNA Ultimate" - did not work: it distorted on every channel. When I informed Adam Worsfold of this he had very little to say - a strange reaction for the CTO of an amplifier manufacturer regarding their flagship product. Any other CTO or CEO would be apologetic and eager to rectify any fault. Not Worsfold - he continued to gaslight and feign outrage and even claim that I had somehow sabotaged the amplifier.

No. In my opinion the DNA Ultimate amplifier is a sub-standard product - if indeed it exists at all. I am now sceptical about all the products listed on OA21.com. If they're so good there would be many reviews and testimonials online. There aren't any - anywhere. Odd.

The experience

The experience of dealing with OA21.com and Adam Worsfold - for what should have been a simple transaction - amounted to more than 18 months of terrible and erratic communication - either from a generic Gmail address - or from obfuscated Wix CRM addresses, a catalogue of evasion and excuses - followed by persistent gaslighting and attempts to intimidate me into silence.

The OA21.com website seems to me to be nothing more than a honeypot for AW and his unscrupulous practices.

The opportunist thief

I know for a fact that Adam Worsfold has scammed others. If he thinks he can get away with ripping you off - he will. He is, in my opinion and experience, an opportunist thief.

As it stands, in the summer of 2025, I have given Adam Worsfold (OA21 Ltd) £1,300 and have nothing to show for it. He is - unlawfully - withholding my money.

The intimidation

There have been attempts by Adam Worsfold to silence me and discredit my experience. I have been nothing but polite and patient in my communications with him. He, however, is inclined to sending me a 3-page rants in PDF format sent as an attachment and headed 'without prejudice' in an attempt to avoid prosecution - wherein he threatened (among other things) to sue me for deformation (sic). All I had done was point out that he was unlawfully witholding my money.

I know he has intimidated and silenced others - and has had posts on Facebook and Trustpilot removed. He is a bully and a liar. I won't be silenced. I do not lie and am very willing to testify in any court that all of the above is true.

Adam Worsfold won't testify in court. He hides behind a fake company address (the Wenlock Road address is used by hundreds of registered companies), a generic Gmail email address and ever-changing mobile numbers. And that's when he's in the UK - he usually isn't. All the more reason not to trust him.

The lessons

• don't trust a company without full contact details (incl. telephone and domain email);
• don't give money to a company insisting on money transfer (rather than PayPal or credit card);
• don't do business with Adam Worsfold - he will rip you off.

The enablers

Wix

Wix hosts the OA21.com website, CRM and (obfuscated) email. In my opinion Wix is enabling crooks like Worsfold to operate.

Wise

Wise allows him to take payments anonymously. Again, in my opinion - and experience, Wise is enabling crooks like Worsfold.

The links

• Consumer Rights Act 2015
• Common myths about contract terms
• What to do if you've been scammed
• Report a scam
• How to stay safe from scammers
• Scam Alert UK discussion forum

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