If you have a question about registering or applying for shares which is not listed above,
please call the Freeserve Share Offer telephone helpline on 0181 639 2083, during normal
working hours, Monday to Friday. Please note that this helpline is not able to provide
technical or customer support for Freeserve users or to take registrations for the Share Offer.
Click here to view important legal information
Back to the Freeserve Share Offer
Answers to questions about the share offer
Registering for the Share Offer
1.If I register for the Share Offer, what information will be sent to me?
You will be sent a mini-prospectus (which contains summary information about Freeserve and
the Share Offer) and an application form when they are available in mid July.
2.I'm not a Freeserve registered user, can I register or apply for shares?
Yes, you can register for the Share Offer and apply for shares if you wish. However, unless you
are a Freeserve registered user (or an employee of Freeserve or the Dixons Group) you will not
be entitled to receive any preference in allocation of shares. You can choose to become a
Freeserve registered user before you register for the Share Offer.
3.How many people can register for the Share Offer as a registered user against a single
Freeserve account?
Only the primary registered user can register for the Share Offer against each Freeserve
account. This is to ensure fairness - only one person is entitled to preferential treatment for each
Freeserve account.
4.I live outside the United Kingdom, can I register or apply for shares?
No. For legal and regulatory reasons, the Share Offer is only open to persons with addresses in
the UK, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
5.I live in the Channel Islands or Isle of Man, can I register or apply for shares?
For legal and regulatory reasons the Share Offer is not open to persons with addresses in
Guernsey, but you can apply if you live in Jersey or the Isle of Man.
6.If I register for the Share Offer must I buy some shares?
No, registering does not commit you to applying for shares.
7.If I don't register for the Share Offer can I still buy some shares?
Not unless you have a stockbroker or financial intermediary who is prepared to register on this
website for you, or who is able to apply for shares through the offer to financial institutions. If you
are a Freeserve registered user, the only way that you can apply with preferential treatment is
first to register yourself through this website. Freeserve registered users who apply through their
financial intermediary will not be entitled to any preference in allocation of shares.
8.I have registered at this website, why haven't I received further information on the
Share Offer?
You will not receive any information until you are sent a mini-prospectus and an application form
when they are available in mid July.
9.Can I cancel my registration for the Share Offer?
No. Please ignore the mini-prospectus and application form when they are sent to you.
10.I have registered for the Share Offer, but can I amend my registration details?
Please register again with the correct details. If you are a Freeserve registered user, you cannot
change your name or e-mail address, as these are linked to your Freeserve user name and
password.
11.Can I register a child under 18 years old for the Share Offer?
Yes. The Registration Form explains how to do this.
12.Can I register jointly with another person for the Share Offer?
No, but if you register you can make a joint application for shares by adding up to three other
persons' names to the application form that will be sent to you.
13.I don't have a PC. Is it possible to register for the Share Offer by telephone or post?
No, but you can register online using someone else's PC.
14.Can I register for the Share Offer a company, business, partnership, club, charity,
association, trust or other organisation?
Yes, but it is not possible for them to be registered as Freeserve users, as Freeserve requires a
named individual to be the registered user for each account. Applications on behalf of any
company, business etc. will not, therefore, be entitled to any preference in allocation of shares.
15.Can I register for the Share Offer in a nominee name?
Yes, if you are not registering as a Freeserve registered user. In order to prevent fraud, if you
register as a Freeserve user you are not permitted to change the name in which you register. If
you register in a nominee name you will not, therefore, be entitled to any preference in allocation
of shares.
16.When is the deadline for registering for the Share Offer?
The deadline for registration will be 3 p.m. on Friday 9th July.
Applying for Freeserve shares
17.How do I apply for shares? When will I receive an application form?
If you register for the Share Offer at this website, and you are resident in the UK, Jersey or the
Isle of Man, you will be sent a mini-prospectus and application form when they are available in
mid July.
18.Will application forms be published in newspapers?
No.
19.Can I register or apply more than once? What if I have more than one Freeserve
account?
You may only apply once in the Share Offer for your own benefit, whether or not you are a
Freeserve registered user, and irrespective of how many Freeserve user accounts you have. You
should only register once.
20.How many people will be able to apply jointly?
The names and signatures of up to three other adults may be added to your application form to
apply to hold the shares jointly.
21.Can I apply by myself and also jointly with someone else?
No. You may apply only once for your own benefit, whether on your own or jointly.
22.Can my stockbroker or financial intermediary apply for me?
You can register in your own name at your stockbroker's or financial intermediary's address if
you wish, and give them a power of attorney to apply on your behalf. Or your stockbroker or
financial intermediary can register and apply as your nominee. However, if you are a Freeserve
registered user and your financial intermediary applies in a nominee name on your behalf, you
will not be entitled to any preference in allocation of shares. In order to prevent fraud, if you
register as a Freeserve user you are not permitted to change the name in which you register.
You should contact your broker or financial intermediary to see what arrangements can be
made.
23.How many shares can I apply for?
The amounts which you can invest will be set out on the application form which will be sent to
you in mid July, if you register for the Share Offer. The minimum application will be for £250
worth of Freeserve shares.
24.Will I receive all of the shares I apply for?
Not necessarily. If the Share Offer is oversubscribed, applicants may not be allocated all of the
shares for which they applied, and in certain circumstances some may receive none at all. Also,
even though they will receive preference in allocation, applicants who are Freeserve registered
users may not receive all of the shares that they apply for, and some may receive none at all. If
you receive a lower number of shares than you applied for, you will be sent a cheque for the
balance of your application amount (unless the value of the cheque would represent the price of
less than one share, in which case the sum will be donated to charity).
25.How much will the shares cost?
An indicative price range for the shares will be published in the mini-prospectus. The final price
will not be determined until after the Share Offer closes, so you will not know the exact price of
the shares when you apply. On the application form you will be asked to state the amount of
money you wish to invest, not the number of shares you wish to apply for. The final price may be
set within, above or below the indicative price range.
26.Can I put a limit on the price I pay for the shares?
No. All applications will be for shares at the price that is finally determined after the close of the
Share Offer.
27.Can I buy Freeserve shares before the Share Offer?
No. You can only register for the Share Offer now. If you do, a mini-prospectus and an
application form will be sent to you in mid July.
28.How and when will I have to pay for the shares?
You should pay with a cheque drawn on your personal bank or building society account. You will
need to send the cheque with your application form. Do not send cash.
29.Will I have to pay the full price straight away?
Yes. Your application cheque must be for the full amount which you apply to invest.
30.When does the Share Offer start?
The Share Offer is expected to start on 12th July, with application forms expected to be posted
to registrants and Freeserve and Dixons Group employees by 14th July. There will be an
announcement on this website when the Share Offer commences.
31.How long will I have to apply?
If you have registered and receive a mini-prospectus you will have only a few days to return your
application form, if you choose to apply. The date and time by which your application must be
submitted will be set out on the application form.
Special arrangements for Freeserve registered users and Freeserve and Dixons Group
employees
32.Are there any special arrangements for Freeserve registered users?
Those who register for the Share Offer as Freeserve registered users, and who then apply for
shares, will receive preference in allocation, over other applicants, if there is a heavy demand for
shares. For example, if a Freeserve registered user and another applicant both apply for £5,000
worth of shares, and they both cannot be allocated those shares in full, then the Freeserve
registered user may be allocated more shares than the other applicant.
33.Are there any special arrangements for Freeserve or Dixons Group employees?
Those who were Freeserve or Dixons Group employees on 25th June 1999, and who apply for
shares, will receive the same preference in allocation as those who have registered and applied
as Freeserve registered users.
34.Are there any special arrangements for Dixons shareholders?
No.
35.What form will the preferential treatment for registered users and employees take?
If the demand for shares is more than can be satisfied by the shares available in the Share Offer,
the Freeserve and Dixons Group employees, and those who have registered and applied as
Freeserve registered users, may be allocated more shares than others who have applied for the
same number of shares. There is no other special treatment; for example, all applicants in the
Share Offer will pay the same price for the shares they are allocated.
36.How do I become a Freeserve registered user?
If you go to the Freeserve Home Page www.freeserve.net you will find instructions on how you
can become a registered user by downloading the necessary software from the Internet.
Alternatively, you can obtain the software on a free CD ROM from Dixons, Currys, PC World,
The Link and @jakarta stores. In either case, you will need to load the software onto your PC in
order to become a registered user. Please note if you are using a PC that forms part of a local
area network (LAN), you should contact your network administrator before attempting to become
a registered user of Freeserve. Your computer at work may well be part of a local area network.
37.Do I have to pay to become a Freeserve registered user?
You do not have to pay an initial fee or a regular subscription to be a Freeserve registered user.
You will, however, have to pay local telephone call charges for the time that your PC is on-line to
Freeserve services.
38.I can access Freeserve at work, does that make me a registered user?
Not unless you are the primary user whose personal details were taken when the Freeserve
account was opened. Anyone with an Internet connection can access the Freeserve website at
www.freeserve.net. However, only those who have registered with Freeserve for Freeserve to be
their Internet Service Provider (ISP) are counted as Freeserve registered users, and therefore are
entitled to preference in allocation of shares.
39.Can a company, business, partnership, club, charity, association, trust or other
organisation become a Freeserve registered user?
No, it is not possible for them to be registered as Freeserve users, as Freeserve requires a
named individual to be the registered user for each account.
40.Can I become a Freeserve registered user if I don't have a PC?
Yes, if you have access to a PC, or another Internet access device, even if it is not your own,
you are able to have a Freeserve account and so be a registered user. Please note if you are
using a PC that forms part of a local area network (LAN), you should contact your network
administrator before attempting to become a registered user of Freeserve. Your computer at work
may well be part of a local area network.
41.How long do I have to remain a registered user in order to receive preferential
treatment?
There is no minimum period for which you must be a registered user in order to receive the
preferential treatment. However, you must have used your account within a period of 90 days
before registering for the Share Offer.
General questions
42.Will there be bonus shares or any other incentives?
No.
43.Will I receive my own share certificate? When will I receive it?
You will have the opportunity to request your own share certificate, if you so choose. Certificates
will be posted to successful applicants just over a week after the close of the Share Offer.
44.Can I hold Freeserve shares in an ISA?
Yes, but you will have to make your own arrangements to transfer your shares into an ISA after
the Share Offer.
45.When will dealings in Freeserve shares commence?
Official dealings will commence in the shares just over a week after the close of the Share Offer.
46.How will I be able to sell my Freeserve shares (or buy more) after the Share Offer?
It is planned that a special dealing service will be offered to those who are allocated shares in the
Share Offer. Further details will be set out in the mini-prospectus.
47.Where and when can I see a copy of the mini-prospectus?
If you register for the Share Offer a copy of the mini-prospectus, which will contain a summary of
the key information about the flotation, will be sent to you when it is published in mid July.
48.How much will dividends be? How frequently will they be paid?
Details of Freeserve's policy in relation to dividends will be set out in the mini-prospectus.
49.Will the shares be a good investment? Are they likely to increase in value?
We are not permitted to give you investment advice. If you need advice you should speak to your
financial adviser.
Click here to view important legal information
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