Update

What changed, and why

Posted by ChangeNames · changenames.co.uk

Is ChangeNames a scam? No. ChangeNames is a free deed poll tool, not a paid service, and it has never asked for payment. In June an early version of the site had real problems, including a mailing tool with an unwanted email list and a missing privacy policy, which understandably raised concerns from an outside reviewer. Those specific issues were fixed within weeks: the mailing tool was removed, email is now optional, a full privacy policy and GDPR panel were added, and the site generates your document entirely in your browser without sending your details anywhere. Details and receipts below.

In June, someone who runs a much older, well established free deed poll service flagged real problems with an early version of this tool. He was right about most of it.

The original version used a third party mailing tool to send the finished document by email. Its free tier pushed people toward mailing lists we did not know about and did not want. The domain changenames.co.uk was referenced before we actually owned it. The template had a legal gap around the British Nationality Act 1981 and an ambiguity in the professional name clause. There was no privacy policy. A link to our TikTok was broken. None of that is good enough for a tool that is supposed to help people for free.

So it got rebuilt, properly, from the form up.

What changed

No mailing list tool

No third party sends emails on our behalf. That entire piece was removed.

No email required

The document is built and downloaded in your browser. Sending yourself a copy by email is optional.

Nothing sent to us

Your name, address and witness details never touch our server, whether you email yourself a copy or not.

Privacy policy and GDPR panel

Added in full, up front, not buried in a footer link.

Legal wording corrected

The citizenship clause and the template gaps were fixed.

Domain owned properly

changenames.co.uk was bought outright once we knew we needed it. See below.

The domain

changenames.co.uk belonged to the same person who raised the original concerns. He'd registered it years ago to stop it being used for spam. Once he saw the fixes, he transferred it across for exactly what he originally paid for it.

Namecheap domain ownership transfer confirmation — **Domain transferred**Namecheap ownership confirmation.

Follow-up comments confirming the changes made — **His words, after the fixes**From the same thread.

The tool is free. It was always meant to be free. It works properly now.

Use the deed poll generator →