[Seers]

Hi,

Anyone else been hit recently by firms going bust?

Had one today for £4,500, knew it was coming, they were almost four months overdue and rumours were everywhere. We had one last summer for £12,000 too, both have been construction firms.

Cheers,

Huw

[Glyn H]

Just had a property company HQ  go together with a mortgage lender HQ earlier in the year. Luckly the mortgage lender didnt owe us as they had cut back on our visits.
Got knocked for a couple thousand by a building contactor, late last year - strangely I wasnt happy with them from the first time I met on their site, I sensed there was going to be problem -  I should take notice  to my instincts.

The Health and Safety was non existant I threatened to report them on at least two occasions, 1) throwing air condtioning/handling  units off the roof six floors down into a bulk skip narrowly missing our  staff on the scaffold 2) driving a skip lorry into scaffolding our staff were working on  3) No first aid at all  on site - luckly one of of our staff was qualified, when the inevatable accident happened
4) no enforcement of hard hats, safety boots - even the site agent walked round in flip flops - they all wore hi viz vests because the agent reckoned that is what the HSE would notice if they looked at the site.

But on the positive side just quoted for 3 six figure contracts for a very safe organisation.

[williamx]

Glyn

You should go to The Gambia, then you will see correct Heath & safety Pratices :

[williamx]

I go every year

[bluez]

Had 3 liquidations of customers since the turn of the year, got to say I find it pretty annoying to see these busineses continue in virtually the same format having wiped the slate clean. As an unsecured debtor I have no chance of getting paid.

One of these guys had the gall to stop me in the street last week and ask me to call in and give a new quote. Told him I'd be happy to call if it involved my debt being cleared otherwise ........ .

[leapstallbuildings]

Had 3 liquidations of customers since the turn of the year, got to say I find it pretty annoying to see these busineses continue in virtually the same format having wiped the slate clean. As an unsecured debtor I have no chance of getting paid.

One of these guys had the gall to stop me in the street last week and ask me to call in and give a new quote. Told him I'd be happy to call if it involved my debt being cleared otherwise ........ .

There was the opportunity to gradually get your money back by quoting higher.  Mind you, I would be concerned about them doing it again.

[NWH]

Had a shop go under on me last week owing £200,the owner said she`ll still pay me though bless her.

[simon knight]

Had a shop go under on me last week owing £200,the owner said she`ll still pay me though bless her.

Talk is cheap mate.

Most I've been knocked for is £25 and it still irritates me to this day...some of you guys who've been knocked for 1000s...and you seem to take it so lightly!...I'd be camping on my doctors doorstep for large amounts of anti-depressant pills.

[CLEANGLASSUK]

Not a hundred percent sure what company it was But ive heard that my old boss is owed over a hundred thousand pounds from one property maintenance firm. ouch.

[Glyn H]

Most I've been knocked for is £25 and it still irritates me to this day...some of you guys who've been knocked for 1000s...and you seem to take it so lightly!...I'd be camping on my doctors doorstep for large amounts of anti-depressant pills.

Got knocked for £57,000 in 1987 after that everything pales to insignificance, also I had to pay the Customs and excise the VAT on the £57K we were not paid for as the company wasnt in recevership at the time- eventually got back the VAT when they finally collapsed with debts of over 100 million.
 

[Rob.Hall]

Thats big bucks to lose Glen.

How did you get over it as it must have knocked your business quite a bit.

[macmac]

Most I've been knocked for is £25 and it still irritates me to this day...some of you guys who've been knocked for 1000s...and you seem to take it so lightly!...I'd be camping on my doctors doorstep for large amounts of anti-depressant pills.

Got knocked for £57,000 in 1987 after that everything pales to insignificance, also I had to pay the Customs and excise the VAT on the £57K we were not paid for as the company wasnt in recevership at the time- eventually got back the VAT when they finally collapsed with debts of over 100 million.
 

WOW, you've done well to come back from that. A building company I know got knocked for 40k & it put him under!!

[sparklebright]

Makes me feel much better about the bloke who stitched me up for £50 

Though it still annoys me and it was years ago. I hope you had been charging too much so that it doesn't feel so bad
£47k ouch

[HIGH LEVEL WINDOW CLEANERS (scrimmy)]

Most I've been knocked for is £25 and it still irritates me to this day...some of you guys who've been knocked for 1000s...and you seem to take it so lightly!...I'd be camping on my doctors doorstep for large amounts of anti-depressant pills.

Got knocked for £57,000 in 1987 after that everything pales to insignificance, also I had to pay the Customs and excise the VAT on the £57K we were not paid for as the company wasnt in recevership at the time- eventually got back the VAT when they finally collapsed with debts of over 100 million.
 

WOW, you've done well to come back from that. A building company I know got knocked for 40k & it put him under!!

i would go under if it was 40 quid

[Glyn H]

How did you get over it as it must have knocked your business quite a bit.

The loss was more than seven months turnover at the time.
I had weeks/months of sleepless nights because of the situation. Our son was 2 years old and wife was pregnant with our daughter, so it wasnt  the right time for me to crack up about it.
I went into some sort of overdrive, and started working 18 hours a day litrally traveling the country to get more work.
 On one particullarly mad day I travelled from London to clean graffiti from headstones in a graveyard in Leeds, then on to Manchester for more graffiti removal on a monument then onto Liverpool to clean graffiti off of bus shelters for MTL, I then drove home it was almost 24 hours nonstop work . It wasnt a good time, I became obsessed with getting work and carrying it out as soon as possible.
That period of time certainly had a lasting effect on me.

[Glyn H]

I had the contract to carry out all their building repairs and  maintenance at various depots, offices,vehicle show rooms,warehouses  in the south east. 
They gave me several  refurbishment contracts at once and everything looked fine - then bang they collapsed.
The group a PLC was involved in Road Haulage, Container hire and sales, HGV Hire, HGV Sales, HGV Insurance, Shipping, General Insurance, Warehousing, even nursing homes etc. so on the face of it a very strong organisation with several thousand employees.
Any one would have jumped at the contract at the time

[macmac]

How did you get over it as it must have knocked your business quite a bit.

The loss was more than seven months turnover at the time.
I had weeks/months of sleepless nights because of the situation. Our son was 2 years old and wife was pregnant with our daughter, so it wasnt  the right time for me to crack up about it.
I went into some sort of overdrive, and started working 18 hours a day litrally traveling the country to get more work.
 On one particullarly mad day I travelled from London to clean graffiti from headstones in a graveyard in Leeds, then on to Manchester for more graffiti removal on a monument then onto Liverpool to clean graffiti off of bus shelters for MTL, I then drove home it was almost 24 hours nonstop work . It wasnt a good time, I became obsessed with getting work and carrying it out as soon as possible.
That period of time certainly had a lasting effect on me.

Well done Glyn, respect for getting through it all.