Weebles Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 Just emailed our kitchen company following up on a query from my electrician and got a call back saying they have gone into liquidation. This is a company that has been around for 18 years apparently. Used by @Bitpipe - lovely kitchens. Anyway, our deposit (over £3K) has gone with them we guess. Any advice on how to proceed from here? We would like to take some action to retrieve some money. Or is it a waste of time? Any similar experiences and advice? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizzie Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 How did you pay? If credit card then they should help if cash/cheque/bank transfer then you are in the queue with the other creditors. Feel for you, thats a rotten thing to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 I hope you are going to say you paid the deposit with a credit card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 12 minutes ago, Weebles said: Anyway, our deposit (over £3K) has gone with them we guess. Sorry to hear this. How gutting for you . Don't suppose you paid any of it by credit card? That would afford you some protection. Failing that you will just join a long list of creditors I imagine sadly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weebles Posted January 6, 2019 Author Share Posted January 6, 2019 Sadly they wouldn't accept a credit card payment so I paid by direct bank transfer. ☹️ How would I join the list of creditors? I can't even find out that they are actually in liquidation. There is nothing on Companies House yet but their premises are empty (apparently) and their website is no longer working. Has anyone had any success in a line of creditors? Is it worth bothering? £3K is alot of money but the stress is also costly....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/somethings-gone-wrong-with-a-purchase/if-a-company-stops-trading-or-goes-out-of-business/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedreamer Posted January 6, 2019 Share Posted January 6, 2019 Is it possible that the person you spoke to, was confused about different terminology and had perhaps it has gone into administration instead? I would have thought an established business with 18 years of trading would have had some value in at least going into administration for a period to try and save it before, and then being wound up? If the business is close to you, perhaps it would be worth seeing if they have popped a notice in the shop window? Companies House is probably is running at is peak time period with the 31 December deadlines so if any recent forms have been submitted might be a longer delay than normal for these to appear on Companies House beta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weebles Posted January 6, 2019 Author Share Posted January 6, 2019 Thank you. I have written a polite letter to the company directors and the guy who ran the business day to day (all address details obtained from Companies House) to request more information. I am not optimistic. But now I have done some digging I find there are 4 people who are all directors of many companies involved in kitchen fitting and property development. The 18 years, quoted to me by another "creditor", may not be true (5 looks more like it) and I may be learning a pretty tough, expensive lesson. Not to take things at face value. Dig a bit and then dig a bit more. Before paying anything. Easy to look at it in hindsight though. At the time we paid the deposit there were plenty of happy customers, a positive recommendation, a buzzing showroom...... Well I have a kitchen design now. A bloody expensive one. But a kitchen design and specification with which to start again. Off to lie awake all night..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 (edited) @Weebles I have only had one of these in recent event years, and as it was a CC purchase once I was in a position to state that yes they have vanished and yes I have tried to contact them, the Credit Card company were happy to reverse the transaction on my say so. For mine I took the trouble of finding out who the LL was and talking to their managing agent, who confirmed they had not been paying rent. It may be that the LL could have pushed them through. The Insolvency Service may have or know where to find more info, or check their latest annual report and phone up the auditor/accountant. Or you could get in touch with one of the Directors personally. You can contact the Insolvency Service Enquiry line with general insolvency questions on 0300 678 0015 Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm (except bank holidays) or email:Insolvency.EnquiryLine@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk Ferdinand Edited January 7, 2019 by Ferdinand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Could you maybe contact the kitchen supplier direct and explain what has happened and see where they are in terms of providing your kitchen / if they’ve been paid anything and if your order can be transferred to another supplier of those kitchens? The guys who are no longer trading are just the middle man presumably (but sadly the ones with your cash). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue B Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 I learnt my lesson when MFI went under. 3 bedrooms all ordered but I had paid on a credit card so I got a refund very quickly. Now, if a company won’t accept a CC for this type of purchase, I won’t use them. Sorry - this must feel like a nightmare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliMcLeod Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 (edited) This recently happened to friends of my wife - a company had fitted their bathroom and they were happy with the job. They then handed over close to £15K for a kitchen but the company went into liquidation in the middle of December. They paid it all via a Bank Transfer and it looks like they've lost the lot unless they can somehow prove that the company were trading while insolvent so they can go after the directors. Unlikely. I always look to put at least £100 on a credit card for any such large purchases. Good luck to @Weebles Edited January 7, 2019 by AliMcLeod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Another safe way is to buy on a trade account. My kitchen came from Howdens, booked to the account, and paid for AFTER the whole kitchen was delivered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nod Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 Very sad Our kitchen company wanted 9k of the 18k suply only upfront Said they wouldn’t accept a credit card on a large amount We contacted our credit card company and they told us if we paid £500 We where covered for the full amount Also you can extend five electrical item warrantees to three year Each year I know easy after the event Really crap start to a new year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hecateh Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 1 hour ago, nod said: Very sad Our kitchen company wanted 9k of the 18k suply only upfront Said they wouldn’t accept a credit card on a large amount We contacted our credit card company and they told us if we paid £500 We where covered for the full amount Also you can extend five electrical item warrantees to three year Each year I know easy after the event Really crap start to a new year Similar to mine. I paid up front for the whole kitchen, they didn't want to accept a credit card for the whole amount so just put £100 on card and paid the rest. However mine was a much smaller amount overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bitpipe Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 (edited) 18 hours ago, Weebles said: Just emailed our kitchen company following up on a query from my electrician and got a call back saying they have gone into liquidation. This is a company that has been around for 18 years apparently. Used by @Bitpipe - lovely kitchens. Anyway, our deposit (over £3K) has gone with them we guess. Any advice on how to proceed from here? We would like to take some action to retrieve some money. Or is it a waste of time? Any similar experiences and advice? Wow, quite shocked at that - @HerbJ used them also. I'll send you a PM with some ideas. Edited January 7, 2019 by Bitpipe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbJ Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 I'm surprised too. Their main business was quartz and stone worktops, mostly to the trade . They supplied fitted worktops to many other kitchen shops in Berkshire and Surrey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newhome Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 26 minutes ago, HerbJ said: I'm surprised too. Their main business was quartz and stone worktops, mostly to the trade . They supplied fitted worktops to many other kitchen shops in Berkshire and Surrey. Depends if they’ve conveniently been running a separate company for the kitchen sales I guess. Sounds like @Weebles found several companies listed against the directors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redoctober Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 5 hours ago, AliMcLeod said: I always look to put at least £100 on a credit card for any such large purchases. 4 hours ago, nod said: We contacted our credit card company and they told us if we paid £500 We where covered for the full amount Gut wrenching news indeed. Some very sound advice though from @nod and @AliMcLeod. Unaware that this was an option to be honest. I would have certainly used this method had I known about it as during our build, I paid for most things via bank transfer and on a couple of occasions ahead of any delivery or work done. That said, these decisions were made based upon many factors and I suppose a degree of "luck". But sadly, as @Weebles has found out at his own cost, there are no guarantees in life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbJ Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 3 minutes ago, newhome said: Depends if they’ve conveniently been running a separate company for the kitchen sales I guess. Yes, that may well be the case. They seem to be trading under a similar name at a new address. When I entered their old website from my old correspondence , it redirected me to the new trading name, which is very similar. both for worktops/quartz/stone and for kitchens....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Declan52 Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 12 minutes ago, HerbJ said: Yes, that may well be the case. They seem to be trading under a similar name at a new address. When I entered their old website from my old correspondence , it redirected me to the new trading name, which is very similar. both for worktops/quartz/stone and for kitchens....... So have they already started up again under a new name!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliMcLeod Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 (edited) 36 minutes ago, HerbJ said: Yes, that may well be the case. They seem to be trading under a similar name at a new address. When I entered their old website from my old correspondence , it redirected me to the new trading name, which is very similar. both for worktops/quartz/stone and for kitchens....... @Weebles If i were you, i'd try to capture this website redirection (perhaps "record" going to the website). I'm no consumer law expert, but I'm sure there's rules that will strengthen your case if you can show the new company is trading off the goodwill of the now-liquidated one. I'd certainly contact Trading Standards (or perhaps Citizens Advice in the first instance). You could also phone the number on this page to ask them about the new company using the liquidated company's web address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/re-use-of-company-names/re-use-of-company-names You can check online of the web address belongs to the now-liquidated company or to an individual. Edited January 7, 2019 by AliMcLeod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Davies Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 24 minutes ago, AliMcLeod said: If i were you, i'd try to capture this website redirection (perhaps "record" going to the website). wget -S Will give a log of redirections and the like. E.g., here's this forum redirecting from http to https: wget -S http://forum.buildhub.org.uk/ --2019-01-07 15:58:09-- http://forum.buildhub.org.uk/ Resolving forum.buildhub.org.uk (forum.buildhub.org.uk)... 46.32.255.36 Connecting to forum.buildhub.org.uk (forum.buildhub.org.uk)|46.32.255.36|:80... connected. HTTP request sent, awaiting response... HTTP/1.1 301 Moved Permanently Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2019 15:58:09 GMT Server: Apache/2.4.18 (Ubuntu) Location: https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/ Content-Length: 325 Keep-Alive: timeout=5, max=100 Connection: Keep-Alive Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Location: https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/ [following] --2019-01-07 15:58:09-- https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/ Connecting to forum.buildhub.org.uk (forum.buildhub.org.uk)|46.32.255.36|:443... connected. HTTP request sent, awaiting response... HTTP/1.1 200 OK Date: Mon, 07 Jan 2019 15:58:10 GMT Server: Apache/2.4.18 (Ubuntu) Set-Cookie: ips4_IPSSessionFront=it512r8lf5au7lp3d8tc6oprc0; path=/; secure; HttpOnly Expires: Thu, 19 Nov 1981 08:52:00 GMT Cache-Control: no-store, no-cache, must-revalidate Pragma: no-cache Content-Length: 181840 X-XSS-Protection: 0 Connection: close Vary: Accept-Encoding Content-Type: text/html;charset=UTF-8 Length: 181840 (178K) [text/html] Saving to: ‘index.html.25’ index.html.25 100%[==================================>] 177.58K 864KB/s in 0.2s 2019-01-07 15:58:10 (864 KB/s) - ‘index.html.25’ saved [181840/181840] Post your link here and I'll reply with a redirect log like this if you like. Better to have it and not need have a use for it than vice-versa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbJ Posted January 7, 2019 Share Posted January 7, 2019 @Weebles I have sent you a PM with some info on our contract name and details and the redirect name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weebles Posted January 7, 2019 Author Share Posted January 7, 2019 Thanks all for messages of support and commiseration. And on how to be more astute next time ?. Have made lots of calls today and am proceeding with caution to get on with sourcing another kitchen. Am also getting in touch with the directors of Domo Direct to see what is going on. Am reserving all judgment until I have contact from them. Will post updates as this moves on. Things are never straightforward but we just need to get on with it now and not expend energy on anger. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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