Jones Beckett

[TrickyB]

I also have written to my MP.

I am resigned to the fact that I am unlikely to get any of the 3 months money back, but I really would like to see these crooks stopped from doing the same thing again to other people in the future

[contractor79]

I also have written to my MP.

I am resigned to the fact that I am unlikely to get any of the 3 months money back, but I really would like to see these crooks stopped from doing the same thing again to other people in the future

good, that's the spirit!

I've also passed the complaint onto Lord Mandleson's shadow, Ken Clarke.

[NotToBeLimited]

I have last my last 3 months pay and don't think will ever see that money again.
And I have written to my local MP as well.

[contractor79]

Is anyone else shocked by how much money they seem to have pissed away?

I mean their business model relied only on a small % cut of what the contractors invoiced their clients as their income, yet they seem to have lost months of contractors' full invoice.

It always sounded like they only had a crappy little office with 3 people working there and a couple of phone lines. What could their expenditure have been?!?

Where has all the money gone?

[svb70]

like me I'm sure you were all given the excuse that they were factored via RBS. RBS were apparently not paying them and so they couldn't pay us. However as far as I'm aware my client paid them directly, which makes their excuse invalid and fraudulent in my opinion. Do any of you know more about the RBS thing? did your clients pay RBS or JBA? what happened to the money that RBS owed them? if it is not a lie then fair enough. However if it was in any part a lie, then it should be fraudulent and actually defamatory to RBS.

I've written to my MP, who is going to investigate as well as trading standards and businesslink. I also spoke to a policeman who used to work as a bailiff. He specialised in dealing with phoenix frauds. According to him Companies house would strike him off if it can be shown that he was fraudulent. In any case we should all contact Companies House and report this.

[imagecoder]

JBA mark 2 - Balfor Recruitment Group

Another company I've noticed that look like they're a Phoenix Company is Balfor Recruitment Group, based in Birmingham.

They posted a contract I was interested in last week, so I did a bit of companies house searching and was disturbed by what I found.

The current "Balfor Recruitment Group Ltd" (4218187) was renamed from "Lakeside Business Solutions Ltd" in the middle of Feb and had new directors appointed. Prior to that it was a dormant company for years.
The old "Balfor Recruitment Group" has been renamed "Jilpang Ltd" (4217475) and is in Administration.....However all the staff are still working for "Balfor" as if they've been working for years.....And the registered office of the new company is the same as the old one.

I would suggest that anyone taking a contract through these guys gets a Director's guarantee that they will be paid regardless of company status.

[centurian]

Another company I've noticed that look like they're a Phoenix Company is Balfor Recruitment Group, based in Birmingham.

This is exactly the information we need to be aware of. Although we can't have a blacklist for libel reasons, surely posting official facts (directorships, bankruptcies, registered addresses etc.) is acceptable.

I.e. company x, has directors a, b & c, who used to be directors of recently bankrupt company y.

Contractors can then make up their own minds whether they want to do business with them or not.

I guess the hard part is ensuring people don't stray away from the hard facts...

[bellymonster]

The London Gazette is a good source of legal notices, worth a search if you suspect an agent to be in trouble.

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk

[crazyfrog]

I have question.

If it can be proved to the appointed liquidators that BroadGate IT has risen from the ashes of JBA, then can it also be proved in court so that Broadgate have to cover the debts of the previous company (JBA)?

i.e can the liquidator seize the assets of the new company to pay of the debt of the old?

As the liquidator gets a fixed % of any assets realised then it should be in their interests to pursure all options to extract the maximum amount from Broadgate (JBA) IT

Also...something interesting I found:

Creditors should provide all relevant information relating to irregularities and/or hidden assets to the provisional liquidator at the outset of any matter. The Insolvency Act (24 of 1936) and Companies Act (61 of 1973) provide useful mechanisms to gather information about dubious transactions and “hidden assets”. These mechanisms are known as enquiries. Enquiries are normally expensive to conduct and where there are no assets and consequently no funds in the insolvent estate or liquidated company, creditors who wish for such an enquiry to take place will have to fund it initially. However should assets or money be recovered as a result of such enquiry, those creditors who funded the enquiry will recover the incurred legal costs. In certain instances they may also be the only creditors entitled to share in the proceeds recovered as a result of the enquiry and subsequent actions instituted and funded by them.

It might be interesting to know how much an Enquiry will cost and maybe those of us interested in persuing them can cover the cost...it might be worth it in the long run...rather than just bending over and taking it on the chin (or whatever the phrase is)

[Stan.goodvibes]

Why don't all you guys who are owed money get together and pitch in some funds to takes these retards to court?

On second thoughts it'd be cheaper to pay someone to either kill them or give them a good kneecapping. I know someone who will do either for a couple of grand (extra if you want to watch, and extra if you want to get a few good kicks in yourself).