Reply to: Compusource, anyone?

[Safe Collections]

Thanks for the info SC - makes me sick the lengths some people will go to to cover their own backsides while ripping off their customers Companies like this really give brollies a bad name - I just hope he gets his just deserts

Unfortunately we see this kind of thing all the time

It is imperative that all contractors (and in fact all businesses everywhere) can answer yes to the following three questions:

1. Do I know exactly who or what I am dealing with?
2. Can they pay me?
3. Will they pay me?

Unfortunately for creditors of Compusource it looks like the answer to all of the above is no...

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

OK so Compusource Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of a company called Paramount Properties (U.K.) Ltd, this company owns the single £1 share issued.

Paramount Properties (U.K.) Ltd has one director, a Mr Neil Stuart Cohen. Mr Cohen has five other directorships one of those is called Paramount Company Formations Ltd.

Paramount Company Formations Ltd is, as the name suggests, a business that charges a fee to set up a limited liability company. You can see more on the website here Paramount Company Formations | We Guarantee Quick, Efficient, Expert Advice

On of the services provided by Paramount Company Formations Ltd is that of a Nominee Shareholder. So for a nominal £99.00 fee it appears on Companies House records that it is a subsidiary of this company, when in fact it is not as the page here explains



So we have a non-trading company, with at least one nominee director (now ex-director) and nominee shareholder.

Whomever set up compusource certainly went to great lengths to keep their identity a secret. Edit to add: In a perfectly legal way of course...

Thanks for the info SC - makes me sick the lengths some people will go to to cover their own backsides while ripping off their customers Companies like this really give brollies a bad name - I just hope he gets his just deserts

[cojak]

Ah yes, the ex-Director. (I've just noticed your amendment SC )

[Safe Collections]

Can you figure out what the link is to the properties company? Surely there could be some sort of transferable liability?

OK so Compusource Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of a company called Paramount Properties (U.K.) Ltd, this company owns the single £1 share issued.

Paramount Properties (U.K.) Ltd has one director, a Mr Neil Stuart Cohen. Mr Cohen has five other directorships one of those is called Paramount Company Formations Ltd.

Paramount Company Formations Ltd is, as the name suggests, a business that charges a fee to set up a limited liability company. You can see more on the website here Paramount Company Formations | We Guarantee Quick, Efficient, Expert Advice

On of the services provided by Paramount Company Formations Ltd is that of a Nominee Shareholder. So for a nominal £99.00 fee it appears on Companies House records that it is a subsidiary of this company, when in fact it is not as the page here explains

Our nominee shareholder service offer is structured to keep your personal
information off the public record while ensuring full legality.

Therefore only by using our nominee shareholder service can your anonymity and confidentiality be ensured.

A specific contract will be put in place to confirm that the shares are held in trust on behalf of you the beneficiary.

So we have a non-trading company, with at least one nominee director (now ex-director) and nominee shareholder.

Whomever set up compusource certainly went to great lengths to keep their identity a secret. Edit to add: In a perfectly legal way of course...

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

As far as we can tell it appears to have been listed as a non-trading company for some time.

We suspect that unless the company is formally wound up and an insolvency practitioner put in that we may never know exactly what was going on here...

Edit: If you haven't yet thought about contacting the Police in this matter, it might be worth ringing Action Fraud to see if they can help first.

Can you figure out what the link is to the properties company? Surely there could be some sort of transferable liability?

[Safe Collections]

DueDil shows Compusource as non trading but it also shows it as part of a group structure with Paramount Properties Excelium showing as still trading but with NBV of -20k

As far as we can tell it appears to have been listed as a non-trading company for some time.

We suspect that unless the company is formally wound up and an insolvency practitioner put in that we may never know exactly what was going on here...

Edit: If you haven't yet thought about contacting the Police in this matter, it might be worth ringing Action Fraud to see if they can help first.

[LisaContractorUmbrella]

DueDil shows Compusource as non trading but it also shows it as part of a group structure with Paramount Properties Excelium showing as still trading but with NBV of -20k

[Safe Collections]

We have just spoken to a contractor who told us he had an arrangement with an agency, with compusource acting as a payroll company.

This contractor confirmed that as of the start of this month the bank accounts were still active, as his agency paid them £11k

Is it safe to assume no poster to this thread has received any payment since mid May?

[Safe Collections]

I spoke to the police this morning and passed on all the information I have on Ridgeon so hopefully we'll see some progress there.

Be sure to mention that you know of many others in the same situation (if you haven't already) In our experience the police will be reluctant to investigate company fraud of any type, unless a clear pattern can be illustrated.

Please do keep us updated.

[Contractor910]

I spoke to the police this morning and passed on all the information I have on Ridgeon so hopefully we'll see some progress there.

[Contractor910]

Mark Ridgeon would appear to be linked to a number of different entities over the years, you can see as much on his DueDil entry here.

Can we ask if anyone has yet formally attempted to report a crime in relation to this company?

I've made an enquiry to the fraud squad online but have yet to make a formal complaint as not entirely sure what law has been broken. I know they took my wages at the start of last month with no intention of paying me but until last week they were continuing to stall me and Compusource is still an active company.

HMRC is currently looking into my tax situation as Compusource failed to register my income and pay my taxes.

[Safe Collections]

Mark Ridgeon would appear to be linked to a number of different entities over the years, you can see as much on his DueDil entry here.

Can we ask if anyone has yet formally attempted to report a crime in relation to this company?

[Mr XXX]

The above poster is correct in their writing.

Compusource did not buy the previously named Excellium. They are exactly the same company all be it with with a name change. They have been trading since around 2009 in which time they have under gone many a name change such as excellium umbrella, excellium management etc.

A lot of this information can be found on the web. And a lot of information is correct on paper, but there is also a lot of information that is incorrect and false.

But for all the information that can be found on directors etc, it does not matter what is written, the only person that runs these companies is the already mentioned Mark Ridgeon.

Whether in other peoples names or not, he is the real time MD and owner of these firms.

To my knowledge the two companies that are being run, are compusource and alljobs ltd.

Compusource or excellium were originally trading out of the already mentioned site in furze ground way, west Drayton, they then made a move to the brook business centre site where all jobs trades from. During this time though they still kept their mailing address as the furze ground site, I'm guessing for the owner to make out that his companies had no relation. From a previous poster here it seems as though they have met a compusource employee back at the old furze ground way site, while the address on their website now says they are trading from the brook business park address in uxbridge.

I'm guessing all this smoke and mirrors tactics are avoid having to deal with with people face to face due to the number of issues coming out of the woodwork.

It was quite interesting a poster on this thread went to their offices in uxbridge and met a guy called mark who said he had never heard of compusource. What had occurred there is that the poster had just met the MD of compusource and all jobs, Mark Ridgeon. A man that likes to keep himself hidden and does not like confrontation at all.

All of the other companies, or failed companies mentioned in this thread, we're all companies he ran, if not officially on paper, and all of the other many dissolved companies he has run can easily be found simply by googling him.

You would never have any hope of of contacting him or getting any form of contact back from him, but if you are lucky you may catch up with his PA Reena that acts as his PA/admin girl who also has many other titles such as General Manager/payroll assistant.

But for all these companies they will always be keen to admit none are linked. They may not be, but the people are.

Unfortunately I do not know the ins and outs of compusource, but one thing is for sure, these companies switch their websites and phones off when they like, and it wouldn't be surprising if the companies could just disappear over night.

I know this helps nobody who seems to be owed money, but what I would say is I hope those at loss are able to claim and I would stop using them, as the lies will continue.

[Contractor910]

A month from hell

It all started at the beginning of May when I emailed Compusource asking them to make a CHAPs payment so that I could receive my wages asap. When I didn't receive a response within 24 hours, alarm bells started to ring. I did a search on Google and was horrified to discover this message board thread and all the shocking details within it. It's really quite a harrowing experience to realise that your wages are not coming when you have bills to pay and a family to support.

Within a couple of days Reena Mehmi responded to my increasingly desperate emails to say I would receive my wages but there was a problem with payroll. That gave me hope that the situation would be resolved but unfortunately the "technical issues" are nothing more than a stalling tactic.

With no progress being made I threatened to involve the police and send the bailiffs in. Surprisingly, Reena contacted me to say that my wages had been returned to my agency. This was seemingly great news and I was quietly optimistic but after a few days it became clear that the money had not been returned and it was yet another stalling tactic. This was sickening because it effectively felt like I'd been robbed for a second time.

After threatening to involve the fraud police again, Reena agreed to make a payment of £250 directly in my account. Because of "technical problems" no more than £250 could be paid. This payment was made by Chaps and promptly arrived.

No progress has made though in the last week or so. When I asked Reena to explain the link between Compusource and Alljobs she said they are completely different companies. When I asked her about her title on LinkedIn (General Manager and Human Resources Manager at All Jobs Ltd) she ignored me and has ignored all messages since. Within hours the All Jobs website was taken down. I have actually been emailing Compusource owner/director Mark Ridgeon on his alljobs email address but have not received a single reply. He seems quite happy to close down phone lines and websites and not face up to the carnage his company has created.

Looking at the bigger picture of this whole mess, Detective Group contained a group of companies containing Jobs Detective, Umbrella Detective, and Home Detective. I think those companies have gone under. I don't know the connection to Compusource and Alljobs but the same people are involved. Perhaps Mr XXX can fill in some of the gaps.

As regards my situation, things took an interesting turn yesterday when I contacted HMRC (as I thought I was due a rebate) and discovered they have no record of me working in the last year. Take from that what you will. Needless to say, neither Reena or Mark felt it necessary to respond to my email asking if they had paid my taxes.

Thankfully I have some wages to come in next week so I can get the bailiffs to Ridgeon's house. I'll also be assisting the police and taxman so this isn't over yet.

[Contractor910]

While I am not going to be able to be very helpful in suggesting how people who are owed money can get back.

I have read these threads with interest and can probably lift the lid in a bit more depth about these companies.

If I can be of any help, just ask

I would be grateful if you could share any information you have as there is no end in sight for my Compusource nightmare.