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Easy Fit in £1m crisis
Friday 11th December 2009, 11:30AM GMT.
A conservatory firm in the Black Country has gone into administration amid debts of more than £1million, leaving more than 60 jobs at risk.
Worried customers and contractors – some of whom say they are owed thousands – have been attempting to contact Easy Fit Conservatories in Walsall.
Birmingham-based accountants PKF have been appointed to oversee the administration of the company, which was shirt sponsor at Walsall FC for two seasons.
They say at least one potential buyer – an unnamed supplier – has expressed an interest in the business in West Bromwich Road, Tame Bridge.
PKF partner Jon Newell said the firm had 34 staff and a similar number of regular sub-contractors, who built and fitted the conservatories. He said employees’ last scheduled pay cheques had not cleared and that those owed money were unlikely to recoup any substantial amount.
“There are a lot of creditors, and any money they get back will be some time in the future, and it won’t be very much,” he said.
“It doesn’t look like there are a huge number of customers who have deposits with the company but even if there are only one or two, it’s a tragedy for them.”
He said employees’ only realistic hope of securing some of the wages they are owed would be through the government’s redundancy scheme. He said he hoped any future owner would honour customer deposits and retain staff.
A worker at a nearby firm, who did not want to be named, said angry people had been turning up at Easy Fit. “There was a chap here this morning who said he was a fitter for them and was owed more than £20,000,” he said.
There was another old bloke who came along and said he’d put down £200 for a conservatory. For this to happen so close to Christmas is terrible.”
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how many times do we hear of firms going bust owing money to customers who have paid deposits this money should be deposited in a safe account run by a seperate organisation till all work has been completed only then should the supplier be paid
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This does not suprise me. Your first contact with them is excellent, they talk a very good game. But.. you sign on the dotted line and left waiting in constantly for builders, electricions, fitters who do not turn up when they are supposed to and when you contact Easy Fit they just give you a telephone number to arrange directly with the sub-contractor for a time for them to come. You are then left to chase every detail with no help from Easy Fit. This is totally unacceptable as far as customer service goes. My conservatory is excellent and well built and was done at a reasonable cost but the stress of getting it done was awful. I hope some company buys them up and retains the current workers as their workmanship is very good.
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i worked there its a shame it ended up like this
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If you have paid your deposit by credit card or have a credit agreement then google section 75 of the sale of goods act 1979. It may help!
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i lost 2000 pounds deposit on a conservatory pay by cheque and the same sales advisor keeps phone me up i can do deal 4 u but he took my money no chance
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I bought mine off them-what a nightmare!foundations were built shoddy by sub-contractors.Made them dig it all up n do it correctly.I told everyone I could to stear clear of them.
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This is the second time the owners have done this and profited from it by walking away from the debts!!
They will pheonix again in the new year under another new name and begin running up debts and eventually fail again in the future because the business model is flawed.
You can not sell cheap conservatories for £6K and expect to stay in business…
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