You may have thought that clubs would have learnt a lesson form the Telford experience. This may well be the case but not in Hornchurch.
How can I best describe Hornchurch? A club that lives in the shadows of Dagenham & Redbridge gives you some idea of its size and geographical location. Step in Karl Williams of Coldseal Windows and sud- denly an insignificant club on the edge of a massive housing estate is paying players £2ka week and going full-time. Not surprisingly, Hornchurch quickly stormed to the top of the Conference South; they were paying single players a weekly wage that equated to more than fellow league sides like Redbridge FC turned over in a week. Crowds hovered around the 600 mark which would have barely paid for Lee Elam’s after match shower and brush up.
Within months of building Hornchurch up so that it was totally reliant on Williams’ money, Coldseal Windows went bust. Almost immediately a player exodus started and Hornchurch are back where they started player-wise but significantly worse off financially. What were Williams’s real motives behind Hornchurch? Let’s not forget his company also sponsored the Carthium Cup, The Bryco Cup and a number of lower pyramid clubs. Whatever they were, he must have known Coldseal was in trouble when he invested his money. Hornchurch manager, Gary Hill, must have had some suspicions as he got his annual wage paid up front! What we don’t know is if he kept it all after he walked out at the end of January.
Source Shaymen Down South
Showing posts with label Coldseal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coldseal. Show all posts
Sunday, 31 August 2008
Coldseal in liquidation - Derby Evening Telegraph
An investigation into the way in which Coldseal Group Ltd acquired the assets of Alfreton double-glazing company Coldseal Ltd in December 2003 has revealed that no money changed hands. As a result, administrator Begbies Traynor, of Southend, Essex, has filed a report to the Department of Trade and Industry, suggesting that further investigations be carried out into the legality of the transaction.
Despite boasts of turnover of around £75m for the year and an order book worth £16m, Coldseal Group Ltd was unable to pay creditors and claimed assets of only £60,000 to £70,000. It has been alleged that "crown liabilities", tax and VAT, were not assumed by Coldseal Group Ltd when it "bought" Coldseal Ltd, which trades as Coldseal and has its main sales office on the Meadow Lane industrial estate.
There is nothing illegal about winding up a company, nor for a director of a company in liquidation to be a director of a company that acquires the assets of the liquidated company. However, to close a company and transfer the assets to another firm at less than a realistic value, to avoid honouring guarantees or paying debts, particularly tax and VAT, could be illegal.
The allegation, in the administrator's reporter, against at least some of the directors of Coldseal Ltd, who were also directors of Coldseal Group Ltd, came to light when it was revealed that Coldseal Group Ltd had followed Coldseal Ltd into liquidation, after just eight months.
None of the directors named in the allegation have been identified and the details of the allegation have not been disclosed. A spokesman for Begbies Traynor said only, "We have filed a report to the Department of Trade and Industry." The Coldseal brand has now transferred to a company called The Carthium Group Ltd, which has its registered offices at solicitors Wollastons, of Brierly Place, New London Road, Chelmsford, Essex.
George Haddow, of Bower Mount Road, Maidstone, Kent, Barry Raymond Westwood, of Harrow Road, Leighton Buzzard, and Carl Williams, of Bridge Avenue, Upminster, Essex, were all directors of both Coldseal Group Ltd and are directors of The Carthium Group Ltd. Mr Williams resigned as a director of Coldseal in August 2004, four months after The Carthium Group Ltd was incorporated. The date on which Coldseal group Ltd's assets transferred to The Carthium Group Ltd has not been revealed.
Coldseal Solicitors:
Wollastons
Brierly Place
New London Road
Chelmsford CM2 0AP
Tel: 01245 211 211
FAX 01245 354 764
The name of the people dealing with Coldseals liquidation:
Stewart Bennett
Berg Kapron Lewis
35 Ballards Lane
London N3 1XW
Tel: 020 8922 9222
Source Derby Evening Telegraph
Despite boasts of turnover of around £75m for the year and an order book worth £16m, Coldseal Group Ltd was unable to pay creditors and claimed assets of only £60,000 to £70,000. It has been alleged that "crown liabilities", tax and VAT, were not assumed by Coldseal Group Ltd when it "bought" Coldseal Ltd, which trades as Coldseal and has its main sales office on the Meadow Lane industrial estate.
There is nothing illegal about winding up a company, nor for a director of a company in liquidation to be a director of a company that acquires the assets of the liquidated company. However, to close a company and transfer the assets to another firm at less than a realistic value, to avoid honouring guarantees or paying debts, particularly tax and VAT, could be illegal.
The allegation, in the administrator's reporter, against at least some of the directors of Coldseal Ltd, who were also directors of Coldseal Group Ltd, came to light when it was revealed that Coldseal Group Ltd had followed Coldseal Ltd into liquidation, after just eight months.
None of the directors named in the allegation have been identified and the details of the allegation have not been disclosed. A spokesman for Begbies Traynor said only, "We have filed a report to the Department of Trade and Industry." The Coldseal brand has now transferred to a company called The Carthium Group Ltd, which has its registered offices at solicitors Wollastons, of Brierly Place, New London Road, Chelmsford, Essex.
George Haddow, of Bower Mount Road, Maidstone, Kent, Barry Raymond Westwood, of Harrow Road, Leighton Buzzard, and Carl Williams, of Bridge Avenue, Upminster, Essex, were all directors of both Coldseal Group Ltd and are directors of The Carthium Group Ltd. Mr Williams resigned as a director of Coldseal in August 2004, four months after The Carthium Group Ltd was incorporated. The date on which Coldseal group Ltd's assets transferred to The Carthium Group Ltd has not been revealed.
Coldseal Solicitors:
Wollastons
Brierly Place
New London Road
Chelmsford CM2 0AP
Tel: 01245 211 211
FAX 01245 354 764
The name of the people dealing with Coldseals liquidation:
Stewart Bennett
Berg Kapron Lewis
35 Ballards Lane
London N3 1XW
Tel: 020 8922 9222
Source Derby Evening Telegraph
Coldseal Group leaves thousands out of pocket
IT WAS on October 14 this year that the board of Cold-seal Group brought their business to a close, leaving a £14m trail of debt and thousands of people out of pocket.
Coldseal Group was the latest in a line of Coldseal companies to go to the wall, accused of the cynical practice of phoenixing.
Other names familiar to disgruntled customers include Bryco, Coldseal, Coldseal Limited, or Cold-seal Windows and Doors.
Chartered accountants Berley were appointed as liquidator in the wake of the latest collapse.
A spokesman for Berley told the ECHO that the official receiver has launched an inquiry into the various Coldseal collapses.
He added: "There is nothing left, no assets, no guarantees for the customers."
Coldseal Limited went into liquidation with debts of £3m in February 2004.
It had no assets because they had been sold to a newly created firm, Cold-seal Group, just two months earlier.
Last month Coldseal Group was placed in liquidation with debts of £14m, shortly after its assets were sold to a new company, the Carthium Group.
The Carthium Group Ltd has its registered offices at a solicitors' firm called Wollastons in Chelmsford, Essex.
Karl Williams, whose address is listed as Upminster, in Essex, but is currently believed to live in Derbyshire, is among its directors listed with Companies House.
Mr Williams resigned as a director of Coldseal Group Ltd on August 23, 2003. Two days earlier we was appointed director of the Carthium Group.
Nobody at Wollastons was willing to speak to the Liverpool ECHO.
Source Liverpool Echo
Coldseal Group was the latest in a line of Coldseal companies to go to the wall, accused of the cynical practice of phoenixing.
Other names familiar to disgruntled customers include Bryco, Coldseal, Coldseal Limited, or Cold-seal Windows and Doors.
Chartered accountants Berley were appointed as liquidator in the wake of the latest collapse.
A spokesman for Berley told the ECHO that the official receiver has launched an inquiry into the various Coldseal collapses.
He added: "There is nothing left, no assets, no guarantees for the customers."
Coldseal Limited went into liquidation with debts of £3m in February 2004.
It had no assets because they had been sold to a newly created firm, Cold-seal Group, just two months earlier.
Last month Coldseal Group was placed in liquidation with debts of £14m, shortly after its assets were sold to a new company, the Carthium Group.
The Carthium Group Ltd has its registered offices at a solicitors' firm called Wollastons in Chelmsford, Essex.
Karl Williams, whose address is listed as Upminster, in Essex, but is currently believed to live in Derbyshire, is among its directors listed with Companies House.
Mr Williams resigned as a director of Coldseal Group Ltd on August 23, 2003. Two days earlier we was appointed director of the Carthium Group.
Nobody at Wollastons was willing to speak to the Liverpool ECHO.
Source Liverpool Echo
Coldseal - Case Studies of Victims
CASE STUDY 1
PET shop worker Yvonne Howey from Halewood paid more than £3,000 to have her whole house double glazed by Coldseal in February.
But there was a fault with her French windows, and although the company sent somebody to repair the doors, he broke a window in the process.
Over the past nine months, Ms Howey, 39, has been told more times
than she can remember that the window is on order and will be re-fitted in four weeks.
She said: "I spent more than two hours on the telephone on one occasion".
"The company is just dreadful, that is the only way to describe it.
"Every time you do get through to their customer services, they give the same stock answer.
"It makes me so angry."
CASE STUDY 2
JOY Carroll from Fazakerley was left devastated after Coldseal refused to fix the faulty doors they fitted.
Miss Carroll was originally given a quote for £9,000 but the price was eventually dropped to £4,500.
Having paid in September, she was dismayed when she realised that the doors they had fitted did not work. Although she tried to contact the company, they made various excuses as to why they could not resolve the situation.
She was further outraged when her partner Gary Cleland paid a £450 deposit for windows and doors on his Victorian property and has not heard a word since. That was more than three months ago.
Now the company does not exist.
Miss Carroll, 39, said: "I felt that they were a completely incompetent company. People said to use a local firm as they would be safer, but it turns out that they are failing to honour their responsibilities to their customers."
CASE STUDY 3
SECURITY officer Sean Herlihy first encountered Coldseal six months ago.
A salesman called at his Anfield home and quoted £3,075 for double glazing throughout the property.
After getting estimates from other firms Sean signed a contract with Coldseal and paid £338 deposit.
That is when the problems began.
Father-of-two Mr Herlihy, 46, said: "They sent round a surveyor to do the measuring up and said it would be £1,000 more.
"I told him I couldn't afford that and he said he would try to bring the price down.
"Since then I have heard nothing.
"The money I have lost may not seem very much to some people. But for me it is a lot and I have nothing to show for it.
"I can't believe that in modern Britain, where there are so many rules to protect people, this glaring legal loophole is allowed to continue."
CASE STUDY 4
MOTHER-OF-TWO Jayne Davies paid £3,637 for windows and doors for her Kirkdale home.
But each one was badly installed, some with screws sticking out of the fittings, while others had gaps between the frame and walls.
Ms Davies and partner Gary Rhodes have been left in the lurch for two years.
She said: "Coldseal has made my life a misery.
"I have wasted hours and hours phoning the company, but nothing has made them take any action.
"I want the owners of Coldseal to face justice for their actions."
Source Liverpool Echo
PET shop worker Yvonne Howey from Halewood paid more than £3,000 to have her whole house double glazed by Coldseal in February.
But there was a fault with her French windows, and although the company sent somebody to repair the doors, he broke a window in the process.
Over the past nine months, Ms Howey, 39, has been told more times
than she can remember that the window is on order and will be re-fitted in four weeks.
She said: "I spent more than two hours on the telephone on one occasion".
"The company is just dreadful, that is the only way to describe it.
"Every time you do get through to their customer services, they give the same stock answer.
"It makes me so angry."
CASE STUDY 2
JOY Carroll from Fazakerley was left devastated after Coldseal refused to fix the faulty doors they fitted.
Miss Carroll was originally given a quote for £9,000 but the price was eventually dropped to £4,500.
Having paid in September, she was dismayed when she realised that the doors they had fitted did not work. Although she tried to contact the company, they made various excuses as to why they could not resolve the situation.
She was further outraged when her partner Gary Cleland paid a £450 deposit for windows and doors on his Victorian property and has not heard a word since. That was more than three months ago.
Now the company does not exist.
Miss Carroll, 39, said: "I felt that they were a completely incompetent company. People said to use a local firm as they would be safer, but it turns out that they are failing to honour their responsibilities to their customers."
CASE STUDY 3
SECURITY officer Sean Herlihy first encountered Coldseal six months ago.
A salesman called at his Anfield home and quoted £3,075 for double glazing throughout the property.
After getting estimates from other firms Sean signed a contract with Coldseal and paid £338 deposit.
That is when the problems began.
Father-of-two Mr Herlihy, 46, said: "They sent round a surveyor to do the measuring up and said it would be £1,000 more.
"I told him I couldn't afford that and he said he would try to bring the price down.
"Since then I have heard nothing.
"The money I have lost may not seem very much to some people. But for me it is a lot and I have nothing to show for it.
"I can't believe that in modern Britain, where there are so many rules to protect people, this glaring legal loophole is allowed to continue."
CASE STUDY 4
MOTHER-OF-TWO Jayne Davies paid £3,637 for windows and doors for her Kirkdale home.
But each one was badly installed, some with screws sticking out of the fittings, while others had gaps between the frame and walls.
Ms Davies and partner Gary Rhodes have been left in the lurch for two years.
She said: "Coldseal has made my life a misery.
"I have wasted hours and hours phoning the company, but nothing has made them take any action.
"I want the owners of Coldseal to face justice for their actions."
Source Liverpool Echo
Shame of Coldseal 'serial' collapses - Liverpool Echo
Written Nov 29 2004
THE ECHO today reveals the misery left behind by the scandalous multiple collapse of the Coldseal windows empire.
Merseyside customers have been left out in the cold after the fourth collapse of the Essex-based double glazing firm.
ECHO Action has been inundated with calls from customers desperate to know what they can do.
Coldseal has left behind an impenetrable maze of bankrupt companies and countless customers who have lost many thousands of pounds.
Today we can reveal the Official Receiver has launched an investigation into the working practices of the empire.
A liquidator for one of the 11 companies linked to Coldseal, all of which have collapsed this year, said: "There is nothing left, no assets, no guarantees for the customers."
Coldseal has been accused of phoenixing, a scam where companies go into liquidation only to re-appear after being bought out by people who were involved in the original business.
Now Merseyside MPs have called for new legislation to outlaw this abuse, which leaves ordinary people out of pocket but the bosses free of their debts.
It is the fourth time the company, or versions of it, has collapsed and each time they have dumped their debts and their responsibilities to customers. They then re-emerge with another Coldseal title.
Coldseal's boss is an elusive character called Karl Williams, although he appears on little of the paperwork connected with the web of different companies. He was the subject of a BBC Watchdog investigation only last week.
He is a listed director of the Carthium group, the last known parent company of Coldseal, and a former director of one of the failed group of companies.
It is not only his customers feeling the effects. The conference league football club Hornchurch, in Essex, which Williams once sponsored, is now fighting for its survival after their cash dried up.
Most of the customers across Merseyside bought their replacement windows from Coldseal centres in Chester and Manchester.
Hundreds have now been left with faulty windows and doors and are now facing having to shell out thousands pounds for new windows.
Those who paid out extra for 10-year or lifetime guarantees have found that they are worthless too.
Liverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman called on the government to take action to prevent more people suffering at the hands of Coldseal.
She said: "This must be brought to the attention of the Department of Trade and Industry so that a full investigation can be held."
Birkenhead MP Frank Field added: "This practice of phoenixing should be investigated.
"It seems bizarre that genuine small businesses owners who struggle and are forced into bankruptcy are tarred with that brush for many years afterwards.
"Yet there are those who hide behind their company, fail to meet their responsibilities and then move on with another firm."
George Howarth, MP for Knowsley North and Sefton East, said: "From the information the ECHO has put together, it seems to me that the people willing to carry out this deceit should not be allowed to stay in business."
None of the Coldseal centres is now working and there is no management structure to answer questions.
The only contact with Karl Williams is through his solicitors, and they have failed to respond to repeated requests from the ECHO for a statement.
Source Liverpool Echo
THE ECHO today reveals the misery left behind by the scandalous multiple collapse of the Coldseal windows empire.
Merseyside customers have been left out in the cold after the fourth collapse of the Essex-based double glazing firm.
ECHO Action has been inundated with calls from customers desperate to know what they can do.
Coldseal has left behind an impenetrable maze of bankrupt companies and countless customers who have lost many thousands of pounds.
Today we can reveal the Official Receiver has launched an investigation into the working practices of the empire.
A liquidator for one of the 11 companies linked to Coldseal, all of which have collapsed this year, said: "There is nothing left, no assets, no guarantees for the customers."
Coldseal has been accused of phoenixing, a scam where companies go into liquidation only to re-appear after being bought out by people who were involved in the original business.
Now Merseyside MPs have called for new legislation to outlaw this abuse, which leaves ordinary people out of pocket but the bosses free of their debts.
It is the fourth time the company, or versions of it, has collapsed and each time they have dumped their debts and their responsibilities to customers. They then re-emerge with another Coldseal title.
Coldseal's boss is an elusive character called Karl Williams, although he appears on little of the paperwork connected with the web of different companies. He was the subject of a BBC Watchdog investigation only last week.
He is a listed director of the Carthium group, the last known parent company of Coldseal, and a former director of one of the failed group of companies.
It is not only his customers feeling the effects. The conference league football club Hornchurch, in Essex, which Williams once sponsored, is now fighting for its survival after their cash dried up.
Most of the customers across Merseyside bought their replacement windows from Coldseal centres in Chester and Manchester.
Hundreds have now been left with faulty windows and doors and are now facing having to shell out thousands pounds for new windows.
Those who paid out extra for 10-year or lifetime guarantees have found that they are worthless too.
Liverpool Riverside MP Louise Ellman called on the government to take action to prevent more people suffering at the hands of Coldseal.
She said: "This must be brought to the attention of the Department of Trade and Industry so that a full investigation can be held."
Birkenhead MP Frank Field added: "This practice of phoenixing should be investigated.
"It seems bizarre that genuine small businesses owners who struggle and are forced into bankruptcy are tarred with that brush for many years afterwards.
"Yet there are those who hide behind their company, fail to meet their responsibilities and then move on with another firm."
George Howarth, MP for Knowsley North and Sefton East, said: "From the information the ECHO has put together, it seems to me that the people willing to carry out this deceit should not be allowed to stay in business."
None of the Coldseal centres is now working and there is no management structure to answer questions.
The only contact with Karl Williams is through his solicitors, and they have failed to respond to repeated requests from the ECHO for a statement.
Source Liverpool Echo
Take the pane away - Article in the Guardian
Written on Thursday June 17 2004
Double-glazing firms have never enjoyed the best of reputations, and thanks to the efforts of one outfit, Coldseal [owned by Karl Williams], their stock isn't likely to go up any time soon. In four months alone BBC's Watchdog received 270 complaints from customers who had waited up to 20 months for the company to put shoddy work right. Unfortunately, Adrian Preston of Rugby was unaware of its reputation when he hired it to replace the doors to his house. Coldseal organised a finance agreement with First National bank and Preston borrowed £743 from his own bank to pay the sum. However, he mistakenly made out the cheque to Coldseal instead of First National and Coldseal promptly cashed it. That was in June last year and since then, despite numerous promises, nothing has been done. In the meantime First National has been repaying itself with interest through direct debit, leaving Preston, who is on low wages and has to support a disabled wife and four young children, desperate for money to repay his own bank.
Preston managed to find an ally in a Citizens Advice Bureau which has toiled tirelessly on his behalf, but with no results. Coldseal will simply not respond. The first breakthrough is the discovery of an eager young lady in a PR agency with the unenviable task of polishing Coldseal's image. It turns out that Coldseal merged with another double-glazing firm, Bryco, last September and is now a different company to the one that pocketed Preston's money. According to the liquidator appointed to wind up the old firm, there are no assets and it's unlikely Preston will see his money again.
However, says our spokeswoman, the new Coldseal Group is eager to cleanse its reputation and is improving its customer services, which it admits have been poor. Things therefore look hopeful, but it's another five weeks before anything happens. Then, on the anniversary of the start of the saga, Preston gets a cheque for £800 as a goodwill gesture from the 'new, improved' Coldseal. Whether this is a case of reformed character remains to be seen - it's a shame that the company only decided to demonstrate its repentance when it realised it would get national publicity for the gesture.
Double-glazing firms have never enjoyed the best of reputations, and thanks to the efforts of one outfit, Coldseal [owned by Karl Williams], their stock isn't likely to go up any time soon. In four months alone BBC's Watchdog received 270 complaints from customers who had waited up to 20 months for the company to put shoddy work right. Unfortunately, Adrian Preston of Rugby was unaware of its reputation when he hired it to replace the doors to his house. Coldseal organised a finance agreement with First National bank and Preston borrowed £743 from his own bank to pay the sum. However, he mistakenly made out the cheque to Coldseal instead of First National and Coldseal promptly cashed it. That was in June last year and since then, despite numerous promises, nothing has been done. In the meantime First National has been repaying itself with interest through direct debit, leaving Preston, who is on low wages and has to support a disabled wife and four young children, desperate for money to repay his own bank.
Preston managed to find an ally in a Citizens Advice Bureau which has toiled tirelessly on his behalf, but with no results. Coldseal will simply not respond. The first breakthrough is the discovery of an eager young lady in a PR agency with the unenviable task of polishing Coldseal's image. It turns out that Coldseal merged with another double-glazing firm, Bryco, last September and is now a different company to the one that pocketed Preston's money. According to the liquidator appointed to wind up the old firm, there are no assets and it's unlikely Preston will see his money again.
However, says our spokeswoman, the new Coldseal Group is eager to cleanse its reputation and is improving its customer services, which it admits have been poor. Things therefore look hopeful, but it's another five weeks before anything happens. Then, on the anniversary of the start of the saga, Preston gets a cheque for £800 as a goodwill gesture from the 'new, improved' Coldseal. Whether this is a case of reformed character remains to be seen - it's a shame that the company only decided to demonstrate its repentance when it realised it would get national publicity for the gesture.
THE SAME COLD STORY - Daily Mirror Article on Coldseal
Written on Oct 28 2004
SHOCKINGLY bad doors and windows outfit Coldseal has gone into liquidation. Again.
After we ran a string of damning verdicts on this shambles last week, we heard that the company was about to fold.
So we asked the firm's spin doctor, Jemima Stiles of public relations outfit Midnight Communications, if this was true. "No, absolutely no," she told us.
The truth is yes, absolutely YES.
This lot's previous incarnation, Coldseal Ltd was liquidated in February with debts of £3.1million. Out of the ashes came Coldseal Group, which has now gone into voluntary liquidation owing £7.7million.
Almost £2.5million is owed to the taxman - that's a lot of school textbooks.
Many of the other creditors are customers who are the victims of shoddy work that they cannot get rectified.
This is hardly surprising since no fewer than 62 people have taken the company to court in the past year to get their money back.
Victims include Neil Poxon of Barnsley, South Yorks, who worked for Coldseal for over seven years and cannot get it to pay the £5,862 that a tribunal ruled he should be awarded for unfair dismissal.
We have heard from so many readers who've been had over by this company that we hardly know where to begin.
There's the couple from Baguley, Manchester, who have had to abandon two bedrooms because the Coldseal windows don't shut.
There's the pensioners from Faringdon, Oxfordshire, who ordered frosted glass for their bathroom door and got clear glass, which they can't get changed.
We could cite numerous other nightmares, but we'll leave the final verdict to a couple from Cheltenham, Gloucs, who say: "I have never known such an appalling, incompetent company."
What does the company say?
According to its website, its "dedication to long-term customer care has been recognised by independent bodies" - though it doesn't say who - and the company is one of the "biggest and most trusted" in its field.
Laugh? Cry? It's a difficult one. As for the liquidation, a spokeswoman later told us that customers would not be affected and the liquidation was "nothing more than a name change".
The new name is Coldseal Windows and Doors Ltd.
The old dire service, judging by our postbag, remains the same.
Source Daily Mirror
SHOCKINGLY bad doors and windows outfit Coldseal has gone into liquidation. Again.
After we ran a string of damning verdicts on this shambles last week, we heard that the company was about to fold.
So we asked the firm's spin doctor, Jemima Stiles of public relations outfit Midnight Communications, if this was true. "No, absolutely no," she told us.
The truth is yes, absolutely YES.
This lot's previous incarnation, Coldseal Ltd was liquidated in February with debts of £3.1million. Out of the ashes came Coldseal Group, which has now gone into voluntary liquidation owing £7.7million.
Almost £2.5million is owed to the taxman - that's a lot of school textbooks.
Many of the other creditors are customers who are the victims of shoddy work that they cannot get rectified.
This is hardly surprising since no fewer than 62 people have taken the company to court in the past year to get their money back.
Victims include Neil Poxon of Barnsley, South Yorks, who worked for Coldseal for over seven years and cannot get it to pay the £5,862 that a tribunal ruled he should be awarded for unfair dismissal.
We have heard from so many readers who've been had over by this company that we hardly know where to begin.
There's the couple from Baguley, Manchester, who have had to abandon two bedrooms because the Coldseal windows don't shut.
There's the pensioners from Faringdon, Oxfordshire, who ordered frosted glass for their bathroom door and got clear glass, which they can't get changed.
We could cite numerous other nightmares, but we'll leave the final verdict to a couple from Cheltenham, Gloucs, who say: "I have never known such an appalling, incompetent company."
What does the company say?
According to its website, its "dedication to long-term customer care has been recognised by independent bodies" - though it doesn't say who - and the company is one of the "biggest and most trusted" in its field.
Laugh? Cry? It's a difficult one. As for the liquidation, a spokeswoman later told us that customers would not be affected and the liquidation was "nothing more than a name change".
The new name is Coldseal Windows and Doors Ltd.
The old dire service, judging by our postbag, remains the same.
Source Daily Mirror
500 + User complaints about Coldseal on Blagger.com
These are some of the 500+ complaints documented on Blagger.com about Coldseal (owner by Karl Williams before liquidation).
Below are just some of the complaint. The reference some of the individuals involved with Karl Williams.
Buyers beware, having bought and tried to have installed Coldseal Windows September 2004, we have watched this story unfold .... and then imagine our surprise when we thought about ordering from Scenic Windows & Doors Limited Jubilee House, 3 The Drive, Great Warley, BRENTWOOD, Essex, CM13 3AR 01277 725 189 to find out they are yet another front for the infamous Mr KARL WILLIAMS and his henchman Brian Cox, they are bank rolling the operation - but fronting it with some other poor fool. Watch out - they wont change.....
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ATTENTION EVERYONE ON THIS SITE!do not have anything to do with a brand new company called SCENIC WINDOWS you;ve guessed it they are being funded by none other than the infamous KARL WILLIAMS,and are unbelievably trading out of the same depots as coldseal were ie; harold wood and leighton buzzard lets hope watchdog are quickly on there case.
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hi everyone i hear George Haddow and Roger Welling are setting up again. does anyone know where they are going to be based or what they are calling themselves? george has been ringing round the factory lads asking if they want a job. obviously mr popular karl williams will be funding this so let us know if you find anything out. also rumours about some brochures for kitchens being printed for karl god help us
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The people at the [coldseal] depot we dealt with lied on a daily basis to me, led me astray and almost drove me around the bend - I got so depressed that I couldn't function properly for weeks and weeks. They didn't give a damn and sometimes made sarcastic comments, lost goods that apparently had come into the depot and generally treated me and my family (as my parents also had work done and were treated the same) like sh*t! I can only feel dislike for these people and have been able to vent my frustration through through this website and share my experience with other sufferers. I am over it now (almost!) but just get annoyed when I am told not to feel hatred towards what I would call a complete bunch of w*nkers!
Source - Blagger.com
Below are just some of the complaint. The reference some of the individuals involved with Karl Williams.
Buyers beware, having bought and tried to have installed Coldseal Windows September 2004, we have watched this story unfold .... and then imagine our surprise when we thought about ordering from Scenic Windows & Doors Limited Jubilee House, 3 The Drive, Great Warley, BRENTWOOD, Essex, CM13 3AR 01277 725 189 to find out they are yet another front for the infamous Mr KARL WILLIAMS and his henchman Brian Cox, they are bank rolling the operation - but fronting it with some other poor fool. Watch out - they wont change.....
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ATTENTION EVERYONE ON THIS SITE!do not have anything to do with a brand new company called SCENIC WINDOWS you;ve guessed it they are being funded by none other than the infamous KARL WILLIAMS,and are unbelievably trading out of the same depots as coldseal were ie; harold wood and leighton buzzard lets hope watchdog are quickly on there case.
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hi everyone i hear George Haddow and Roger Welling are setting up again. does anyone know where they are going to be based or what they are calling themselves? george has been ringing round the factory lads asking if they want a job. obviously mr popular karl williams will be funding this so let us know if you find anything out. also rumours about some brochures for kitchens being printed for karl god help us
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The people at the [coldseal] depot we dealt with lied on a daily basis to me, led me astray and almost drove me around the bend - I got so depressed that I couldn't function properly for weeks and weeks. They didn't give a damn and sometimes made sarcastic comments, lost goods that apparently had come into the depot and generally treated me and my family (as my parents also had work done and were treated the same) like sh*t! I can only feel dislike for these people and have been able to vent my frustration through through this website and share my experience with other sufferers. I am over it now (almost!) but just get annoyed when I am told not to feel hatred towards what I would call a complete bunch of w*nkers!
Source - Blagger.com
Karl Williams, owner of Coldseal, disqualified for 11 Years,
Karl Williams - whose Coldseal Group went bust with debts of £7,745,372 - has been banned from acting as a company director for 11 years. According to the Insolvency Service Williams payed himself £750,000, another £250,000 disappeared into the hands of two overseas companies and £850,000 went to fund his hobby, non-league Hornchurch football club.
The company structure included Coldseal Group Ltd, Ambergate Financial Services Ltd, Bluebell Glass Ltd, Coldseal (Manufacturing) Ltd, Coldseal (North) Ltd, Coldseal (Midlands) Ltd, and Coldseal (South) Ltd, all now in liquidation.
From 23 August 2003 and 12 December 2003 between £291,000 and £1,461,014 was unpaid for PAYE/NIC and between £871,309 and £1,909,827.33 was unpaid for VAT. Between 29 August 2003 and 12 December 2003 no less than £8,658,539 was paid out of Coldseal Limited’s bank account with HSBC (in respect of payments in excess of £100,000 alone) at a time when no payments were being made to HMRC for PAYE/NIC and VAT.
From no later than 1 October 2003, he was aware that it was proposed Coldseal Limited would sell its business to Coldseal Group Limited under a sale agreement which would transfer all of Coldseal Limited’s assets and liabilities save primarily for its liabilities to HMRC: this transfer was completed on 12 December 2003. During this time he failed to take steps to ensure HMRC would be paid its current liabilities prior to the sale.
Having been a director of Coldseal Limited which failed to make any payments in respect of its current liabilities for PAYE/NIC and VAT for the period 23 August 2003 to 12 December 2003, he caused no payments to be made by Coldseal Group Limited to HMRC throughout the substantive period of its trading life, i.e. between 13 December 2003 and 14 July 2004.
No less than £1,651,565 and no more than £2,062,993 was unpaid for PAYE/NIC in respect of the period 13 December 2003 to 14 July 2004 and £829,909 was unpaid for VAT in respect of the period 13 December 2003 to 14 July 2004.
At the date of Coldseal Group Limited’s liquidation, HMRC represented over seventy percent of third party creditors.
Between 2 February 2004 and 2 July 2004 £31,203,866 was paid out of Coldseal Group Limited’s bank account with HSBC of which no less than £14,573,753 was in respect of wages, installation and self employed staff and £10,682,519 in respect of regular suppliers at a time when no payments were being made to HMRC for PAYE/NIC and VAT.
Additional payments of no less than £1,825,000 were made from Coldseal Group Ltd’s bank account at a time when no payments were being made to HMRC throughout its trading life as follows: no less than £750,000 to him personally, £225,000 was paid to two overseas companies for no apparent consideration and £850,000 to Hornchurch football club.
From no later than 9 June 2004 he was aware that it was proposed Coldseal Group Limited would sell its business to The Carthium Group Limited which sale agreement would transfer all of Coldseal Group’s assets and liabilities save primarily for its liabilities to HMRC: this transfer was completed on 14 July 2004. During this time he failed to take steps to ensure HMRC would be paid its current liabilities.
He caused Coldseal Group Limited to fail to meet its statutory obligations in that between 13 December 2003 and 14 July 2004 it failed to file returns in respect of VAT or to make any payments of PAYE/NIC and VAT.
Between 15 July and 2 November 2004 he caused Ambergate Financial Services Limited, Bluebell Glass Limited, Coldseal (Manufacturing) Limited, Coldseal (North) Limited, Coldseal (Midlands) Limited and Coldseal (South) Limited (together 'the Carthium group') to fail to make any payments or to make provision for payments to HMRC for PAYE/NIC and for VAT.
Having been a director of Coldseal Limited and Coldseal Group Limited which failed to make any payments in respect of its current liabilities for PAYE/NIC and VAT for the total period 23 August 2003 to 14 July 2004 he caused no payments to be made by the Carthium group to HMRC for these liabilities throughout the substantive period of the trading life of these companies, i.e. between 15 July 2004 and 2 November 2004.
No less than £667,921 remained unpaid for PAYE/NIC in respect of the period 15 July 2004 to 2 November 2004 for the Carthium Group. § £41,816 was unpaid for VAT in respect of the period 15 July 2004 to 2 November 2004.
The Carthium group failed to maintain sufficient summary records from which it is possible to determine the level of payments made in relation to each company within the Carthium group. However, a cashflow statement exists in relation to all of the companies in the Carthium group together with six further companies which formed the whole trading group and which carried on the substantive business of the earlier businesses of Coldseal Limited and Coldseal Group Limited.
This shows that from 12 July 2004 to 28 October 2004 £18,693,723 was paid in respect of which £6,158,507 was paid in respect of 'installation and PAYE wages' and £5,207,029 in relation to 'suppliers- regular'.
He caused the Carthium Group to fail to meet its statutory obligations in that between 15 July 2004 and 2 November 2004 it failed to file returns in respect of VAT or to make any payments of PAYE/NIC and VAT.
Whilst there were substantial trade creditors on the liquidation of the Carthium group, no payments were made to HMRC in respect of its liabilities throughout the trading life of these companies which were the successor companies to Coldseal Limited and Coldseal Group Limited which similarly failed to make any payments in respect of their current HMRC liabilities.
Following the liquidation of Coldseal Limited on 2 February 2004, he acted as a director of Coldseal Group Limited which traded with a prohibited name for the period to 14 July 2004 and that he thereafter acted as a director of Coldseal (Manufacturing) Limited, Coldseal (North) Limited, Coldseal (Midlands) Limited and Coldseal (South) Limited all of which names were prohibited by virtue of the insolvency of Coldseal Limited.
Following the liquidation of Coldseal Group Limited on 14 October 2004, he acted in breach of section 216 by acting as a director of Coldseal (Manufacturing) Limited, Coldseal (North) Limited, Coldseal (Midlands) Limited and Coldseal (South) Limited which traded to 2 November 2004 and which names were prohibited by virtue of the insolvency of Coldseal Group Limited.
The company structure included Coldseal Group Ltd, Ambergate Financial Services Ltd, Bluebell Glass Ltd, Coldseal (Manufacturing) Ltd, Coldseal (North) Ltd, Coldseal (Midlands) Ltd, and Coldseal (South) Ltd, all now in liquidation.
From 23 August 2003 and 12 December 2003 between £291,000 and £1,461,014 was unpaid for PAYE/NIC and between £871,309 and £1,909,827.33 was unpaid for VAT. Between 29 August 2003 and 12 December 2003 no less than £8,658,539 was paid out of Coldseal Limited’s bank account with HSBC (in respect of payments in excess of £100,000 alone) at a time when no payments were being made to HMRC for PAYE/NIC and VAT.
From no later than 1 October 2003, he was aware that it was proposed Coldseal Limited would sell its business to Coldseal Group Limited under a sale agreement which would transfer all of Coldseal Limited’s assets and liabilities save primarily for its liabilities to HMRC: this transfer was completed on 12 December 2003. During this time he failed to take steps to ensure HMRC would be paid its current liabilities prior to the sale.
Having been a director of Coldseal Limited which failed to make any payments in respect of its current liabilities for PAYE/NIC and VAT for the period 23 August 2003 to 12 December 2003, he caused no payments to be made by Coldseal Group Limited to HMRC throughout the substantive period of its trading life, i.e. between 13 December 2003 and 14 July 2004.
No less than £1,651,565 and no more than £2,062,993 was unpaid for PAYE/NIC in respect of the period 13 December 2003 to 14 July 2004 and £829,909 was unpaid for VAT in respect of the period 13 December 2003 to 14 July 2004.
At the date of Coldseal Group Limited’s liquidation, HMRC represented over seventy percent of third party creditors.
Between 2 February 2004 and 2 July 2004 £31,203,866 was paid out of Coldseal Group Limited’s bank account with HSBC of which no less than £14,573,753 was in respect of wages, installation and self employed staff and £10,682,519 in respect of regular suppliers at a time when no payments were being made to HMRC for PAYE/NIC and VAT.
Additional payments of no less than £1,825,000 were made from Coldseal Group Ltd’s bank account at a time when no payments were being made to HMRC throughout its trading life as follows: no less than £750,000 to him personally, £225,000 was paid to two overseas companies for no apparent consideration and £850,000 to Hornchurch football club.
From no later than 9 June 2004 he was aware that it was proposed Coldseal Group Limited would sell its business to The Carthium Group Limited which sale agreement would transfer all of Coldseal Group’s assets and liabilities save primarily for its liabilities to HMRC: this transfer was completed on 14 July 2004. During this time he failed to take steps to ensure HMRC would be paid its current liabilities.
He caused Coldseal Group Limited to fail to meet its statutory obligations in that between 13 December 2003 and 14 July 2004 it failed to file returns in respect of VAT or to make any payments of PAYE/NIC and VAT.
Between 15 July and 2 November 2004 he caused Ambergate Financial Services Limited, Bluebell Glass Limited, Coldseal (Manufacturing) Limited, Coldseal (North) Limited, Coldseal (Midlands) Limited and Coldseal (South) Limited (together 'the Carthium group') to fail to make any payments or to make provision for payments to HMRC for PAYE/NIC and for VAT.
Having been a director of Coldseal Limited and Coldseal Group Limited which failed to make any payments in respect of its current liabilities for PAYE/NIC and VAT for the total period 23 August 2003 to 14 July 2004 he caused no payments to be made by the Carthium group to HMRC for these liabilities throughout the substantive period of the trading life of these companies, i.e. between 15 July 2004 and 2 November 2004.
No less than £667,921 remained unpaid for PAYE/NIC in respect of the period 15 July 2004 to 2 November 2004 for the Carthium Group. § £41,816 was unpaid for VAT in respect of the period 15 July 2004 to 2 November 2004.
The Carthium group failed to maintain sufficient summary records from which it is possible to determine the level of payments made in relation to each company within the Carthium group. However, a cashflow statement exists in relation to all of the companies in the Carthium group together with six further companies which formed the whole trading group and which carried on the substantive business of the earlier businesses of Coldseal Limited and Coldseal Group Limited.
This shows that from 12 July 2004 to 28 October 2004 £18,693,723 was paid in respect of which £6,158,507 was paid in respect of 'installation and PAYE wages' and £5,207,029 in relation to 'suppliers- regular'.
He caused the Carthium Group to fail to meet its statutory obligations in that between 15 July 2004 and 2 November 2004 it failed to file returns in respect of VAT or to make any payments of PAYE/NIC and VAT.
Whilst there were substantial trade creditors on the liquidation of the Carthium group, no payments were made to HMRC in respect of its liabilities throughout the trading life of these companies which were the successor companies to Coldseal Limited and Coldseal Group Limited which similarly failed to make any payments in respect of their current HMRC liabilities.
Following the liquidation of Coldseal Limited on 2 February 2004, he acted as a director of Coldseal Group Limited which traded with a prohibited name for the period to 14 July 2004 and that he thereafter acted as a director of Coldseal (Manufacturing) Limited, Coldseal (North) Limited, Coldseal (Midlands) Limited and Coldseal (South) Limited all of which names were prohibited by virtue of the insolvency of Coldseal Limited.
Following the liquidation of Coldseal Group Limited on 14 October 2004, he acted in breach of section 216 by acting as a director of Coldseal (Manufacturing) Limited, Coldseal (North) Limited, Coldseal (Midlands) Limited and Coldseal (South) Limited which traded to 2 November 2004 and which names were prohibited by virtue of the insolvency of Coldseal Group Limited.
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