Earth Mobile Ceased Trading can anyone help

alun555

i'll join the list too..... only found out last night when i was checking my quidco payments and saw i had received cashback for my earthmobile transaction. remembered i'd tried to chase them up before and not got anything and then found from their website they had ceased trading. mine is a similar timescale to many on here - sent 2 phones away around the beginning of june and was advised i would be paid £61. since then i've heard nothing and not been able to get hold of them. so far i've contacted watchdog and consumer direct but have not heard anything yet. i'm really annoyed but i do feel for those people who have lost out on a phone and a significant amount of money.

i hope we hear some news soon...........

Denis_Baldock

Earthmobile Ltd have rented space at Windsor Self Storage [trading name of Space 4U Self Storage Ltd] since 29th Jan 2009.
Registered packages have been received on their behalf on a daily basis up to 6th August at which time we received written notification that they had ceased to trade with immediate effect and served notice of their intention to have left the rented units by close of business 5th September 2010. We have had no further contact from them.We have since refused to accept any post or other deliveries on their behalf.
All details have been passed to the Windsor and Maidenhead Office of Fair Trading together with details of their customers who have contacted Windsor Self Storage or our other trading company UKMailboxes .co.uk.
Space 4U Self Storage Ltd, Windsor Self Storage and UKMailboxes.co.uk have no connection with Earthmobile Ltd other than acting as licensor for the storage units they rented.
We are sympathetic to the situation customers of Earthmobile Ltd are in and have passed all detail we are able to Trading Standards. Legally we are potential creditors pending any administration or liquidation. We have no legal right at this time to enter the rented units or to permit entry by any 3rd party unless they are in possession of a court issued warrant.

Guys_Dad

Thank you, Dennis, for that.

After speaking to Dennis, I believe that the amount of stock/handsets left on the premises is not substantial - perhaps just a few hundred and I speculate that these may be low value items.

That being the case, then getting your handsets back is almost certainly a non-starter and you are going to have to rely upon any money due to or left in the company for payment. And that will take time and will certainly be less than you were offered.

In a way, you are a bit like the customers of the 3 holiday companies that have just gone bust, but without the Credit Card or ABTA guarantees. It will take some time for them to get any money back as well.

Not good news.

Silk

Hi Denis,
Welcome to the forum, sorry it's not under better circumstances.

Denis_Baldock wrote: »

We have since refused to accept any post or other deliveries on their behalf.

Could you just confirm for those parties who might be affected by this .....what did you do when you didn't accept the deliveries were they returned to sender or were they fwd'd to a different address ?

welshman1982

Denis, does that mean then that the 5th August 2010 was the last day which you signed for any deliveries sent to Earth Mobile?

So any items sent to Earth Mobile where delivery was attempted on 6th August 2010 or later you would have refused?

Caroline27

Hi
I discovered they had ceased trading today when trying to contact them about the £140 they owe me for 3 phones!
RBWM say they are in talks with Earthmobile to try and get a solution - they haven't yet gone into liquidation, but it's a possibility.
The chap I spoke to at RBWM was Rob Abell Trading Standards (01628 683558) a very helpful man. He has said we all should also contact National Trading standards - we should forget their advice, as they won't know what RBWM are doing locally to try and sort it out, but we should get them to register our names.
If Earthmobile goes into liquidation, then nothing can be done until the Administrators have come in and done everything and taken their share. They will probably sell off all the phones as a job lot, get not as much money and whatever's left will be spilt up amongst the creditors (i.e. those of us they owe money to). This is why it is important to register our names with National Trading Standards.
If RBWM can work with Earth mobile and avoid them going into liquidation, then possibly one of RBWM's officers will end up going through everything and sorting our phones out and returning them.
The bottom line is that Rob reckons we definitely won't get the money, but might get our phones back -but I wouldn't hold out much hope. Rob has said he will keep me informed, so if I find out anything else I will post it on here.
Cheers
Caroline

Denis_Baldock

Only the Royal Mail have attempted to deliver and been refused; in that instance all items would be expected to be returned by them to sender. We received the notice re ceasing trading and notice to quit after the post had been delivered on the 6th August.
Due to shift working patterns it is possible that one or more of my colleagues accepted sealed post bags on the 6th and 7th August which would be inside a holding unit; I am checking if this/these bags will be accepted by the Royal Mail for return.
Nothing has been accepted after the 7th August.

Eildor

I sent my phone off via Special Delivery -- does anyone know whether that counts for anything?

Thanks

Silk

Eildor wrote: »

I sent my phone off via Special Delivery -- does anyone know whether that counts for anything?

Thanks

Yes it means if you need to prove that they received it you can

welshman1982

Silk wrote: »

Yes it means if you need to prove that they received it you can

If things go down the administrator route all that you actually have by sending an item via recorded/special delivery is proof that an item you sent was received thanks to the electronic proof of delivery/signature for that item.

As for proving what you actually sent well you can't. All you can prove is that a parcel you sent was signed for at the address it was sent to and the name of the person who signed for it. It's a case of your word against theirs as to what was actually in the parcel.

My 2 mobiles were sent via Royal Mail Special Delivery on 5th August and signed for by Denis on 6th August at 9.47am. Mind you looking at the signature online it looks nothing like Denis, whatever name was signed started with R.

I've just spoken to Royal Mail and they say that once the parcel has been signed for they would not accept the parcel back for return. The item would have to be re-addressed and paid for again.

So from the sounds of it my 2 phones will be sat inside the holding unit.