Georgeson / Computershare Investor Services PLC

paulb369uk

Hi guys,
After a little advice please:-

Received a letter today from Georgeson asking if I am the named person in the letter living at a certain address as I am entitled to an outstanding cash entitlement. The old address is the one where I used to live at but am a bit dubious about calling them!!!

The freephone number called today (Saturday) goes through to a Georgeson answer phone but details on the bottom of the letter are for:-

COMPUTERSHARE INVESTOR SERVICES PLC
The Pavilions
Bristol

http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk/a20a48e7b11e5f5034887ca5e42d967d/compdetails


Has anyone ever had one of these before and is it worth calling them?

Thanks

Paul

EdInvestor

No problems with these people, they are often hired by mutual ex-BSs and lifecos who are trying to find people who haven't claimed their windfall shares.

devils_advocate

Read the leter carefully and see how much of the windfall they'll charge you. Then phone the company direct and do the reclaim yourself ! )and no, there is no obligation /duty to go through Georgeson!)

EdInvestor

It is of course helpful if you have an inkling of what they might be referring to

paulb369uk

EdInvestor wrote: »

It is of course helpful if you have an inkling of what they might be referring to

Thanks used to work for a company many years ago who got taken over by Booker cash & carry so think it may be to do with this ?

Paul

buttonmoon

I used to work for them. Basically computershare is a share registrar. One of the services companies pay us for is to find their old shareholders. I hope it's turns out that the shares you have forgotten about are worth lots of money :j

EdInvestor

Have you got any insurance policies, endowments or pensions ? Or any old building society accounts? Numerous of these companies are now banks or plcs and may have paid out free shares to customers in the 80s and 90s. Standard life was the most recent to go public.

catz1ct

Contact Computershare direct and there wont be any fee for "claiming" the shares.

web.queries@computershare.co.uk !

ps123_2

Received a letter from Georgeson about unclaimed Cadburys & Kraft Foods shares entitlement and felt I needed to return the form to them and was silly enough not to contact Computershare directly about the claim. When I received the cheque for the sell of the shares from Georgeson, minus the astronomical fee of 607 pounds sterling (2.5% for each transaction of the sale proceed and 8% fee however, it has gone up to 10% from 3rd December 2010), I went numb and angry with myself and felt really stupid that I filled in the form in a hurry and have not done my research properly.

If I contacted Computershare directly and they would have told me to write to them and they would have sent me a form to fill in.

There was something about the letter and the form they sent me that made me feel I had to claim through Georgeson. Again, it was my fault not to read at the back of the letter properly that Georgeson said this is a voluntary service and that I could contact Computershare directly.
You live and learn!