Customers of maritime training company, Red Ensign, tell News OnTheWight they have learnt that the company has now ceased trading. The Website has disappeared and emails to the company remain unanswered.
“Ceased to trade”
News OnTheWight spoke to Stewart Goldsmith from Portland Business Support and Advice who told us that although ‘not formally’, the company had ‘effectively ceased to trade’.
He told News OnTheWight that although they had received contact from Red Ensign for advice, as yet, they hadn’t been formally appointed to action an insolvency.
Advice for customers
When asked what advice he would give to customers hoping to get their money back, Stewart told News OnTheWight,
“Wait until somebody contacts you – which someone will eventually do – to let you what’s happening.
“If you paid on credit card, contact the credit card providers.”
Many people affected
As previously reported, two of those customers were young men who had worked hard all through the summer to save over £1,000 which they paid for training courses. They’ve seen no sign of any refund so far.
Another customer told News OnTheWight that she was going to be out of work as she could not complete her updated firefighting training – as she could not raise the £260 she’d already paid to Red Ensign for a course elsewhere.
Unlikely to get refund
Asked what the likelihood of customers who have paid via bank transfer (as some told us they were asked to do, rather than pay by credit card) getting their money back from the company was, he said,
“Unless the company can refund them, which I highly doubt they can, they are potentially going to lose that money.”
Mew: No remorse or intent to refund
Customer Rachael Mew, who paid £260 via bank transfer for a course that was cancelled the following day, told News OnTheWight,
“I’ve been told I’m not likely to get my full refund, it would only be a percentage of my money back.
“I’m disgusted that they have taken three days pay off of me with no remorse. It’s wrong!”
Changes with Companies House
According to the Companies House Website, Andrew Dale, who founded the company in 2005, resigned as Director – along with Jackie Thorley – on 1st September, at which time he also ceased to be the “person with significant control”.
Stuart Vidler had been appointed as a director on 20 August 2019, but this was terminated on 8th September. He then was reappointed as Director once again on 19th September and listed as the “person with significant control”.
News OnTheWight will update you if we hear any further news.
Image: Jonas Jacobsson under CC BY 2.0
