Are they still trading? Is Chris Handford still there?

He has what is supposed to be my mini in bits and my money. I need to take him to court and just wondered if they are still trading.

North West Mini Centre

They have had my mini (now in bits) since Autumn 2014. I have stupidly paid 2/3 of the quote for full restoration.

I have lost count of the excuses I have heard from Chris Handford and the promises of photographs and delivery dates.

I can tell you from the experience of others, that you will probably have to start a county court claim in order to recover your money.

Please can you give us rather more detail.

What was the value of the car?

What work was needed and what was the value of the work?

How much have you paid so far?

What were the terms of the agreement?

What have you got in writing in terms of an agreement, emails, chasing up letters, promises

how did you pay the money?

You have receipts for the money paid?

When did you last see your car?

I believe his partner 'Steve' has walked out. No idea of his address etc.

We got 90% of our mini back.

Now chasing for the money.

Trading standards in 3 different counties are well aware of what's going on.

Told me recently he was going to go into receivership.

Thought he would strip the assets.

Next step .... police.

This is exactly what he's done.

He's spent all this week secretly removing assets from his workshop and has left very little assets left for the liquidators to put towards debts.

I'd be interested to know more on the trading standards involved and I have wondered about it the police can take any action considering the amount of people he's [problem]med.

If you wish to discuss further please PM me a number.

Hi,

Did you happen to see a mini pickup in any of his storage areas?

the set up consists of a main workshop/office

, large yard to rear then another large unit down the road and more storage in another yard.

All are packed full of Minis and many other shells/cars in various states.

I'd suggest collecting sooner rather than later.

You can't pm as a newbie

Please read our rules regarding off thread contact

We understand you are helping well

And thank you

But cag is for everyone to be able to read things

Not exchange useful info out of sight of all

You can't pm as a newbie

 

Please read our rules regarding off thread contact

 

We understand you are helping well

And thank you

 

But cag is for everyone to be able to read things

Not exchange useful info out of sight of all

Don't wish to exchange useful info but rather give the number of the guy trying to sort out the vehicles left behind in this carnage - as you can understand I'm not going to share someone's personal details on a forum anyone can read but oh well silly admin rules and all that.

He has returned some of my car - not all of it.

I believe that he no longer has them.

Is this a criminal act?

If I believe he has stolen them.

He also has a lot of my money!

Original agreement was before he became NWMC Ltd.

It was North West Mini Centre and

I have invoices in that name so (as he has probably stripped NWMC Ltd of any assets) I'm thinking of going after him as North West Mini Centre - individually.

You would think there would be something that could be done - he should be accountable.

Sorry - he still has the wheels.

So I now have most of my mini back in bits - missing the wheels - which I was told would be with me on Thursday 14th September. No surprises when they didn't turn up!

So the value of the car was £2500. It was road worthy but we agreed that it would be 'showroom' quality when it was restored. It needed quite a bit of work and we agreed a price. I have invoices for 2 instalments. I have countless text and photos of work being done (welding). At one point he sent a photo of someone else's mini 'primed' and when we went to see him he had to admit it was someone else's as ours hadn't been touched since our last visit. I have invoices showing the amounts we paid.

I don't hold out much hope of getting my money back - he's disposed of the company assets. My agreement was with North West Mini Centre! He needs to be held accountable and not let loose on unsuspecting victims.

He's apparently over the last few months been advertising on various mini groups on Facebook that he is 'breaking' various minus

- with what looks like photos just taken inside his stoatage unit,

quite a few people never received goods

but apparently some who collected did so wouldn't be surprised if that's where your bits have gone.

How did you get your mini back?

Did he deliver it or did you have to collect it.

So I now have most of my mini back in bits - missing the wheels - which I was told would be with me on Thursday 14th September. No surprises when they didn't turn up!

 

So the value of the car was £2500. It was road worthy but we agreed that it would be 'showroom' quality when it was restored. It needed quite a bit of work and we agreed a price. I have invoices for 2 instalments. I have countless text and photos of work being done (welding). At one point he sent a photo of someone else's mini 'primed' and when we went to see him he had to admit it was someone else's as ours hadn't been touched since our last visit. I have invoices showing the amounts we paid.

 

I don't hold out much hope of getting my money back - he's disposed of the company assets. My agreement was with North West Mini Centre! He needs to be held accountable and not let loose on unsuspecting victims.

How did you get the car and bits back?

Hi Tiger. Yes if your car has not been returned to you in the same condition

ie with all its bits then it is theft and must definitely should be reported as so.

If you can prove these have been sold on for his own profit, even better.

I'm also going after him as an individual - as it was him, not the ltd co, that took our car.

If you go to police, get a crime number and share it so that we can all tag onto the same crime reference.

Thanks

Bizarrely Chris arranged for them to be brought back to us on a trailer. Apparently he couldn't find the wheels! Felt sorry for the guy delivering because he was under the illusion that he would get paid! Delivery guy also said that he had taken a car to Chris earlier in the week for work to be done on it??? So he must still be conning people.

So I now have most of my mini back in bits - missing the wheels - which I was told would be with me on Thursday 14th September. No surprises when they didn't turn up!

So the value of the car was £2500. It was road worthy but we agreed that it would be 'showroom' quality when it was restored. It needed quite a bit of work and we agreed a price. I have invoices for 2 instalments. I have countless text and photos of work being done (welding). At one point he sent a photo of someone else's mini 'primed' and when we went to see him he had to admit it was someone else's as ours hadn't been touched since our last visit. I have invoices showing the amounts we paid.

I don't hold out much hope of getting my money back - he's disposed of the company assets. My agreement was with North West Mini Centre! He needs to be held accountable and not let loose on unsuspecting victims.

Hi Stotty

Do you have any links to where he is selling these parts or the photos as we have 'loads' of photos so may be able to compare them. Surely he isn't brazen enough to be advertising them under his own name???

Hello Tiger

It was on a mini group on Facebook but unfortanatly chris has decided to delete his personal Facebook account and so the posts have disappeared.

But apparently a number of people paid for bits to be posted out (one person in Canada) and they haven't received any bits.

Bizarrely Chris arranged for them to be brought back to us on a trailer. Apparently he couldn't find the wheels! Felt sorry for the guy delivering because he was under the illusion that he would get paid! Delivery guy also said that he had taken a car to Chris earlier in the week for work to be done on it??? So he must still be conning people.

This is what I find strange. Why did he arrange to have your car brought back to you when everyone else's are still sat there waiting to be collected. He didn't normally do anything off his own back and would very often arrange for customers to pick up there uncompleted cars when he wasn't there.

Trust me - we thought the same thing too! He even returned my calls and called me back about the arrangements! We were speechless when the trailer arrived.

We started out on the sorry journey in 2015. We have made various visits to see Chris and check on progress. We have tried every tack we could think of but, as he had the money and mini we felt our hands were tied so have pushed along gently. We were understanding, angry, understanding, fuming, etc etc

Honestly - we are astounded that we have got the mini back and, having read the comments, will never understand why he chose to send ours back + some personal stuff we had supplied to be installed.

Wheels and steering wheel are missing and the rest of the stuff is in boxes so until we have chance to unload them in a dry environment we don't quite no what we have got.

He completely conned us and sucked the joy out of having an old mini.

please read our rules

dodx

Great so we Carnt Private message or promote a private group where we can share sensitive information - this is a really helpful forum.

Starting to think Chris was right and this forum makes money every time someone visits it with the advertising hence why your against anyone going to another group.

sadly we don't make money but google does...

which is why we run on donations only

Latest update - chris has gone AWOL. Steve and Mark have taken over workshop and want all cars gone by end September. Derbyshire police very interested in this case as below. Lots of people have been defrauded.

People affected need to ring 101... press # for alternative station and say Derbyshire. Then get through to that constabulary (if you are not from round there).

You can quote this incident number and it will make a bigger case. If you can get in to make a statement then great!

Ex-employees / customers alike!

EDIT: CASE NUMBER 797250917

Will do . . . . all affected please ring . . . . please also contact Action Fraud . . . . . they informed me that the best way to get it investigated is for everyone to contact them separately but make sure you incorporate NWMC Ltd business address in the statement. This will then link them all together.

Chris Handford needs to be accountable for ripping people off.