Deposits at risk as white van man firm goes under
A NUMBER of people in Guernsey are among those thought to have lost money paid in deposits to a conservatory company which has gone bust without completing work.
Geoghegan Supalite, which is Belfast-based and claims to have carried out dozens of jobs in the island, went into liquidation earlier this month leaving a number of customers who paid to secure the firm’s services out of pocket and without work on their homes completed.
It is understood that nearly 70 customers are owed money by the company, 20 of whom are in Jersey, with around 15 in Guernsey and others in Northern Ireland.
The firm was using the UK-registered trading company, Conservatory Conversions Ireland Ltd, for their operations in the Channel Islands, which according to the UK’s Companies House register, went into liquidation on 11 September.
Customers who are owed money are being advised to contact Belfast-based accountancy firm James B Kennedy & Co, which has been appointed as the liquidator.
Mr Kennedy confirmed that a number of customers in Jersey and Guernsey were owed deposit money from the company.
He added that he believed Jersey’s lengthy planning process and regulations, which held up building work, were the reason a high number of deposits remained unreturned in the island.
‘We were appointed as liquidator about two weeks ago. There are a lot of deposits which were taken in the Channel Islands,’ he said.
‘Normally in Northern Ireland deposits are only taken for a couple of weeks but due to the planning laws and building controls in the Channel Islands, the deposits can be held onto for as long as six months.
‘So, a lot of deposits were still held by the company, which is an unfortunate consequence of that situation.’
Mr Kennedy added that he believed around £50,000 may be owed to creditors in the Channel Islands.
Geoghegan Supalite’s Facebook page is understood to have been taken down since they went bust, while some customers have been unable to contact them by email or telephone.
Advertisements taken out by the company have boasted that it carried out nearly 100 jobs in the island over the past two years.
The company’s sales and marketing director, Neil Rainey, was contacted for comment, but did not respond.
