hutchinson correspondence – Here you can find a copy of the letter that ‘Hutchinson & Co Trust Company Ltd’ have issued to who they consider to be the “Owners” of the Classic Narrow Boats.
It is public knowledge that Avante were forced to close in May this year by the police.
To date, owners invested in the company have received no information regarding the status of the boats. And to add insult to injury, no one has been able to utalise them or find out what the current state of them is. Until now;
Hutchinson & Co are the Trustee company have no authority with regards to the management of the boats and cannot enforce the contracts against you. So what are they doing. Well it looks like nothing that is in the owner’s interest.
As far as we are concerned they had 3 options;
- Liquidate the assets and give all the money back to the consumers;
- Sell all the boats and give the money back.
- Appoint a new management company to take over from Avante and re-instate access and maintenance to the boats.
Failing this, give the Owners the vote. Let them decide the fate of their investment.
Instead, the Trustee company is asking for £150 per weekly period registered in your name.
The suggestion is pathetic, give us £150 and we will make the boats usable but you can’t use them and we can’t tell you if you will ever be able to use them again. But don’t worry, because the boats will stay in good shape.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, the final punchline is; they don’t even know who owns them!
After asking for your money, the generic letter asks you to tell them, if you even own the boat.
This miss-management tells us one thing; Hutchinson & Co Trust Company Ltd have no idea what they are doing with your money.
They state that they have approached 2 management companies who “are prepared” to provide a quote. In order to do this, they need to first establish who actually owns them.
Our advice to you, get out while you can!!
The slip on the back of the letter is titled “Relinquishment Holiday Ownerships”
Use that slip, sign it and send it to the address supplied.
If you paid your deposit for the boat on a credit card, then ring your card company pronto.
Tell them you want to make a claim for compensation under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Complete the forms with every payment you have made in respect to this investment.
If you didn’t secure your payment on a credit card, then sign that slip knowing that you are no longer bound to the contract or the slapdash fees.
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk