This post is not a moan or a whinge and, as I am posting information that is in the public domain and has been sanctioned in a Court of Law, the post is not libelous. What it is is a post dedicated to those people in business who may well have experienced something similar to me and to question how some people can sleep at night knowing that they have broken the law and actually impacted negatively on the lives of other businesses.
As some of my followers and clients know, this time last year I was approached by what appeared to be a great prospect relocating his removal business to Yeovil from Bournemouth. Run and owned by Mark Rylands, this business was at the time called A2B Rylands Removals (following the legal dispute, the company now trades as Mark Rylands Ltd although this name has never been registered as a Ltd company with Companies House and my logo design is still being used in ongoing marketing). What unfolded was an awkward client who went through numerous signs offs in writing and then vanished once the work my company had done had been delivered and was live.
Despite numerous attempts to get payment, Mark Rylands was never around and even his wife hung up on me. The company then changed its phone number and then what followed was a disgusting and libelous campaign by Mark Rylands on Facebook about me and my business – he actually posted using false accounts on my business page; one was in the name of his dog, and got his mates involved.
Anyway, Bath Marketing Consultancy took Mark Rylands to the Small Claims Court court on 31st May 2011 and won the case vs Mark Rylands Ltd. Mr Rylands now has a County Court Judgement against him and owes my business over £1,500
– the judgement is live on my Facebook page.
Has the money ever materialised? In a word no. What have I done since? I have instructed professional debt collectors who have informed me that the defendant knows the system and has even released his dogs on their agents. Mark Rylands is continuing to trade; even marketing himself as “busy” and can some how sleep at night.
This was never about money and there is plenty more I can do with regards dealing with Mark Rylands, but, if you have ever been in this situation, you are not alone. What I have learnt is that there are people out there in business who simply do not care about the way they behave or what affect their actions have on others. I am now much more careful about who I work with and have structured payment terms etc.
What i will say is that, the Courts are pretty powerless at enforcing judgments so, if you find yourself with a dispute vs a non paying client, always have a plan b in place.
