Adrian Brown and The Cheap Car Trade Centre
Earlier this year, Sarah and I spent my bonus pay on a second-hand car from The Cheap Car Trade Centre in Gloucester.
Sadly, they neglected to buy it a tax disc before I picked it up, so I couldn't drive it (other than the quick trip) home for a couple of weeks while the papers went through to make me the registered keeper. However, even on the trip home, the engine started to overheat, and the engine started to run badly; as the car had been stationary for a while, and had been almost entirely out of fuel, I was suspicious but it might have just been sludge from the fuel tank washing into the engine; I looked into the cooling system and found a syphon tube had become disconnected, so the engine could blow out excess coolant into the reservoir when the pressure was high, but could not suck coolant back in. Sure enough, although the reservoir was full, the cooling system was very low, so I flushed it out and filled it up after replacing the syphon hose.
All was well for a few days, but then it started overheating again. I was dropping Sarah off in Cheltenham at the time, so I stayed in the car park to let it cool down before heading home; however, it quickly overheated again, and again, and started to emit white smoke from the exhaust, and steam from under the bonnet. I pulled in another car park, and rang the RAC, who came and told me the head gasket was leaking badly.
So I rang the warranty company, who said that head gasket failure wasn't covered. So I rang The Cheap Car Trade Centre and explained the problem, but they disavowed any responsibility, so I informed them that the Sale of Goods Act made them responsible for the goods they sell being fit for the advertised purpose, which includes a reasonable life expectancy, even if they are second-hand; and this car was sold to me as "ready to drive". They told me I'd have to take them to court in that case.
So I sent them the required two warning letters, then tried to take them to court. This was hampered somewhat by them refusing to say who owned the business, which is an obligation under the Business Names Act, so I rang Gloucester Trading Standards, who pointed me at:
Office of Fair Trading Investigation into The Cheap Car Trade Centre
Which led to:
Formal Undertaking against Adrian Brown, Sole Director, Adrian Brown Limited
So Adrian Brown was the man behind the business, using his limited company, Adrian Brown Ltd, company number 04831719, which is registered as being at The Cheap Car Trade Centre's premises.
A look on the Companies House web site reveals:
REGISTERED OFFICE CHANGED ON 16/09/09 FROM: SUNNYLEA ASH LANE DOWN HATHERLEY GLOUCESTER GL2 9PS
...that's five days after his "formal undertaking" with the OFT. I suspect he changed it from his home address to his premises to divert unwanted attention at home. However, Companies House remembers all. I wonder if he still lives there. I would discourage my loyal readers from jumping to the conclusion that he does and inundating the address with junk mail or any other forms of harassment, in case he doesn't.
Anyway, knowing who to sue, I proceeded to activate the county court system.
They answered my claim with a defence (stating that it must have been me driving the car while overheating that broke the head gasket), so I was waiting for a date for the hearing when I received my last letter to them returned unopened, with "THE LTD CO THAT TRADED AS 'THE CHEAP CAR TRADE CTR' HAS CEASED TRADING AND IS INSOLVENT WITH NO ASSETS, AND HAS VACATED 333 BRISTOL RD GLOUCESTER".
I got back in touch with the Trading Standards folks, who said that they knew the company was closing, but that this action was suspended as there were county court cases in progress, so my case would probably still proceed, even though I might never be able to extract any money if the company was truly insolvent.
However, I'm still going to try. Limited companies protect their shareholders and directors by limiting their liability; the company is sued, not the people. But there's a limit to the limit. If a director can be shown to have acted fraudulently or incompetently, then they can be personally liable.
It looks like I won't get my money back, which will leave us carless until I get another bonus or something - but I'm hoping that, perhaps, the courts might find Adrian Brown personally liable. Given the involvement of the Office of Fair Trading and Trading Standards, it would appear that I'm not alone in having suffered from his business practices (the OFT judgement explicitly mentions him attempting to avoid the Sale of Goods and Business Names acts).
After all, I have little choice but to pursue this - I am scraping by with buses (which run once an hour, and don't run at all after about 5pm), being bankrupted by taxis, and begging lifts from people. This is seriously hampering my ability to live my life.
Wed 7th Jul 2010 10:19 am 
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By Clare N, Wed 7th Jul 2010 @ 12:16 pm
Would a call to the BBC's Watchdog programme help at all? http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/
By Cait, Wed 7th Jul 2010 @ 1:07 pm
Ugh. I wish I could help, it's such a nightmare.
What it does suggest though is that second hand car dealers should be looked in to before purchases. It's such a huge undertaking, buying a car but a bit like buying a property, you're only going to come in to contact with a car dealer once every 5 years or something. the chances of you getting ripped off royally are exaggerated out of all proportion compared to, say, you buying a second hand hoover from an electrics shop.
But we're such a trusting lot. Why would we do due diligence on a company which looks legit? Well.... we'd do due diligence for our companies, so we should really do it for ourselves with even more diligence!
A lesson sadly learned. But good on you for keeping going. It's a matter of principle. McK did the same when he was ripped off by his agent. She pleaded poverty and inability to pay. He proceeded anyway, not knowing if he would be paid, purely so he could state clearly and publicly that she'd ripped him off (to save other actors from the same fate).
By Tom, Sat 10th Jul 2010 @ 12:51 pm
That sucks. Yeah, maybe this guy was honestly struggling to stay afloat like you and the rest of us... but it sounds like he did it by ripping off his customers. Unfortunately there are a lot of businesses like that, of all sizes. I believe we should all do our part to make life miserable for them. You may not get your money back, but revenge would be nice!
By Mark, Sat 17th Jul 2010 @ 2:14 pm
Hi,
I also bought a dodgy car from them in Oct 2008. I took Adrian Brown to court and won but am yet to recieve payment. The bailiffs have also been to 333 Bristol Road and Sunny Lea but to no avail.
Do you know his home address?
Would be great if you could contact me, as we could help one another?
Please note the bailiffs went there within the past 5 days.
By John, Sun 25th Jul 2010 @ 4:41 pm
Hi. I bought a car from Adrian Brown, the biggest fraud and con artist in the car trade. I've been chasing him for 18 months trying to get my money back. I too have obtained a court judgement but he somehow managed to lie his way out of paying it. Even if I get my money back I won't stop until he is ruined for all the times he has conned innocent people out of their hard earned money. If I can help anyone I will.
By John, Sun 25th Jul 2010 @ 9:32 pm
Hi. I've added 2 postings here regarding Adrain Brown but they're now gone. Have they been removed?
By John, Sun 25th Jul 2010 @ 9:34 pm
Ok I've found it now. Don't know why it wasn't showing before. Sorry.
By sarah, Tue 27th Jul 2010 @ 3:58 pm
Sorry we've been a bit busy so didn't check pending comments as much as we should have done - however, I approved your comment ages ago so am not sure why your subsequent ones hadn't gone through? I may need to tweek the blog settings a bit.
By John, Tue 27th Jul 2010 @ 8:16 pm
Hi. Thanks for replying. I'm still trying to track him down. I contacted Company House to register an objection to Adrian Brown Ltd being dissolved and that's in place until 26th September. I plan to keep doing this for as long as it takes for the net to close in around him. He also lied to me and the court about Adrian Brown Ltd being insolvent, no longer trading and having no assets. I think everyone knows that he either sold or kept the stock from Bristol Road and is lying low until we give up. The thing is I'm never going to stop until he pays. I'll keep you posted as and when. Thanks.
By erica, Wed 25th Aug 2010 @ 3:13 pm
i also brought a car from this conman mine lasted four weeks before the head gasket went and the gear box and guess what the warranty i was told would cover this did not so the long and short of it is i also took adrian brown to court that was in may this year and you guessed ithe did not pay me either so i called in the bailiffs on the day they were due to vist he appled to the court to change the name on my judement so we had a hearing three weeks later my judement is just for the chaep car trade center not with adrian brown ltd attached not only did he not turn up he also lost again so i went back to the bailiffs only to be told he had stopped trading very clever of him this man has run rings around the court and all of us by the way no one mentions the cheap car trade center he owns in worstershire im not cluded up enough to find out but if that is still trading we can send the bailiffs there i hope to hear your comments soon because i will stop at nothing to get my money off this conman the only ones who have got any money out of this is the courts and adrian brown .
By John, Tue 7th Sep 2010 @ 8:14 pm
Hi Erica. It appears that the list of people Mr Brown has conned and lied to is increasing all the time. I dread to think exactly how many innocent people he has ripped off over the last few years. There are probably a lot who haven't taken their claim any further and just given up. What I can't believe is how a judge - two in my case - can grant a judgement then the bailif never manages to collect. The scumbag is very experienced at ducking and diving. He's made a fool out of everyone, but like you I'm never going to give up. I'll let you know if I have any luck.
By Tony, Tue 28th Sep 2010 @ 9:45 am
Despite a successful claim against Adrian Brown he is not paying, does anyone know a home address for the bailiffs
By steve, Thu 30th Sep 2010 @ 9:00 pm
hi all,i bought a car off this conman in gloucester a few years ago when they were called cheltenham trade centre,he conned me out of £1500 on a car that also had a head gasket problem,i took my case to trading standards and did all the letters to mr brown like they told me,i was advised by them that if i went to court it could cost me a fair bit of money and i was not guanteed a win,so i took it no further,reading all your comments i wish i had,why is this conman still getting away with this,why is he not behind bars,has anyone tried rouge traders on the bbc.
By Mike, Fri 1st Oct 2010 @ 5:48 pm
I too am taking Cheap Car Trade Centre of 333 Bristol Rd,Gloucester,to court after buying a car in March this year mainly because of the low mileage for the year.I immediately suffered mechanical problems which they directed me to take it up with the warranty company yet Warranty 2000 never received my details & while I persevered to drive the car experiencing endless breakdowns for about 100 miles the odometer clocked up I had travelled only 3 miles!Something has to be done about these cowboys.
By john cornock, Tue 5th Oct 2010 @ 1:12 pm
Hi. Mr Brown is basically using our flawed legal system to constantly dodge the bullet. This is what he does; Deny responsibility by claiming the company you bought the car from is either A. under new ownership (a lie) or B. has ceased trading (a lie). He then refuses to disclose the name of the owner of the company. Next you make a claim through the courts which he then objects to. A court hearing is set and he either doesn't turn up or he has it deferred to a later date. He then won't appear at that one either. Next you get a judgement against him. Then he applies to have the judgement set aside. There might then be another hearing and the above is repeated yet again. If you finally get a judgement and issue a warrant, he applies to have the warrant set aside and there could be another hearing and yes you've guessed it, he does the same again. Now when you finally get the bailiff to go to visit him don't think its cut and dried. He's used the weeks and months it’s taken to get this far to change the company trading name. So you get a final return on your warrant even though everyone knows that he's still trading with the same stock, staff and contact numbers, but now it’s The Cheap Car Trade Centre or Cheap Car Centres UK. He spends a few hundred quid to get a new sign put up and print some new staionary and it would appear that is all it takes to make the bailiffs go away. So you now make another claim through the courts against the new trading name and go through the whole sorry affair again. When he can't stop all these bailiffs coming down - he moves. Since Adrian Brown Ltd began in 2003, it has had different registered addresses, 5 different trading addresses and 5 different trading names (check it out at Companies House). He also applied to voluntarily dissolve Adrian Brown Ltd in March 2009. This was a criminal offence because you cannot make an application if a company is still trading - which it obviously was - and/or has outstanding debts. Take my advice - go for Adrian Brown Ltd because that is the company behind it all. Adrian Brown is the sole director and is now selling cars from Ebay. I've made an objection to Companies House to stop him from dissolving Adrian Brown Ltd and it would help if everyone he's conned did the same. I’ve reported him to rogue traders and the police but I’ve not had anything back yet. We can't let this low life piece of **** get away with this!
By john cornock, Tue 5th Oct 2010 @ 1:19 pm
Hi. Just noticed a number dropped off my above message. Adrian Brown Ltd has had 4 different registered addresses. To be clear, Cheltenham Trade Centre, The Cheap Car Trade Centre, Cheap Car Centres UK and anything else he chooses, are only trading names of Adrian Brown Ltd. Adrian Brown as sole director of the limited company is the one behind all of the trading activity and don't let anyone tell you different.
By John, Tue 5th Oct 2010 @ 8:23 pm
Me again. The reason our cars ended up falling apart was because Adrian Brown would simply buy cars from auction houses for next to nothing, give them a bit of a clean then put them on the forecourt. I now know that he bought mine for £450, did nothing to it and sold it for £1495. He has to be stopped before someone is seriously hurt - or worse - driving one of his old bangers. If my gearbox had seized on the motorway I could have been in a very serious accident.
By John, Sat 23rd Oct 2010 @ 7:06 pm
Adrian Brown Ltd is now trading as Abbeymead Car Sales, Gloucester. Buyers beware!
By dave howes, Tue 26th Oct 2010 @ 11:29 am
hi we had trouble with this company with a car i bought for my daughter i took them to small claims court and he was ordered to pay up but never did so they told me to issue a warrannt for the bailiffs which cost me £100 and they did nothing for 3 months i kept phoneing them to see if they had gone to the premises but no they had not so as well as being ripped off by adrian brown also ripped off by the court who seem to let the criminals do what they like i cant beleive this bloke is still being allowed to trade
By John, Mon 1st Nov 2010 @ 11:47 am
Hi Dave I know how you feel. Adrian Brown is a complete and utter crook and he knows how to use and abuse the legal system. Did you sue Adrian Brown Ltd or The Cheap Car Trade Centre? If you can afford it you should go for his limited company.
By Alaric Snell-Pym, Mon 1st Nov 2010 @ 12:13 pm
Ok, everyone. I asked the Trading Standards guy what can be done, as all these civil suits are getting nowhere.
He said:
Those are the same documents as he sent me before - the September 2009 undertaking, which I believe Adrian Brown has indeed broken.
I'll point this out, but I suspect that anyone else who has also been conned by Adrian Brown since September 2009 should also drop a line to Gloucestershire Trading Standards
By John, Wed 3rd Nov 2010 @ 1:27 pm
Hi. It would also help if all concerned contacted Companies House to notify them of their case. This is the link - http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/contact/contactUs.shtml
By John, Wed 17th Nov 2010 @ 11:29 pm
If we manage to close Adrian Brown's Ebay showroom business down, I fully expect him to open up somewhere else under a new name. Therefore please be VERY careful who you buy a car from in the Gloucester area. I've met Adrian Brown in court and he is a very convincing character but don't be fooled - he's rotten to the core!
By John, Sun 21st Nov 2010 @ 7:17 pm
Hi The bailiff went down to 10 Palmer Avenue on Thursday 17th and Adrian Brown has moved the vehicles which the bailiff levied on the week before. That is illegal. I'll be talking to the bailiff tomorrow to see what they will do next.
By John, Mon 6th Dec 2010 @ 8:05 pm
The bailiff has tried three times to collect the cars at 10 Palmer Avenue but Adrian Brown has removed them and now won't answer the door to anyone. Even if he returned the cars, they're not worth enough to take to auction. It might actually cost me more because of the cost of the car transporter and auction fees. I think I've exhausted my options now and to be honest I'm fed up of trying. Adrian Brown Gloucester's best conman might have won again.
By annom, Thu 30th Dec 2010 @ 8:56 pm
thanx for the address
By John, Mon 17th Jan 2011 @ 11:58 pm
Just saw on the news tonight that the salesman who lied to me at The Cheap Car Trade Centre (Mark Dixon) has been found guilty of serious fraud. Apparently he worked with 2 other guys in the building trade who conned £900,000 - yes nearly £1 million - out of dozens of people in the region. Adrian Brown obviously trusted Mr Dixon to con his customers out of their cash as well.
By John, Mon 7th Feb 2011 @ 8:21 am
We all need to get in touch with Gloucester police and tell them about Mr Brown. They won't do anything if only one or two people make a complaint. They investigated Mark Dixon and his partners after the fraud squad received multiple complaints about them. Mr Dixon has now been sentenced to 7 years in prison. When I've found the right detective to talk to I'll share it here. Any company director who acts fraudulently can be made personally liable for his/her limited company's debts.
By mike, Wed 9th Feb 2011 @ 10:54 pm
i worked 4 him, as 1 ov the machics, neva agen, stufd his staff up aswell
By John, Sun 13th Feb 2011 @ 10:27 pm
Hi Mike. It sounds like he doesn't give a damn about anyone. As I said above, we should all get in touch with the police about him. I'm hoping that if enough people report him then the police will investigate him. I've emailed Gloucester police at this address: Contact.Centre@gloucestershire.PNN.police.uk. Make it for the attention of Det Ch Insp David Sellwood. He investigated Mark Dixon for fraud. I don't beleive that any of the cars had a 12 month warranty.
By John, Tue 8th Mar 2011 @ 9:44 pm
I'll be seeing Mr Brown in court again on Monday so I'll let you know how what happens. I've been contacted by Det Ch Insp David Sellwood and it would help his enquiries if everyone who was conned by Brown contacted him as well. Please also note the following: 'Directors are personally liable for certain actions taken while fulfilling their duties. Several laws give rights of action against directors in their personal capacity, including:
The Insolvency Act 1986 which leads to personal liability where directors allow the company to trade wrongfully or fraudulently.'
By John, Tue 15th Mar 2011 @ 9:25 pm
Mr Brown did not provide evidence to counter my claims before the hearing and so it was adjourned. I'll be back to court AGAIN in a couple of weeks. Can I just remind everyone to contact the police if they can. He should have to pay for all the grief and misery he's caused those innocent customers who haven't stood up to him.
By Tony, Thu 7th Apr 2011 @ 6:54 pm
John, can you email me please at tonyjack1966 at gmail.com? I can't beleive what this low life has done to us all so I want to help anyway I can. I bought a car for my sister from his scumbag salesman Mark Dixon who lied to me from start to finish. Thank God he's gone to jail! She saved up for 18 months to get a car and guess what? the engine seized up 2 months after she got it. I was going to sue Dixon until I found the OFT case on line. I called them and they told me that Adrian Brown is the conman behind it all but I don't know how to sue him personally. I hope to speak to you soon.
By sarah, Fri 8th Apr 2011 @ 10:52 pm
edited in the hope you wont get spammed by bots - changed @ sign to at
By Tony Jack, Sun 10th Apr 2011 @ 5:27 pm
Thanks Sarah. That didn't occur to me. By the way, thanks for setting up this forum.
By John, Thu 21st Apr 2011 @ 3:27 pm
Hi all I unfortunately lost my case today but never mind. By the way, Mr Brown has told me (in no uncertain terms) that he is going to sue me for slander and deformation of character. He is also going to get this site shut down. The problem is of course he is going to have prove that we've all lied. A tall order when every word here is the truth! By the way Adrian - nice to see you again. Please feel free to join our happy forum. I'm sure we would all love to hear your side of the story for a change
By Tony, Thu 21st Apr 2011 @ 3:46 pm
Sorry to hear about the court case John. What are you going to do next? Let me know if I can help. I like the deformation of character thing! What a joker!!!
By Debbie, Fri 22nd Apr 2011 @ 11:12 am
Hi. I got a car from the same place in Bristol Road last year. My boyfriend told me not to bcos his mate used to work there and told him they were rogue traders and will sell you a banger and lie about it. I should have listened to them bcos the engine started smoking really badly after 6 months and they wouldnt do anything about it. The guy with the red hair and glasses told my boyfriend to f*** off and stop calling. I hope you get them to pay bcos I dont have the money to take them to court. Im just glad that they have closed down so that they carnt con anyone else. I just got to save up again for another car cos my engine is going to cost £800 to fix and the garage said its not worth it.
By alaric, Fri 22nd Apr 2011 @ 1:42 pm
Hahaha! I eagerly look forward to amateurish attempts to get this site shut down...
I'm also sorry to hear you lost, John
By john, Fri 22nd Apr 2011 @ 6:49 pm
The judge was very sympathetic to my case and sincerely wanted to find in my favour. However he told me that I need to sue Mr Brown personally to get a charge on his house. The problem was that I had a judgement against Adrian Brown Ltd and because of the civil procedure law I wasn't granted a charging order against him personally. Outside the court he had a rant at me and threatened all sorts. I took it with a pinch of salt though. Sincere thanks for setting up this forum. Let's hope we can eventually get some justice! Hi Adrian - we're still waiting for you to defend yourself. You never will of course because you have no defence. I look forward to hearing from your solicitor!!!
By Debbie, Sat 23rd Apr 2011 @ 7:49 am
I bought a car from these people at the start of last year. My friend told me not to bcos his mate used to work there and said they are conmen. But I bought one and I shouldnt bcos the engine started smoking after 2 months and they wouldnt do anything about it. The sales guy with the red hair and glasses was really nasty with my boyfriend and told him to stop calling. I got to save up for another car now bcos the garage said my car isnt worth fixing. I hope you make these people pay but they have closed now which I guess is good bcos they cant con anyone else now.
By John, Sun 24th Apr 2011 @ 10:59 am
Hi Debbie Sorry to hear about your bad experience. You said in your first post that the engine started smoking after 6 months but in the second posting it was 2 months. Just to be clear which one was it? Did you buy your car with the 'Free 12 Month Warranty' (yeah right!) like I did? If you did then your car should have been covered by that. If not then it would only be covered by the statutory 3 months/90 days warranty that all motor traders have to give.
By Debbie, Sun 24th Apr 2011 @ 7:56 pm
Hi. Just wondered what happened to my postings? Thanks, Debs
By sarah, Mon 25th Apr 2011 @ 1:27 pm
Hi Debbie - sorry I had to go to hospital so wasn't checking things.
By Debbie, Mon 25th Apr 2011 @ 2:40 pm
No problem. I hope your OK! By the way you can take my second posting off if you want bcos its just a copy of the first. Thanks
By Debbie, Tue 26th Apr 2011 @ 7:30 am
Hi John. Sorry for the confusion over my postings. I thought the problem with my car started at about 6 months but my boyfriend said is was only a couple of months after we got it when he was following me one day and a load of white smoke came from the exhaust. I bought the car bcos the advert said it came with a free 12 month warranty so I thought I would be ok for the first year but I guess thats what we all thought!
By John, Tue 26th Apr 2011 @ 11:41 pm
Hi Debbie It sounds like you should have been covered by the statutary 3 months warranty anyway.
By John, Wed 27th Apr 2011 @ 8:16 am
Hi all. You can email me at jwccornock at aol.com if there's anything you want to discuss.
By John, Thu 28th Apr 2011 @ 6:16 pm
Latest news: I had confirmation from the court today that the charging order I applied for on Mr Brown’s house has been dismissed. This is because the CCJ was against Adrian Brown Ltd and not Adrian Brown. The next step is to sue him personally. We’re still waiting for you to join this discussion forum Adrian. You've got the perfect opportunity to talk to your unhappy customers and put the record straight.
By john, Thu 19th May 2011 @ 2:55 pm
Adrian. We will be in court again soon so can I ask you in advance not scream and shout at me through your car window like you did after the last hearing. Like everyone else on this forum, I am a creditor of your company and I do not take kindly to threatening and abusive behaviour.
By Tony, Wed 25th May 2011 @ 9:22 pm
Hi John. What's the latest on our friend?
By john, Wed 25th May 2011 @ 9:31 pm
Hi Tony. I've sued him personally so I we'll be back in court soon. He might as well get used to the fact that I'm never going to stop until he pays. I don't care if I have to go to court 100 times as long as I get justice. Everytime I see him it just makes me more determined, especially when he starts threatening me!
By Tony, Thu 26th May 2011 @ 11:02 am
Threatening you? What an idiot! who the hell does he think he is? He's the one whos caused all this grief and he thinks he can have a go at you? I would have chinned him if he'd done it to me mate.
By John, Thu 26th May 2011 @ 2:23 pm
He was ranting at me through his car window so I couldn't have reached him even if I wanted to. I just want my money back.
By Alex, Thu 26th May 2011 @ 7:18 pm
I also bought a car from the cheap car centre. I am a single parent and I used all of my £2000 savings to get a car from them. 2 weeks after a suspension spring snapped when I was out for the day with my 3 year old daughter and I nearly hit a tree because the steering locked up. It took us 5 hours to get home so it ruined the day out as well. I called them up the next day and they said that the company was under new management so they couldn't help. I went down to see the salesman (he wouldn't tell me his name) and he got really nasty and ordered me off the premises. I ended up selling it on ebay for £200! I was going to take them to court but my dad said not to bother because people like them always get away with it. It looks like John is pretty determined to get his money back so I wish him all the best of luck.
By john, Fri 27th May 2011 @ 7:29 pm
Hi Alex Sorry to hear about your experience. Hopefully its some consolation to see how many people have had a similar experince at the hands of Adrian Brown's car dealership. Lets just hope that one day he'll get his just deserts!
By Catalin, Fri 3rd Jun 2011 @ 2:52 am
@Alex : By any chance that 2 grand car you bought was a black ford focus?
By Alex, Tue 7th Jun 2011 @ 7:56 pm
Hi Catalin. No it was a metallic green Astra but I did look at a focus at the time. Why?
By Catalin, Fri 10th Jun 2011 @ 2:30 pm
@Alex: The focus had dodgy steering and I've returned after purchase in April 2010. He didn't refund me so I took him to Small Claims Court and I won. Meanwhile he sold the car or made it disappear and I went to police to report that my property was missing from his premises but guess what? Police didn't bother to investigate saying that if I haven't signed the V5 i was never the owner...yeah right. Even on their own website at https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q743.htm says that the owner of a vehicle is the person that Pays for the vehicle. Funny and sad in the same time. Think about that part of my council tax is going to police funds and in return i get sent for a hike.
@John: I've emailed Ch Insp David Selwood and he did contacted me saying that they will not investigate adrian brown and they don't have any plans to do so in the future!!!
By John, Sun 12th Jun 2011 @ 1:55 am
Hi Catalin Its incredible that the police refuse to do anything. This guy is a thief! He has stolen from us all, he's got a string of judgements against him, he's known by most of the judges at Gloucester court, the bailiff's know him very well but he still keeps getting away with it. I think the police need to have a lot of complaints before they act, not just 2 or 3. Have you been in touch with rogue traders? I'll let you know how my latest claim against him goes. No doubt I'll be getting his defence papers through soon which will of course be another tissue of lies. In one of his statements to the court he actually said that I had no claim against Adrian Brown Ltd because it had no connection with the Cheap Car Trade Centre!
Adrian - are you still going to sue me for liable? Before you do anything I suggest you ask yourself this; is it me who has ruined your reputation as a car dealer or is it your business practice of purposely scamming your customers (as per the formal undertaking against you by the Office of Fair Trading) and neglecting your duties as a company director?
By John, Sun 12th Jun 2011 @ 8:43 am
Catalin. I forgot to ask - you said that you took him to court and won but did you get your money?
By Catalin, Wed 15th Jun 2011 @ 4:08 pm
@John: Unfortunately I didn't get my money yet. I have a judgement against Adrian Brown Ltd so the bailiffs told me that he's not trading from his address...after they chequed the £100 fee. I'm bit confused now but I guess I need a judgement against himself to worth any. P.S: Regarding police investigating him, that costs the treasury and the local council money so it's more profitable and convenient imo to let us bang our heads with the law as that COSTS US MONEY...on top of income tax and council tax we already paying to fund them [court and police]. Also, the police solicitor made it clear that if I returned the car and he sold it without refunding me it's perfectly legal. As the policeman first I talked to said: "ANYONE CAN WRITE AN INVOICE". Here's what the police solicitor said:
For a theft to have occurred there needs to have been an appropriation of property belonging to another. The County Court would not have awarded you damages equivalent to the value of the car if you were still in possession of it, even if it was not worth as much as you paid for it. In handing the car back to the dealer the court will have considered that you have refused to take delivery of the car and therefore the ownership of the car will remain with the dealer. He cannot therefore be accused of stealing his own car and therefore no theft has occurred.
That been said, the fact that I returned the detective car to be fixed by them, as agreed, and then when returning for the car was still not fixed and finally asking for a refund means that I REFUSED TO TAKE DELIVERY...right!
By john, Wed 15th Jun 2011 @ 7:02 pm
Catalin. Did you sue Adrian Brown Ltd or the company he traded as i.e. Cheap Car Centres (UK)? I obtained a judgment against Adrian Brown Ltd at 10 Palmer Avenue because I provided sufficient evidence to prove that this was his new trading address. If you look at my post on the 21st November you’ll see how he weaselled his way out of that one as well. Regarding your situation, I assume you have no record of payments made to him? If you have then I can’t see how anyone can say that you didn’t take delivery. The goods you paid for were faulty and you returned it in good faith. Also I don’t understand why your sales invoice is insufficient evidence. What’s the point of any business issuing receipts? It’s proof of purchase!
By Catalin, Thu 16th Jun 2011 @ 7:18 pm
@John: I do have the invoice where it says paid in full and signed by Mark Dixon, the salesman. Also it has the stamp of cheap car trade centre. The judgement I obtained was against cheap car centre part of adrian brown ltd and the last one was specifically against adrian brown ltd. I sent the bailiffs at 10 palmer avenue and received letter from them saying he's not trading from there.[I must mention that I didn't had any evidence, just his address from your post]. Also, according to my English colleagues at work, and they are serious when they say that police are just taking mick because in their eyes I'm just another foreigner that doesn't know how to speak nor write and who doesn't know his rights...and they seem to be true.[not my intention to sound dramatic now]. I believe a good thing to do is to print this whole forum and opposite to it all the emails from police saying that they can't investigate him for criminal offenses then send the story to newspapers and wait for public opinion regarding police's attitude.
By John, Thu 16th Jun 2011 @ 9:36 pm
Hi Catalin There should not be any question about your receipt being genuine. I obtained the judgement against Adrian Brown Ltd at 10 Palmer Avenue because I had proof that he was selling cars from that address very soon after he stopped trading at 333 Bristol Road. He could not provide any documentary evidence regarding the closure (winding up) of his limited company and so the judge agreed with me that all he had done was move from Bristol Road to 10 Palmer Avenue. When the bailiff went down there he got really abusive and refused to sign the walking possession. The bailiff told him they would be coming back to take the cars unless he could show them documents which proved that they didn't belong to Adrian Brown Ltd. When they went back the cars were gone and he refused to open the door. This is absolute proof that the cars belonged to his limited company. Why else would he do it? To this day he has not accounted for those cars or any of the ones he had at Bristol Road. If you want to send this story to the local newspapers then I will as well. Maybe then the police will be forced to do something.
By Catalin, Fri 17th Jun 2011 @ 6:32 pm
@John: They will probably join the same boat as Adrian Brown and sue us for slander! After all, everything I've seen them doing is incommoding the traffic while patrolling at 20MPH and hiding somewhere with a speed gun to collect more for treasury. It's time to get real and start doing their job properly otherwise there's no justification for them wearing bullet proof vests and pistols...nothing dangerous in patrolling in a brand new BMW or hiding with a speed gun!
By John, Fri 5th Aug 2011 @ 10:23 am
Catalin - we'll leave that discussion for another time I think. Regarding our mutual friend, Gloucester police have been very informative. I'll let you know by email. Also this link might be of interest: http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/ (remember - fraud is a crime too)
By John, Fri 5th Aug 2011 @ 10:32 am
This link is most relevant: http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/media-centre/news-releases/2011/campaign-to-hunt-some-of-the-uks-most-wanted-fraudsters-launched-by-crimestoppers-45132985
By anonymous, Mon 22nd Aug 2011 @ 7:20 pm
Joanne Michelle Brown is the company secretary of Adrian Brown Ltd and therefore just as responsible as Adrian Brown for the running of the company.
By anonymous, Mon 22nd Aug 2011 @ 7:21 pm
Correction, that's Joanna not Joanne.
By John, Mon 22nd Aug 2011 @ 8:20 pm
Thanks for the info anonymous
By John, Mon 29th Aug 2011 @ 8:25 pm
The next court date is set for October 11th.
By Alex, Tue 30th Aug 2011 @ 7:03 pm
Good luck John. I hope you get justice for all of us!!!!
By john, Tue 30th Aug 2011 @ 11:07 pm
Thanks Alex, I'll do my best.
By John, Tue 6th Sep 2011 @ 8:40 am
I've just found out from yet another correspondent that Mark Dixon also ran a cheap car sales company on Bristol road during 2010. It was called Madleaze Auto Bargain Cars. Like Adrian Brown, Dixon had action taken against him by the office of fair trading in October 2010: http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/consumer-enforcement/traders/4240/2/ It makes my blood boil the more I think about these two con artists and what they have done to honest people who trusted them.
By John, Thu 15th Sep 2011 @ 11:33 am
Just for the record, the company secretary is not responsible for the running of a company. That is down to the directors. However, the secretary is responsible for all company administration including the accounts.
By John, Tue 20th Sep 2011 @ 7:08 am
A car sales company is still trading from the same location as Madleaze Auto Bargain Cars though there is no name on the signage and the phone number is written in what looks like felt tip pen. I don't know who runs it now (they might be perfectly fine) but if you are planning on buying from them all I would say is be very careful. Get everything in writing!
By John, Sun 16th Oct 2011 @ 8:48 pm
Hi all Unfortunately my claim was dismissed in court because Adrian Brown Ltd has not been wound-up. Until a creditor obtains a winding-up order nothing can be done. Mr Brown did not say in court whether he planned on winding it up so now it’s just a waiting game. Please note that this comment only states the facts in the case and it does contain any personal or defamatory statement.
By Alex, Sat 31st Dec 2011 @ 12:46 am
John - sorry to hear about the court hearing. So unless a creditor winds up Adrian Brown Ltd no one can get anything? That stinks! Can we get together and make the application? How much does it cost?
By John, Sun 1st Jan 2012 @ 1:33 pm
Hi Alex. Basically a company director is required by law take every step to ensure they pay their company's creditors. If a director knows his/her company is insolvent they should do everything in their power to wind it up for the benefit of the creditors. However if he/she doesn't and then disposes of the company’s assets, there is nothing to claim for through the courts. Only after the winding up has been completed (by an insolvency practitioner and the official receiver) can any claim be made against a director for fraud. Then the personal assets of the director/s can be seized to contribute to the debts. The application fee is £220 plus a deposit of £1165.
By Alex, Tue 3rd Jan 2012 @ 8:01 pm
That sounds like another ridiculous law! I'll have a think about the application. Maybe we can get someone else to join us and split the fee?