ABI Horsebox Prize Draw..Company in liquidation...All ticket buyers read!!!

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Toby_Zaphod

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ABI started selling tickets for a prize draw last year with the prize being a horsebox, manufactured by them worth £100,000. They sold tickets from their website & also at various horse shows around the country. The draw was to be at Olympia however it did not take place. Many will remember that it was posted that not all tickets had been sold & the figure of 900 outstanding tickets were mentiioned as remaining out of the 6000 initial ones. (5200 tickets would be a value of £102,000)

Apparantly we all imagined that there were 900 outstanding tickets....I have emailed Rebecca (H&H forum member Pathelschoice) regarding the draw & this was the reply:-

Dear Phil,

I need to correct your assumptions - It was not a raffle - it was a Prize Draw:

1) We only sold about 1300 Tickets which is £26,000 (not £100,000) and that was why were planning to extend the draw under the terms of the draw and we were arranging to attend more Horse Shows this year to generate sales.

2) We spent more than £35,000 taking the Prize Draw box to many many shows during the last year (in fact we spent more than 6 months at shows) and this did not include the time we paid some people to be at the shows with us.
Also we paid in excess of £7,000 in legal fees to set up the draw in the first place.

3) Since last November we have not managed to sell any Horseboxes and in fact we have not had an enquiry for more than 4 months even though we have had overheads to cover during this period (wages, rents, council tax, insurance etc.)

4) We have done our very best to keep the business going, but we cannot keep getting personal loans to finance the business in the hope it will improve especially in times when people are not buying Horseboxes or prize draw tickets due to the credit situation.

5) We have had no alternative, but to place the Company in Liquidation and if you wish to pursue the matter further then you will need to write to the Liquidator who will advise you of the status because the Company and the Prize Draw is no longer in our hands or control.

Regards,

Rebecca

I have emailed to get details of the liquidator & will post any information I get.:(
 
Thanks for letting us know. I entered the draw too, dreaming of winning a fantastic horsebox.
All I can say is although I never met Rebecca, she seemed a lovely helpful person and its really sad to hear whats happened.
 
Oh thats not good for anyone , I would think there will be other busnesses in a simalar situation so it pays to be carefull who you trade with and trust, just shows what a mess this country is in and I think will get worse no matter who wins the election thanks Gordon you spent.. sorry wasted more than there was now we're paying the price...
 
Louby said:
Thanks for letting us know. I entered the draw too, dreaming of winning a fantastic horsebox.
All I can say is although I never met Rebecca, she seemed a lovely helpful person and its really sad to hear whats happened.
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I met them at stoneleigh they did seem very nice genuine folk I would think they are devistated they had put alot into making nice lorrys and looking after people ... its not easy being in business at the moment, my overheads are low but there isnt much money about and what there is people are spending only when they have too... if there isnt much coming in overheads soon kill a business. .
 
I too bought a ticket and dreamed of a brand spanking new box...ah well back to dreaming.

It's very sad the company has gone under though. I wish then all the best as it must be really really hard to lose everything you have worked to build up.
 
Oh what a shame, I spoke to them at a couple of shows, and really liked their ideas for their new small 2 horse boxes, in fact they were on my shortlist for when I eventually hoped to purchase one, hopefully next year - so many other small boxes just seem to be thrown together without much thought to usage of space. Like I said, what a shame!
 
That's a great shame ansd just shows what a genuine person she is to have taken the trouble to reply when she could have just forwarded you email to the liquidator.

They looked like super boxes and its sad that someone trying to make a real quality product has gone out of business when some that make cheap poorly made ones will continue to make profits.
 
Just a quick update on this as we have have a few telephone calls asking if we know whats going on.

As of yesterday the company (Under ABI Horseboxes ltd), was not in receivership or liquidation, or been issued with a winding up order.

It would appear that they certainly are not trading as the phones reverted to a family message and all web links have gone.

If anyone knows who the receivers are it would be appreciated if you could let us know. My boss has contected the editor of H&H to try and make potential ticket purchasers aware of the situation.
 
COWGILL HOLLOWAY BUSINESS RECOVERY LLP
49 PETER STREET
MANCHESTER
M2 3NG

This is the address for the Liquidators for ABI Horseboxes Ltd

When I last visited their website it stated that there were only 900 tickets left for the prize draw!

Unfortunately, I don't expect anyone who entered into the prize draw to get their money back as they will be so far down the list of creditors it will be unreal!

HMRC, PAYE, EMPLOYEES, BANK, PREFERENTIAL CREDITORS, SUPPLIERS, ETC will get the money after the liquidator and accountants have been paid.

Any clients owed money e.g. anyone who has placed a deposit on vehicle or prize draw ticket holders, are not preferential so will most likely not actually get any money back.

And once when its finally sorted out, somewhere like 3 years if its easy to do the financials in the liquidation, there will be very little money left if they have no assets as a company!

It is most unfortunate what has happened but to launch such a gimmicky offer in such a terrible financial climate smacks to being desperate to sell vehicles.
 
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