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#Post#: 10171--------------------------------------------------
Classic Car Interior Destroyed in Fire at the Reupholstering Com
pany
By: spinningfish Date: November 14, 2023, 10:59 am
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Evening all!
Back in June 2020, I dropped my (extremely rare!) classic car
seats to a specialist retrimmer in Baldock called A&R Pound.
They are very highly regarded and have been there forever - I
remember my dad using them, when he was a mechanic, back in the
80s.
The place is very old school and very heavily over subscribed
with work - the place was literally floor to ceiling with
various car seats and material. A quick look on Google will show
you that there is no website, mobile numbers or emails.
The car required restoration, so there was no hurry on my part,
so I dropped the interior and reproduced fabric off, they put my
details in their diary, quoted me the price and I was on my way.
I called periodically, out of interest, to see how they were
getting on and the seats were never started, but like I said,
there was no hurry.
The restoration of the car has moved on to the point that I
could do with the interior before Spring 2024, so two days ago I
gave them a call to ask whether they could finished around the
end of January.
No one answered the landline initially, but then a mobile number
called me back. I explained to the man (who wasn't the owner,
Fred) that I had some seats there and was wondering whether they
could be done by the end of January. He abruptly replied,
"impossible". I thought they're probably a bit snowed under
still, so I asked when he thought they might be able to get them
done and the reply was, "Never. The unit burned down five months
ago." I was completely dumbstruck and didn't really know what to
say. All he could say was "Sorry about that." and he put the
phone down.
Link to News Report:
HTML https://www.thecomet.net/news/23649512.recap-live-updates-baldock-industrial-estate-fire/
I completely sympathise with their situation. I can't imagine
losing such a long-established business in such a devastating
way, but I am now without a very rare and hard to replace
interior, not to mention the reproduction fabric that was only
made on a very limited run and can't be bought anymore.
I have had a conversation with a couple of the members of the
owners club and buying a bare bones interior, in poor condition,
if I can even find one, will at least cost me £1,500. I don't
even know whether I'm going to be able to request a run of the
reproduction fabric and what the minimum cost of that will be.
The biggest problem I have is that because the business was so
old school, I don't have any evidence that I ever left the
interior there. My details were in the diary in the workshop,
which I can only assume went up in flames, which is why no one
has contacted me within the last five month since the fire.
All I have to show that I ever owned the interior, is the
Facebook conversation with the person I bought it from. I also
have a Google Maps timeline to show that I went to A&R Pound on
that date to drop it off. The owner Fred always remembered my
interior when I called, but I have no way of contacting him and
the person I spoke to was very dismissive.
I’m certainly not wanting to bad-mouth them, so I hope this
doesn’t come across that way.
Apart from the very obvious lessons learned here, is there
anything I can do to be financially recompensed to replace what
has been lost?
Many thanks in advance!!
#Post#: 10230--------------------------------------------------
Re: Classic Car Interior Destroyed in Fire at the Reupholstering
Company
By: andy_foster Date: November 14, 2023, 4:09 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Presumably you entered into an agreement for them to do your
seats - so a contract would have been formed (assuming terms
sufficiently clear etc.).
What entity was the contract formed with - legally, what are A&R
Pound - a company, a partnership, a sole trader?
Were they insured?
Does that entity still exist and does it have any money?
Potentially there could be a claim under contract or tort
(negligence). Absent compelling reasons to the contrary,
contract is always preferable as there is a strict liability,
rather than having to demonstrate a duty of care. However, if
the company is insolvent and you can show that the owner was
personally negligent, negligence would seem to be the better
route (you cannot sue a straw man).
Proof in a civil claim is "on the balance of probabilities".
does the court find it more likely than not.
Anything that supports credible testimony tends to make it more
credible.
#Post#: 10237--------------------------------------------------
Re: Classic Car Interior Destroyed in Fire at the Reupholstering
Company
By: DancingDad Date: November 14, 2023, 4:27 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Whether they have it is open to question but their insurance
would be the simplest way, either direct under contents
insurance or under public liability.
I would be prioritising that in my to do list to get this
sorted.
Second item, which will be needed is whatever proof and a value.
Any insurance on the car?
#Post#: 10276--------------------------------------------------
Re: Classic Car Interior Destroyed in Fire at the Reupholstering
Company
By: guest46 Date: November 14, 2023, 11:03 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Have you researched the owner/director(s) on Companies House?
Whilst not mandatory they may have had insurance.
It seems an odd choice of tradesmen given their reputation for
fixing fag burns in taxis etc?
#Post#: 12124--------------------------------------------------
Re: Classic Car Interior Destroyed in Fire at the Reupholstering
Company
By: peek Date: December 9, 2023, 5:54 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Hi
Wonder how you are doing on this
There is chat on various Classic car forums about this fire
EG
HTML https://www.clubtriumph.co.uk/forums/topic/20959-major-fire-at-ar-pound-workshop-baldock/
It looks like the fire was not just A and R Pound. Its the whole
trading estate and the Police were involved.
So you should, by a bit of research, be able to find who, where
to go to find Fred. And/or which organisation started the fire
and if there is an insurance company you can go to.
#Post#: 12155--------------------------------------------------
Re: Classic Car Interior Destroyed in Fire at the Reupholstering
Company
By: spinningfish Date: December 10, 2023, 7:02 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Peek.
I haven’t done a great deal yet. I have planned to call again
this week, but am rubbish at talking on the phone and conveying
what I need to, so am trying to prepare.
I would imagine calls to the local police and council would be a
good idea too.
I will report back once I have got my head around it all.
Thanks for taking the time to check in on me.
#Post#: 12351--------------------------------------------------
Re: Classic Car Interior Destroyed in Fire at the Reupholstering
Company
By: BertB Date: December 13, 2023, 9:44 am
---------------------------------------------------------
The fire started in one of the units further down from A&R. I
can't remember which one, but I'll see if I can dig something
out. But the whole roof went up and it pretty much took out
every business in that block of units.
A starting point with regard to insurance, liability, etc might
be with the land owners. The current landlords are shown as
Baldock Industrial Estate Limited. On companies house, that
lists two current directors. Richard Floyd of Floyd Automatic
Tooling, whose building is likely to be still standing as they
are quite a bit detached from the main units that went up. The
other is Brian Ruskin of Lionkent Ltd. They would have
definitely been in the thick of it, so I don't know if they will
still be based in Baldock or not.
The commercial agents for industrial units there has always been
Brown & Lee, so they may also be able to confirm ownership and
who would deal with claims.
Edit: I've found an article that says the fire started at the
premises of The Stair Company. It also quotes Roger Pound who
gives a rough estimate of losses.
HTML https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-66541433
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