The business style of Coboco, in a nutshell: their habitual mode is to take money and services from bone fide investors, tradespeople and utility companies, without paying anything out. They have found, quite simply, that they can get away with it. In practice, obtaining a County Court Judgement (CCJ) against any member of the group is a totally worthless procedure since it is too expensive for victims to make legal claims for reimbursement through a court. As of this writing, the legal system allows for the existence of a loophole whereby certain slippery individuals can, so far with impunity, relieve honest people of their money, services or supplies.
Readers will note that the following website bears a startling resemblance to the now-defunct Castle & Gatehouse website and the director is Mark Black:
It will further be noted that extravagant percentages are offered to investors in joint ventures, which bears an uncomfortable resemblance to Coboco's tried-and-tested pattern of touting for investment—and getting the money— on the basis of unrealistic promises.
Also of interest is that the Zoopla entry for Novocastria Lettings now redirects to 'Adavo Property.' Apparently, they have 84 properties available for rent as of this post. Investors, students and contractors should beware of this setup.
I can't believe they are at it again. I wonder if some of the properties are from C&B? We can't let this happen again is there anything we can do to stop this?
ReplyDeleteDear Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteThe whole case is practically beyond belief. We don't yet know how we're going to stop them, but stop them we must.
IFS.
So much more that you dont know
Deletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/mar/10/inthenews.popandrock
Thank you, Anon; we did know about all that. It's a long time ago (2008). That article was one that gave CoBo credibility and persuaded quite a few bone fide investors that they were doing well and were proper businessmen. They weren't and they weren't.
DeleteDear Sally and Jasmine.
ReplyDeleteI am a property professional with two kids who works very hard. I do not deserve or warrant the libellous and at times bizarre lies you have repeatedly blogged about me over the past few years. I have watched from a distance but obviously feel compelled to step in and prevent any more lies being posted.
You, like anyone else, have been at your liberty to contact me at any point in the last few years and haven't. Why you haven't contacted me directly remains a mystery; albeit you did once pose as a fake investor to post malicious material which I still have on file.
The structure that I alone operate works well and doesn't have a penny out of place. Adavo owes not a single pound to anyone connected with it.
There is no "they". Adavo has nothing to do with any member of Collins Bone or otherwise - it is just me.
You will not find a single investor of Adavo's owed any money whatsoever. Nor a contractor, nor a student. All Adavo deposits are registered and held with the DPS. Any statement to the contrary is malicious. Moreover, I have successfully been redeeming items related to C&G where I have been able to.
Please leave me to support my family and stop these hurtful and ill informed posts or alternatively pick up the phone and call. You are welcome to come and visit to see for yourself what my business is - every part is easily validated.
I respectfully await your response.
Mark Black
We appreciate that you are now trying to ‘go straight,’ for the sake of your family (by the way, don’t miss the comment on this blog immediately below yours) but there remain so many unexplained financial anomalies in your background; for instance, you were CEO of the CBS Group and Castle & Gatehouse. In the Castle & Gatehouse management structure, Liam Collins and David Bone Jr are both listed as directors. The debts of CBS and Collins & Bone amounting to £4 million cannot have been accrued without your full knowledge and participation.
DeleteSome hanging questions are: what became of investors’ money? Was it really spent on expensive leased cars, salaries to family and friends, mobile phone bills, travel and the directors’ living expenses? Why weren’t the mortgages paid? Why were LPA receivers appointed on more than one occasion? Why weren’t utility companies paid? There are many more unanswered questions.
If you really want to clear up your dubious background and to continue life as an honest citizen, then you will be ready to help the Public Examiner, Mr Martin Faulkner, by answering these questions for him. You will certainly realise that that is not the job of the present authors. Our job has been to bring all of the detestable dishonesty and deceitful dealing described in the blog into public scrutiny.
Please note that this Blog was started in November 2011. It isn’t even a year old. We started it because—as already explained time and again—Collins & Bone refused to explain how they had spent investors’ money, and they still refuse to ‘come clean.’ Mark Black and David Bone Sr were sent copies of our emails to CoBo in November 2011. They did not reply. We don’t argue with anyone.
DeleteMr Black—
DeleteYou are the so-called 'honest professional' who rang me up along with Robert Wakefield to persuade me to part with my pension/redundancy pay in your relatives' Collins & Bone partnership, saying you had invested lots and that they and the returns were both good. You therefore possibly collaborated in misselling/misusing my money. Was this to replace your own losses, as well as those of Robert Wakefield, David Bone Snr, etc etc.? I have an email from Liam Collins saying members of his family had pension funds invested with Collins & Bone and that my pension would therefore be safe.
I see he is playing the old family trick. What about our families that his friends have destroyed. I for one do not believe he had nothing to do with C&B. In my mind he is as guilty as the rest but proving it my be another thing.In years to come they will all get their returns on what they have done, i'm sure.
ReplyDeleteFYI
ReplyDeleteRachael Bone is Davids wife not sister
Will all readers kindly take note that David Bone Jr has a wife and a sister named Rachael (note the unusual spelling). His wife is usually distinguished from his sister by being called Rachael Stanley Bone.
Delete