WARNING Golden River Manufacturing Hives

[Beeforest]

Hi
Not sure if this is the correct place to post this.
I have two hives on my land and have been shadowing the bee keeper and learning lots in the hope of having my own hive this year.
I ordered and paid for a hive from Golden River Manufacturing early this year. In March they told me they would not be able to deliver this item as the person making them was not able to supply to them anymore. Fair enough. However they have not returned my money and each phone call is ignored or I am fobbed off with promises which don't materialise, I fear I will have lost this money and my bee keeping opportunity from this year.
Has anyone else suffered at the hands of this company?
If anyone is thinking of buying a hive from them please do so with great caution.
Also can anyone suggest a good place to buy a National Hive from people I can trust?
Thanks

 

[For want of a better word]

A trip to Trading Standards me thinks !!

 

[Otleybee]

Tho**nes are always very reliable. I buy their seconds and although some boxes need a b it of fettling they go together OK.

 

[dpearce4]

hiya

sorry to hear about your problems. had a look at the website and a definate trip to trading standards is needed.

did you pay using your credit card or debit card? if it was your credit card contact them for a refund due to non delivery. they have to refund you by law. if it was debit card or cash then you may need to go through the courts and do an online CCJ against them. not to expensive and if you do this they will have to pay costs as well.

if you need to get a hive quickly there are a number of possible routes for you.

you can go to the bee auction and equipment sale at brinsbury this saturday. details of how to get there and a catalogue of what is in the auction is available here :-

http://************************/local/westsussex/bm~doc/wsbka-auction-catalogue-2011-v-3.pdf

also paynes beekeeping will be there Not the cheapest but if you explain what has happened they may help you out.

if i had the equipment i would lend it to you until you got it sorted out. if you have bees on order then give me a shout and i will see what i can do about looking after them for you until you get your hive. mind you depends how close you are to me.

i hope this helps.

 

[dpearce4]

http : / / w w w . britishbee .org .uk/ local/westsussex/bm~doc/wsbka-auction-catalogue-2011-v-3.pdf


if this works remove the spaces and put in your search bar on internet explorer.

sorry admin about this web address. it is not for personal gain just trying to help beeforrest with issue and it is a west sussex beekeepers association run event.

 

[BKF Admin]

Thats fine DP
I dont like to block links to the BBKA,Its just that in the past we have had a few members from their website come over and think it funny plaster links back to the website.
So blocking was the only way to curb the problem.

 

[MuswellMetro]

Hi
Not sure if this is the correct place to post this.
I have two hives on my land and have been shadowing the bee keeper and learning lots in the hope of having my own hive this year.
I ordered and paid for a hive from Golden River Manufacturing early this year. In March they told me they would not be able to deliver this item as the person making them was not able to supply to them anymore. Fair enough. However they have not returned my money and each phone call is ignored or I am fobbed off with promises which don't materialise, I fear I will have lost this money and my bee keeping opportunity from this year.
Has anyone else suffered at the hands of this company?
If anyone is thinking of buying a hive from them please do so with great caution.
Also can anyone suggest a good place to buy a National Hive from people I can trust?
Thanks

best hivemaker on here is tom bick of hounslow ( A4) PM him or hivemaker of somerset

 

[RoofTops]

The hives have disappeared from their site. Interestingly, the hive images they use appear to have been taken from the Th****s website.

 

[drstitson]

if you paid by debit card you can request that your bank perform a "charge back" ie basically the same protection as you get with credit card.

 

[Heather]

Maybe we should all email the company querying the information re poor service, non delivery and non refund- block their computer - Takes a lot of good input to increase sales- one poor one to damage
Pressure....

 

[hedgerow pete]

GO TO " MONEYSAVINGEXPERT" as martin has a complete set of ways to sort people like this out and the full set of consumer rights. he knows his stuff to well he does it for watchdog on the telly

 

[bramblebee]

If you look on some smallholders and pig sites you will find there are problems with other items they make as well

 

[milkermel]

If you are happy to build your own hive then Thornes may be worth a look, Persoanly I get my hives from Hivemaker now as I live just down the road from him, Great hives and brilliant service.

 

[darren64]

you could try the HMCS site and click on the small claims link,I did this with a company on e**y,its free and it worked for me I got my money back.

 

[nosmoking]

I had a suggestion but notice that your in Sussex and the company are in Oxfordshire but maybe worth the trip. I have in the past actually gone to a company and literally banged on their counter for repayment. If this doesn't work then either stand at their till or go outside and warn everyone else about what they have done to you. If you shout loud enough you will probably get your money back sooner rather than later. They don't want the bad publicity. Worked for me, strangely enough in Sussex, lol. (And other places) Good luck

 

[fredbloggs]

Hello Beeforest

can you update please. you have had quite a few replies here but no update/response from you ?

Assuming that your situation remains unchanged? - taken from your "suppliers" website

"...We try to ensure a high rate of customer satisfaction on communication, quality and delivery."

I would say that they have failed all around?

My advice (having gone through the HMCS route- used to be called small claims court) would be:

1. Stop phoning. only use mail or as a last resort email. Phone calls are not admissible evidence in court. If you must use email, print off paper copies as they occur and store.
2. Send recorded delivery letter. State that you want your dosh returned within 7 days. Also warn that you will commence legal proceeding with NO further notice after that date. Warn that you will hold them responsible for ALL your costs, legal, postage, admin incidental arising from your action to get your payment returned. If you do this, it is more likely that the court will entertain your application for costs. It will only cost you a recorded delivery letter (-£1?).
3. Make notes of all your activities and actions. it is easy to forget small items.

The small claims process is a doddle and the initial elements are all completed on the HMCS website. They also serve the initial court papers and hopefully you will find that this serving of legal papers on the supplier will be enough to get them to cough up.

Which is only right and fair.

That is assuming they have not done so already?

Regards


Fred

 

[Heather]

I had a suggestion but notice that your in Sussex and the company are in Oxfordshire but maybe worth the trip. I have in the past actually gone to a company and literally banged on their counter for repayment. If this doesn't work then either stand at their till or go outside and warn everyone else about what they have done to you. If you shout loud enough you will probably get your money back sooner rather than later. They don't want the bad publicity. Worked for me, strangely enough in Sussex, lol. (And other places) Good luck

Me too- great fun....going to other potential customers asking if they would accept such poor quality???..I got my money back although the shop did ask that I went elsewhere in future
And a bank where they had charged me £30 for 2 days overdrawn-never happened before in 25 yrs!! I demanded they put it back- she argued- I insist she read my lips- 'PUT BACK or I close account'. It was put back- most satisfying- with a cheering queue behind me.

 

[Beeforest]

Thank you so much for your replies and wise advice.
Foolishly for me I paid them direct as I thought I would save them the admin charges for cards etc. All fool me. I have emailed them informing them that the money needs to be repaided by a certain date or I will be taking further action to recover the funds. HMCs looks now like my only option. I will also send them a recorded letter as stating my futher intentions and we will see how things develop.
I would love to go to their shop and put off any potential customers but it is a long way for me and I can't spare the time away from my smallholding at this time of year.
Thanks for the hive suppliers suggested but in the meantime the person who keeps bees on my site has got hold of a brood box for me so I may yet get my own bees soon.
I'll keep you posted. Thanks again

 

[victor meldrew]

Me too- great fun....going to other potential customers asking if they would accept such poor quality???..I got my money back although the shop did ask that I went elsewhere in future
And a bank where they had charged me £30 for 2 days overdrawn-never happened before in 25 yrs!! I demanded they put it back- she argued- I insist she read my lips- 'PUT BACK or I close account'. It was put back- most satisfying- with a cheering queue behind me.

Similar happened to me
My monthly statement showed a pay in of £50,000 which should have been £500.
Next line showed a debit of £50,000 .
Next line showed a pay in of £500.
Fine I thought , simple mistake promptly corrected .
Next monthly statement showed a £780 charge for an unauthorised overdraft !!!.
Down at the bank in a trice !! waited for an audience then complained about the first statement" , snotty teller tried to humiliate me by pointing out 'loud and clear' that I should read the statement properly before complaining as an obvious error had been made and corrected instantly '
Is that so said I? then ,would you kindly explain this and produced statement no two?
The crestfallen teller was now the humiliated one as she didn't know what to say .
I demanded to see the manager . you need an appointment was her response!
Ok , close my account immediately !
Needless to say I was whisked in the the managers office .
This is where the fun started . The guys first remark was "I have a migraine "

Having established that the original payment had been electronic he suggested the girl had dwelled on the 0 key accidentally !
What about the overdraft ? £780 for a split second .
I have an awful migraine was his answer to that .
"Right said I , I want the £780 putting back as quick as it was withdrawn , when this has been done I want this account closed !
Er1 It's not as simple as that , you have a few direct debits which require dealing with .
He had a flunky hovering around who he had to set to work, sorting these debits out , this resulting in the discovery of a payment that had nothing to do with me and had been taken monthly for 9 months !!.

That was the final straw . I left the bank having closed the account the balance in cash in my pocket and opened an account across the road at a rival bank !
A Bank which I have been dealt with ethically for about 20 years now!!

John Wilkinson

 

[Beeforest]

Have rung Consumer Direct and like your advice they suggest I send a recorded letter stating my probelm and give time frame for my money to be returned. Will keep you posted as to developments.
Thanks all.