Tony Hetherington is the Financial Mail on Sunday’s star investigator, battling readers’ corners, revealing the truth behind closed doors and winning victories for those left penniless. Find out how to contact him below.
CG writes: My wife’s BMW was hit outside my daughter’s house by an Uber Eats delivery driver on a motorcycle.
He caused an estimated £1,000 damage, but simply shouted: “Sorry boss” and sped off.
I wrote to the CEO of Uber Eats, but the only response I received was a phone call to say that the company had five delivery drivers in the area at the time, but couldn’t do anything to help me due to “privacy” issues.
Tony Hetherington replies: You wrote to Uber Eats boss Matthew Price, giving him the date, time and exact location of the hit-and-run. You actually saw the collision and recognized it was an Uber Eats cyclist.
Price did not respond, but Uber Eats called him to explain that its delivery drivers had a right to their privacy. This was followed by a further call in which she was told that the company could not give her details of which of its staff was in her daughter’s path for privacy reasons, implying that the individual had been identified.
Uber Eats failed to locate the driver who damaged a BMW car
I sent all of this to Uber Eats and the company contacted you and said they would cooperate with the police if you provided a crime number.
But of course, the police couldn’t even open an investigation, since they didn’t have the license plate of the motorcyclist who had disappeared in the distance.
Getting any feedback from Uber Eats was almost impossible. A spokesperson said they would call me, but they didn’t and emails went unanswered.
Finally, despite telling him that there were five of its delivery drivers in the area when his wife’s car was hit, the company issued this statement: The ‘Uber Eats’ team of specialists has thoroughly investigated this incident and there is no evidence that suggest that a courier was operating on the Uber Eats platform at the time of the incident.
There you have it. Five couriers in the area, one courier on that road and now none.
Uber Eats, this leaves a very bad taste in your mouth.
Centurion retires to Dubai
Mrs. VK writes: Earlier this year I contacted Centurion Estate Planning Group Ltd to obtain lasting power of attorney.
Their representative came to my house, explained everything to me and my partner and we paid £900.
However, I received nothing. I’m a pensioner so I can’t afford to lose £900.
Disappearing act: CEPG director Daniel Grant appears to have gone missing, with one of his contacts suggesting he was in Dubai
Tony Hetherington replies: Centurion Estate Planning Group (CEPG) announced its services included the preparation of wills, trust deeds, power of attorney documents and home protection plans.
What do all of these have in common? Anyone can do this job, no qualifications needed.
You may have felt misled by the Chichester-based CEPG’s use of the Society of Will Writers logo, with its reassuring motto: “It’s safe to do business with them.” Except CEPG had no right to use the logo and in August I found a county court ruling against it, followed by a High Court order to wind up the company.
The CEPG had two directors. The man in control at Chichester was Daniel Grant. He has been behind no less than 33 companies, of which at least three have court rulings against them. I would have liked to chat, but he seems to have gone out of sight and one of his contacts suggested he was in Dubai.
The CEPG website is still active and still displays the logo of the Society of Will Writers, which sets standards for the industry. He told me that its members included the other director of the CEPG, Peter Maughan. The company’s managing director, Anthony Belcher, said: ‘Peter was registered with us for the business and was due to renew in April. However, he did not do so, so he ceased membership.
Maughan resigned as director of the CEPG in May and I was surprised to discover that he is a lawyer as well as a Liberal Democrat member of Gateshead Council. What was a lawyer doing lending his name to a company as dubious as the CEPG?
He told me he did it ‘as a favor to a friend’ who was involved in the CEPG. He added: “I became a non-executive director.” He had no shares in it.
Maughan said he had forgotten he was a director until it came time to renew his professional indemnity insurance. He explained: “The premium was hugely inflated, and this was because I was not a director of Centurion.”
In short, the insurance company smelled something bad in Chichester.
Maughan added: “I had no idea of the state of the company – I am shocked and dismayed that my name is associated with this.”
Where does this leave you? CEPG is in liquidation and I think there is as much chance of £900 left in your account as there is of a white Christmas in Dubai.
But there is a silver lining: I have found someone who will finish the job CEPG started, without charge. Let me know how it works.
If you believe you are a victim of financial irregularity, please write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Due to the large volume of inquiries, it is not possible to provide personal responses. Please only send copies of the original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.
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