On the 26th of July I posted an article called Life Lesson Well Leant about the trials and tribulations of doing business with the most unethical car dealership I have ever encountered. With thousands of readers per week I had hoped to prevent anyone else from being conned by these miscreant charlatans.
Other web and social media sites also ran red hot with complaints.
Product Review was the first one I stumbled across. 71 out of 91 reviewers have slammed this company, and rightly so.
Stuff Review begins their appraisal with the elegant one-liner “What a bunch of shit.” I couldn’t agree more. So prolific were the responses that they created a FaceBook page on the 25th July to make it easier for people to engage with them and vent their frustrations.
Even A Current Affair got involved with a little expose. Unfortunately their follow up has been a little… lets say quiet 😉
The comments kept coming in thick, fast and vitriolic.
On the 27th July Mr. Jeremy Herbert, the Head of Global Rollout for webuyanycar.com contacted me with the following statement, which I ran on my site:
Hi Matt – we feel your pain. I represent webuyanycar.com (not webuyanycar.com.au) who have been established since 2006 and have 150+ branches in Europe and the United States. We’ve bought cars from hundreds of thousands of customers and we have a very high customer satisfaction rating.
We’ve been reading the complaints about webuyanycar.com.au with increasing concern. They are not related to our business in any way yet we’ve heard from many people who have mistakenly thought they were part of our business and have experienced service that is simply unacceptable. We’ve also offered advice and assistance to customers who have been left waiting for payment. When we buy a car, we either pay the customer immediately by cheque (in the United States) or by secure bank transfer and the transaction is always backed up by cleared funds. As the World’s biggest specialist car buyer we know that a fast and hassle-free transaction is important to our customers. We have our lawyers working on the brand confusion problem.
Hope you have a good outcome from your transaction and please feel free to contact me personally if you need any help with this matter.
Once again to reiterate, webuyanycar.com.au is not part of webuyanycar.com, is not a franchise of webuyanycar.com and not connected in any way to webuyanycar.com.
Mr. Herbert was quick to distance himself from the corrupt shenanigans of webuyanycar.com.au and I must say, I cannot blame him. Their brand has been damaged, many Australians lives have been ruined.
On the 30th July, after hearing a rumour that the company had been shut down, I checked the forums. People had said that webuyanycar.com.au was in liquidation and that the firm responsible for managing the wind up was Worrells Solvency and Forensic Accountants. I tried calling but received no joy so I loaded their website and found the following press release:
KAR LAND PTY LTD TRADING AS ‘WE BUY ANY CAR’ – IN LIQUIDATION
Released: 30.07.2012
URGENT NOTICE – ALL CREDITORS AND INTERESTED PARTIES
Worrells Solvency & Forensic Accountants have been appointed as liquidators to ‘Kar Land Pty Ltd trading as ‘We Buy Any Car’.
The matter is in its infancy and we are process of collating all relevant information.
We ask for your patience during this period. Our office is currently being inundated with calls, we only have limited information to pass on at this time.
Information regarding this business will be posted on our website as and when it becomes available.
Please refer to this section ‘Press Releases’ for full information.
1. Customers – who have sold cars to the company
We understand that there are a number of people who have sold cars to the company and have not been paid. With the liquidation of the company, your claim will be a ‘unsecured debt’ in the company. Please note that regrettably you do not have the right to reclaim your car, only an entitlement to a dividend in the liquidation. This process will take some time, therefore we request your patience in the matter. In the meantime, customers are asked to provide us details of their claim, so that they can be added to our reporting database. You will be able to lodge this information via our homepage shortly.
2. Employees
With the cessation of the business, prior to our appointment, again regrettably employment arrangements have been terminated. We understand that there would be entitlements owing to you. Unfortunately the company doesn’t have funds to pay these entitlements. However we would like to inform you that your entitlements do have full priority (except for superannuation) and would be paid under the GEERS scheme (Government Employee Entitlement Redundancy Scheme). We are in the process of getting all the employee details and we will be writing to you in regards to your claims.
3. Creditors
Please note that the company has ceased trading, therefore you should not be making any supplies to the company. In the meantime, you are asked to provide us details of their claim, so that they can be added to our reporting database. You will be able to lodge this information via our homepage shortly.
The Australian company We Buy Any Car with the annoying jingle and immoral mismanagement had made the lives of its customers, employees and creditors miserable. Some people, like myself, managed to get our money. This was achieved through sheer determination, dogged persistence and the fortunate timing of our sale. For those that are still owed, get in touch with Worrells and lodge your claim as soon as possible.
Good luck.
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Matthew
Matt's Notes 
Matt
Hampshire vehicle sales is owned by myself, this can be confirmed at companies house. I am the sole director and owner so I would ask for these links to be removed.
This as I said is a new company which has new staff and is operating in difficult times in the UK which is in the middle of a recession.
We buy cars and pay for them there and then and do not have cheques in post or broken promises to any of our customers.
I hope this now clearly states our position as a trusted company that fulfills all of its promises.
I wish you and your family a happy Easter.
hampshirevehiclesales.co.uk is a LTD company under companies house and is owned and directed by its owner who is not burbage or has anything to do with them. This is a new business which doesn’t need bad publicity when its done nothing wrong. The logo was found online and has nothing to do with any business’s any where else especially in Australia as its many thousands of miles away.
Thanks for your comment Ryan. Do you know the owners of Hampshire Vehicle Sales?
Is anyone interested in knowing where Burbage is and what he is doing, if so follow this link http://hampshirevehiclesales.co.uk. Have a look at the line drawing , above the name , have you seen it before.
It’s a very familiar looking logo isn’t it. Thanks for sending that through Paul.
Hey Matt,
Just thought I would let you know and maybe you can pass it on. Worrells have been an understanding firm and rectified the damages made from certain individuals who took matters into their own hands. Worrells were a pleasure to deal with and very quick in fixing the matter at hand. In saying this, I am very confident that Worrells will do their best in trying to help everyone that has been affected by Richard Burbage and webuyanycars.
Good luck to all that are affected and to get even a little back is better than nothing.
Kindest regards
Hi Helen,
Thanks for the follow up. I’m glad Worrells were able to look after you so promptly, that’s a good sign for everyone else.
Hopefully the law will catch up with Mr Burbage and he will be held accountable for all the pain he has caused.
Kindest regards.
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Matt
Thanks Matt, what these few people have done is take money out of their own pocket for Worrells now have to take money that should be going to them to fix the damage that they have caused and it is also now under criminal investigation.
I thought that might be the case. I think this situation is going to get worse for some people before it gets better unfortunately.
Mr Burbage has been summoned to attend the Federal Court in Brisbane to answer questions in regards to his involvement as a director in the company. This is to be held on 3rd July 2013 I think. Worrells have more information for people wanting to attend as it is open for the public to view. Mr Burbage is not in Australia but has fled back to the UK where he has opened up another business with I guess the same intention of ripping off customers again.
Thanks Henry.
Well said Matt, thank-you. Unfortunately their are consequences to their actions and when emotions get involved, rational thinking goes out the door.
I think that most of the people that WBAC preyed upon were those that could least afford it. When the bills start piling up…..stress, emotion, desperation.
Its very sad and I hope the people responsible are held to account for their actions.
I hope your repair bill isn’t too high.
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Cheers,
I am the owner of the property that leased it to WBAC and the consumers that broke in to steal there cars back caused damage to the property and building by smashing the windows
I am truly sorry to hear that.
Guys, please remember that WBAC leased many of the properties it operated from. Although you feel you are taking your frustrations out on WBAC, by damaging that property you are in fact hurting the livelihood of other innocent parties.
Too many people have been hurt by the reckless, criminal activities of the people in charge of WBAC. Let’s not add to the list.
I am happy for the people who got there cars back but not happy with the damaged they caused …..now not only am I out of pocket like everyone else is with WBAC but now they have cost me money from damaging the property…….
What do you mean “…now they have cost me money from damaging the property”
Dear not happy, Its a sad situation to be in if in fact property was damaged by the owners of these vehicles attempting to get them back, however, you are a secured creditor, and probably have insurance to cover broken windows. These people have broken lives. Most of them were not lucky enough to own property, just a car. and are unsecured creditors. not much of a comparison.
The pain these people have caused seems to know no bounds.
That’s where u have got it all wrong Brooke, we infact are an unsecured credit so we also get nothing but that still does not give anyone the right to damage someone else’s property.
Hey, ACA are running another story tonight at 6:30.
Hi Brooke,
Did you see the episode?
Sure did! So proud of the people who were able to break in and get their cars back. Unfortunately that’s not the case for the majority.