The End for Pink Ladies?

[Bill]

From what I?m reading elsewhere, it rather looks like Pink Ladies have finally gone into insolvency. No doubt we will be hearing more officially in the coming days as things get sorted out but it looks like again another company is set to rise from the ashes.

 

Bill

[Paul Kennedy]

Quite probably Bill.....as is often the way.

[Dizzy]

Which one of their Ltd companies has gone into insolvency this time ...

 

Of course they will continue to trade but with a few little changes here and there... start afresh and all your problems go away

 

Wonder where this will leave those people who have major issues and questions over PL's licencing saga though....

[Bill]

They may well want to carry on trying to run a similar business but I think they?re going to find it extremely difficult especially when the very customers they?ve relied on for so long find they?re right at the back of the insolvency queue to get their pre payments back.

 

They won?t be in a position either to buy back relatively new equipment and vehicles from their previous dealings as they did last time. In fact I suspect that the high cost of maintaining an ageing fleet of high mileage vehicles played some part in this decision.

 

I also doubt there?ll be much financial support from Mrs Katona this time either given she was declared bankrupt last week and it does beg the question if these two events are in any way related.

 

I think it goes without saying that their attempts to change the law in their favour will now be dropped, but for all we know with the blackout imposed on the subject, the case may actually have been lost leaving them with costs to pay!

 

It?d be interesting to hear what Pink?n Proud has on say on the issue.

 

Bill

[RENT-A-GOAT]

It?d be interesting to hear what Pink?n Proud has on say on the issue.

 

Pink 'n Proud? Are they starting a gay-only taxi spin-off?

[Dizzy]

They may well want to carry on trying to run a similar business but I think they?re going to find it extremely difficult especially when the very customers they?ve relied on for so long find they?re right at the back of the insolvency queue to get their pre payments back.

Suppose it depends on wether they actually owe anyone anything. Maybe the membership contracts have already been transfered to a new company and recent bills paid in which case no-one will be any worse off with a simple name change. I don't know how all this insolvency stufff works but it seems like sometimes it's just a paper formality and business carries on as usual.

 

They won?t be in a position either to buy back relatively new equipment and vehicles from their previous dealings as they did last time. In fact I suspect that the high cost of maintaining an ageing fleet of high mileage vehicles played some part in this decision.

 

Who else would want a load of pink french cars.... The cost of making them 'normal' and the age/mileage probably outweighs the cost of the finance company signing them over to 'someone' for free away As long as they have been regularly maintained and serviced they will still have many years left in them yet though

 

I also doubt there?ll be much financial support from Mrs Katona this time either given she was declared bankrupt last week and it does beg the question if these two events are in any way related.

 

Just a scam to get out of paying her tax.. allegidly

 

I think it goes without saying that their attempts to change the law in their favour will now be dropped, but for all we know with the blackout imposed on the subject, the case may actually have been lost leaving them with costs to pay!

 

....or the case may now have to be dropped as a result of the latest going on and insolvency which of course could stop any costs having to be paid, questions having to be answered by or future action being taken by ALL parties

 

It?d be interesting to hear what Pink?n Proud has on say on the issue.

 

Went quiet a long time ago Bill

 

PL's idea was a really good one but they just rubbed up too many other backs.. here's hoping that when they return (tomorrow probably ) that things are sorted and all the taxi/private hire/members only 'taxi' services can work happily alongside each other

[Peter T]

I saw one today trundling along.

[Dizzy]

Did you not offer to give it a push Peter if it was trundling

 

There's a lot of them in Penketh near the shoe shop for some reason

[Bill]

I think that insolvency means that the worth of the company is insufficient to cover immediate debts such as rents and wages. It?s a bit more serious than just a paper exercise in fact I think it?s illegal to knowingly trade under insolvency unless there?s a plan in place to rectify the situation.

 

In the case of a privately owned fleet, the prime assets would be the vehicles, however the worth of the vehicles will now have dropped to the point where on paper they are virtually worthless and the ever increasing running costs will have now become a major liability. Selling them or even giving them to drivers may well be the only option.

 

I?ve seen exactly the same thing right across the country with companies moving away from fleet ownership to an owner-driver-based style of business. This transfers the liability for running costs onto the actual drivers who are effectively self-employed and who then simply pay Pink Ladies for the administration services.

 

I do hope the company can succeed and it could, but I think considerable changes would be needed if it?s to stand any chance of surviving in what?s becoming an increasingly depressed market.

 

Bill

[tara_dad]

Hi bill yes will let you know about the other thing soon when I see you.

 

Her we go again and no one is worried that the vehicles they are driving around in are safe? Shocks me to the core. They have not the money to carry on so what short cuts have they Taken?

And just because they are going bust will not stop me from asking why as the council not done anything for the past two years plus.

We will be able to see if they have been doing any council contracts why they have not been plated roll on.

As this will now make it more for me to ask and get the answers I know they will be plated to what ever happen to them. I know this but why as it taken till now and who is to blame as I am not going to stop until a new Taxi & Ph licensing officer is employed.

But as we all know they are till trading taking people from A to B and the council do not care about your public safety and nether is any of the Warrington political parties. as shown on here?

 

if this is the case the old post should be now open again no need for it to be locked as there was a reacord for the longes post and it should be reopen As that post shows it from its infancy to its end and shows what we can all do and think and did take a number of years to do ste and gary its nice to have a record and all done on WW so what do you say reopen ? tilly will not be happy but hay what new ? .........lol

[asperity]

As lucid as ever TD

[don't tell em your name]

the thing that gets all taxi/private hire drivers goin about PL is the total disregard for all the gumf we have to go through. I have a crb check every three years they do not . I have a medical every five years they do not . I have to license my vehicle and have two mot tests a year they do not .I have to have a license they do not .All the things i have to do comes at a price , a price that they are not paying cos of some legal loophole and our wonderful taxi licensing officer , he who gave the the go ahead in the first place is now trying to get them off the road with the tax payers money i might add. He should have lost his JOB years ago , an old army saying springs to mind . He has been promoted to his level of incompetence.

[RENT-A-GOAT]

There's a lot of them in Penketh near the shoe shop for some reason

 

Perhaps they are hoping people wont want to get their new shoes dirty and take a taxi instead!?

[Dizzy]

All the things i have to do comes at a price , a price that they are not paying cos of some legal loophole and our wonderful taxi licensing officer , he who gave the the go ahead in the first place is now trying to get them off the road with the tax payers money i might add.

 

Thought the so called 'loophole' was supposed to have been closed at the beginning of the year

 

What I don't understand is WHY the rest of you haven't tried to go through the same available loophole that PL's have so you can all cut your all your costs too. Although I do understand why there is such a level of alienation towards PL's from other 'taxi' drivers in the area I guess it all stems from the fact that no one else has managed to find a way around all the rules and regulations like they have.

 

So perhaps you should all try it Wonder what the licensing bods would have to say then as surely they couldn't stop you.

 

Maybe PL's could even give you some advice as to how it's done to make it fair and stop everyone arguing about it ... I guess not though

[Pinky]

Kerry never invested anything in the company, they hired her for the adverts in the beginning and have had nothing to do with her financially.

 

Also, the Pink Ladies do have to have medicals, CRB checks etc. The cars are only 3 years old and are regularly checked and serviced.

 

The Pink Ladies are able to operate because they are registered as a private members club, not a taxi firm. The customers pay a fee to join the club. There is no cash in the cars, people use a pre paid account. The customers can ring up and book their favourite driver, they will receive a text if they request it to tell them that their car is outside. The drivers were paid an hourly wage and were not self employed.

Anyway...all in all they are not taxis and were trying to appeal to a different market. I don't know why other taxis took such offence, am guessing just fear.

 

All this said, the company was a great idea but was run badly.

 

The company has now gone into insolvency.

 

This unfortunately means that all of the staff were let go on Monday, probably without pay for the whole of August leaving many people in a great deal of trouble...I know some people may be left with no money to pay rent and bills. The staff had no notice and only found out at the end of last week, meaning they have no jobs to go to.

 

Although this is bad news for the staff, the company will carry on under a slightly different name and drivers will be self-employed instead of being paid an hourly wage as it was. All the staff have the opportunity to work for the new company but many probably won't as it appears that the new scheme would make it very hard, or impossible to make enough to live on.

 

Some of the staff have stayed on to give the new company a chance but I would guess that this is nearly the end for the Pinks.

 

I think that it is a very sad thing because peoples' lives and families have been affected. Also, there were many people who did love the service and will sorely miss those pink cars.

[Bill]

Here's somethin on a slightly lighter note involving pink, taxis and lady drivers.

 

http://taxistorys.blogspot.com/2008/07/too-pink.html#links

 

Bill

[tara_dad]

Wonderful pinky now it?s our turn what a load of old bull. You could see this day coming. So you?ll get no simply from me and get off the sob story, you should have not broken the law?? should you.

No one as ever said that you should go. Only you should work within the law which you have tried to buck. But as this now as back fired on you all. So hard luck.

Pink ladies tried to pull a fast one at the cost of the people of Warrington I.e. your members and your staff.

. No taxi or Private hire driver care if you still work only that you work within the law like the rest of us and get licensed.

There is no such thing as a members club you tried to rob the people of this town in not paying council fees like the rest of the hard working people in this trade.

And as for your staff they should look about taking pink lady?s to court on misuse of a business at the cost of its staff. if your drivers and car where licened you could have sold them to your drivers? but now it will be too much for them to pay out like the rest of us who have to do this yearly. where you have not........and all them regulars you are letting down now.

And where you say its impossible to carry on its because that they have to pay to work now. ? what like the rest of us have too...... how do you think the rest of us have gone on why you been braking the law and getting away with it .

All I have to say to the rest of you is get licensed like the rest of us and we will welcome you with open arm and let you run the way you want to run as long as its within the law.

You are solely not to blame for this the taxi licensing officer as let you get away with this Mr Barns.

I am out to prove this and to get new taxi licensing?s officer employed as he as been using tax payers money and ours to try to take you to court when it was to late.

now as wasted tax payers money when this could have been closed two years ago.

As I said I am going to keep going and show the council up and councillors and political parties for not bothering on a public safety action.

Or until a mew taxi licensing officer in employed

[Pinky]

Firstly, can I just say that I do not and have never worked for Pink Ladies.

 

I think it was a bad decision for them to become unlicensed- this is partly why I think Pink Ladies was a great idea and badly managed.

 

In the beginning they put everyone through the proper taxi liscencing channels, the driviers had to pass 'the knowledge' etc. However, I think they felt that they couldn't hire enough driviers quickly enough to meet the demand they had at the time, and so looked at other alternative ways to run the business. I think this was a rash decision and effectively put the first nail in the coffin as it meant that they lost a lot of support and also lost the right to certain 'taxi privileges' such as using taxi lanes etc.

 

As for me writing a sob story- you have to remember that the staff were just hired to do what they were asked. They were barely paid above minimum wage and often paid late. These people were just trying to earn a living. They were left in the dark about Pink Ladies true financial state and at the last minuite told they were being sacked. Imagine if you were made redundant with no notice and no pay for the last month of work you did! Pink Ladies screwed over their own staff.

 

Then to add insult to injury they were asked to rejoin the new reincarnation of Pink Ladies and were told that they would not recieve an hourly wage but earn 40% of their total days takings, I'm sure most of the staff would've been happy to try this, but with takings being so low it would be impossible to even make close to minimum wage.

 

The Pink Ladies as a business is not profitable. End of. This is why they have been made insolvent. The only way I could see it working is if an established taxi firm went into some kind of partnership with them and ran them as a wing of the company. I don't think there is enough female only business to be the focus of a taxi firm. Of course this will never happen, but it is just my opinion.

[don't tell em your name]

It was doomed from day one,you can't run a taxi business and not pick uphalf of the population . I can't see many women wanting to go out on say a monday night,you may get couples goin out but by alienating one half of the couple is was on borrowed time.

[RENT-A-GOAT]

..also lost the right to certain 'taxi privileges' such as using taxi lanes etc.

 

Not that this stopped them abusing taxi lanes (despite them being a "members only club")

 

Could this be just one of many reasons why law abiding (and paying) taxi drivers hated them

[observer]

Q. Wasn't the concept sexist in the first place? Remember all those Ladettes fighting for and gaining access to "men only" clubs, Golf etc; in their efforts to remove the glass ceiling? So, doesn't this count for men too?

[Bazj]

It would appear not... look at the rise of women only gyms (or "non-Threatening" as they like to term them) Sheilas Wheels women only car insurance

 

There are women only mountain bike clubs, holidays, and even swim sessions at council owned swimming pools which in effect is then part funded by men! and goodness knows what else. Most blokes aren't that bothered but if someone set up a men only club, women would be camping outside; demanding entry under human rights legislation or equality laws.

 

Beayts me how they get away with it!

[wolfie]

It would appear not... look at the rise of women only gyms (or "non-Threatening" as they like to term them) Sheilas Wheels women only car insurance

 

There are women only mountain bike clubs, holidays, and even swim sessions at council owned swimming pools which in effect is then part funded by men! and goodness knows what else.

 

Beayts me how they get away with it!

 

I've often thought the same about Gays'

[byrdy]

Beayts me how they get away with it!

 

In the same way they get away with a black police officer's association.Imagine the uproar if there was a white police officers association.

[Legion]

Wonderful pinky now it?s our turn what a load of old bull. You could see this day coming. So you?ll get no simply from me and get off the sob story, you should have not broken the law?? should you.

No one as ever said that you should go. Only you should work within the law which you have tried to buck. But as this now as back fired on you all. So hard luck.

Pink ladies tried to pull a fast one at the cost of the people of Warrington I.e. your members and your staff.

. No taxi or Private hire driver care if you still work only that you work within the law like the rest of us and get licensed.

There is no such thing as a members club you tried to rob the people of this town in not paying council fees like the rest of the hard working people in this trade.

And as for your staff they should look about taking pink lady?s to court on misuse of a business at the cost of its staff. if your drivers and car where licened you could have sold them to your drivers? but now it will be too much for them to pay out like the rest of us who have to do this yearly. where you have not........and all them regulars you are letting down now.

And where you say its impossible to carry on its because that they have to pay to work now. ? what like the rest of us have too...... how do you think the rest of us have gone on why you been braking the law and getting away with it .

All I have to say to the rest of you is get licensed like the rest of us and we will welcome you with open arm and let you run the way you want to run as long as its within the law.

You are solely not to blame for this the taxi licensing officer as let you get away with this Mr Barns.

I am out to prove this and to get new taxi licensing?s officer employed as he as been using tax payers money and ours to try to take you to court when it was to late.

now as wasted tax payers money when this could have been closed two years ago.

As I said I am going to keep going and show the council up and councillors and political parties for not bothering on a public safety action.

Or until a mew taxi licensing officer in employed

 

oh shut up !

 

we all strruggle to survive in this day and age, this was a local business employing local people.

 

you just bleat on about this one subject pink ladies this, pink ladies that.

 

the fact is they were better for some people than the expensive crappy taxis that charge rediculous amounts of money to port people around warrington.

 

The other month I got a taxi home from town centre, to dallam, less than 2 miles...more than ?10 for a 5 minute drive...SCANDALOUS!