Would-be licensees out of pocket

Would-be licensees have again been left out of pocket by a pub operator offering them the pub of their dreams.

Manchester-based Aviation Group Ltd, which described itself as "part of a fast growing leisure group", offered licensees a management contract in a pub for a bond of up to £5,000. But the company was put into voluntary liquidation on June 23, 2005, owing £540,920.

According to liquidators, the company only had 10 pubs left on its books before liquidation. All were transferred to a third party prior to the liquidation.

Ian Jones, a partner in the liquidators Jones Lowndes Dwyer LLP, said: "We have received a lot of correspondence from a lot of angry people. The company took bonds off a number of people who never got the chance to run their own pub.

"We are looking into the bonds, but it appears that they may have been paid into the company's overdrawn bank account.

"There is no chance of a dividend for creditors due to the minimal level of assets available," he added.

Complaints have streamed in to The Publican from potential licensees who claim they paid up to £5,000 to be placed in a pub and are now out of pocket.

Sally Planck and her partner Dean Garrett handed over £5,000 to Aviation Group Ltd at the end of May and never received a pub. "They told us to look at a pub and that is as far as it went. They promised us a refund which we never received," said Ms Planck.

David Wigley eventually received his £2,500 bond back from the company before it went into liquidation but he had to receive it in instalments.

He told The Publican: "They expected me to give in and I kept harassing them.

"It took an awful lot of effort. I feel very sorry for anyone else who dealt with them. I was one of the lucky ones to get my money back. The pub companies who lease pubs to this company should have a duty to not deal with them."

Mandy Bower told The Publican she was taken on to run a pub for the company, which offered her a country site. She claims that the pub she went to see was an "eyesore".

"They promised to refurbish the pub and do loads of work. They said they would give us our £5,000 bond money back but never have," she added.

All attempts by The Publican to contact anyone associated with the company have been unsuccessful. The liquidators are also now unable to get a response from anyone associated with the company.

At the time it went into liquidation Aviation Group Ltd had assets of £6,935 and debts of £547,855, with major creditors including Yorkshire Bank and Customs & Excise.

Have you dealt with this company? Do you have a story to tell? Call 020 7955 3714 or email zvpuryyrc@gurchoyvpna.pbz​.

We are also continuing to appeal to representatives of the company to call us with their side of the story.

The Publican says:​

Never pay money up front to a company offering you a deal that seems too good to be true. The unfortunate reality is that it probably is.

The Publican has been inundated with calls from would-be licensees who have been devastated by companies who take their money for the promise of a pub but fail to provide what they promise.

If you are looking at signing up with a company make sure you have a solicitor to look though any agreement, do not pay money unless you have something in writing and speak to people who have dealt with the company and check they are happy.

There are a number of different ways to get into the pub trade. Using these companies is not the only option. If you need any further advice on how to get your own pub click here​.