More casualties of Inn-Direct come forward
More victims of Bradford-based training company Inn-Direct have been contacting The Publican after paying thousands of pounds only to be left in troubled pubs.
Licensees placed by Inn-Direct with the Lonely Pub Company claim they have been put into pubs with serious problems with drugs and violence, while others claim they are confused over the type of lease they have.
Inn-Direct was wound-up by the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) at the request of The Publican after it failed to follow through on its promises of training and placement to potential licensees. However, those who have been placed say they, too, are facing major problems.
One licensee couple, who wish to remain anonymous, are running a site through Webwest Ltd (trading as the Lonely Pub Company) in the Bradford area.
They say they were offered the lease on the pub by the Lonely Pub Company - which has no rights to sub-lease from the owning company.
They have spent additional money in fixing up the premises and buying new furniture. He said: "We thought we were leasing this pub, but the pubco was sub-leasing it to us without telling the owners."
Another licensee who is currently working in a pub for the Lonely Pub Company said: "This pub has fighting and stabbings and is a far cry from what I asked for. This was the second pub I looked at and I was told that these are the sort of pubs I'll have to take.
"I asked if I could have my money back. I was told no."
A Lonely Pub Company spokesman, who refused to give his name, said the company had no link with Inn-Direct apart from using it to recruit managers. This is despite the fact
that Mr Edward McGhee is a current director of Webwest Ltd and a former director of Inn-Direct.
The spokesman denied the company was in dispute with any of its licensees and called on any who were unhappy to contact its office.
"We do not sublease but do put some people on a tenancy. Some of the pubs are rough. If there is a problem we will rectify it," he added.
