‘Devastated, angry’: Customers owed thousands following Transportable Shade Sheds collapse
Customers have come forward to vent their frustration after a national shed supplier became the latest company to shut its door this month.
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A shed supplier on the Sunshine Coast has become the latest casualty to join a spate of companies in the sector which have gone bankrupt in recent months.
Mooloolaba-based business Transportable Shade Sheds has left dozens of Australians out-of-pocket and have failed to pay their workers’ leave entitlements after going into liquidation on April 3.
The failed company is now under external administration and owes more than $1.3 million to about 160 trade suppliers and creditors.
Bill Cotter of Robson Cotter Insolvency Group was appointed liquidator of the company following its collapse.
There are an additional five other companies set up as a group of related entities which have also ceased trading including Vanquish Holdings Pty Ltd, Bend Tube Designs Pty Ltd, Sable Labour Hire Pty Ltd, Tochlo Pty Ltd and TSS Dealers Pty Ltd.
“The businesses had ceased to trade shortly prior to the date of liquidation,” a statement from the liquidators read on its website.
“The Liquidator will not be trading-on the business operations of the companies during the liquidation process.”
An investigation into the cause of the companies failures is now underway, with the insolvency group currently “securing and realising” the assets.
Robson Cotter from the independent boutique advisory firm told the Courier Mail there were dozens of customers who had received partial or fully incomplete orders at the time the company went broke.
“The amount potentially owing to customers with partially or fully incomplete orders delivered is currently unquantified,” he said.
Mr Cotter added several staff from the company were owed money for leave entitlements and superannuation.
Robert Salomon is understood to be the company director of Transportable Shade Sheds which was founded just over two decades ago in 2002.
Mr Salomon built the “nationally recognised company with international aspirations” alongside his partner Kylie, which offered a number of easy installation sheds, quickshades and canvacons.
“We supply our Shade Sheds as a pre-engineered kit that has been designed for anyone to erect. So, no welding or technical knowledge is required,” the company explained on its website.
“We swage the frames for you and with our slip fit connection system, it is just a matter of simply joining them together!”
The company’s website remains active despite its insolvency with customers still able to make inquiries to order products.
As for its social media pages, there were little signs to show the company was struggling, with the last post made to the Transportable Shade Sheds (TSS) Instagram and Facebook accounts asking customers to send a picture of their installed purchase.
“Happy Friday! Check out this awesome shot from one of our customers! Have you got any photos of Your Shade Shed? We’d love to see them,” the post is captioned.
“We hope you all have a nice weekend!”
Customers who have been impacted by the company’s closure have resorted to a Facebook group to vent their frustrations about the lack of notice they were given to suggest the company had gone bust.
One loyal customer who has purchased seven sheds from the company said she ordered two sheds in June last year and paid the deposit only to never receive the products.
“I’m devastated, angry and can’t wait for karma and the legal system to catch up with them so they can pay with what they have done to us and other families, including staff,” she wrote.
“They chased us in the last two weeks for the balance of $15,000 and we refused to pay till the sheds were delivered to our premises in good order first.
“I’m so glad we never paid them the extra money and now we have to see how we get our deposit back as we worked extremely hard for the money just like everyone else that got scammed by TSS.”
Meanwhile one Victorian customer was left with the framework and anchors of a shed after he failed to receive its panels.
“I was told when the original framework was out for shipping, that the suppliers of the panels (are) state specific. Wondering if they are laying at a factory or depot somewhere in Victoria,” he said.
“I really feel for those who have spent the money with zero to show for.”
A third person who claims they were a dealer and reseller for the company said he now has to find $90,000 to refund customer deposits for sheds “they are not going to get”.
“It‘s going to put me close to the edge, but I should hopefully just be able to keep my head above water after I have refunded my customers,” he said.
“At least my customers will get every cent back whereas there must be hundreds, if not thousands of people around Australia that bought directly through them and will not get a penny back, I feel for them.”
The insolvency group recommends affected customers and creditors to submit a Proof of Debt form to register their claim via its email – admin@rcinsol.com.au.
News.com.au has contacted both Robson Cotter Insolvency group and Transportable Shade Sheds for comment.
Originally published as ‘Devastated, angry’: Customers owed thousands following Transportable Shade Sheds collapse
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