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Issues with EcomUK/Single Mode Networks
Greetings LET community.
We're looking for some advice on how to deal with some communication issues we've been having with @ecomuk for the past 6 months. They've stopped responding for about 2 months now.
We have a server that is still waiting to be set up/racked there, for about 3 months now.
The last conversation we had with them, we know they were trying to get a Cloud Hosted Router instance set up. They asked if we could host one for them, which we were unable to assist them with setting at the time. After this, we stopped receiving responses.
We're now looking to have the server shipped out. They have not responded to this request either.
We know the server is likely a loss at this point, but if you have any ideas or if @ecomuk will respond to this post, we definitely welcome it.
Thanks,
Sin V. @ BunkerVPS
Comments
Well, it doesn't look that great. Company house states that their filings are overdue since march 2024 and the company is being liquidated: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07952822 / https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4595701 / https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4604493 / https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4604471
You could try to get in touch with the listed liquidators since your hardware is obviously your property and not part of the insolvency mass. If it was clearly marked as such and what is the relevant UK laws if it wasn't... no idea. Hate to say it but your saint like patience may come back to bite you here. It's worth a try though. Good luck!
Little addition since i just saw it now: The @ecomuk account now lists "Single Mode Networks Ltd" as it's provider name, which is a new company formed in February this year => https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15522828 run by one of the guys (plural? it pretty much seems to rather be the same guy using different version of it's first name) that also ran "ELECTRONIC COMMUNITIES LTD". Now that seems to be getting a bit strange. For reference one of their offer threads from December last year: https://lowendtalk.com/discussion/191274/more-crazy-deals-hp-24-core-64gb-dual-ssd-at-our-former-uk-government-facility
See their response here https://lowendtalk.com/discussion/comment/3948913#Comment_3948913
Ah, good find. I didn't follow their threads back then, so i missed that. I think legally it's still not fully irrelevant as the company owing OP the hardware would (likely?) be "ELECTRONIC COMMUNITIES LTD" and once this is dissolved there's not really any (legal) entity responsible for returning the hardware anymore. If i were OP i'd probably just play dumb anyways and still call the litigators. While that probably won't work in regards to him getting his hardware back straight away it might still make enough waves to shake the director guy up and make him do it just to get the nuisance out of the way.
Hello all
Just a few points to clarify:
Sin didn’t send us a server. He sent us various parts from eBay sellers, which arrived in lots of different deliveries. The server chassis itself was so badly packed it arrived damaged. Some of the parts fitted, some didn’t. As yet we don’t have a complete system.
He expected us to build the machine up for him at no cost. We have no instructions as to what OS, etc is required. He’s not paid us a penny as yet.
He now wants us to pack it up and post it to Texas. We’re in the UK if that wasn’t clear so that’s hardly a 5 minute job.
The whole thing has been a complete waste of our time. This is why he’s getting somewhat short thrift.
In other news though, Ecom/Electronic Communities is now Single Mode Networks. We still operate our DC at Creslow Park and still run AS61337. There is nothing for any customer be concerned about.
Interesting to hear your side of the story @ecomuk but what's with the non-communication OP writes about? Did you actually stop responding to him and left him in the dark for months? If his request to send the server/parts to Texas is unreasonable why not just tell him that and work something out (just request up front payment for the shipping if you're worried). Same with the seemingly missing payment: Why not talk to OP about that?
Evening LET.
I've been a customer of Ecom, now Single Node Networks, since they posted an offer in December 2023 for an E3 xeon server.
I orignally wanted to try rent a second server with more memory but were all sold out, instead I decided to go down the route of taking them up on one their co-location deals so I could have a machine more suited for my requirements.
No issues with commuincation preconfiguring my server with network configs, making an appointment to drop off my server, after dropping it off it was actually racked and online before I made the journey home.
In regards to the company change, only thing I noticed was the company name change on invoice, service has never been affected.
Thanks
We only expected what was agreed upon. You had suggested sending a server from eBay.
The server only needed drives to operate. I asked if you could do upgrades at the same time.
You agreed to do the upgrades and asked if you had told us the hourly rate for a technician to do this. We agreed we would compensate for your time, and you never communicated the price.
If I can't have remote hands to do server upgrades or replace parts, colocating with you will not work out.
I'm tempted to give an admin/mod my account details to log in and read all the conversations through the help desk. It is extremely difficult to communicate with you, that's at least been my experience so far.
If there are logs of the happenings, maybe add the screenshots and redact anything personal but would give everyone a clear picture
Excuse me for jumping in, but after reading through, you have not clarified the part where you left him in the dark for 2 months while holding onto his hardware parts? Did you contact him to discuss about the plan and how to proceed with the parts you already possess? It's unacceptable to keep someone without updates for 2 months.
IDK how they choose their customers, I never got a reply back from them after their last offer. Figured they deadpooled looks like they're just assholes. 🤷
Very sus behavior.
Unfortunately I am having similar issues with Electronic Communities Limited / Single Mode Networks Limited recently. I have been trying since early July 2024 to retrieve my kit I have in colocation at their Creslow Park facility. The difference being that I am local to the area, only approximately 20 minutes away and can collect in person. I spoke to Chris Wilkie on the phone on 13/08/24 to follow up on my various emails and phone calls and asked could I retrieve my kit by Friday 16th to which he agreed it should not be a problem. Since then I have heard nothing from Chris, I have sent several emails made several calls to support all to no avail. As I have a past semi personal connection though my job I had at a local datacenter to which one of Chris' companies was a customer I have also messaged Chris several times via Facebook which I would not usually however considering the circumstances I feel I have no choice. I even made a comment on a local Facebook page related to rural broadband which Chris is currently involved in asking for him to contact me to which he gave a some what dismissive reply. As I have got nowhere with Chris directly I have now resorted to speaking to the liquidators and administrators of Electronic Communities Limited who seemed to suggest they are also having a rather hard time getting hold of Chris and are in the process of tracking him down in person. Prior to my services being moved to Electronic Communities Limited I was a customer of Colocker datacenter in Milton Keynes to which Chris was also a director on the 13th of April 2023 Colocker suddenly announced they would cease trading on 17th April 2023, the offer was made to move customers over to Electronic Communities Limited as they were the company responsible for providing connectivity to Colocker. There seems to be a pattern of events and mismanagement with the companies to which Chris is involved including required documents being filed to companies house late or not at all, companies closing and reopening, companies being closed due to non filing of required legal documents. According to the documents filed on companies house Electronic Communities Limited is £500k in the red, owes approx £80k to HMRC for corporation tax and that the directors loan account owes £90k which in it's self is suspicious. It's regretful I have to post this as I was hoping by now Chris would have allowed me to retrieve my kit and sever ties however I have been very patient and understanding to which i feel has been taken advantage of. Zero effort has been made from Chris or any of his companies side to facilitate the collection of my kit and I continue to receive invoices despite requesting to cease service. I am now in the process of taking legal action against Single Mode Networks Limited and Electronic Communities Limited.
Interestingly, you joined in 2020 and have only responded to threads which mention the company in the title.
Contrasted with three disgruntled customers who seem to have had hardware stolen.
It's a strange situation because Chris Wilkie is active on Facebook on a local Facebook group rolling out fibre optic to homes under the Single Mode Networks banner, the Facebook group is called Steeple Claydon Forum if your interested to take a look. Yet since 4th July 2024 he can not action my request to collect my kit from Creslow Park. Prior to this I attempted to contact Chris via email on 25/05/2023 to upgrade some disks in my kit, as you might expect I got no reply and in the end gave up with the project I was working on as a result. My warning is buyer beware and based on my own experience I would suggest to find an alternative provider. No doubt Chris will bark back with the same old rhetoric about "there is more to this issue than the protagonist suggests" and claim his innocence.
I'll be honest. As someone who also owns a UK company and knows how limited companies work under dissolution, I'm almost certain what they are doing is known as 'phoenixing'.
You may find going down the route of small claims yields some responses as even if he isn't able to pay up, you may be able to get a CCJ issued against them (may be slow, but you'll get it in the end). With a CCJ, you can also instruct debt collectors to go and see if anything can be taken and sold to pay towards the debt.
I am in the process of doing that now, I spoke with the liquidators today regarding the situation and was told my equipment can not be sold off I have a full list of kit and receipts and pictures of it. When speaking to the liquidators an allegation had been made which if transpires to be true could be seen by a court as fraud by false representation. If this does happen to be the case it would potentially remove the protective veil of directorship. With regards to setting up new companies I know what you are saying, however in this instance the directors loan account has 90k due and there is a HMRC corporation tax bill of 80k that is going to be incredibly hard to run away from and could potentially result in being banned from being a director if an investigation ensues and wrongdoing is found.
I wouldn't hold your breath on anything to do with Ecom. Contrary to what Chris Wilkie would have us all believe, Ecom is not now Single Mode Networks.
Ecom was never acquired by Single Mode Networks. Chris Wilkie switched incoming ISP subscriptions to Single Mode, just before Ecom went bust. Ecom is now effectively owned by the liquidators. Chris is keeping the network up and running, in the name of Single Mode, but whether he's paying the liquidators for the use of their infrastructure (which he should be) is unknown. Whether Ecom's creditors are happy with the removal of the customer base, and its revenue stream, prior to liquidation is another question, but we can probably guess the answer.
Chris Wilkie has a long record of ignoring his customers until they complain on social media, at which point he simply publicly insults them - recently calling one poor lady a liar, on her own village Facebook page. Chris Wilkie also has a long record of ignoring anything called proper practice. His Companies House entries for his various businesses are mostly lists of failures to submit accounts on time, notice of compulsory striking-off, suspended on appeal at the last minute. And, in most cases, negative balance sheets. Those of you in the US may not be familiar with our UK Companies House website - where you can see the accounts and returns of any UK limited company, easily and free. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/companies-house.
A recent public court hearings listing shows Chris defending an eviction notice related to his domestic address. The reason for the intended eviction is not given.
Chris Wilkie keeps unusual company, too. He'll partner up with people who've been banned from holding company directorships, who've done jail time for fraud, or who've been investigated for cybercrimes. He himself is not above using his fists to settle a discussion about wayleaves. And he takes pride in personal grossness, as displayed on his Twitter account, in the name of Johnny Creosote. Do look him up, but brace yourself.
If you were a customer of Colocker, that company is part of Data Center Investments which as of yesterday is now also in liquidation. There is no news on the fate of Chris Wilkie's £250,000 fleet of fancy cars.