[sad] HMV

I have just seen this on Twitter and Martin Lewis is suggesting that if anyone has gift cards to go 1st thing tomorrow in store to redeem them as he thinks they will be put on hold, but dont use them online.

No its too late they have been refused tonight in the Westfield store.

Yes just read this myself nanaej terrible news (again) it makes me wonder if a huge company like HMV can't survive what hope do smaller shops have? Or perhaps it was their huge overheads that have killed them. Spare a thought for all those people who still have Christmas gift vouchers that will now probably be worthless and the poor loyal workers who will find it almost impossible to find alternative work.

My son asked for money for christmas as wanted a new lens for his camera. Ordered it from Jessops and paid in full and even got a text message to say it was in store. He spoke to administrators ( scum of the earth) who basically told him tough the lens belongs to them now and if he wants it he will have to pay for it again!!!! Unbelievable. I have dealt with administrators on may occasions and they are all nasty, heartless, money grappling scum! Sorry if I offend anyone by using that word but I truly mean it, and they won't give a flying hoot for any of the poor people who have lost their jobs either. Intact they will be rubbing their hands together hoping more will follow.

I think it is sad to see any high street retailer go to the wall. I used to enjoy going to HMV, until they reduced their classical record section to a measly handful of CDs you had to mount an expedition to find, but they were good for other stuff. I had a bit of a debate with Waterstones manager recently when they wanted to charge me more for a book I had ordered through the store than it would have cost me from their website. I know online businesses have fewer overheads, but it doesn't make sense to be outsold by your own online service.

gillybob something similar happened to DD, she had paid upfront to order a new pram for DGD (why when the pram she had for DGS was still in perfect condition I dont know), but the company went to the wall and her order was in at the suppliers waiting delivery and she had to negotiate with the supplier who I must admit tried to be fair and allowed her to pay trade price, but it was a bitter pill to have to pay twice for the same pram.

Waterstones is owned by a Russian Billionaire who's policy is to sell at the highest prices with little or no discounts. In a recent interview he said that he only wanted a " certain kind of customer" who are prepared to pay for the pleasure of shopping in his exclusive store and wanted to keep the riff raff out so they keep the prices high.

Oh it really makes me mad glass how can they be allowed to get away with it. I personally think it is a form of fraud and deception as they took the money and should therefore be made to honour their side of the contract. Administrators are not prepared to negotiate as they say they hope to sell all stock (even if it does not belong to them) as a job lot.

I feel sorry for my son as he loves his camera. He has had it for years and very rarely gets anything for himself. Typical luck.

Just as well they are now owned by a Russian billionaire, until recently they were part of HMV!

Sounds like a bit of a plonker (I have fished around for a reasonably polite word but it is not the one I would have liked to have used!), this Russian cove. Does he not know that people with shedloads of money either do not waste their time reading books in case it is not cool, or they get the authors to send them signed copies, or people who have a reasonable amount of money - over and above that of the average old bird like me - still like to get the best deal for it. I know people who are extremely well off who watch their pennies far more assiduously than I do.

Around about 1996, (going back a bit, I know) we decorated our kitchen and decided to have a new cooker. We went to a shop called Home Power, saw what we wanted and ordered it, as it was only in the store in dark green, and we wanted navy blue. The lad who took our order was a family friend, and hubby paid in cash for the cooker. He told us that even when it came in, if we hadn`t finished decorating, they`d hold it for us. When we were ready for it, I rang the store, our friend wasn`t available, but we were told that they`d gone into administration that morning. After several phone calls, and a visit to the store, we were told that we could no longer have the cooker, but would be put on a list of creditors. The cooker cost £499.99, after about 8 years, we got money back in dribs and drabs, a couple of pounds here and there, till eventually, after getting back £320, we were told that was it, no more. In the meantime, we`d had to buy another cooker elsewhere, leaving us a bit skint. In other words, legal robbery!!

Sad to see HMV going down. In the 60's I worked for them, designing record shops both for them and other retailers. The real biggie being a new Pop department in the Oxford street store (lots of scaffoldiding, black paint and spotlights) At that time we thought HMV would go on for ever.

Maybe just maybe if they had held on to the classical music section they might have made it though.

On another tack, as a chartered accountant I have to defend the administrators. Yes it is a certain mentality that goes into that job but hey, they are doing their best to collect together as much money as they can in order to pay off the liabilities. There is a pecking order, laid down by law, none of their choosing. A little like Shylock, if you cut them, they bleed too.

As for paying cash...... er never a good idea. Use good old Barclaycard and let them stand between the seller and you. You do not need to pay for this privilige if you pay off the amounts on your card as soon as they send the statement but by golly it helped me on a number of occassions. A shop that went bust and had demanded a cash deposit was thwarted by Barclaycard giving me my money back: a shop that agreed (in writing) a refund but failed to pay it was caught by Barclaycard. Sadly living in France and Germany where credit cards are just not done (Germans have heart failure if you offer them except in the most expensive of stores) I have to be dramatically more cautious.

Defend the Administrators ??????? Did I read that right Brabant?

Please tell me you are joking.

I have much experience of dealing with the scum that are administrators and they are in it for one thing..... their own huge payout and the pecking order is them, them, them, them, them again. and them some more.

The only people that gain Administrators being called in are the Administrators themselves.

Exactly Glass

Its a bad time for high street retailers - we are slowly seeing them closing down one by one. Online buying has exploded in recent years with more and more people taking to the internet to buy everything from their weekly food shopping to the latest CD or clothes.

I believe that in a few years, maybe 20-30 or so the high street will look a lot different than it does today. I feel all digital and electronic shops will close down and we will be left with mainly clothes and food shops. Its sad as going out shopping, whether it be window shopping or actually spending, is a nice day out. Buying items on the internet may be cheaper and more convenient in terms of you don't have to leave the house but its not the same as browsing through physical products.

More and more slowly we are starting to live in a digital age were people are shopping and socialising online...sad, sad times.

I`ve just read on the Kintyre forum that as from tomorrow, HMV are accepting gift vouchers. Apparently so many thousands of people complained that the administrator has had a mind change. Better get a shufty on though, it doesn`t say how long they`ll be taking them for!

Does anyone know how gift vouchers can be redeemed? My grandsons were given some at Christmas from relatives in Northern Ireland. They will be delighted if they can use them after all.

Try online if no local shop still open..I think that is still going.

Thanks, nanaej. I'll tell them.

The Boston store is still open, don`t know how long for though.

Ilkeston Co op is now closing. The only department store in Ilkeston and I love going there [albeit only once a year when I take the car for it's mot].

I was so sad when they closed Woolworths I just loved the variety of items they had.

Our Co-op closed at New Year though we still have the pharmacy. I think it just couldn't compete with Asda which is very close by. There's still a small co-op corner shop just down the road from my house which is useful if I've forgotten something but isn't well stocked - I went in to get some brown sugar which I thought was a pretty standard baking ingredient but they didn't have any.