It’s a Gas at the Grand

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How would you feel if you suddenly got a red emblazoned final notice for over £2,700 for gas from an energy company you’ve never heard of? That’s what happened to one Grand resident last week. Luckily, they had the good sense to contact us. What we discovered added a new and very nasty twist to goings-on in the Grand and all the red warning lights were flashing!

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Red Light 1: This leaseholder has lived in the Grand for several years and their energy supplier has been one of the big four. This bill came from Corona Energy who only supply corporate and business accounts.

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Red Light 2: The address on the bill didn’t reference a flat, all of which have names like Dorchester, Edinburgh and Exeter. It merely said The Grand at the postcode CT20 2XL. This postcode is exclusive to the commercial enterprises at the Grand. Private flats are all at CT20 2LR.

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Red Light 3: Every gas bill is linked to a meter with a unique MPRN (Meter Point Reference Number), which is the identifying number for a property. The number linked to this mystery bill did not tally with that linked to the worried leaseholder’s meter. We confirmed this on the national database.

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Red light 4: Using this database, we searched for the gas meters registered in the post code CT20 2XL, and guess what? There were seven properties listed and we found the reference attached to Corona’s bill linked to the address as above, and it has been confirmed that this meter is physically located in a disused part of the Grand, three floors below the leaseholder’s flat.

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So when, how and why did the innocent leaseholder’s name end up on this account? According to Corona Energy, in August 2014, the name on the account was changed, a process which can be done, it appears, simply by a phone call from the previous account holder. Because of data protection, we do not know which of the various commercial entities at the Grand, all under the directorship of Michael Stainer (pictured), is responsible, but one of them is. What we are certain of is that our worried leaseholder had nothing to do with this.

Why was this done? One explanation is a crude attempt to shuffle a debt from one of the companies trading at the Grand onto an unsuspecting resident of the Grand. Or maybe it was a monumental cock-up by Corona. The only problem with this latter explanation is that Corona do not supply domestic properties.

There is now an ongoing investigation at Corona into this astonishing situation. The Insolvency Service and others might well be drawn in, as this debt might well be linked to one of the many liquidated companies at the Grand. There is also the unanswered question as to whether or not there has been a case of identity theft and/or impersonation. After all, someone made the call to Corona…………………..

Watch this space!

The Shepwayvox Team

The Velvet Voices of Dissent

About shepwayvox (1820 Articles)
Our sole motive is to inform the residents of Shepway - and beyond -as to that which is done in their name. email: shepwayvox@riseup.net

10 Comments on It’s a Gas at the Grand

  1. WOW!! 🤡Yet another surprise. How many rabbits will be out of Stainer ‘s hat 🎩? Next, it should be electricity bill !

  2. The Stain Remover // November 28, 2019 at 11:17 // Reply

    Sometime back around 2011 the gas was cut off to the Grand’s kitchens and they resorted to gas cylinders outside the residents’ entrance which is adjacent to the kitchen doors. I have this on the very best of authority!!

  3. doggerbank56 // November 29, 2019 at 11:15 // Reply

    This would appear to be a fraud and identity theft against the leaseholder rather than an error by Corona. Shepway Vox has previously written about the existence of mystery flats in the Keppels bar part of the building on which mortgages had been obtained. Having read this article one can only speculate as to what other bills that should have been paid by the commercial entities operating from The Grand have instead been passed on to unsuspecting leaseholders. I await the outcome of Corona’s investigation with great interest.

  4. petertheteacher // November 29, 2019 at 17:07 // Reply

    What is amazing is that perfectly “sensible” people, some in public office, some well-known members of political parties, slavishly follow fake Twitter accounts that continue to deny what successive Court determinations have made crystal clear. They prefer the lies of proven liars to the facts as laid down by High Court Judges.

  5. A very interested party // November 30, 2019 at 12:19 // Reply

    Worth reading this, particularly (b) (ii) Section 2 of the 2006 Act:

    FRAUD BY REPRESENTATION

    (2)A person is in breach of this section if he—
    (a) dishonestly makes a false representation, and
    (b) intends, by making the representation—
    (i) to make a gain for himself or another, or
    (ii) to cause loss to another or to expose another to a risk of loss.

  6. petertheteacher // December 1, 2019 at 09:48 // Reply

    And the general manager of the Grand, Robert Richardson, is quitting as vice-chairman of Folkestone Town Centre Management and FAPAC in January…………….

  7. doggerbank56 // December 2, 2019 at 17:24 // Reply

    Politicians on leaving office often claim that they want to spend more time with their families. This presupposes that the families concerned share the same feelings. In Mr Richardson’s case he might be looking to spend more time next year consulting with his Solicitor. I am sure that the Solicitor concerned will be delighted provided he/she is certain that their fees will be paid promptly.

  8. petertheteacher // December 19, 2019 at 15:55 // Reply

    Confirmed that the original details held on file by Corona Energy that the account was in the name of “MICHAEL STAINER t/a The Grand.” I assume the bill is heading his way!!!

  9. residentsinthegrand // January 29, 2020 at 10:53 // Reply

    We can confirm that the bill has been restored to its rightful owner and he will be billed for the full amount.

  10. Grand residents // January 31, 2020 at 16:26 // Reply

    “This is to confirm that the Change of Ownership has now been reversed. We have now reversed the ownership from XXXXXXXXX and XXXXXXXX to the true occupier that being named Michael Stainer.” This from Corona Energy, January 31 2020.

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