There are some very angry people who have lost all patience with Michael Stainer (below left), the twice-bankrupt ex-director of the Grand’s owners, and Robert Moss (right), ‘appointed’ in November 2018 to step into Stainer’s shoes.
These people are the Grand ex-employees, one of whom was brave enough to speak out and allow us to quote from recent emails she has sent and received. This person is Wendy Graetz, who was the sales and marketing manager of the Grand from 2018. She takes no prisoners:
“I don’t know because quite frankly I don’t care any more, nor believe anything you or Mr Moss have to say.”
They are demanding dates when Moss and Stainer will file for the liquidation of whichever company employed them — Easton’s Management Ltd or Seaside Hosts Ltd – because only then, can they get their redundancy, unpaid wages or holiday pay, which in some cases amount to over £14,000.
They are also angered at what they believe is fraudulent behaviour by Stainer and Moss, who, they allege, owe £60,000 in client refunds while keeping the Grand’s website alive. We have seen correspondence that seems to confirm this, for example:
“We might not be able to travel to England in 2021 again even we have a lot of students who would love to travel to England. Could you please confirm that you keep our credit of £1,211.25 for our future bookings?”
And this is the reply from Mr Moss, clearly writing his own emails, for a change:
Two days earlier, Stainer emailed:
On 23/08/2021 11:53:51, “Michael Stainer” <ms@grand-uk.com> wrote:
Hi XXXXXX
As you know, forcing us to close was not only improper, but also unlawful.
The matter is very much ongoing; what will hapen when, however, I am unble to predict.
Best MS
Michael Stainer The Lodge
The Grand The Leas Folkestone CT20 2XL
Mobile: +44 (0)7 841 565 298
Clearly grammar and spelling have gone out of the Grand’s window!
The depth of employees’ anger is best conveyed by this extract:
“Well, we are now tired of waiting for nothing. Neither you, nor the now missing* director Robert Moss (pictured), have made a single attempt to correspond with any of us, nor give our clients who trusted us, a credible explanation as to what you propose to do next.
Enough is enough, we have given you MORE than enough time to look yourself in the mirror, and find yourself wanting…. giving you the chance to man up and look out for those other than yourself. Your selfishness, ignorance and disrespect is atrocious and iniquitous to say the very least.”
*Missing Moss: after living since February rent free on someone else’s gas and electricity accounts in two flats in the Grand, Moss and his inamorata have fled to the Kent countryside — Lyminge, we believe – while hiding behind a fake FaceBook account:
Clearly, there is no belief amongst former staff whatsoever that that the Grand can re-open anytime soon. We have already seen evidence from the Palm Court, the most iconic feature of the Grand, that the years of neglect, the hiding of serious structural issues behind drapes and ceiling coverings, were a cheap and nasty way of deceiving clients. The drapes and coverings have been removed and this is what can be seen.
Monkey House, The Grand
Monkey House 2, The Grand
Monkey House 3, The Grand
And this is the environment in which employees still managed to provide guests with a good experience —- a miraculous effort treated with contempt by Moss and Stainer. Employees have had enough, and this message speaks for all of them:
“So, in conclusion, whilst you continue to forge ahead in your belief that The Grand will be returned to you and re-opened accordingly, this is your last chance of being asked to finalise the matter of sorting out our redundancy/insolvency before it goes to the next level, and believe me, it will.”
So watch this space as we’ll be reporting on the court proceedings for sure
