# Swedex windows in Receivership



## suzie (21 Mar 2007)

*Re: Building a House - Windows*

Windows at the moment are the vein of my life!!

Was going to go with Swedex, but have just heard they have run into difficulties (assuming finanical), so with such uncertainty will probably start the search for an alternate provider.

Has anybody else heard of Swedex problems. FYI: Was told this information by their rep, so there must be some level of truth.

Hope this "info"? is of use to anybody else. Havent yet contacted swedex directly but suspect they wouldnt confirm such info.

S.


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## betty28 (22 Mar 2007)

*Re: Building a House - Windows*

Hi Suzie

You are right, it looks like Swedex has gone into receivership or gone bankrupt. I have done some research and found that the windows are made by an Estonian Company called Aru Grupp.

They have been supplying timber windows to Ireland for the past 6 years, and seem very nice people to deal with.

Betty


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## alastair (23 Mar 2007)

*Re: Building a House - Windows*

Can anyone confirm exactly what the story is with Swedex? We've a patio door on order with them, due for delivery the first week in April. Don't like this receivership talk one little bit 

Will give them a buzz on Monday, but a heads-up would be good.


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## doberden (24 Mar 2007)

*Re: Building a House - Windows*

Yes, Swedex have gone into receivership.  If you've ordered any windows and they have arrived in Ireland then you should be ok.  If they are still with the manufacturers then you're at higher risk.


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## Marion (24 Mar 2007)

*Re: Building a House - Windows*



alastair said:


> Can anyone confirm exactly what the story is with Swedex? We've a patio door on order with them, due for delivery the first week in April. Don't like this receivership talk one little bit
> 
> Will give them a buzz on Monday, but a heads-up would be good.



Yes. They are in financial difficulty and either a receiver or liquidator is involved – the person who told me this is not exactly sure who is involved. Prior to this disaster, I had a really excellent communications link with the employees with whom I dealt in Swedex - they returned or answered calls or e-mailed promptly and were always very helpful. I was going to write a positive report when my goods arrived!

My goods (internal doors) were in the shipment that was not allowed go through at Dublin the weekend before last. My last positive communication with the company was on the 13 March when I was informed they were help up in customs and could take a week to be released. 

I was in contact with Swedex on the 20 and 21 March on a number of occasions. They  put me through to the voice mail of the person with whom I was dealing at that point. She did not return my calls. I found this very strange. I had a sinking feeling especially after she had previously mentioned that my goods were help up at customs. I was expecting the worst!

On Thursday 22 march the phone line to Swedex had a message stating that they were experiencing technical difficulties with their phone lines and to leave a message. But there was no facility to leave a message. 

I immediately contacted my credit card company. I am currenty drafting my dispute letter.

*Section 14 Sale of Goods Act*:

14.—Where goods are sold to a buyer dealing as consumer and in relation to the sale an agreement is entered into by the buyer with another person acting in the course of a business (in this section referred to as a finance house) for the repayment to the finance house of money paid by the finance house to the seller in respect of the price of the goods, the finance house shall be deemed to be a party to the sale and the finance house and the seller shall, jointly and severally, be answerable to the buyer for breach of the contract of sale and for any misrepresentations made by the seller with respect to the goods

Alastair did you pay by credit card?

Hope this may be of benefit to others.

Marion


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## Marion (24 Mar 2007)

*Re: Building a House - Windows*

Doberden, 

My post just crossed with yours.



> If you've ordered any windows and they have arrived in Ireland then you should be ok. If they are still with the manufacturers then you're at higher risk.



What is the situation here?  How long would it take?

Marion


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## alastair (24 Mar 2007)

*Re: Building a House - Windows*



Marion said:


> Alastair did you pay by credit card?




Thanks Marion,

Yes, I paid the 50% deposit with my credit card. I'd really appreciate a copy of your letter to the CC company, as I'll obviously need to folow suit. If they've gone into receivership I hold very little hope of anything making it's way into the country.

My experience with Swedex was mostly fraught btw. The rep was the most unprofessional guy imaginable, and the showroom arrangements were a joke. Getting a quote took literally months, and then they contradicted themselves on the solidity of quoted delivery dates. The product seems good though, and we were doing our own fitting, so I figured they couldn't mess me about much more - seems I was wrong.


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## Brendan Burgess (24 Mar 2007)

If you have paid by credit card, the credit card company must refund you if your goods don't arrive. They don't like doing this, and occasionally they refuse, but they are obliged to do so. Just send off the letter and see what happens. I would imagine that the Consumer Director will get involved with this and make sure that they do so.

You should call the liquidator's office. He is Michael McAteer of Foster McAteer - 01 6761139 to find out the official position regarding the delivery of products. 

I don't know if the company simply manufactures the product to be installed by someone else, or does it do the installations as well? 

If your particular windows or doors have actually been made up, he will presumably deliver them and seek payment.  Your main loss in this case would be that you would have virtually no redress if you find problems with the windows later. You may have some sort of a guarantee, but no one to enforce it against.

If they have not started making them up or if they have only part manufactured them, then he is unlikely to finish them off and you have lost your money, unless you have the credit card option.

Is someone buys the assets of the company as a going concern, they just might finish off the manufacture of products which are part made already. But I would imagine that this would take months to sort out.

Brendan


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## RainyDay (25 Mar 2007)

*Re: Building a House - Windows*



naitkris said:


> if they hadn't gone bankrupt i would make a complaint against them to the Consumers' Association of Ireland and the Swedish Embassy in Dublin for being so misleading,


For the record, the Consumers Association of Ireland is a toothless tiger. They have no power, except naming & shaming through press releases.

See [broken link removed].


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## Brendan Burgess (25 Mar 2007)

I have updated my post above to reflect the additional information in the Sunday Business Post article.

brendan


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## alastair (25 Mar 2007)

Thanks for the additional info folks!
Spoke to a friend who runs a consumer centre last night and she also confirmed that section 14 is the solid basis for seeking compensation from the CC company under these circumstances. Given that I had a delivery date of the week beginning 2nd of April, it could well be the case that my patio door is manufactured and sitting in Estonia, so will check with the liquidator tomorrow in case they do intend shipping manufactured orders to the original buyers.


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## Marion (25 Mar 2007)

Brendan and RainyDay

Thanks for the information. I will contact Michael McAteer's office tomorrow.

Marion


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## alastair (26 Mar 2007)

An update for anyone interested...

The liquidator is looking for copies of creditor's invoices etc to be faxed through - they're only doing first site visit today and establishing what's what, and who the creditors are. They'll write to any creditors they find within the next week, but it might take a month to establish what's going to happen re: following up on existing orders.

The credit card people were very obliging (nice surprise). They'll cough up the deposit money unless the liquidator choose to follow through with orders/deliveries or (flying pig moment) pay back the bottom feeder creditors. They were clear however that I'd be re-imbursed one way or another.


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## TWMolloy (27 Mar 2007)

Just caught this thread. We have some doors on order via Swedex recommended installer McMahon + Nagle, with whom all of our dealings have been. I am not clear on the relationship between these companies, and they are exceptionally poor on communication. _ Names deleted.  Please don't name particular individuals in companies - Brendan_

Does anyone else have experience of them?


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## nai (27 Mar 2007)

TWMolloy said:


> Just caught this thread. We have some doors on order via Swedex recommended installer McMahon + Nagle, with whom all of our dealings have been. I am not clear on the relationship between these companies, and they are exceptionally poor on communication.
> 
> Does anyone else have experience of them?


 

guess you didn't search the forums before using that company - read here : http://www.askaboutmoney.com/showthread.php?t=31033

also mcmahon & nagle are just an agent for Swedex so any problems sewdex have will be passed onto mcmahon and nagle - you may have some coneback from mcmahon & nagle however !


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## Marion (27 Mar 2007)

I rang the Aru Grupp factory in Estonia. 003723295640. They did not make my doors! Anybody with a query should ring Aru Grupp. They are very helpful.

My doors should have been made in Sweden. I'm having it investigated  by Dooria at the moment.

Nothing is ever simple!

Marion


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## Bluebells (28 Mar 2007)

I had considered  Swedex, but found them very difficult and disinterested. Not surprised they are in liquidation. I used a wonderful company called Vrogum. Windows are not exactly cheap, but they are the ones I want, cheaper than Swedex and give a  brilliant service. I used an agency in Clonberne, Galway, - FGH Property Services


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## randombloke (28 Mar 2007)

Hello All,
I'm a new member here but thought I'd share my experience with swedex.
We ordered several windows and doors for an extension, paid 50% deposit up front and the delivery was to be about 12 weeks. Arrived pretty much on time, paid the balance after they were fitted and I have to say we are very happy with them. They only completed this a few months ago. I suppose if we have problems with them in the future then thats now our own problem, since they have gone bust.
From what i understand from news reports and a company being in liquidation, if you have paid deposits for orders not already delivered then you are not going to get a: your products or b: your money back, since it sounds like there are a few million euro in losses/accounting errors. This is obviously unless you have insurance against something like this or have paid using a cc or perhaps if you ordereds through a third party....?
A terrible situation if you are doing building/ an extension, not only because of the money but also the time delays since you now have to find another supplier and order and these companies usually have long lead times.


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## Marion (28 Mar 2007)

I was contacted by the Liquidator’s office this morning (having faxed in relevant details yesterday morning) and it appears that there is a queue of people claiming ownership of  the goods – suppliers, transport companies etc. 

They will contact me again – within the next week or so when the picture is clearer. 

I doubt now that I will see my doors. 

Plan B (Claim from the CC company) will kick into place when I get written confirmation from the liquidator. 

Marion


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## alastair (29 Mar 2007)

Joe Duffy is doing a spot on the Swedex situation in today's Liveline.


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## Bobbins (29 Mar 2007)

Bluebells said:


> I had considered Swedex, but found them very difficult and disinterested. Not surprised they are in liquidation. I used a wonderful company called Vrogum. Windows are not exactly cheap, but they are the ones I want, cheaper than Swedex and give a brilliant service. I used an agency in Clonberne, Galway, - FGH Property Services


 
Hi Bluebells,

Are you able to provide a contact number/details for this company?


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## Timber Lover (29 Mar 2007)

guys, it seems I'm alway plugging this company but Bereco (western) in Athlone have brilliant windows and are cheaper than Vrogum and provide a sliding sash window which is very traditional and unique.


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## Bluebells (31 Mar 2007)

Hi Bobbin
Regarding Vrogum's contact details....www.fghservices.com  Address: FGH, Unit 8, Clonberne Enterprise Centre, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway.                    Tel: 093 45759


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## Sue Ellen (31 Mar 2007)

Timber Lover said:


> guys, it seems I'm alway plugging this company


 
Indeed, of your 5 posts to-date only 1 has not been an advertisment for this company


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## MickeyC (2 Apr 2007)

Hi All,
As another affected party trying to finish my house and one that has fallen into the 'Swedex' black hole, I would let you know that I spoke with the 'Aru Grupp' (who were most helpful) today and althought my order was manufactured and released in Dublin port, the container has gone missing! The hole just keeps getting deeper!


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## Marion (3 Apr 2007)

What freight companies did you try? 


Marion


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## Timber Lover (4 Apr 2007)

sueellen said:


> Indeed, of your 5 posts to-date only 1 has not been an advertisment for this company


 

I see you're confused S. Thank you for your point, we've just gone through the whole window thing from investigation through to installation and it happens to be a topic i feel very strongly about. We received a great service which is rare when self building so I let the world and it's mother know when I can, as I would expect others to do also.


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## Marion (5 Apr 2007)

The legalities with regard to ownership have been sorted. It is my understanding, that they are going to honour commitments to those who have paid deposits.

Marion


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## MickeyC (10 Apr 2007)

The shipping company was 'Trinity' and I believe that it is 'Elite Logistics' that are the company to deliver to the site. The guy at Aru Grupp gave me the container number so I'm trying to track it down. I've had no response from the liquidator. Has any one else?


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## Marion (10 Apr 2007)

> and I believe that it is 'Elite Logistics' that are the company to deliver to the site



MickeyC,

Ring the liquidator to make sure that they have your details. The number is provided above by Brendan.

Also, try _Skantrans _ 01 8867777.


Marion


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## Marion (13 Apr 2007)

Update for those interested.

I received confirmation this afternoon that my doors are to be released and I should have them next week. Horray!

Eventhough I sent the relevant information to the liquidator's office I was not getting any contact from them. The only contact was from me to them at least twice a week!

Thankfully, I was in touch with a very helpful person who always took my call and who, when he was presented with a final logical summary of the situation this morning, acted swiftly. 

Following representations from their legal team it was agreed to release my doors.

Anway, it seems that eventhough I gave all my details at the earliest possible time, I wasn't on any relevant list and therefore I was not contacted. The office was not aware (strangely) of business undertakings outside of Estonia. 

It does show that perseverance and proactiveness pays in the end. 

[Dooria in Edinburgh was extremely helpful . They e-mailed me the invoice from the factory in Sweden that enabled me (with the help of another) to track down the goods. 

Now, my only concern is that they arrive as specified and that no futher issues will arise. 

In fact, I don't even want to think about that (nor my next month's mobile bill) right now! :eek


Marion


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## Sue Ellen (14 Apr 2007)

Marion said:


> Update for those interested.
> 
> I received confirmation this afternoon that my doors are to be released and I should have them next week. Horray!


 
Great news Marion.

We will have to have a drink to christen those doors next time we meet up.


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## MickeyC (17 Apr 2007)

Has anyone received their windows and doors yet? Have there been any issues with sizes / specification. I've been told by the liquidator that it is a take it or leave it deal and what ever comes in the back of the truck is what you take.......it could be an expensive bombfire yet!! Not ideal but better than not getting anything at all! There is also an additional cost as if the windows were installed, VAT would be at 13.5% but as they are supply only, it is 21%. If you or the contractor is VAT reg'ed they can of course claim it back.

Also, there is also discussion regrading other window products. Be careful regarding the timber section of the opening sash (if the glazing is beaded from the inside) as I feel that it is a back to front detail. This detail relies wholly on the silicone sealant and if it fails water will be directed into the building through the sash. What if the glazing panel is broken and it has to be replaced. Will the factory come out and seal it for you? Window sections have been designed a certain way to keep water out and not keep burgulars, out as is the sales guys excuses when questioned. If some one really wants to get in they will break the window and not spend time taking beads off and removing the glazing carefully!


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## Marion (20 Apr 2007)

> Has anyone received their windows and doors yet?



No. Unfortunately, there was a glitch (major ) with the information that I received. 

I decided to travel on the scenic route - I tried another avenue to sort out the issue. I'm hoping that this will work out. 

I should give up, but I am living in a virutal building site at the moment and I am willing to explore all avenues to get a speedy resolution.

MickeyC, when are you expecting to get your doors?

Marion


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## MickeyC (27 Apr 2007)

Marion said:


> No. Unfortunately, there was a glitch (major ) with the information that I received.
> 
> I decided to travel on the scenic route - I tried another avenue to sort out the issue. I'm hoping that this will work out.
> 
> ...


 
Hi Marion,
Sorry its taken so long to reply but I've been away.....I've agreed cost with the liquidator today so upon him receiving a faxed copy of a bank draft made out to 'Swedex (In Liquidation)' the product will be delivered.
It still remains to be seen.......

Also what was the glitch?


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## Marion (30 Apr 2007)

Hi Mickeyc

The glitch was that the following never occurred. I was misinformed.



> Following representations from their legal team it was agreed to release my doors.


 
I rang the shipping company to find out what day during that week they were going to release my doors (outlining the fact that there was an agreement between them and the liquidator) to be informed that they had had "no contact whatsoever" from the liquidator's office. I was fairly stunned by this information - I couldn't possibly have anticipated that response. 

This lack of communication between the relevant parties has now been resolved - though I still don't know when I will get my doors. 

Let us know how you get on.

Marion


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## MickeyC (1 May 2007)

Hi Marion,
My contractor faxed a copy of the bank draft yesterday to Forster McAteer but has not heard back from them so we're still waiting. I'll let you know when I hear back from them. Let me know if you get any delivery dates from them. I've been told that it is 'Ocean Logistics' that are going to deliver. Is this the company that are dealing with your product?
Regrads


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## MickeyC (4 May 2007)

Hi Marion,
I've a delivery date of Wednesday 9/5/07 and Elite Logistics are to deliver.


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## Marion (4 May 2007)

Hi MickeyC

That is great news. I hope they work out well for you. My doors are in legal limbo.

Marion


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## MickeyC (16 May 2007)

Hi Marion,
We received the product on14/5/07. The windows and doors are still under plastic on palettes but we have them. Its when they get installed that we will really know if its been worth the wait.
I hope your order gets sorted.
Regards


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## olddog (16 May 2007)

I understand that Swedex has been bought from the receivers by Carlson / Dansk


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## Marion (16 May 2007)

This gets more bizarre as time progresses.

I heard last week that my doors would be released (again) and when I rang to confirm it was stated that I could expect them within a week or so. 

I rang within the week or so (Monday 16) to find out that the release was scuppered by the Swedish delegation who decided that my doors were worth douze points (it being the week of Eurovison and all that) and that they were now claiming ownership of them.

I have decided that they must be the most sought after doors in the country at this stage! :

I hope they are worth it when I do eventually get them!

*Oldog*:  that is very interesting information. 

Marion


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## MickeyC (21 May 2007)

Hi all,
I received my windows and doors last Tuesday 15th and had them installed on Saturday 19th....They're in, they work and they fit! - One happy ending I suppose. I hope your doors get sorted.


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## gerryd (30 May 2007)

TWMolloy said:


> Just caught this thread. We have some doors on order via Swedex recommended installer McMahon + Nagle, with whom all of our dealings have been. I am not clear on the relationship between these companies, and they are exceptionally poor on communication. _Names deleted. Please don't name particular individuals in companies - Brendan_
> 
> Does anyone else have experience of them?


 
We are in a similar position . [Edited by Marion: name removed] promised that our windows would be here on thr 24th of May, since then we have not been able to contact anyone. As far as we can gather McMahon and Nagle should not have been trading since last November.
.


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## randombloke (30 May 2007)

Why do you say that mc mahon and nagle should not have been trading since last november. We  [Edited by marion ]
had 10K worth of windows delivered in october or so from swedex. It seems we were extremely lucky from the sounds of things....


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## d.cochran (21 Mar 2008)

When Swedex went into receivership last year, they failed to deliver all the aluminum cladding for my windows or to finish the installation.  The Receiver claimed that they had delivered all the aluminum cladding that they had in stock, so that all they could give me was a letter acknowledging a bed debt.

So, I have the actual windows, but without the surrounding cladding which means that I have drafts and dampness due to water ingress. These would normally have been covered under the 10 year guarantee that came with the windows.

Since then I have been unable to find any window company interested in measuring and quoting for the supply and fitting of the remaining cladding.  Has anyone had experience of this and who would they recommend?


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## MickeyC (26 Mar 2008)

Regarding the Aluclad - is this not an item that should have been fitted to the timber subframe in the factory?
Can the manufacturers in Estonia complete the order? Their number is in previous coorspondence on this thread.
Hope it works out for you.


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