Galtres Festival destroy Traders Lives

[popupgazebo]

removing Galtres from festival listing will give them certain pressure for sure. we have to inform everybody that is involved in festival scene to avoid those things happen to other traders and performers.

[popupgazebo]

Setting up a new event with stolen money from traders is not the way forward!!!

[eFestivals]

Setting up a new event with stolen money from traders is not the way forward!!!

absolutely right. There's no way I'd consider knowingly-supporting a venture that was doing that.

I'm happy to give the traders any/all the support they want over this, but I don't want to do it without the traders aski8ng that I do - because a successful festie next year probably is the only chance you have of see3eeing some money back.

[johnl]

It's pretty clear the traders have very little chance of getting any money back.

I'm not sure what the legal position is but if I was a trader I would be looking at the possibility of action against the Directors if the company has gone under. It appears the traders' money has effectively been stolen.

If this is the case then the festival does not deserve to survive.

[airds]

Call me stupid, but if Galtres 2015 does go ahead and they pay this years traders from the profits of 2015, how do they intend to pay the 2015 traders ?

Are they expecting massive ticket sales ?, really, who is going to risk their money on a festival who will have a history of ripping people off ?

You have to wonder when this new plan came in to action..... they must have known long before the festival that they wasn't going to make it

[eFestivals]

Call me stupid, but if Galtres 2015 does go ahead and they pay this years traders from the profits of 2015, how do they intend to pay the 2015 traders ?

I presume that the idea is that they'll make big-enough profits next year to cover the losses from this year.

It's not so unusual for a business to try and bail itself out like this, but ultimately it's much like a gambling addict making a bigger and bigger bet in the hope of getting back what he's already lost. It works for a business even less than it does the gambler, I reckon.

You have to wonder when this new plan came in to action..... they must have known long before the festival that they wasn't going to make it

Many smaller festival sell a big chunk of their tickets at the last minute, so it's quite possible they wouldn't have known where the finances really stood until the Sunday afternoon of the festival weekend. They'll have probably been keeping their fingers crossed for a decent walk-up crowd (I know that's how it works for many fests).

So it's probably not pre-planned as you suggest, and it's probably a plan born of desperation, the only possible way they can see of being able to pay everyone they currently owe - when they could just shut up shop now and leave those people unpaid.

So, to give credit where credit is due - even in this bad situation - the attempts at a festival next year shouldn't be regarded as only-bad, if they really hope to pay everyone back.

Any problem is likely to be that it's not a realistic plan.

[yorkshirehotdog]

Im one of the traders and have lost over 4.5 K, we've only been trading for 2 years so it is a massive chunk gone from our year.

What I can't get my head around is WHY US? I know that sounds dramatic but it does apear that the traders that they chose not to transfer their money too are small fry, dispensable traders...i.e ones that they do not require to attend next year as they get 100's of street food applications every year!

Also, why use a cashless system that didn't work out in 2013?? And why use a different company even if it did work out?! Might be worth us getting in touch with cashless company from last year....

[yorkshirehotdog]

I presume that the idea is that they'll make big-enough profits next year to cover the losses from this year.

It's not so unusual for a business to try and bail itself out like this, but ultimately it's much like a gambling addict making a bigger and bigger bet in the hope of getting back what he's already lost. It works for a business even less than it does the gambler, I reckon.

Many smaller festival sell a big chunk of their tickets at the last minute, so it's quite possible they wouldn't have known where the finances really stood until the Sunday afternoon of the festival weekend. They'll have probably been keeping their fingers crossed for a decent walk-up crowd (I know that's how it works for many fests).

So it's probably not pre-planned as you suggest, and it's probably a plan born of desperation, the only possible way they can see of being able to pay everyone they currently owe - when they could just shut up shop now and leave those people unpaid.

So, to give credit where credit is due - even in this bad situation - the attempts at a festival next year shouldn't be regarded as only-bad, if they really hope to pay everyone back.

Any problem is likely to be that it's not a realistic plan.

I do think that you are correct in what you say here, as hard as it is to swallow...the problem I'm finding it hard to understand is that it was never their money to take...we weren't employed by Galtres, they have instead used our business takings to pay off debt and other traders

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

I do think that you are correct in what you say here, as hard as it is to swallow...the problem I'm finding it hard to understand is that it was never their money to take...we weren't employed by Galtres, they have instead used our business takings to pay off debt and other traders

Robbing Peter to pay Paul isn't the most ideal fiscal policy, and is born of desperation. I can't see any circumstances that would negate the view that, at one point, they consciously made the decision to fuck you over. That they let you turn up, work your balls off, dispense your own costly products, knowing all the time that you were going to be the fall guys and not them. That's quite a dangerous approach to take in my view.

[notabloodyhippy]

Galtres was one of the highlights of 2014 for me. It had an atmosphere that is all but gone from other festivals. In principle I supported the g card system; it seemed a fair way of sharing profit and allowed traders to keep prices reasonable without risk. This turn of events has left me a bit sick, to be honest. It's not simply a case of more outgoings than incomings, it is deliberately taking money which is not theirs to take. I had assumed it would have been a third party which held the money (don't know why I thought that, common sense maybe) then paid each party accordingly.

At some point the organisers have made a concious decision to steal the traders money. It is theft,; not incompetence, not mis-management, not misfortune, but a deliberate and possibly planned robbery from those who can least afford it. It goes against everything we were told about the card system. I feel cheated (I can only imagine how the traders feel).

It is with much sadness that I shall be giving Galtres a swerve next year.

[popupgazebo]

How can the future of Galtres festival be safe when organiser James Houston have stolen more than 200K from traders??? This story has been around for more than a week now and everybody is discussed with what had happened, SO WHY SOME WEBSITES PROMOTE AN EVENT THAT HAS BEEN SET UP WITH STOLEN MONEY???

[eFestivals]

SO WHY SOME WEBSITES PROMOTE AN EVENT THAT HAS BEEN SET UP WITH STOLEN MONEY???

this website is not.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

this website is not.

I think taking off their details was definitely the right thing to do under the circumstances. It would appear to me that the festivals organisers don't deserve free advertising, and that people across the country on this site who might be considering going in 2015 know that if they pay for a ticket in advance that they might be the next 'victims'.

[charli2000]

So, as a trader, what IS your view about publicity?

If Galtres were willing to communicate politely and professionally about how they could "trade their way" out of the problem using a successful 2015's proceeds, then negative press would be stupid. However, there is a clear clause in James's quite abusive email stating that they cannot use 2015 sales to cover the losses.

What is the incentive, then, for traders to keep their traps shut? None.

[Yoghurt on a Stick]

However, there is a clear clause in James's quite abusive email stating that they cannot use 2015 sales to cover the losses.

If the organisers have a profitable 2015 festival then they could all pay themselves a dividend from the operating company. Once they have that dividend in their personal accounts then they could then pay them out of that money. I don't suspect that they will do this though. I get the impression that they would rather, if pushed, wind up the trading company and lose their debts than actually put their hands in their own pockets like any person with decent morals would.

[notabloodyhippy]

Has any of the affected parties taken legal advice? It looks like theft to me, but I'm no legal expert. Is there some legal loophole that the organisers have taken advantage of, thus making it a civil matter rather than a criminal one?

[adamscae]

Just to say thank you for all the support we are getting from this web site , by removing Galtres from the site and also from the festival goers who have shown us a great deal of support and encouragement. More and more traders are coming forward now who have not been paid, We had another one today who is owed £5000. We have had no response from James Houston or any of the directors from any of the correspondence we have sent them. They are certainly not communicating or trying to resolve this issue. So just once again. A big thank you from all the traders.

[popupgazebo]

yes, thank you all for support!

[Essex_George]

Ncass are offering free legal advice to all traders that have been affected by this, no need to be a member. Contact details - http://www.ncass.org.uk/home/contact-us

[eFestivals]

nice find George.

[5co77ie]

new news piece drawing caterers attention to the NCASS announcement here:

http://www.efestivals.co.uk/news/14/140918f.shtml

[outtolunch]

it is not only traders that will be out of pocket but I suspect everybody who had credit left on their card, I have worked on the bar for the last 3 years for which we get credit on our card and due to doing extra shifts and not feeling that well on the sunday it still had £45 left on it.

I had already purchased an early bird ticket for 2015 but as payed with paypal started a dispute for non delivery as the payment was made to the company which has according to the galtres website ceased trading.

But not surprised they are in trouble when they moved to the much larger site last year they expanded too much and lost a lot of the atmosphere it previously had, and that with the change from paper tokens to an troublesome electronic system put off a lot of people from returning this year.

[Essex_George]

nice find George.

Amazing what can be found out on Twitter! The more traders they can help that have been screwed over the better. Edited September 18, 2014 by Essex_George

[Qwerty12]

Amazing what can be found out on Twitter! The more traders they can help that have been screwed over the better.

You should check out the so called charitable holding company's accounts at the charity commission http://apps.charitycommission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1116636&SubsidiaryNumber=0

This is the 'owner' of the trading company that went bust and which also owed money to traders from previous festivals. A quick search also shows Houston is a director of the trading company, the charity and Crucial Events which managed the event - bet they got paid.

For all the the emphasis given by the festival to its charity status it doesn't seem to have made many donations to local good causes.

[notabloodyhippy]

This whole episode needs sharing on Facebook (other social media sites available). Until now I've told anyone who'll listen what a great festival galtres was. From now on I'll be telling them that a bunch of crooks run it.

I'm right behind the traders with this. We were told the g card would benefit the small traders; the little guy willing to bust a nut to make a living. We were told that because traders didn't have to stump up massive pitch fees then they wouldn't have to charge a 'festival premium' and prices would be fair and competitive. And to their credit the traders did pass on the savings to their customers, prices were kept to a reasonable level (mostly). And for that they deserve our support.

As far as I'm concerned the organisers have shit in their own shoes. I can't see how they can carry on after this. Who in their right mind would buy an early bird ticket, knowing the kind of people that are taking their money? And knowing that if it goes tits up they have zero chance of getting their money back.