Perhaps you are about to join Bill Plant and you are wondering if this is the right franchise for you .
Well let me tell you my experience with Bill Plant.
After being an independent Driving Instructor for more then 2 years , I decided (after work was really quiet) to give Bill Plant a go, thinking that I am going to save my self from paying insurance premiums , advertising + car costs. I gave Bill Plant a call and all good, Jake call me back and told me that my area is really busy and they need Instructors. The franchise fee was £193.
The forms come through the post quick and I had to pay one week franchise fee as deposit . My date to go and collect the car it was in 3 weeks time, and I wouldn’t have to pay any franchise for the first 2 weeks plus I had a 15 pupils quarantee. If in the first 2 weeks I wouldn’t have 15 pupils then I wouldn’t pay any franchise until 15- so that’s 15 pupils. They open my diary 2 weeks before I had to go and collect the car, and i had about 6 pupils in all this time , all booked in the office .
Time came to go and pick up the car all away to Harrogate . I had to be there at 10am, so I had to leave house about 5 o’clock in the morning going from Birmingham. Once there we had an Induction Course with Paul the manager , wich to be honest was really boring and a lot of advice and how to do our job. My feeling from all that induction was that they were a big bunch of cowboys, telling us that they are financially strong and the third driving school in the uk. Anyway at 5 o’clock time came to get our cars and we were repeatably told that if we had any problems with the car not to call Sue- the fleet manager- as we had all the numbers we need in our packs.So don’t call Sue – ok no problem then don’t mention her.
I left and on monday I started my new job with Bill Plant. In the next 2 days I had 9 pupils coming from I don’t know were, so basically I now had 15 pupils and I was due to pay franchise as a text message from the office was telling me. But 5 of these pupils never even had the first lesson wich was free. I rang the office to explain and they said that they gave me 15 leads so the franchise is payable. I clearly said that from leads I won’t make any money to pay the franchise but they didn’t wanna know. So I was doing 5 lessons for 56 and running all over Birmingham as i was covering the whole Birmingham, spending lots on petrol and doing 10 lessons a week and I had to start paying the franchise- wich I didn’t and simply return the car back and done.
So 15 pupils quarantee is 15 enquires from wich you should pay your franchise.
Update
I have just had an email from Bill Plant now to say that I must pay £2700 as I didn’t give 3 months notice and therefor I have to pay 3 months worth of franchise. How good is it to have a driving school . Easy money. This is the email
REF: Outstanding Balance £2,702.00
As you are no longer a Franchisee of Bill Plant Ltd, we would appreciate settlement of the attached invoice within 14 days.
If you would like to discuss a payment plan please call the Bill Plant Accounts office on 01765 643375 or 01765 643377.
If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours faithfully,
Gemma McFadden
billplantfranchise 
Hi there, I’m in exactly the same boat as you are/were. What has been the outcome? Please let me now as I can’t afford the franchise (11 pupils after 4 dropped out after just 1 hour)
Thanks
Jerry
Hi Jerry , sorry to hear that ,I haven’t paid a penny and never will. I had one more letter from them to say that I could pay monthly the outstanding balance, but there is nothing they can do.
Have you checked the legality of not paying? I admire your will but can they nail you for not fulfilling the contract? Personally I find that if one can’t pay they can’t force and hopefully the judicial system would see it the same way.
Just found this, and having been an ADI franchisee in the past I thought i’d give you gents a heads up;
The law rotates around the contract that you signed with the franchisor.
In my own experience, the law says that payment is requested by the contract, and as such payment was to be made – that’s about it in a nutshell.
The issue of not having the money to pay is a different matter and involves not contract law but the law of equity. Either way, not paying as required by a contract will only end up with a judgement for payment being made against you. Sucks but it’s true.
just joined bill plant what a crowd 5 weeks no work at all car on its way back if you’re in the south don’t do it
My issues with BP where resolved quite amicably. In the end they realised that they weren’t holding up to their end of the deal and I was able to return the car without being penalised.
I was a bit shocked though when Mr Ashley Plant told me that he wasn’t interested what I was told in the initial “interview” and only what was in the contract counted.
But as I’ve already stated they did the right thing in the end.
Am taking my car back soon after the 120 day run down, i joined them earlier this year and all i can say is i have wasted this year trying to pay a franchise fee to a company who once you are up to your 15 pupils which took 2 months by the way just dump you.
However they are very quick to put on loads of new instructors in your area watering down the already small amount of students available.
Their promises at the induction day are hollow and they dont practice what they preach.
The instructor support is useless and have found certain members of the company rude and patronising.
After chatting to other BP instructors in my area found them to be paying £80-100 a month less than me and when confronting BP with this was told like it or lump it.
I joined them thinking they were a professional company with the instructors interest at heart, how wrong was i.
At times i took on any work travelling up to 40 miles to other areas to teach a few pupils to make ends meet and then finding out that new pupils living less than a mile from me were being given to new instructors who lived 8 miles away!
The franchise i think only works for you if you alraedy have a good customer base and just want a new car but dont expect any support and dont believe all you hear!
bill plant driving school are franchise con.everyone who has had a problem needs to report this to . intelligence enforcement directorate ,enquiry into ltd companies act 2006.thanks eddie
You think Bill Plant is a con!!!, During the first two months you had to get the 15 pupils did you pay them any fees,
I think not,
You had two months use of there car for free (no road tax, no insurance, no maintenance and leasing costs in fact no other cost at all but the cost of fuel) plus the income from lessons some con!!!
Wish i had that type of con, I would be laughing all the away to the back
If you think driving around in a car that was an a3 …..not …but a cheap old car that had 4 dangerous 1.1 mm of tread on each tyre of which one had metal showing . I then spent half a day waiting to get new ones payed upfront fees paid to to collect car paid to take it back paid petrol for pupils that had free lessons.and never booked more got given a flea bitton coat with smelling dogs hairs on it the list goes on when do you want me to stop ….Bill plant I take it it’s you writing to me ,all I can say is your firm is shit.900 instructors you wish…….your car’s come and go like buses round here, only thing is the instructors keep changing………………..
Paul,
You would think he didn’t pay any fees until they gave him 15 pupils wouldn’t you, as that is the deal they advertise. To a normal person a pupil is someone you are teaching to drive, and charging for it, thereby creating an income, yes? However to Bill Plant a pupil is someone who rings their office for any reason, if they can get that person’s details they will pass it on and call it a pupil. I received two such “pupils” who when I contacted them said they didn’t possess a provisional licence, however Bill Plant counted them towards my 15. So yes, ha ha ha say the Plants.
Vic
Last year I took out a franchise with Bill Plant as they seemed to offer a good deal. Definitely NOT one of those ‘too good to be true’ offers, and they seemed a reasonable bunch.
The offers of ‘no pupil introduction fees, unlimited supply of pupils and nothing to pay until I had 15 pupils was a deal breaker as it would give me time to get established without paying the £159 a week for a car.
However, it wasn’t until after I had signed up that I found out that the magic 15 pupils included any of my own sourced pupils! Somewhat misleading!!!! No hint or mention about this was made by Bill Plant when I said that the ‘pay nothing etc.,’ really appealed to me.
Anyway, to cut a very long story short, as they had not kept one single promise, or generated one single pupil (the handful of pupils I received were people either knowing of Bill Plant or seeing me drive by and writing down the phone number) I asked them to cancel my franchise.
Predictably, I received the call from Ashley Plant. First of all telling me that I had to pay them over £2000 to get out and then the veiled threat of legal action if I didn’t. Anyway, I cut a deal and the car has gone back and hopefully I will never hear from these people again.
Would I recommend them to anybody? YES – If you own a Stetson hat, Wrangler jeans, a good quality saddle and a set of spurs – I think you’ll fit in just about right. If not….. Think carefully.
With regards to the misleading advertising etc., I am going to make a complaint to The Advertising Standards Authority as I feel their advertising is misleading. I imagine that if they receive lots of complaints something might get done.
I’m also going to contact BBCTV Watchdog and ask for their help. Who knows – maybe they are already aware of Bill Plant. Some of you may remember what happened to another driving school several years ago when Watchdog got their teeth in to them.
I have kept copies of their adverts just in they change as a result of this.
Finally, I had a look at Bill Plant Ltd’s last set of accounts via companies House website. I’m not an accountant, but they don’t look very good. I have been that their credit rating is very, very low too. http://companycheck.co.uk/company/05210286
Bill Plant has ruined the industry with their cheap lessons because everyone has now had to offer the same. The result is that pupils have the first 5 lessons then bugger off to another school for the same deal. The instructor never gets to earn the full fee and the pupils don’t get continuation of tuition. The only people who benefits are the people who run the driving schools. It is very, very difficult for instructors to earn a living these days. Bill Plant is not a proper driving school, it is a car hire company.
Report them to watchdog. the more people who make a complaint against them, means it is more likely that they get exposed for the people that they really are. Remember what happened to RED after they were shown on tv….
I just wanted to write and say a massive thank you to all the contributors of this website. You have just saved me from making what appears to be one of the biggest mistakes ever.
I have been an independent for the last 5 years and up until last summer had been doing reasonably well. This has been largely due to the Audi A3 which has attracted many new pupils in the affluent areas that I’m fortunately close enough to teach in. With BP introducing not just A3’s but the even more upmarket Q3, I was no longer exclusive. I had experienced a considerable drop in business, so much so that I’m now looking at taking out a franchise. As they were using the same car I had decided to go with them and would have been calling them tomorrow morning to sign up.
Fortunately for me and I’m sure countless others, I came across your website warning of the pitfalls this company would bring. Once again, thank you so much, all of you. I’m struggling to make ends meet and this would without any doubt whatsoever, have taken me into bankruptcy.
For far too long, these so called leading driving schools and much to our industries shame, some are national driving schools, have cheapened and tarnished the good reputation that we ADI’s have tried to maintain. We all know the score; they don’t have enough regular learner drivers so they make their business by convincing naïve members of the public to pay extremely high fees for ADI training. Leading these trainees to believe they will make large amounts of money when qualified and whilst rarely able to deliver because the industry has become saturated with new ADI’s. Ironically, thanks to them.
We need more websites like this and we need certain organizations that are supposed to be here to represent out interest to take action against these schools.
Tony
Yes stay well clear ,I live in south east London …and still notice bp cars with new instructors,,,,a few weeks later there gone ,,,,,same old…like the pyramid money making cons…you run out mugs,,,,,,,,,,Eddie…instructor since 1996….
Yes I Agee, one sided full of instructor complaining, please tell me how else a joe blogs instructor is go to afford a Audi a3 ( with sat nav blue tooth dab radio ) without joining Bill Plant, seem to me some instructor cannot stand a little Competitions
Joe Bloggs instructors generally aren’t materialistic about having a posh car, they just want pupils and to be treated fairly. Competition of course is a good thing, but I agree it seems fairly one sided on here, I wonder why that is?
It all boils down to the fact we are always looking for something better, the grass is always greener on the other side, this is a tough industry we are in with the peaks and troughs so if ir sounds too good it probably is, I have beeen an ADI for eight years and still feel I am learning from day to day, I dont need to say what School I am with but it is a National School and I feel I have always been treated fairly by them. Mark
Hi Mark
You forgot to say you used to be a Bill Plant franchisee before you moved school how many year at BP was it five or six I have forgot
Bill Plant fdound guilty of misleading advertising by ASA…..
http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2013/6/Bill-Plant-Ltd/SHP_ADJ_223003.aspx
You forgot to mention the other 12 schools with adjudications including AA, A+, BSM, Bennetts, Pass n Go, etc etc
Hi,
Thank you for sharing your feed back as you have just saved me from tons amount of stress! I was looking to join Bill plant but have absolutely no interest of going down that road after reading your comment. But I must say I’m not surprised at all as a I experienced something very similar possibly worse with Red driving school! It looks like all these driving schools have set up out to do the same thing (con us), absolutely ridiculous..
Best of luck
Sabah
So you thing you have saved a load by not going with Bill Plant but can you prove it
Paul
Hi – A very interestting thread indeed! I am looking at different franchise opportunities in the domestic cleaning & care sector and have come across ‘Wellshine’ who make bold claims:
Proud to be part of the Bill Plant franchising group
Wellshine cleaning and home help services is a family run business established in 2009, it’s quickly found itself through its unbeatable offers and wide range of services, having a very quick growth in a very short space of time compared to its main competitors, far surpassing other cleaning or home help firms and establishing itself as the premier, one-stop provider.
A cleaning and home help provider that is run as though it were local, yet reaching the whole of the UK providing the same high level of service as it did at the very begining, along with the same unbeatable deals.
Wellshine is friendly and approachable in its manner and is run by Managing Director Bill Plant and his already established support team. Wellshine LTD is the sister company to Bill Plant LTD, the United Kingdoms third largest driving school with over 600 franchisees successfully operating.
Your thread certainly calls these claims into question. Furthermore, the pitch seems similar to the driving school one. With the cleaning franchise you can pay £900 upfront & £45 a week for support, materials etc Or you pay £139 a week and get a ‘brand new Audi A3…’
No guarantee of customers, but paying an extra £407 per month (above the £45 per week equivalent with no car) for a car seems steep to me. I’m guessing without seeing it that the franchise agreement locks in that ‘lease’ for a considerable period of time. A quick google finds the same vehicle available for around £220 per month.
Alarm bells ringing
I would just like to say all the comments seem to be onesided 700 + franchisee cannot all be wrong or is it just sour grapes.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE THINK HARD BEFORE YOU JOIN BILL PLANT !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Unfortunately I did not discover this page until it was too late, I got suckered in by the promises of a glib salesman named Ashley Plant, who I misguidedly trusted as he’s the owner’s son, so I assumed he would be honest and accurate with his claims.
They promised me they would enable me to earn a living by joining them, and that they would support me every step of the way. Based on this I was lured, without transport, to a head office in the middle of nowhere, where they changed the terms of their offer but convinced me they would still deliver sufficient work. As I would have been stranded if I didn’t sign up to this new agreement I had little choice but to trust them.
They then didn’t deliver enough work for me to afford to pay them, despite my constant pleading for new pupils, and when I simply could not afford to pay their franchise they terminated my contract. I was then bombarded me with letters demanding I pay them a 12 week notice period, despite it being them who gave me 7 days notice to leave.
I have sought legal advice on this, and despite the solicitor agreeing they are wrong, they are now threatening to take me to court, even though they are aware that in any event as I now have no income I couldn’t pay them anything anyway.
I earned less than £100 per week whilst with them, Gemma McFadden expected me to pay £152 weekly franchise out of this, however hard I try I cannot convince her this could not be done, and she will not explain how she thinks this is even possible.
The 15 pupils they promise to provide before a franchise becomes payable actually means 15 people who make an enquiry, regardless of possession of a provisional driving licence or intention to book lessons.
Now I have been a driving instructor for long enough to know that you can’t please all the people all the time, but to deliberately mislead people with false promises is wrong however you look at it.
Anyone still thinking of joining Bill Plant please listen to the warnings on here, yes there might be instructors with them who are happy, but are you willing to take that chance?
Hi
Please advise your outcome, did you end up paying them at all?
Thanks
I have been considering doing ADI training with Bill Plant in Plymouth.
After reading all this it doesn’t look good.
Has anyone had experience with BP in Plymouth? And is the training any good?
Supposedly if you complete training and stay with them for 24 months you get all your training fees back. Not sure if I can believe them after reading this.
Hi Kev, hope you are well. There’s only one office with Bill Plant, the one in Ripon, so the problems people have experienced aren’t merely on a local level, as every instructor nationwide has to go through that same office. Since I last posted on here they have started court proceedings against me, all because they didn’t supply me enough work to afford the franchise. Good luck with whatever you decide. Vic.
Well thank you so much to tell your story and let people know about your bad experience and I wish you a very good luck with something better .
Hi all, I would like to say a big thanks to everyone who has commented on here. I was due to sign up to bill plant tomorrow, I have been an instructor a couple of years now and its a hard trade to be in. I am based in Chesterfield and there is an awful lot of instructors here that make being an independant instructors job hard work.
I would like to say I completed my training through RED driving school and although there training was second to none, I decided at the time a franchise was not for me.
I have however found it extremly hard to draw in enough pupils to give myself a good wage, and this is due to the amount of large schools flooding the market with lower and lower priced incentives.
I was as stated above going to bite the bullet and join bill plant as they was guarenteing 15 pupils before I pay a penny, I received the contract which actually states its 15 enquiries so I decided to call them, Now all the stories above have made alarm bells go off, as I have spoken with Ashley Plant and Adelle who both said it was a guarenteed 15 pupils, so either they are lying and mis-leading thousands of driving instructors, or there contract agreement’s are out of date and need ammending. So again a big thanks to everyone as it has made my decission to join be postponed until I receive an updated contract. If this does not happen i guess i will just have to ride the storm and see what happens.
Regards
Craig Stevenson
Hi Craig, where are you up to now? Since my last post on here they have started court proceedings, wanting approx. five times the amount I earned working for them! Hope things work out for you. Vic.
I am currently working for Bill Plant and am in the process of trying to extract myself from the franchise. Basically they are a booking service as far as I can tell – they take inquiries from email/text messages and simply forward these on to instructors.
They seem disinterested in pupil satisfaction or instructor satisfaction and making a living beyond the franchise. I have referred pupils back to the company that I cannot fit in for lessons only to learn later that BP did not even contact them and offer an alternative instructor.
When I complained about not getting enough working to make a decent living and pay the franchise they couldn’t be less interested. They said they would send me more pupils – what they did was transfer pupils from a leaving instructor – many of these pupils already have tests booked so I maybe get an hour or two out of them then its the test. I have since learned that they are simply putting more cars on the road in an area that is already saturated.
None of these solutions by BP are a long term solution to the problem of them not supplying enough work and instead puttig more cars on the road.
BP are like all the other bigger companies – its simply a money making scheme. With modern communication opportunities all they do is take email and text enquirers and forward them to the instructor (minimal cost) once done then that’s another pupil – whether or not the pupil continues after the first £56 for 5 lessons they are not in the least bit interested in that aspect.
I will happily fight BP in court if necessary and invite the MSA and DIA along for some copy for their magazine. I have created a frequency chart and it is during the first 3 weeks I received 15 pupils and then nowt for a long time…and little quality since.
My solicitor says they put much stock on the word ‘endeavour’ – I think I can show with my frequency chart and records that they are not endeavoring – at the very least I will tell my story and hopefully get some copy in national ADI magazines warning other potentially interested ADI’s to simply stay well away from BP.
Their service (which is a misnomer) is dreadful, their support non-existent and Ashley Plant (clearly not an ADI) so called Instructor Support manager is somewhere between hopeless and absolutely useless and on top of that rude, condescending and immature.
They seem to put great stock on the car – for me a car is a car as long as it is sound and works properly. But in all conversations and in their advertising they go on about their WhatCar listed Audi’s…someone should tell them the car is the tool and BP are (supposed to be) the service.
If you want my advice stay well away
I will let you know how I get on closing the franchise – if they want to pursue me for the closing fee £2088 then I hope they all have good singing voices as I simply will not pay it and my solicitor says they have little ground to expect a win in this issue.
Thanks for the opportunity to communicate my disgust with BP.
Ian, how are you getting on? I posted on here a while back, well since then they have actually started court proceedings, my solicitor too said they have no case but that hasn’t stopped them. Court case is early next year……………….. Vic
Be careful u work yr 3 months notice or they will charge u for the 3mounths if u don’t work them that’s wot they trying to do to me am fighting it all the way to court
Hi
Please advise your outcome, did you end up paying them at all?
Thanks
I was with bill plant for 4 mounth I am now leaving and theywant £2,600 to end the contract wot a rip off
Wow i left my post here back in Dec 2012 ‘ANGRY BP INSTRUCTOR’ and i am so happy i left them and joined a nice local family run driving school as although my franchise fees are higher i have had so much more work and have actualy earnt money this year rather than just paying Bill Plant!
One thing i forgot to post last time was that when i was leaving them and was handing over existing pupils to other BP instructors i knew were hard up for work i found out a little later that BP had poached those students off the instructors i had handed them over to and given them another 5 lessons for £56 if they went with one of their new instructors! Incredible! So be prepared to be stabbed in the back sometime!
Good luck those still with them!
Hi I joined bill plant in July 2013 and I thought it was a good deal, I was only given a couple of pupils and 2 month later I hadn’t paid for the car as they hasn’t given me 15 pupils. I received a recorded letter after the 2 months giving me 4 days notice of cancelling my contract, as you can imagine I was shocked. I rang the office and I managed to negotiate to pay £100 per week for 2 months to see if business picked up, it didn’t and I e mailed them and told them I agreed with there termination of my contract and to come and collect the car as I lived 5 hours away from there head office. They collected the car and that was October 2013 and I’ve never heard from them since until last week when they text me about a great franchise offer, I don’t think so. I have given up being an instructor as I couldn’t be bothered with all the stress and hassle of never knowing how much money I was going to earn. I had a better experience than some with bp but wouldn’t advise anyone to join them.
Go to court it’s a bluff. I went to court with AA years ago – the judge threw it out – they lost!
Bill plant r trying to take me to court but I will fight it all the way they are trying to get there money though small claims court. I will every one no wot happens
bill plant are chasing me four four weeks termination through a company callled finaldemand base in liverpool.
same again. pupils unreliable. poor qulaity coming through earnt nothing
I am having the same trouble will Bill Plant. Started in January this year usual promise 15 pupil bookings before you pay a franchise after 15 leads I was told by text message that the franchise was payable! bearing in mind that only 8 had taken up the offer the others were only enquiring and had gone with someone else tried to explain that to instructor support no help Ashley was no help either. They then expected me to pay a £167 per week franchise when I was only getting £90 for a weeks work that didn’t include paying out for fuel!! spoke to them and e-mailed them but they didn’t care. Got a recorded letter today saying that I owed then £501!! don’t think so I only owe two weeks franchise and I had already told them of my plight. Basically they don’t give a dam about you they only care about the money. That stupid 5 lessons for £56 deal is crap basically we are only getting £11.20 for the 5 lessons how the hell can that work! also the cars are misleading saying the first lesson free on three sides of the car and the rear offside says 5 lessons for £56 including the first lesson free, I have been stung on a couple of occasions about the free lesson and as it states quite clearly on the car first lesson free I have had to honour it!!! My advise is don’t even attempt the Bill Plant Franchise its a con stay clear especially if you live in the South!!
I had the same problem with bill plant I am going to court next Wednesday regarding my franchise
Good luck with that keep us informed what happens. How the hell can they expect us to pay a franchise that we cannot afford because of lack of pupils!! I was told this week that they are going to work on advertising in the area again! some hope that will be they said to pay £100 for the next four weeks then pay £187 to pay the arrears after that my argument to that was if I cannot afford £167 then how the hell can I afford £187!! they just don’t listen.
Hi How did you get on in court thks
Please help me by writing your experience in court time so we will prepare ourself. Many thanks.
£167 franchise you are lucky. They are charging £180 a week to instructors with 4-6 years with them.
What will happen if I stop paying franchise fee bcoz its double what I am earning ….please advise me
They will send you a letter and say that they are cancelling your franchise within 7 days!! however they will then sting you for 3 month franchise fee around £2500!!! I am in the same boat and although I have told them I am not earning enough to pay the franchise they don’t care
Thank you for reply but let me know what legal actions they can take it bcoz honestly I have nothing to pay.
What they will do is send you a letter cancelling your franchise and giving you 5-7 days to pay and return their car etc in the letter it states that they do take court action to recover their monies so will be the small claims court. Look at this website most instructors on here have had the same treatment, if you cant pay then prob they will come up with some repayment plan. I’m in the same boat I have given them 3 months notice but I know I wont be able to pay the franchise because I only have 8 pupils 2 of which are on the stupid 5 lessons for £56!! I must admit this is the worse thing I have ever done I should have stayed independent. Good luck let us know how you get on.
But those people saying I need legal advice . I have no money to pay solicitors so can anyone explain what worse come worse if I stay away from them…
Do not pay them send them a letter recorded delivery telling them that you intend to take them to a small claims court for loss of earnings as they have not provided 15 pupils and tell them they have 7days to reply, ,bill plant have already been found guilty of miss leading advertisement,so they will lose….look for the judgement on the internet and print it out…..by the way bill plant read these threads…make shaw you take car back clean hand in keys and get the bus back into town…it will cost you next to nothing to do this…read my previous threads for help hope this helps ….
Ok sure everyone should go with this procedure … I dont mind to pay for small claims court fee …
I commented further up about my experience with this company, same story, they wouldn’t give me sufficient work to pay the franchise and my pleas fell on deaf ears. When I couldn’t afford to pay them they sent me a termination letter with 7 days notice, and then chased me for 12 weeks payment in lieu of notice. I refused to pay as they had in effect sacked me. I sought legal advice and the solicitor confirmed what I believed, however Bill Plant still thought the right thing to do was to eventually take me to court. I had copies of all my communications with this company, which I duly sent in to the court, when it went to court Bill Plant sent some random guy who I had had no dealings with, and a solicitor. The judge basically said to them “why are you here? Show me on your contract where it states that if you give someone 7 days notice to quit they have to pay 12 weeks notice”. Of course neither of them could show him as it didn’t say that. The solicitor said “but she has to give 12 weeks notice to leave”, the judge pointed out to him the clause on their contract that said they could terminate their contract at any time with 7 days notice, and the letter they had sent me doing just that, which they had even referred to in their own evidence as a termination letter. The solicitor again tried arguing his case, the judge then wiped the floor with him, saying it was their contract so why on earth were they not following it, that was not a good way of doing business, they could not just make things up to sue people with. Less than five minutes in the court room, case dismissed, random man and solicitor sent away with a flea in their ear for the couple of hours drive back in rush hour traffic!!
Just a bit of advice re the 5 for £56, does it still not say how the lessons are to be taken? If not I would explain to the pupil that it’s two 2.5 hour lessons to be taken in seven days, or at the most two weeks, get them done soon as possible and onto full price lessons.
Vic
Hi everyone. … I haven’t heard anything from head office so doea it mean I don’t have to pay termination fee. Please give me your advice. Many thanks in advance.
This is a very interesting case. I too am being threatened by Bill Plant with court action. If you’re watching Bill, take note. I will fight you every inch of the way. You do not reply to complaints about your non-service. You do not provide the instructor support you are paid to provide. You have picked the wrong person to fight Bill.
Smith, where are you up to? Have you given notice or have they given you notice? Do you still have the car or have you handed it back?
This is 2014, and yes, there are times when business will be slow. Let’s face it pupils will call only when they need lessons.
Being an ADI means adapting to the industry’s trends. Granted, bigger franchises can afford to advertise, thereby stifling out the one-person proprietor, but even the big 6 need those calls to keep ADIs on their books.
Fact remains, the driving instructor trade is for people who initially sought freedom from big brand bosses. So why go back to relying on pupil referrals, when half that money spent on franchise fees can pull in a substantial pool of novice drivers.
Granted, some people do need the franchise as a stepping-stone, but that’s as far as it should go.
If, however, you must go down the franchise route, choose one with a short term agreement.
For the most part very true, and a well run school will adapt to the industry’s trends, however there are some who simply want the franchise fee with no regard as to their own responsibilities for their instructors. If the phone isn’t ringing for whatever reason then it too often is the instructor who suffers, whilst the schools sit back and expect the same franchise payment, and quite often will even sign up new instructors in the same area, knowing full well they cannot supply enough pupils.
As with any job some people go completely on their own, and some people for various reasons prefer to be under the umbrella of a driving school, just as some people work in a shop/restaurant/cafe etc and some own them.
Ideally everyone going down the franchise route would choose one with a short term agreement, in reality most schools want you to sign up for an initial 3/6/9/12 month period.
So many complaints recently about this company. Are they in financial trouble? What does Bill Plant do to keep it’s instructors on board, or does it just get some more? From reading the comments, this is one Plant that is slowly withering away….
In total agreement with most of the above re Bill Plant are a rip off. I now have a debt collector in Liverpool threatening me for over £3000 because bp terminated the franchise due to me not paying it re lack of pupils. Please DO NOT JOIN Bill Plant.
Just to put in my two pennies.
Like some of the above, I’m an independent instructor and have been in business for over 4 years. It’s been quiet since September for me, so looked into a franchise with BP.
It got the point where I spoke with Ashley Plant, and Matt on the induction team. However, before committing to the franchise I did some investigations online, and came upon this site. Thank goodness!
I actually spoke with Matt at BP today explaining that after reading the numerous posts on here, all to the same effect, that I was having real doubts about joining BP. To Matt “credit” he said he would get a local BP instructor to give me a call to give me a clearer idea on how the business runs.
Then a few moments after that he said he’d spoken to Ashley Plant who sits opposite him, and they’d decided I was too negative, and that they only wanted “positive” instructors with a “can do” attitude to work with BP…
As I had said to Matt at BP there was no proof either way of what I’d read online about how poorly some instructors had been looked after, but having gone down the route of being offered a local instructor to have a chat with, and then their change of mind so suddenly. Well, you can make your own mind up.
Lucky escape?
A debt collector is as toothless as a new born baby. All they can do is write letters or at the worst make phone calls, which you are free to ignore. Unless Plant actually takes you to court and wins (which wont happen, see above), their debt collector is powerless. Do not give in to their blackmail. Any more letters send them unanswered to William & Diane Plant’s private address which is easily obtained from the electoral register.Give them a dose of their own medicine!!
Hello Adiman I am having a few issues with bill plant and would like to gain your thoughts as you seem very knowledgeable in this matter
Please advise if you have a contact mail address I can email you my concern
Many Thanks in advance
Plant is getting desperate. He has ditched Final Demand Ltd and is now using an outfit in Birkenhead called Sinclair Goldberg Price Ltd. Sooner or later Plant will get the message that we will not give into his threats or intimidation. You are not in the army any more Plant. You shout at people in civvy street they will shout back at you. Plant’s private address is Sunrise View, Kingston Avenue, Ripon HG4 1TJ.
Basically when you do 5 lessons for £56 your working for nothing when you take away your petrol and rent and the way it worked for me I was clearing about £300 a week if I worked 30 hours. If your happy to earn that sort of money then Bill Plant is for you when you realise that is not enough to live on you realise you have to move on but where as Bill Plant only have to give you 1 week notice you have to give them 3 months notice which makes them a expensive car rental company. The termination terms are fairly unpleasant and threatening to add. Not a very pleasant company.
Bob, if Plant terminates your contract on 7 days notice you do NOT have to pay 1 or 3 months’ notice. The contract does not permit Plant to charge any additional fees if they terminate. This has been upheld in court yet Plant still tries desperately to demand payment from instructors who have had enough of his nonsense and upped sticks.
Thank you for your reply but it is me who wants to terminate the contract so I think I will have to carry on paying the rent, I should have read the termination terms in the original contract a little more carefully
Well well well, more developments on the debacle that is Bill Plant. It now turns out Final Demand Ltd have merged with Sinclair Goldberg Price…
http://www.finaldemandltd.com/debt-collection-partners/79-sinclair-goldberg-price.html
Roll the dice as many times as you like Plant, you will still get the same result.
BILL PLANT…. BILL PLANT….LOSERS!
IF YOUR THINKING ABOUT JOINING THIS COMPANY PLEASE TAKE MY ADVICE AND DO NOT !!!!!!
WASTE OF TIME AND SPACE….
STAFF ARE BEYOND RUDE..
WONT GIVE A DAMN ABOUT YOU…
ONLY INTERESTED IN YOUR WEEKLY FEE…
WALKED OUT AFTER 6 MONTHS…
NO NOTICE GIVEN…..
DEMAND FOR 3 MONTHS FEES!!!
WENT TO COURT IN JANUARY
CASE DISMISSED …. BREACH OF CONTRACT
JUDGE ORDERED THEM TO PAY ME LOSS OF EARNINGS FOR THE COURT DAY
LOSERS!!!!!!
Well done……..
Was Plant represented by a solicitor? If so I suggest you report them to the Law Society. Any solicitor prepared to stand up in court and fight for Plant’s contract is unfit to practice.
Plant’s servant Sinclair Goldberg Price wrote to me again on Friday with more hollow demands and threats. I have returned the letter to Plant’s private address (see above for the address). Let’s get the court case on Plant…you have had since May 2014. What are you waiting for? Looking forward to cross examining Ashley Plant over his correspondence and inability to read his own contract.
This is clause 10 Termination from the contract I signed with Plant.
10 TERMINATION
If the franchisee shall:
Fail to commence the business within the period of six months from the date hereof or
Neglect or fail to observe any of the terms and conditions of this agreement and fail to remedy such neglect or failure to the franchisors reasonable satisfaction within seven days after written notice hereof from the franchisor
The franchisor may without prejudice to any other rights or remedies available to it terminates this agreement forthwith by notice in writing to the franchisee and all rights of the franchisee hereunder shall thereupon cease
The franchisee if an approved driving instructor, may terminate this agreement by giving one months written notice to the franchisor
The franchisee, if a provisional driving instructor, may terminate this agreement by giving one months written notice to the franchisor
The franchisor may terminate this agreement by giving three months written notice to the franchisee
So…Plant can terminate the franchise on 7 days notice if you don’t comply with their terms eg not pay their fees when they don’t give you enough work.
WHERE ON THIS CLAUSE DOES IT PERMIT PLANT TO CHARGE A NOTICE PERIOD OF 4-8-12 WEEKS IF HE CANCELS THE CONTRACT?
2 court cases, 2 judges who can read what Plant cannot. Or is the man desperate for money? Read his latest accounts….
Well, well ,well, an email now from Plant’s servant. The man is desperate. Ventre has already had his answer in writing, as has Plant.
Our Ref: 90045
Our Client: Bill Plant Ltd
Balance: £1991.00
Dear Mr……
I have made several attempts to call you now without response; we have also sent previous emails and letters to the address we have on file for you.
If you have problems paying the balance outstanding in full, we can help you with a payment plan.
We can offer a one off full and final settlement figure if this is affordable to yourself.
However, if you are disputing the balance owing or part of it; you need to let me know so that I can advise our client of this.
Failure to respond may result in further action being taken against you.
Regards
Mr A Ventre
Sinclair Goldberg Price Ltd
Last week I spoke to a new instructor with them, he has had to take a loan out in order to pay his franchise as they won’t supply him with enough work but still expect a full franchise from him. He said he has phoned and spoken to them but was just met with rudeness. I don’t get how these people are still operating, never mind still taking people to court when they know they have no case. Although their income probably comes from the people who they manage to intimidate into paying what they demand, and understandably victims can be unwilling to come forward and speak up.
I totally agree Vic. Any victim of Plant’s intimidation should return all correspondence to Plant’s private address ie SUNRISE VIEW, KINGSTON AVENUE, RIPON HG4 1TJ.
I have heard nothing further since this Ventre character emailed me on 3/2/15.
There is a serious problem with a company director who cannot apparently read his own contract. If or when Plant takes me to court, I will be asking some very specific and personal questions about William and Diane Christine Plant’s business arrangements.
Here is a summary of Plant’s latest accounts submitted to Companies House on 21/12/14.
Cash £134,626
Assets £621,091
Net Worth £220,278
Liabilities £2,338,841
The last figure tells you everything about you need to know about Plant.
Hi there,,I’m thinking to do instructor training with BP don’t know if it’s a good idea….can anyone tell..Thanks. .
Go somewhere else. In fact anywhere else would be better.
From the facts I have established, Plant is in serious financial trouble.
He ran away from me when confronted with the facts about his failing business. He cowers behind debt collectors like Final Demand Ltd and Sinclair Goldberg Price Ltd. He has lost his nerve in his desperate financial position. Come on Plant….where is the summons for court? You keep threatening to sue me. Have you lost the balls you were born with? You are a coward Plant. You ran away when threatened.
Could the liabilities not be so that Plant can supply such nice cars? He would probably get finance to buy them then sell them on after 12 months and pay those liabilities back. ADIman pretending he’s an accountant when he’s actually clueless… jelousy is a terrible thing ADIman – Read this: http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/business/news/10723599.Bill_Plant_signs___2million_deal_to_replace_driving_school_cars/
I have been with bill plant two years never made any money 56 pounds for 5 is waste of time most pupils leave after that . The few that stay on cover fanchise fee never made more than 200 a week complete waste of time
Just sent in email to leave .
I would recommend not joining this firm at all cost
Now been told email is no good for ending franchise . I informed them a week ago of email says it was received by them but they can’t find it . Got call from Ashley plant Stateing it needs to be in writing. And would have to wait for special bill plant paper work. Ok seems strange looked at franchise agreement no where can it be found this claim
Clause 10.2 states in writing .
So I have sent hard copy via post recorded to them stating the same as email . No where does it say special paperwork needed. Also was told it needed to be signed. Again no mention of this in franchise .
Sure they make it up as they go along .
Any one else had this problem ?
Clueless Jim? I hope for Plant’s sake HIS accountant is more competent than his solicitor who can’t read a basic contract.
As you’re so well informed Jim, can you tell us the current position on Plant’s finances? This report was from October 2013.
Well Jim. Turns out I’m not “clueless” doesn’t it!
A word of advice Jim, know your facts before you make wild accusations.
I await your apology for your ignorance and stupidity…
Yet more evidence that Plant can’t read his own contract.
Hi there don’t get franchise with billplant robing adi I done mistake once with them thy send me bill £900 wich due them but thy asking £5000 to pay them wich I don’t owe them I stop working know gone back job seeker
Don’t let bill plant bully u let then take u to court I did and won there just robbing bastards
The only person in this deal to make money is bill plant why do you think he drives a posche longs he get his money your just renting a car for 800 a month that u can rent online for 239.00 a month do your maths
Don’t make the mistake I and many others have. Don’t even think about it
Has anyone else been threatened by Plant recently or has he finally learned his lesson?
Here’s Section 172 of the Companies Act….
172
Duty to promote the success of the company
.
(1)
A director of a company must act in the way he considers, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members as a whole, and in doing so have regard (amongst other matters) to—
.
(a)
the likely consequences of any decision in the long term,
.
(b)
the interests of the company’s employees,
.
(c)
the need to foster the company’s business relationships with suppliers, customers and others,
.
(d)
the impact of the company’s operations on the community and the environment,
.
(e)
the desirability of the company maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct, and
.
(f)
the need to act fairly as between members of the company.
.
(2)
Where or to the extent that the purposes of the company consist of or include purposes other than the benefit of its members, subsection (1) has effect as if the reference to promoting the success of the company for the benefit of its members were to achieving those purposes.
.
(3)
The duty imposed by this section has effect subject to any enactment or rule of law requiring directors, in certain circumstances, to consider or act in the interests of creditors of the company.
Dont even think about joining this cowboy outfit…. I did? went to court and won!
I was with them for about 3 years. Promised 15 pupils like in their literature, but as others have mentioned false advertising – just giving 15 leads! So i manage to argue that and got 3 weeks free instead of 2.
Franchise starts at £159 a week – six months later went to 170, then 6-8months thereafter increased again to 180, 189, 199. I had enough when it got to 199 a week. The only reason I survived that long financially was to not give the £56 deal at all after 6months! But it was just a lot of hassle dealing with it.
Such a relief to leave them as I no longer have to worry about paying £900 a month. Now that I’m going indie I’m paying less than half than what I was paying and no more rubbish £56 discounts to deal with! Also damaged alloys are charged at £60 per alloy WTF!
Anyone thinking of joining them, all I can say is after a few months you will be sick to the stomach with the £56 discounts for everyone, u will not make enough money to make it worthwhile.
Total joke of a company, promise 15 students but what you get is a referral and when you try and chase it up no answer or response these guys could be getting friends and family to refer because then you have to pay, earning less than £60 a week before petrol they insist you pay them £179 and if your late charge interest and then threaten to report you to DSA and get you removed from the register. Numerous calls asking for help and support to no avail, try striking a deal to stay in a job 4 days before Xmas to be told by one yes that’s fine then an hour later receive a text saying contract terminated car has to be back by Xmas eve 1pm!! Plus a request for payment of 3 months franchise fee. You having a laugh plant because this bitch bites back and as a reputable business owner I will make it my mission to fight you all the way. As for bringing car back Xmas eve, not a chance in hell and have already spoken to solicitor, fsb, franchise federation, citizens advice and companies house re breech of directorship and I have no intention of stopping there so if your reading this. Bring it on because this time as well as all the other times listed on here you are going to lose. Only this time your be paying us a rather large amount of compensation for the distress and financial hardship you have caused. See you in court!
Plant really isn’t learning his lesson is he? On what grounds is he going to report you to the DVSA and have you removed from the register? I’ve already listed Plant’s private address….
My information is that Plant has committed offences under both the Fraud Act 2006 and Companies Act…it’s high time he got his collar felt….
Removed from register as not paid franchise however I would like to point out that despite earning about £60 on a good week only and unable to pay the franchise fee we did phone to make a payment and they refused to take it as they said the next payment was due and they wanted that. Desperation springs to mind and no support or access to huge data base of clients as advertised that would enable you to earn enough to pay a franchise. Not one iota of advertising has been done so my question is Mr Plant can you provide me with a full breakdown of what the £170 a week is for and give me proof I’ve actually had it because besides a car on hire I’ve had sod all else! Learner hit curb and burst tyre, had ear to just £22 that week was left by Bill plant on roadside as they expected me to cover costs after arguing over this they did eventually get the tyre replaced but then billed and harassed for the money non stop, even calling and saying pay right now or bring car back. Woman on end of phone is an obnoxious up her own bum rude individual. Also what about this and I quote ‘absolutely no upfront fees’ well why did was there a charge of £200! Solicitor has given me solid advice and this time they will be the ones paying compensation.
No1…Plant can bluff and bluster all he likes, a contractual dispute over a grossly overpaid franchise is not a reason for the DVSA to consider removing you from the register. He’s going to find himself in a lot of trouble if he continues with his lies and threats which are largely due to his desperate financial position. He is going under and many of us on here will willingly spade the earth onto his coffin.
Help! I have just paid my £1595 training fee and am due to start my first, Module 1, lesson. After reading all the above comments, I am keen not to proceed with the franchise. Can anyone give me any advice as how to terminate the contract?
Most of the above people have gone on the lack of qualifying customers i.e. 15 new pupils.
Is there not a 7 day cooling off period?
Are you thinking of doing the adi course with them?
If so, why would you be bound to a franchise with them?
I learnt with red but never signed onto any franchise, during or after my training.
Read the terms & conditions or ask them directly.
The training should not be tied to a franchise when you qualify as an ADI. I only know of Royal driving school who tied the adi course to 2 years to their franchise once qualified through their training.
DO NOT JOIN BILL PLANT
THIEVES AND CON MERCHANTS. The 15 pupil guarantee is “Leads” only, Absolute VERMIN OF A COMPANY, BILL PLANT NEEDS LOCKING UP IN PRISON.
Here’s Plant’s latest accounts.
https://www.companycheck.co.uk/company/04597038/BILL-PLANT-LIMITED/summary
£5m in debt.
Plant tried to take on the AA and BSM, He is hopelessly out of his depth. In his desperation, he has resorted to playground bully tactics to try to threaten Instructors who left his sinking ship.
When I directly challenged him, like every bully, he showed his true colours. He ran away.
No idea how they can have so much debt. I can only assume its to do with the new bmw 1 series contract, then I always assume they lease the cars.
A lot from London I had seen has left them in recent times. The problem with the company is that they don’t change the special offer £56, which pupils rightly take advantage of. Instructor dont make money so they leave.
If you are still with them, you can threaten them with court action on false advertising and get a week or a few weeks off franchise.
I’m in a much happier position after leaving them and going indy.
Hi
How did u get on, did u have to pay the 3 months fee?
Nothing further heard from Plant it seems as he had been publicly exposed for what he is.
A liar, a cheat, and above all, a coward who did not have the balls to follow through the false threats he attempted to make.
Come on Plant, get the court case on against me. What are you waiting for?
Never forget though, it’s my day in court and I have some very interesting questions to ask you Plant.
I do hope you take legal advice about self incrimination. Hang on though your solicitor can’t read a simple contract.
Evening all ,
Sadly I did not come across this post prior to signing with Bill plant .
I have received a letter to attend court to which, I contacted their solicitors to propose a half payment then £30 thereafter per month to which they have rejected and they are seeking an amount to the tune of £1908.13 ,
I really want to fight this but due to my Upcoming new job role I cannot have any form bad credit , CCJs etc. If I was to lose in court.
I refused to pay the amount for over a year now due to :
1)
Lack of the 15 pupils
2) The car was 6 months old and not new as per the advertising .
I am very worried as I do not have the money to pay for a solicitor
So I’m in need of advice /guidance .
Thanks in advance
Ash
Ash,
There have been quite a few instructors who won the court case against bill plant – read through some of their story here.
I would advise do not pay anything to bill plant as they are in breach of contract from the two points u listed. Judges have thrown their case out against others from here, they will be dismissed and have to pay u cost, expenses for the day to attend court.
Do not pay a penny.
Ash, can you give us some more details about your case?
How did your contract end? Did BP terminate your contract on 7 days notice then demand payment of a notice period?
This has been the crux of the cases Plant has lost in court. The termination clause on the contract does not provide for making any further charges; once Plant terminates your contract that is it.
Plant has been told by several courts this basic fact and yet continues to harass and makes threats against former instructors in the full knowledge he has no legal grounds to make these demands. The man is a proven liar, as others have said. Do not give into his blackmail and intimidation.
Send any further correspondence back to his private address.
Hi i gave my car back in September due to the stress of it i called bill plant on the Monday told them to collect the car they did on the friday that week. It was costing me to pay the franchise every week my pupils were over 17 miles away. Then today i got a letter saying i owe £3000
HELP ME
Hi Paul, you’re one of many instructors to have this kind of experience with Plant.
Can you clarify a couple of points first?
From what you’ve said, it sounds like you terminated the franchise as opposed to Plant terminating it under the cancellation clause – is that correct?
Secondly what is your notice period under your contract and how long have you been a franchisee.
If you can confirm, I’ll advise you on the next steps. Above all, dont panic. Cheers ADIMan.
Bill plant are frooks but i quit in 28 days now they tell me i owe then 6 mnths franchise even thou i have documentation stating its a 3 month clause,i took drive dynamics to court and won and im confident enuff to represent myself to pick holes in their contract bp are bullies and u know the program abt bullies,im in the south my facebook page is full of ASA’S rulings im confident i can show them for what they are their tax returns arent goid but what wd u expect from a shell shocked squaddie,yes back in day u made money plant but the driving industry is knackered and judging by ur profoits and losses accounts seems the millionaire lufestyle is over im from south old skool street hustler and i know how to deal with bullies if any of you need advice dropnme a line my nanes jim i have nothing to hide as i fear no cunt…
Further developments to report. Alistair Charles Watson was appointed a director of Bill Plant Ltd on 14/10/16. An additional company, Bill Plant Holdings Ltd, where Watson is the sole director, was incorporated on 13/10/16 using a London address.
I am monitoring these developments very carefully. Full details can be obtained from the Companies House website.
I think reading this thread you’ve just saved me significant time and stress. I was an adi for 6 years in the not so dim and distant past and wanted a reasonable retraining program.
Their current offer of £995 and fully refunded after 30 days on their franchises sounded some alarm bells.
So I started digging after Ashley plant was so desperate for me to sign up he was offering half now half after part 1 pass. Oops not happening. I’m more than capable of passing part 1 myself like I did the last time.
Because of that niggling doubt I’ve found this thread.
Guess what? I won’t be doing either the training or franchise!
I’m sad to hear all these horror stories and I hope you all manage to sort BP out.
Many thanks and kind regards.
Hi my franchise was terminated in 2016 Dec and now I am getting letters for a payment that I owe them however I called numerous times whilst still in the franchise explaining that I cannot pay as they are not sending me any work, they ended the contract and took the car back. I am now in debt due to bill plant. Please help and advise
Thanks
Anjur, from what you’re saying I presume Plant has terminated your contract under the 7 days notice cancellation clause in his contract. Is this correct? If you read the earlier correspondence you’ll see Plant has lost in court several times attempting to demand a notice period from instructors which is outside the contract. The man is a fraudster in attempting to bring further claims and should be dealt with accordingly. I recommend you keep copies of any correspondence but return the originals to his private address (listed earlier).
*Ankur*
Hi adiman many thanks for getting back to me, basically I couldn’t afford to pay the franchise as bill had bled me dry and I am in debt due to him, so I stopped my dd, they then sent me a letter asking for the money to which I called them back and asked them “where shall I get the money from as I am broke thanks to them”, the accounts debt replied “it’s not our problem”.
Since that they then sent me a letter of termination and then arranged for the car to be picked up, I am now getting letters from Goldberg price debt collection agency to pay a sum of ove 5k which i am not willing to do and to be honest cannot afford to do either.
Ok that makes things clearer. Plant cannot legally demand any payment from you beyond the date of HIS cancellation of your franchise. The contract does not permit it and Plant has lost several court cases desperately attempting to recover money he falsely claims to be owed.
He may have a legitimate claim for any franchise fee not paid up to the date on his cancellation.
I advise you write to Sinclair Goldberg Price denying liability under contract for the money Plant is demanding; send by recorded delivery. Tell them that if they make any further contact with you, you will report them to the Financial Conduct Authority. SGP took over the business of Final Demand Ltd (who Plant used to use) after FD were stripped of their licence to trade by the FCA.
Plant is a desparate man. He has tried to take on BSM/AA and is hopelessly out of his depth,
Key message is do not panic and under not circumstances give in to Plant’s threats. Return any further correspondence to Plant’s private address (keep copies). There are several further steps you can take as well to deal with the vermin Plant which I will advise you on privately if required.
Hi how can I get in touch with you privately?
You can email me on trainspotting@myself.com
I am informed Plant filed for insolvency on 27/4/17. He’s gone under, as I predicted he would. KPMG have been appointed as Administrators.
https://www.insolvency-kpmg.co.uk/case+KPMG+PH419C4553.html
Business sold to an outfit called Ecodot. Never heard of them so will do some research. It was inevitable Plant would collapse sooner or later; his business model is a modern day pyramid scheme. Plant apparently now has 530 instructors, a long way down from the “700” they claimed to have…the cashflow ran out to finance the expensive BM’s…
Well well well…turns out Ecodot is basically a phoenix company which has been renamed “Bill Plant Driving School Ltd”. The directors are Jake William Plant and Alastair Charles Watson.
So does this mean plant is insolvent? Sorry I’m confused by the ecodot sale.
Bill Plant Ltd is currently in administration. Insolvency remains a possible outcome.
Statement of Administrators proposals now available on Companies House website. 50 page PDF file.
Bottom line is Plant owes the tax man and Santander a lot of money.
£1m owed to HMRC according to the Administrators. Plant is up to his neck….
Figures now confirmed as £1,344,460 owed to HMRC and £251,197 owed to Santander. Total liabilities at date of administration £2,729,824. Taken from “Statement of Affairs” signed by Alastair Charles Watson on 11/5/17 and lodged with the High Court of Justice Chancery Division.
I am now informed Plant has had to put his house up for sale. It’s advertised on Purplebricks.
Confirmation of the financial trouble he is in.
Bill Plant Ltd is in administration. Many of us on here have been the victims of Plant’s bullying, lying and cheating. I am proposing we begin a “class action” against the directors & Officers of Bill Plant Ltd (ie William Plant, Alastair Charles Watson, Diane Christine Plant) for damages due to their negligence and breaches of the Company’s Act.
Who’s in?
The Administrators have to register us as an interested party in Plant’s demise.
Email me on trainspotting@myself.com for more information.
It’s all systems go on this…thank you to all of you who replied, much appreciated.
If you’re watching Plant, you’re going to be taken to the cleaners…..court summons is in the post to your private address any day….
can anyone help me. I gave £500 on the phone to jon from bp and will be giving further 495 towards adi training in august. after reading the post I feel I am making biggest mistake ever. do you guys think I can get a full refund, I havnt yet submitted my dbi yet? or do you think the training isn’t linked with the franchise? your adive is much appreciated.
i finished my franchise a week ago with BP and poor standards of pupils plus having to work 35 plus miles away as locally they can’t get any work and is stopped paying and regards training you will end up doing your training with 2 to 3 people
The administrators have confirmed Plant personally guaranteed the loan Bill Plant Ltd had with Santander, some £230k. Explains why his house is up for sale. Many other claims are still to be settled. Looks like he will lose everything. Those of us who were on the receiving end of Plant’s threats and bullying should raise a glass to his downfall.
No takers for his house after more than 3 months, so he’s today been forced to cut the price in his desperation to sell.
Oh wow! Thank you for the updates ADIMAN.
I haven’t been back here for a long time and developments of BP going under isnt a big surprise to me. They did well when they got the audi A3 in for a few years, but didnt listen to instructors who had problems with payment due to not enough work and to change the crippling offer they had for everyone of £56.
The bullying tactics and false advertising of 15 pupils were terrible. Instructors who had been victims of bullying tactics and stress that BP put them through will be happy to see the back of this company.
You see now why I urged anyone who was being bullied by Plant in his desperation for money to hold their nerve and never give in to his lies and threats.
His house is still for sale. Plant personally guaranteed some of the loans to Bill Plant Ltd (including £233k to Santander).
The phoenix company, Bill Plant Driving School Ltd lurches on for now, but it’s only a matter of time….
Plant’s house is still for sale. Bill Plant Driving School lurches on for now like a square wheeled car….I’m waiting for more information from the administrators and will post updates when I receive this information.
Can you give a link to his for sale house.
And thanks for the updates.
Link won’t post unfortunately. The broken link is rightmove . co . uk / property – for – sale / property – 60172588 . html…have to type in manually. Been on the market since 31/5/17
hi i was a bill plant instructor till the 27th october and for two and half years was sent work all over manchester bolton and my hometown blackburn around 5 number is two and half years
they sent me termination of franchise and also took my car without telling me and we did not even do a walk around the car as someone came and took it
the 3 months franchise they want is a joke and they think they can terminate and ask for that payment
they did not walk around car and sign off any damages and looks like they have damages vehicle themselves and asking me to pay so i’m gona take these inbreds to court
4 bedroom detached bungalow for sale
Kingston Avenue, Ripon, HG4
£329.950
That one?
Correct
The full address is confirmed on the brochure.
Lovely place he has there….well I don’t feel sorry for him with how he has dealt with struggling instructors.
The Administrators updated report is now available on Companies House website.
Whilst they have managed to cobble together enough cash to bail Plant out of his personally guaranteed loan with Santander, they have confirmed there will not be anywhere near enough money left to pay all the other creditors. A lot of small businesses are going to lose money they can’t afford to because of Plant’s mis-management of his business.
More importantly, the Inland Revenue are still owed £1.3m by Plant. They will not go away without their money.
It is now a racing certainty that the IR (and probably other creditors) will commence legal proceedings against Plant and his wife personally to recover their money. They will need to prove the losses are due to Plant’s negligence in decisions taken as a director of the business.
The Administrators have filed a report on Plant’s personal conduct as a director. I have already supplied them with evidence which I have already made clear I will pass to the Police to begin a criminal investigation into Plant personally under the Fraud Act 2006 should he ever cross my path again.
Plant’s house is still up for sale. He needs the money as per above.
I will keep you posted as and when I receive further information.
Thanks for the update,
I feel sad for the businesses which plant owes money and will probably wont get it back. Plant’s mis-management – bad decision making amongst others cost him his business. Sound likes they probably will under quite soon, i’m not sad to see as bullying and money grabbing at all cost from instructors were bad. I have left them over 2 years ago as it business got worse and £56 deal was killing me just like it did with everyone else. 3 years ago there were many bill plant cars on london roads, today I know only 1 guy in southeast london who stayed with them.
Plant used to claim to have 700 instructors. He said it over and over in his literature. The administrators confirmed at the date of entering administration the number was 400.
That is a huge shortfall on revenue at £180-£200 per week per instructor.
5 for £56 deal….I reckoned in 2008 I made £3 a lesson with diesel at 99p a litre and franchise fee £144. Fast forward to 2014 diesel 130p a litre franchise £180 it was a loss maker. Plant didn’t give a toss about his instructors, he only wanted his franchise fee.
The ethos of the business changed around 2010. It ceased to be a driving school and became a car rental business that pretended to be a driving school. This coincided with the departure from the business of Roy Danby. It was downhill all the way after that.
The franchise vehicle used to be a Corsa. Nice car. Perfectly adequate to do the job. BMW 1 series….yes nice. But hardly necessary to teach learners to drive….remember who is paying for it…..that’s why the instructor numbers plunged and Plant’s business with it.
Plant tried to take on AA/BSM and found himself hopelessly out of his depth. The accounts dont lie….
I’m surprised they still have 400 instructors on the books at that time. When I returned the car 2 years ago the guy who took the car (dont know who he is) asked me why I’m leaving, told him business are bad, ever increasing franchise and £56 is a killer. He said loads of instructor left from the same region (london) for the same reason.
Over 5 years ago when I qualified as an ADI, I was lured to plant with the audi a3 and lower franchise than others at 159 a week and free 2 weeks + promise of 15 pupils or free till then. I dont know how u lasted that long on the franchise and still gave the 56 deal. I stopped that after 6 months, it was the only way to make money. Plant did try 75 for 5 lessons for a while once so many left the franchise, then 2for1, by then it was too late.
Plant’s downfall, which inevitably will be, are not listening to the very people who make the business work – instructors. He failed to take care of most of us, did not make changes until its too late. Plant were giving the big players AA/BSM a run for a while, until he ran out of steam and did not change to make instructors on the franchise the most important factor in the business.
Not much to report since my last update. The phoenix company’s annual accounts must be published by 28th February and I am awaiting these to forensically examine.
One fact I haven’t mentioned which should be, is the administrators found Plant had personally helped himself to what the accountants term a “directors loan account” to the tune of £122,195. To the man in the street, this would be more commonly known as having your hands in the till.
Plant was ordered to repay this money by the administrators before the phoenix company could take over the business.
It is not clear yet to what extend this financial activity had on the collapse of Bill Plant Ltd, but any creditor who has lost money should take this into account when forming a case personally against William & Diance Christine Plant in their conduct as director and officer(s) of the business.
Good update, interesting.
Note now BP is taking on PDI, nothing wrong with that to begin with, but they use to pride themselves with ‘We only have fully qualified instructors’.
Plant needs the money from wherever he can get it. He is up to his eyeballs in debt with creditors threatening him daily.
Still no takers for his house either.
I could almost feel sorry for him….except for the way he lied and tried to cheat his clients.
I know you’re watching Plant. Have you read Section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006?
Hi everybody, i am currently a BP franchisee about to terminate my contract. I have just received a bill for a few hundred pounds for going over the mileage and another few hundred pounds for what i would class as wear and tear.
I am totally devastated as i work 7 days a week which allows to me to pay the franchise, fuel and my own household bills.
Firstly do i need to pay this damm money as i all i do is try and provide quality driving lessons rather than sitting around talking about driving.
Secondly as they have been took over by another company does my contract with still stand legally. I have not signed a separate contract!
Any advice would be much appreciated, thank you
Wear and tear is a difficult issue. Can you give us any more details?
When you returned the car, were the “defects” pointed out to you and did you sign a vehicle collection sheet noting any “defects”?
Without this Plant does not have a leg to stand on if he tries to pursue you for costs. DO NOT give in to any threatening letters or other intimidation.
My contract is in the name of Bill Plant Limited. As you may be aware it is now Bill Plant Driving School.
Lets hope this allows me to bypass the contract agreement.
In my contract it states that the franchisee is permitted to cover up to 35,000 miles in the vehicle per year.
I have had 3 vehicles in just over one year none of which have reached anywhere near 35,000. I’m guessing they add all the mileage up or work it out over the months the instructor has the vehicle. However, it states in the contract 35,000 miles in THE vehicle, not vehicles!
Let me know what you think please
Hi Mark. Not seen your contract obviously, but from what you say I would believe the mileage cap applies to each vehicle individually. Each vehicle will be subject to it’s own finance deal with Plant’s supplier.
In the event of any contractual dispute over the word “THE” vehicle, the contra proferentum rule would apply ie if the contract is ambiguous a court is obliged to find against the person wh drafted the contract. Plant would lose yet again…..
Thank you for your reply. I guess I will seek advice re the contract once I’ve took the car back.
I can’t wait to move on now whatever the outcome!
Thank you again
Bill plant into Dissolution things are not looking good.
The administrators final report is now available on Company’s House website. The business is to be liquidated. There was no money left to pay the unsecured creditors including the taxman.
This is devasting personal blow for Plant. It is now inevitable that HMRC will pursue him personally through the courts if necessary for the £2.2m he owes them.
I almost feel sorry for him until I recall the way he bullied, lied and cheated to intimidate the weak into paying money they did not owe.
I will be watching the next developments very closely Plant; rest assured of that…..
Speaking as a former Bill Plant instructor who retired last month I came across this thread when i first joined in 2013 a few years back but I check in on it every now and again
I never had any problems with Bill Plant bar 2 things, the 5 for £56 which was ridiculous and the 15 pupils guarnetee which they got rid of years ago because they couldn’t guarentee they would be full time pupils since they dont manage your diary and take a payment and things got alot better after that. Companies change a lot im sure they did make mistakes to you in the past but really mate 4 years on your still going?
I do find it amazing that you are still here ranting 4 years on and a year after I personally last visited this page… I still have friends who work as bill plant franchises to this day who tell me they been given free life insurance and a franchise free week for the first time and a fuel card better than any Esso one out there in the last couple months hardly sounds like a company about to be liquidated?
Bill Plant tried to lie, cheat and bully his way to money to which he had no legal entitlement. So yes, I have a long memory, a VERY long memory.
You seem unaware of the legal position regarding Plant, so I will spell it out for you.
Bill Plant Ltd collapsed into administration in April 2017. The company is now being liquidated, with creditors including HMRC remaining unpaid.
Plant set up a phoenix company Bill Plant Driving School Ltd which continues current business. Have a read of their latest accounts. They need a major cash injection or will be heading the same way as Bill Plant Ltd before long.
Well the changes were forced on him by instructors leaving in huge numbers. Should have look after the instructors better and help those who were struggling to earn much on the franchise.
I think they only got rid of the £56 deal about 2 years ago because probably all those instructors left because that was one of the main reason (i did), so it wasn’t years ago as u make it out to be. One have to think how have AA/BSM can charge more per hour than Plant and also have a less premium car still have clients for the instructors. No £56 or latter £75 rubbish of course, people will still pay without those promotions.
**Edit**
Apologies, It’s £1.3m owed to HMRC
Thanks for the update
Bill Plant Ltd was officially liquidated today….good riddance many of us will say….
Plant’s house is still up for sale to pay some of his debts. He was forced to reduce the price again yesterday.
Bill Plant Driving School Ltd continues to lurch along for now, but it’s when not if, it goes the same way….
Not sorry to hear this at all. Plant didn’t look after his clients – instructors, therefore, its his downfall.
What is Bill Plant Holdings and what do thay do
That is a very pertinent question Driving man. The listed director is Alastair Charles Watson, Fifth Floor, 10 St Bride Street, London, United Kingdom, EC4A 4AD
your an idiot! you know nothing about Bill Plant, what a load of rubbish all this post is! i cant even believe people write this stuff! Bill Plant is doing well, he is up scaling his house!! hahaha
If I were you Terry (thankfully I am not), I would learn to spell simple words before you call people names. Since you are in the know with Plant, how is his house sale going? According to Rightmove, it is still on the market over two and half years after he first listed it. Strange how he is able to “up scale” as you put it since he listed it for sale 2 weeks after Bill Plant Limited entered administration.
His creditors , including HMRC, are very interested.
Hi there
I have the same experience as you.
Before I get the franchise they told me my area is very busy and they will give me as much as pupils i need . They charged me 400 pound at the beginning . They sent me 7 contract number which 4 of them never answered my call or replied me and another 2 told me if i could do only free lessons which it left me with one pupil and i had to pay them 230 pounds a week. I called the company and Tom manager of the company told me that i am lazy and it’s my problem and i have to leaflet the flyers and advertise the company every day which i did but after a week i got bad back and i got sick note from my GP , it’s on the company policy that i won’t need to pay while I’m off work but Tom contacted me after three weeks and very rudely asked me to pay them 600 pounds. I told him he doesn’t even know they own company policy so he sweard at me and hanged up.
I’m going to complain from them .
Please let me know if you have any advice.
Thanks
Sorry to hear your plight ben. They will always say your area is busy so u would join the franchise, You should get in touch with consumer direct for advise, Do not pay them a penny. You can sue them via the small claims court for money owe to you and breached of contract. Dont worry with their vile threat, they dont have a leg to stand on in court. Hope you can resolve this and get your money back soon, Let us know the progress.
Well its 2019, I’d like to know where we stand as Franchisee’s on the swap over to Golfs and 2 year life cycles on the car, considering we signed up for a new BMW every 6 months. Can we just walk away as it’s not what we signed up for ?
What does the latest contract with Bill Plant Driving School say about the vehicle replacement cycle?
Tricked into paying a deposit to become an instructor by saying the £995 price was ending that day, (that was January, its now April and they’re still advertising thus price on the website) Paid over half over two months and then became too sick to work. It looks like a have a long term disorder which is difficult to work with and have to reassess my options.
I sent them my not fit for work note from the doctor and asked if the money I’ve paid can be returned to me since I haven’t done the course. Speaking with Jasmine the representative who is rude and raises her voice telling me unless I get a note from the doctor saying I can’t drive they won’t give me my money back even though I haven’t recieved a service! How can they justify not returning my money?
How have I not been totally conned?
Bill Plant are not to be trusted! Until you have the money upfront don’t give them anything.
Devastated
BillPlant is a total rip off, they scam many people and they are rude!
Citizen advise would help you to take your money back.
Good to see the thread has been quiet; Plant has learned his lesson the hard way after the liquidation of Bill Plant Ltd. He still hasn’t sold his house to pay off his debts.
Bill Plant Driving School Ltd (the Phoenix company) is in difficulties I’ve been told, hardly a surprise.
So what was the outcome as I’m going through the same thing 😦
Wow I really wish I’d found and read this post before signing up.
If anyone can point me in the way of some help or where best to get advice on how to exit this without having to sell organs.
I signed up last year but handed in my 1 year notice this year so still have time left as part of the franchise (heavily regretfully) and bewteen Bill Plant and myself I get virtually nobody as my area is very small and has 3 or 4 huge independents who dominate. When I call to say I can’t make payments because I only do 5-9 hours a week (without cancellations) they point out the obvious “you know your debt is getting bigger” every time. But it’s just got too much and I’m not the making money to help get out of it or even pay that week so it’s just increasing. I’ve been told I would have to pay the remainder which will be around £10,000 to cancel my contract but I must admit growing money at will is not a skill I picked up. This job and this franchise is literally ruining my life. I don’t want to run my own business, I’m not trying to lie to get out of contract to pay less elsewhere I simply want rid of everything to do with it and I know it’s in the contract but feels more like a flex of power or simply a desperate money grab just to smash me more into debt.
I too feel like I’ve been screwed over I have the original email offer they sent me explaining the £995 was a limited time offer and it would soon be reverting back to £1995.
Also with their promises they told me they would do 60% to my 40% on finding pupils and over time would become 50/50. I only get pupils through now when I call to ask why I haven’t been sent any. But none of this is in the contract just what they say on the induction so have no proof of lack of delivering promises on their end.
All I would advise if you live in a big area it might work out for you but if your area is small…DON’T
I would contact watchdog and get advise of then and it be interesting to see how many instructors come forward with complaints
Hi i ve handed notice in and got a cheaper franchise by £50 a week and that’s over £3000 saving a year & 4 weeks holiday feel much better and no £500 excess
Bill plant driving school ltd
They terminated my contract last month with immediate effect
Im presuming this is for non payment of franchise fee but it doesn’t stat that on the letter.
Same issue lost over £3000 in the 6 months i was with them, im a pdi only did 1 attempt at part 3 and failed as bill plant didnt offer me the additional 20 hours till mid August, then was on a family holiday end of August, test was booked for October, pdi badge expired 20th nov, theyvsaid i had to request an extension otherwise im liable for 12 months franchise fee, it dont stat that in t&c unfortunately dvsa rejected my request for extension, i appealed still rejected.
Not heard anything from them yet but im expecting it, but i have pdi t&c
Also im having to sell my home due to the amount of money i jave lost.
My mental health is seriously effected been to gp its logged.
Also my marriage broke down to.
But prepared to fight BP in court, worst company ever.
Any help with this would be appreciated
Anthony, sorry to hear your situation. The key here is what the cancellation clause on your contract says; all other literature or correspondence is irrelevant in what Plant can or can’t do. On all the cancellation clauses I’ve seen, there is no provision for Plant to charge any additional fees or notice period beyond the date HE cancels the franchise. You do not owe any money beyond the cancellation date regardless of what Plant tries to claim.
If he uses the parasites Sinclair Goldberg Prick, write a simple letter back to them denying liability under contract; ignore any further correspondence from them or better still, return them to Plant’s private address (see above for his house address in Ripon). Do not give in to his blackmail and intimidation.
NB Plant has finally published his report and accounts for year end May 2019…what a shocking site they are…this business is failing…..
Anthony, its very sad to hear of your situation. Adiman offer sound advice. So what was your reason and how long for not paying prior to Plant terminate your contract?
Plant’s phoenix company is on the brink of collapse I have been informed. Partially due to the pandemic, but primarily due to his own ineptitude.
He needs funds urgently to stay afloat. In the absence of bank funding, he has turned in desperation to an outfit called “Valet Parking Ltd”, who bizarrely have nothing to do with car parking! Curiously a director of Valet Parking is also the majority shareholder in Bill Plant Holdings Ltd (the previous investment vehicle set up to try to bail out the old Bill Plant Ltd before it collapsed)
I am monitoring develops closely and expect further news soon….
Bill Plant’s instructor training programme is the biggest scam and waste of money, avoid at all costs. If this thread hasn’t already convinced you enough not to give your money to these con artists, please learn from my mistakes.
Bill Plant lure you in with false promises, saying they can get you the number of pupils you need. As a few posts have previously mentioned, these so called ‘pupils’ from Bill Plant are actually just potential leads and usually just turn out to be dead ends. Their franchise is overpriced for what you get and I have struggled to make ends meet for the past few years. I am finally out of my franchise agreement with Bill Plant and am looking into franchises with other well known driving schools. If you’re considering a franchise with Bill Plant, I would STRONGLY advise against it, unless you enjoy struggling for money and working with a con artists.
If your looking for a new franchise let use know I ve not been charged over lockdown 👍
Who are you representing Mark?
PSM driving school if you want to get in touch your welcome to 07732333031
Well words fail me.
Plant has now set up an outfit called “Sunrise Business Solutions Ltd” whose website list their activities as –
“However small your business or maybe just your business idea, we are delighted to be able to offer you and your business our services by providing one to one mentoring and guidance on all aspects of your business operation and marketing. Our specialist team are here and on hand to help you grow your business and profits”
Run by a man who bankrupted his own company through his own incompetence, owing millions of £££.
No thank you.
I heard about this venture on the grapevine and thought it was a wind up! What next, hairdressing courses with Boris Johnson? Marriage guidance advice from Henry VIII?
Bill Plant Driving School Ltd accounts for year ending May 2020 are due by the end of next month; I’ve heard they will be horrific.