Broker Recommendations

J.B. writes: My wife and I have spent three years arguing our case against stockbroker WH Ireland. The broker acted for us for many years but invested in inappropriate shares in companies that mostly went bankrupt. 

We have lost more than £500,000. The Financial Ombudsman Service found in our favour and we were awarded the maximum £150,000 plus interest, but with the recommendation that the broker returns us to the position we would have been in if it had not invested so recklessly. 

More at link http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/experts/article-3207072/TONY-HETHERINGTON-Trust-broker-happy-lose-money.html

Paragon Diamonds *Delisted*

Basically Paragon is finished, along with my £44k, I'm coming to terms with it.

Oxus *Suspended*

Had a really pleasant family Christmas, but then today the grim reality has returned to my thoughts, the fact that I really have lost every penny of my investments in OXS and PRG, all in a 24 hour period!
Bollocks to AIM, I'm finished with it.
But don't worry brokers, there'll be another mug along to replace me any moment.

Waved goodbye to £86k. It was always a remote possibility. This is AIM after all.

Well AIM has royally shafted me in December.
Both my 2nd and 3rd largest holdings (30% of my portfolio) wiped out.
PRG will return 0p, and just today OXS which I have held and accumulated for 5 years was suspended as they 100% lost a long running arbitration.
They will return 0p too.

My largest holding, GVC, is set to move to a main listing in Feb. Following that, I will never, EVER, hold an AIM share again. It's been disastrous.

Atlantic Coal ATC *Delisted*

RNS
Today 16:48
Resolution 1:

To cancel the admission of the Company's ordinary shares to trading on AIM

2,020,804,645

77.11% (YES TO DELIST)

599,918,804

22.89% (NO TO DELIST)

Well done. It was very close then. Just shows how many were opposed. We know the majority of Yes was the board, Spring and Brewin, so shows them how the private investors felt. I bet they were bricking it, because they knew it wasn't in the bag.

No doubt we will get their smug tweet saying how delighted they were with the support of investors. All 6 of them and the rest voted No.

I actually think they should consider the number of voters as well the number of votes. How unfair is it that maybe 200 - 300 investors vote No and possibly as little as 20 vote Yes but because of the size of their holdings 20 wins.
Personally i wish them as much unluck as possible and hope they lose their shirts. No bitterness here. I will retract that statement only if they provide a useable trading platform and give us a clear timeline for a possible re-list.

Finished. I own 10k of what now. Long six years to have nothing. Goodbye all.

I won't be getting rid of anything as its in my share dealing account. Just have to wait and see what happens. It's just demoralising for holders. Just as we were getting good rns's this happens. We put up a fight though well done all. How can you trade this share now or salvage money out. If this doesn't go to another stock exchange. Lost it all. Well I only have one glimmer of hope now. And that's if edenville energy get there mining license. Again a company I been in 6 years. 2 gone BHR ATC. I'd say not looking good my three biggest investments. 2 gone 1 to go. Least I can afford a beer. So not all bad.

Yet another failed share I got out half my holdings prior but still loose 500 pounds and not the first time. Isn't TW often commenting th perils of AIM investing he's often wrong in some reports but not with that wisdom. It will not be that's company that PIs will invest in we do chase the dreams but often pay a high price.

Move on to the next one

Oxus *Suspended*

STOCKS and SHARES play tricks with your mind.
Would an ORDINARY chap or chappette go to a casino and bung £500 to £10,000 on RED or BLACK? Answer no, only a "high roller" would normally blow that sort of money on a single bet.

But when it comes to shares our brains sort of turn to mush and we take all sorts of risks we would not do at a casino, or football pools or horses.

I whacked £1,000 on this. I'm hoping I might get some back, eventually... But I'd never have done it if I was down a casino, I'd just put £10 at most.

No blame to OXS, the entire blame is how our minds view stocks and shares compared to other gambles. When it comes to shares we immediately think in terms of hundreds and thousands - this is all WRONG!!!! The blame should be with the BROKERS and MARKET MAKERS who charge so much that is IMPOSSIBLE to bet £10 and make a profit. The evil villans are the MARKET MAKERS and BROKERS. They take way more from you than the Mafia owners of casinos do.
This being said, like most of you, I do have a wide and diverse portfolio of shares and investments, so in the scheme of things its "win some and lose some". The problem now is my winners have to win so much more just for me to break even!!! So it is annoying. Especially since the entire market is pretty rubbish at present. Good luck and commiserations to every one.

Oxus *Suspended*

Sorry not on the internet much.

First, the good or bad news: I am finished (as a result of the announcement on 23/12/15. Second, I don’t blame anybody but myself (Mr Shead warned about ‘risk’ at one AGM). Third, I am busy bringing on a product for sale that I hope will get exports. Fourth, I have learnt from my mistakes with Oxus.

I haven’t had time to read the thread since before the announcement, and haven’t read any RNSs since, if there have been any. I assume there is nothing I can add that hasn’t already been said by other, more knowledgeable posters. The financial loss to me is a disaster, but it hasn’t all been bad: I’ve improved my risk analysis skills, skills which are now redundant, but that is life. I’ve learnt to write better and I’ve improved my ability to understand accounts better.

The technical points I’ve learnt are:

that contingent liabs are too remote a possibility to be called a debt, but that can change, so the contract of adhesion could result in Oxus owing a debt to the Uzbeks, I assume;

that the reason to conceal the Calunius reward-sharing scheme was not what I thought but to hide a risk: if we had lost the case completely we would be more solvent, I assume, i.e. owe Calunius nothing;

that failed financings disconnect the right to claim for lost profits;
that bad news takes several RNSs, so I don’t expect anything good to come out now: resigned to losing my entire stake here.

With the benefit of hindsight, I sincerely apologise for my over enthusiasm on this stock.

Is there anything I am puzzled about? Yes, I can’t understand how a financing can fail, if the host country provides favourable investment conditions (as it has to, according to Article 2 of the Treaty) and if gold prices are reasonable and if costs of extraction are in the bottom quartile. The tricky part I missed is that deciding whether a mine is financeable going forward is different from looking back and deciding the same thing.

If anyone posts any responses to this, I will try to read them in a few weeks’ time. All the best.

---

Risk Strategy - Nobull and Papillon

Nobull, thank goodness you're ok and I thought you'd bounce back. Loved your posts over the years. Background stuff was great reading and second to none - you were one of the most genuine and thoughtful posters.

I'm at a loss, though, to reconcile your afterthoughts with what came before.
You were one of the investors who were adamant you were staying 'til the end come what may - death or glory, 100% faith, Into the Valley of Death rode the 600, all or nothing etc..

Why on earth did that mentality prevail? - and , more importantly, why have you now re-assessed your risk strategy?
Surely if this (on the flip of a coin - Tercier) had gone the other way, you'd have won , so would you have re-assessed your risk strategy then?

The point is that Win or Lose, that risk strategy was totally flawed. I thought it was madness to be honest. This 'all in' stuff wasn't a strategy, it was an emboldened mindset.

The main thing this message board totally lacked was Critical Thinking and Objective analysis. You're science trained Nobull, and you made the perennial scientist mistake ie pre-determining a conclusion and working towards that. Ignoring evidence in its way..and there was much.

The main mistake was to Conflate three things : 1)Uzbek's general corruption, 2)How much gold we had in the ground, and 3) our chances of victory.
All 3 seemed to be wrongly interlinked by many on here.


Papillon's Horse race analogy.

Yes, we had a race horse, which appeared to be in fair to good health, although a bit tattered from previous races over the years.

What did the Uzbeks have in their stable? We did NOT KNOW at all.

BUT we did know that it had the World's best trainers (Lamm and Case), it had never lost a race (The Uzbeks in Arbitration) and that it had been preened and brought to the race in the best condition it could be (by lawyer funds, Lamm's Uzbek Knowledge)
It was then rode in the race by a world's top Jockey - Stern

And by simply looking at statistics, we saw that in this type of race (overall international arbitration) we had a less than 20% chance of getting anything substantial - ie ODDS ON.

So, Papillon, if you continue to use this blinkered outlook , you'll continue to lose money.
I want everyone to make money and be healthy and happy. I know my previous words were tough love. But that's where they came from. I don't want anyone to lose giant amounts of cash. It goes through me like a dagger.

Good luck and nice to hear from you again Nobull - and good luck in your new venture


(ps For those who think I'm using hindsight here - take a look at my posts on December 15 where I speculated, using past accounts, Yearly Statements that the outcome may be similar to how it turned out. I wasn't sure (that's why I left some money in), but I was certainly getting worried.
One things for sure, I was definitely not thinking along the lines of most posters.
This Message Board opened my eyes - and I've learned a lot - but in a different way.

ATC *Suspended*

Ultimately any minority shareholder is at risk. That is democracy.
I like you are disappointed but how many stocks have gone to the wall. 5 years ago there were 4500 Aim stocks now there are less than 1500. That says it all.

RGM

Thank you for your post. I agree with you. We have both been here a few years now and have seen ups and downs.

Like you, I am also down six figures at the moment, but I now genuinely feel the worst is over in my opinion which is why I have now increased my holding to around 3%. We will see.

All the very best to the genuine stockholders. As for the rest, if you. have lost I genuinely feel sorry for you but I don't feel it is good for you to keep posting on here.

---

No wonder rtayya is bitter he said on the TIDE website last Friday "as I have a lot of money to make up for family having lost £100k in regency mines."

ps I have lost a similar amount, having invested with AB, since 2011. But although unlikely to get my original stake back, I firmly believe that having reduced staff from 25 to 17 , and now 3 . Hence substantially reducing need for working capital, 2016 should be a much better place here and with RRR. Especially the latter as ca. £420k raised from selling some shares in SRT. And still >A$400k 's worth to sell, as and when.

AAL

yes still holding.
I tried to take someone's advice by not looking at AAL on a regular basis.
Then yesterday I said I wonder how is it doing today....wow it was then down 13%, but believe it or not I just shrugged my shoulders.
To walk away with just approx 1/3rd of the £110,000 I put in is huge hit.

Globo *In administration*

I have steadily built a holding over the last 3 years and have lost all £10k which is a lot of money to me. I was duped like everyone else and if I ever see C****s, I will chin him! Not a very mature statement but if he tried to rob me of that amount face to face I would hurt him! Absolutely gutted and it will take years for me to save that amount. I have lost money before but never like this; as a result of lying, cheating,self interested crooks. Sue me if you want C****s but you really don't want to meet me! No offence meant to anyone on this board, hope all those who have lost here recover. All the best

Globo*In Administration"

I remember ....some time ago....I visited their then Head Office
It transpired to be a semi detached house in Tonbridge
I sold out right then

Globo *In Administration"

Help. Over ten grand of hard earned money gone thought ****ty company's penny has to drop some time

Globo *Suspended*

Today 09:19    SteptoesHorse    what a week

Unbelievable week.gutted.trying to move on
.Remember when I joined this bb about 2 years ago and how friendly it was.just ye normal banter.feel for ye pharmer and global and ash and tricky and spikey et al who wereIin it for the long haul.little did we know that the ships captain and the crew were either crooks or incompetent. Maybe one day they will live with themselves the damage they have caused to peoples lives.7k for me but I suspect an awful lot more for some people.take care from Sunderland

Globo *Suspended*

 Mon 13:47   
Re: Not looking good
sasa43

Hi Ripley - yes, I am in here - looks like I'll drop £15k odd on it; not disastrous for me but painful, nevertheless...

Genuinely more concerned, though, that others might have followed my 'heads up', en passant, here and who might have overdone their commitment / be less able to handle the nasty experience. Hope not but sincere apols if they did.

Didn't see this fraud coming at all, I'm afraid - sasa.

GLEN

parkside13
Posts: 1,559
Off Topic
Opinion: No Opinion
Price: 82.69
View Thread (7)RE: LONGTue 14:36


Well I'm "down" £145k as we speak so I can offer you a "well done" on your little punt and here is hoping that things improve for all the enduring longs.

RRR

Topicel   2 Feb'15

Blimey, 20k lost here and AB is still milking it!

I'll give him credit for balls, just a shame I can't kick him in them...he ruins lives while spouting his crap...

Topicel

Swiss Franc De-Peg

Billionaire Michael Platt’s BlueCrest Capital Management lost money in one of its funds and at least two employees departed as the fallout from last week’s sudden jump in the Swiss franc spread across the hedge-fund industry.

Platt lost 5.5 percent in his macroeconomic fund through Jan. 16, two people with knowledge of the matter said. Comac Capital, Fortress Investment Group LLC (FIG) and Everest Capital also reported declines.

Among managers avoiding losses are Leda Braga, a former BlueCrest executive who started her own computer-driven trading firm this month, and who gained 7 percent in January through last week. Billionaire Alan Howard posted gains in his main fund at Brevan Howard Asset Management.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-21/platt-s-bluecrest-fund-said-to-drop-5-5-as-two-traders-leave.html

Swiss Franc De-Peg

Large Everest Capital hedge fund closing after Swiss franc losses: Bloomberg

(Reuters) - Hedge fund manager Marko Dimitrijevic is closing his largest hedge fund, Everest Capital's Global Fund, having lost almost all its money after the Swiss National Bank (SNB) scrapped its three-year-old cap on the franc against the euro, Bloomberg news reported on Saturday.

Citing a person familiar with the firm, Bloomberg said the fund had been betting that the Swiss franc would decline. The fund had about $830 million in assets at the end of 2014, according to a client report cited by Bloomberg.

It said an Everest spokesman would not comment on the fund and Dimitrijevic did not return calls.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/17/us-swiss-snb-everest-idUSKBN0KQ0N920150117

Directional Bull Bet Gone Wrong, Near 100% Loss in 9 months

A hedge fund manager told clients he is "truly sorry" for losing virtually all their money.

Owen Li, the founder of Canarsie Capital in New York, said Tuesday he had lost all but $200,000 of the firm's capital—down from the roughly $100 million it ran as of late March.

"I take responsibility for this terrible outcome," Li wrote in a letter to investors, which was obtained by CNBC.com.

"My only hope is that you understand that I acted in an attempt—however misguided—to generate higher returns for the fund and its investors. But even so, I acted overzealously, causing you devastating losses for which there is no excuse," he added.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/102356275#.

JKX

Declan2   3 Dec'14

Had £65K invested in this pos @ £1.35, took my loss at about 80p, never thought it would go this low, but now I'd say it'll go bust

POG

forwood   19 Dec'14

was out his pm - just as well. I sold yesterday as I thought there might be shenanigans today. Had buy orders in at 6.6 - thankfully triggered lower but this is a dreadful loss of value. 70% gone since the beginning of the month. Completely unjustified, but there you are, that's the sodding market for you. Will be skiing next week, so wish you all as happy a Christmas as you can have.


crl123  23 Dec'14 LSE
This is a hard question.
The amount that you hold will be diluted by 15 times overnight if you do not buy any rights issue shares.
the price will probably be 5p around that time (immediately after rights issue). It could even fall.
Nil paid cash wil be very small and hardly dent your dilution.
You would have to inject new money (but £225,000 or part of is huge) to make any difference.
It is an incredibly bitter pill to be forced to swallow.
I have lost £90,000 by selling as I knew i could not afford the 15-1. It is agony.
Others have lost their own fortunes.
Leaving your money and doing nothing just leaves it worth peanuts.
It is hardly worth selling anything right now at 6p.
It is worth trying to understand your options now.

Relying on nil-rights shares will give you just a scratch in the paintwork.

If you decide to reject the offer , it is voicing your dismay at theft.

---

you have spent £6o,ooo on a share asking you for £225,000 just to stay where you are.
Can you afford this?
It is outright abuse.
they can offer a better deal.
one can never know if one says yes that's ok.
Admin would noy be their preferred choice.

RRR

ciao4niao   11 Dec'14
I have just posted this on the RGM board.
Hi guys

In the past I arranged meetings between a small group of investors in AB's companies and AB.

A few who heard of the meetings were aggrieved that those attending were treated favourably and getting 'nods and winks'.

Not so. They were business like and views exchanged candidly.

The following is a copy of an e-mail I sent to B**l after a meeting on the 26th April 2013 and it covers most of the matters discussed. Judge for yourselves whether it was a chummy backslapping event or not and remember this was written EIGHTEEN MONTHS AGO.

"Good morning Andrew
The following outlines just a few of the concerns that your hopelessly optimistic written and verbal announcements have had on investors who pay your generous salaries.

Investing has and always will be a risk. But it is a lot more risky if existing and potential investors are fed misleading information by the CEO, which they take on trust to be reasonably accurate and possible to achieve. To underscore that, only one example, amongst several, is necessary. Colombia, which you have never been comfortable discussing in all the meetings I have had with you.

What you said during your Miningm***n interview about investors over extending themselves, just does not cut it. Neither will referring to the Disclaimer Statement at the beginning of Powerpoint presentations.

Many RRR investors have sold at very large losses and invested in RGM, not because of you, or the assets the company owns, but primarily because of the DNi process and the likely success of the flotation, when it happens.

The strategy of both companies seems to have been ‘scattergun’ and the modus operandi, ‘knee jerk’, supported by more than doubling the shares in issue and the market caps. of both falling by around 95%. I, and many others, don’t buy the simplistic argument that RRR and RGM are just mirroring the sector. That is purely a deflection away from the failings of the Boards of both companies. Sirius Resources and Amur Minerals are good examples of the contrary.

“We deliver” and “we are delivering value” to shareholders is patently not true. If that were an advertisement, the ASA would be asking serious questions.

You keep repeating the mantra, “we’re in a buyers market”. We certainly are, as the sale of the Oracle shares proves. Both companies are extremely vulnerable to a take out at very low prices. If they are, and you were to be appointed to the acquiring company’s board(s), many investors will have some seriously disturbing and suspicious thoughts.

You have been managing the companies as though they are major mining conglomerates with huge cash reserves, whereas, the reality is that both are struggling AIM tiddlers with very weak balance sheets.

Using the words “war chest” to obtain further “bargains” in a buyer’s market is delusional given the state of both the balance sheets and neither company is generating any income. We can barely afford to pay the administrative expenses, never mind any minor exploration costs, of both companies. But of course, you can always do an ‘Oliver’ and pick the pockets of your shareholders with further dilutions at ever decreasing prices. What the hell, they’re only gullible PIs and financial cannon fodder for flamboyant CEOs.

Were John Harvey-J***s to look at the balances sheets of both companies, the variety and locations of the projects and their drain on all resources, he would recommend that you get rid of the majority and concentrate on those that are most likely to deliver the greatest value to shareholders in the shortest period of time. In short, “stick to your knitting”. Both companies need to make some very tough business decisions and get rid of the rest – soon, please!

Why can’t you do a Sirius Resources for your shareholders? They decided on their plan of action and implemented it to the letter whilst keeping their investors fully informed with RNSs every two or so weeks. With RRR and RGM, often getting information is like extracting teeth, without an anaesthetic.

And this brings me to another point. You have a habit of making comments designed to deflect and devalue a point which is being put to you. For example, commenting that Sirius were “lucky” and that JH-J’s company doctor program was pulled, is beside the point. You know precisely the points being made, but you sought to be deliberately diversionary.

At the RGM AGM, you said that February was going to be “interesting”. Well it certainly was, but not to the benefit of your shareholding colleagues!

I note that you are more legalistic in responses in which you cover yourself if things you describe do not turn out as expected. On one hand that is good, but on the other, it is seen as the means of passing the buck.

Consider the following:-

Colombia – both buying and selling

Greenland – part disposal

Kansai/Arial Partners – acquiring a majority stake

RMR – part disposal, very slow process. Why deal with such a small shell with limited resources?

The common denominator is obvious. However, you are seemingly never at fault; there is always somebody else, or other circumstance to blame!

Approximately two years ago at a presentation at the Chesterfield Hotel, in response to a question about Kansai, you said, “ask me again in a few days”. Andrew, what precisely was it that you thought might happen in “a few days” that prompted you to say that? Or was it another of your mischievous comments to keep your shareholders in high anticipation mode and 'paint-balling' the boards with "good news in a few days" type posts?

You are obviously aware your credibility with your shareholders is destroyed. Not by them, but yourself. After more than a year since it was announced, most now doubt that there was ever a serious buyer for Colombia.

The excuses that Ashmont are busy doing other deals, just isn’t credible any more. Many believe it was just a ruse to withhold the very poor production figures, which reflects the scale of the problems there. As I said during our last meeting, it is time to tell Ashmont (excuse me) “to shit, or get off the pot”, especially, as you say, there is another bidder for the business.

So, again I ask, when are you going to release the production figures as you hinted you were considering doing, during our last meeting?

In your e-mail reply to “omarinvestor” dated the 16th November 2012, in response to my recommendation that Manoli be voted off the Board, your explanations of the background to the Colombian situation, is an indictment that RRR’s due diligence wasn't nearly thorough enough and the non-executive directors were not doing their jobs of questioning the whole rationality and feasibility of the investment on all levels.

Ashmont, according to the RNSs, were given three months to do due diligence. The real reason why you stopped releasing the production figures is because you realized that the RRR Board had been 'sold a pup' in Colombia. The RNSs from June '10 to March '12 prove this and are riddled with inconsistencies and contradictions to those preceding and following, and to what you told me personally at various presentations.

Being Chairman and CEO of both interlinked companies affords you too much power, allowing you to proceed on flamboyant and expansive projects to the detriment of your shareholders. The non-executive directors do not seem to be able to provide the necessary restraining influence on you to protect shareholders, which is their most important function. It is time for you to relinquish one of your executive roles in both companies. Please tell me you seriously going to consider doing this?

Another thing, which intrigues me, is that fact that you draw most of your income from RRR and yet you have far more investment in RGM. It seems that RRR is being treated as the sacrificial lamb.

This will concern you. It’s not just the shareholders that are deeply concerned about the management of both companies, but also your staff.

Several weeks ago, by pure chance, I literally bumped into one of your staff in London. We chatted. I flippantly asked, “How goes the battle at Eastbourne Mews’? A rather limp and resigned smile. I asked if they were overworked? “No, but a little concerned about the direction of the company. They did not say which, but they thought you have been “a bit naïve, over optimistic and cavalier” and they agreed with some comments on the boards.

Shocked at a staff member expressing such opinions, I told them my ii avatar. They knew it was I who wanted Manoli voted off the BoD … and said they agreed with me!

At that point they obviously realised that they had said too much and changed the subject.

There are serious implications there for you to think about. Is there only one staff member who thinks this way? Probably not! And, even if it is only one, it should concern you that they do have those opinions of your management style. The question is, should I have interpreted their opinion as a secret 'sell' signal'?

In conclusion, please answer the following questions. What can and will you do:

1. to restore shareholders’ faith in your stewardship of both companies?

2. to relinquish one of your two executive roles in RRR and RGM

3. to demonstrate you have a very clear strategy for the future to prevent the collapse of both companies?

4. to have board colleagues with appropriate skill sets to deliver investors’ expectations?

5. to recognise the need to severely prune the number of operations and to sell the rest?

6. to deliver value back to shareholders who have had their investments decimated by the lack of progress on several fronts?

7. and when will you release all the El Limon and Machuca production figures in a clearly understandable format so that they can be easily compared to previous figures.

I look forward to your comments on the general points and replies to the above questions within a week. I am sure that Manoli and Mike can provide some of the answers to the Colombian questions.

Regards

gresty142   11 Dec'14
I rescued my remaining £80 the other day, after investing thousands @ 5p & 7p
Ah well suppose that's just tough t!tty.

jeffguru   12 Dec'14
Just going through some old paperwork from a few years back, I had £200,000 RRR shares then. Now about £1500. I would quite like to get AB in a boxing ring and pummel the **** to a pulp. After that I could turn the gloves on myself. Sheesh.

wigan49   14 Dec'14
This Bitch is finished. This Bitch has cost me £40K. This f*cking Bitch.......
AB should change his name to A Bitch.....

HIBU (WAS YELL) *SUSPENDED*

corrado8
  25 Jul'13 - 07:18 - 8240 of 8369   0 0

WELL WE ALL KNEW THE RISK IS A DISAPOINTMENT AS THE COMPANY WILL CONTINUE TO TRADE AND MAKE PROFIT.NOT GOOD AT ALL AND CAN WE FIGHT BACK AS A GROUP?I DOUBT ABOUT IT THIS EERCISE HAS COST ME MORE THAN 40K OF LOSSES.I FEEL SORRY FOR THE INVESTORS THAT RELAY ON THEIR SHARE FOR LATER IN THEIR LIFE TO CASH THEM IN AS FOR ME I AM A GAMBLER AND I LOST IN THIS TRADE.

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55SL
  25 Jul'13 - 07:41 - 8255 of 8369   0 0

I'm down £26k on this lemon it's a tough lesson but you've got to take it.

There where plenty of opportunities to get out so if you are still holding you only have yourself to blame.

To be fair 12,000 boys and girls have still got jobs (for now) so that's got to be a positive.


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jainvic
  25 Jul'13 - 08:02 - 8258 of 8369   0 0

Well this is my first post on here. Been doing shares for a very long time but never seem to get it right. Aim shares are just like a casino where genuine investors have very little chance of making money. From what i can see there is far too much in the way of underhandedness from so called people in the know and indeed from people that run companies such as Hibu and the market. What a complete joke Hibu has turned out to be.

I know it was high risk and yes I should have know better than to invest in such a poorly run company. All the mis-information and lies given by Pocock et al should have made me not want to touch this pile of rubbish with a barge pole. There was mention of microsoft having an interest and such. All of the so called plus points seem be have been lies by these bunch of crooks.

The one reason why i stuck with this is the one comment by the management that suggested shareholders interest will be considered or words to that effect. Hindsight obviously comes to mind.

Of course the people at the top will be fine...it's always the way. I just hope there is a bit of karma whereby these people that have screwed us over get their comeuppance.

It would seem aim shares are for the very lucky or very brave. I think most people lose in the end with aim and that includes me. I'm left with a loss of about £4k this time round and i'm sure other investors have lost more.

I never did join the HSG group as i was not sure it would have any real effect. Unfortunately this seems to be the case.

I hope to live another day. Maybe will have more chance swimming in shark infested waters than investing in aim.......


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spennysimmo
  25 Jul'13 - 15:03 - 8329 of 8369   0 0

What a complete idiot, who will probably not learn from his naive mistakes. Let's break it down and translate:

Dear Mr Pocock

I have been a shareholder in Yell / Hibu since March 2009. I always believed in the potential of the company and still believe it will thrive.

Hence, over the 4 years I have accumulated over 13million shares, this represents my life savings! I have not sold any shares even when reached the peak of 88p in 2009, as I could see the potential.

[So you didn't take any profits off the table whatsoever when you clearly would have been in profit as you thought it would just keep going up. First mistake, greed.]

I know these are just shares and shouldn't invest more than one can loose, but I truly trusted you and that you would turn this company around.

[Why did you trust him. Because you had a vested interest when he took over and you were wearing rose tinted glasses, that is why. It was easier to "trust" him and hope for the best than to cut your losses.]


Your announcement today of complete wipe out for shareholders was completely devastating news for me and my family! I don't know how I will face my wife and children now to tell them their future money has been all lost!

[Why was it devastating news for you? If you had been bothered to read all the announcements from a company where all your life savings were invested you may have realised that you were being warned repeatedly that the shares will have little or no value"]

I was expecting the restructure to reduce current shareholders share, for which I was happy as I would still be part of Hibu going forward. I was not expecting you to negotiate a deal that would result in complete wipe-out of current shareholders (While I note the directors keep their jobs!). [You were warned that no value could be the case] I am sure there could have been some win- win compromise situation. Even if just 5% of the company was left or just 1-2p payout for current shareholders, that would have been at least something! That would not have been a big deal for the Co-Com to compromise on, but it seems the people that have, just get greedier. I don't know how the Board or Co-Com can sleep at night knowing you have ruined peoples lives and future! [Don't blame others. You bought them, you presumably read the warnings and you chose not to sell.]

Thank you.

HIBU

   

seize the day is sad
  3 Feb'13 - 09:28 - 5798 of 6574

Statm
Too late, thanks for the obvious tip, anybody knows that, only an idiot can ignory. I did. Im pennyless. Modt of my hibu gamble is on a cred card and th rest was all my savings . Im left with 11k debt. Fck

risk1
  3 Feb'13 - 11:02 - 5799 of 6574

Dont panic captain hope it finishes better than Minus 11k




seize the day is sad
  3 Feb'13 - 23:28 - 5800 of 6574

risk1
i hope so but i have lost faith (faith=98% of my money)

KNIGEL
  3 Feb'13 - 23:34 - 5801 of 6574

News due real soon... hope existing shareholders get something out of this restructuring...

squire007
  4 Feb'13 - 09:26 - 5802 of 6574

Too damn quiet for anything to happen just yet !!!! we will see an uplift when the deal gets close ............. GLA

reallyrich
  4 Feb'13 - 09:34 - 5803 of 6574

or a downdrift

seize the day is sad
  4 Feb'13 - 12:28 - 5804 of 6574

or a shaft

risk1
  4 Feb'13 - 12:41 - 5805 of 6574

3 Feb'13 - 23:34 - 5801 of 5804 0 0

News due real soon... hope existing shareholders get something out of this restructuring...

I bet a lot of these shares are held by hedge funds ready for the restructure

win win for them

win on deal for debt ie) get back more than they paid for it in the first place

win on the bounce in the sp as they bought the shares back at 0.2- 0.4 after shorting from much higher prices

Just wait and see but i think little or no value means more than 0.33p

I would guess at 1p plus which is still less than 5% of the company

Headline = massive dilution wipeout for the ordinary shareholder

But a shareholder paying 0.33p

Maybe a good punt??

We shall see

all imo no advice intended


saj190
  4 Feb'13 - 13:55 - 5806 of 6574

Still no news, I am guessing that whatever is going to happen will be on 12th of Feb 2013 when we get the third quarter results.

KULVINDER
  5 Feb'13 - 13:00 - 5807 of 6574

STD, you not alone with your losses, there are are big losses for members on the 3i bb also just like you and me, I have removed the poster names;


12:24 Re: Passing the time 2

lets hope we are left with some "little value"...


11:04 Re: Passing the time

just over 4 million ..2.3p average....nice work
------------
Not really; bear in mind I initially got in over 18 months ago and was sat on a 35k loss. Shorting it come results day saw me break even last year
Left it alone at 7p and came back sub 1p; having promised myself I would not touch this nutty share again


Broke my promise. Bought 6mill at 0.72p then the following day "no value" etc etc!
SO a further 6mill at 0.29 and 0.3. Giving a grand total of just over 12mill at 0.464

I am down (again) ,showing a current loss of just over 19k.
I pity the fool....


10:54 Re: Passing the time 2

just over 4 million ..2.3p average....nice work !!


10:39 Re: Passing the time 2

Well I hold 2,516,867 with a break even of 4p gawd help me


10:39 Re: Passing the time 2

12.4mill
b/e 0.46p


10:30 HoldPassing the time 2

At least the last posting generated something to pass the time away. My observation is that the holding PIs have a considerable share holding and are generally miffed with the treatment from the Hibu BOD, (especially Johnny!!) and in particular the Investor Relations "hotline".

So what pressure can we bring to bear, what about a quick trawl of the shares held? Taking out the 3 biggest share holders, FIL, Standard and Invesco there are around 2041.2M shares in the market.

I hold 1.4M, my B/E is now 8.5p, averaged down a bit, thanks Ace,etc...; I know I am daft!

Whats the number of shares on this BB??


10:14 Re: Patience

Don't worry won't belong before news

The Group can confirm that the options being considered are likely to result in little or no value being attributed to the Group's ordinary shares.


10:13 Re: Patience

Boy o boy patience. Yes well all the longtermers here will know about patience. No one has a clue as to what is going to happen here. Maybe the BOD or the CoCom do, but we don't. I am heartened by the fact that there are still ii holding here. I have the equivalent of second hand SMART brabus left in here, something that I am quite prepared to leave and gamble with. I may even get my Ferrari California back. who knows. wait wait wait.
I have been tempted to put the cost of a new exhaust system in here for the SMART and maybe some new tyres. But my head is telling me no.


10:04 Patience

This share has truly taught me the meaning of patience. How long has it been and we haven't even had an update to at least say "we haven't forgotten about you"


09:52 Re: No warning reg Q3 results

If revenues are stabalised and future growth is expected then I think creditors might tell the company keep the business as usual and forget about restructuring. As we all know board is initiating this restrcuturing of debt not the lenders.
There hasn't been any profit warning or optimistic trading statement which really suggesst that revenues must have been stablised and the expectation is for growth because of hopefull futuristic expectation of economy in general.


09:23 Re: Re| Passing the time

I am also left with 4m shares. Unfortunately even after averaging down my B/E is just over 6p. I am sure there are others in a worst position but we will just have to wait and see - not long now hopefully.



08:48 Re: Re| Passing the time
I'm grateful I haven't lost that kind of money, and all I can do is wish you all the best and hope you are greatly rewarded for your sweat and dedication.

I'm comfortable to be averaging at under a penny, so my losses can't even be compared to yours.

I'm going to average down further to .4p or .5p if it stays this low.


08:32 Re: Re| Passing the time

Your brave man. 300K loss and still buying. Fortune favours the brave.
I stopped buying last year when my losses hit 150k. All is left is 4 million shares. Disaster!


08:17 BuyRe: Passing the time

"I doubt that is all in though, only I could be so foolish"

Or smart, depending on what the result is


Mon 20:18 Re: Re| Passing the time

glad you are still here and have not thrown the towel in. I still opine that shareholders will emerge unscathed and your current loss will abate in record time. I too am sitting on a 300k loss and am still buying. So sorry to hear of your marriage breakdown and hope it was not as a result of this investment, I sincerely hope you can find a fulfilling relationship. When this comes good, and it will, then any resulting affects may go some way to the personal pain and suffering you have had to endure.




Mon 13:01 Re: Passing the time

I wrote to the Investor Relations line months ago to ask who was representing the shareholder interests in the bank restructuring negotiations, but I received no response. I assume that there is no one representing us, in particular since the management team waived their share options last year in place of cash incentives dependent upon future performance. Since we as shareholders were not a party to this agreement nor were we consulted on it, I am wondering with whom this agreement was made. The compensation committee perhaps (if there is one).

I run a private equity fund and when such negotiations with the banks take place, we actively represent the shareholders' interests in a tri-party negotiation. In the case of a Publically quoted company without activist shareholders, management generally look after themselves and the employees first and have no incentive to fight for the shareholders unless they themselves hold a meaningful stake. This is not the case at HiBu. Accordingly, I would not hold my breath expecting any shareholder value going forward. Since I am down more than GBP 630k, I am not bothering to sell now - just in case a miracle happens. We can consider legal action later once we know the outcome of the structuring talks.




seize the day is sad
  5 Feb'13 - 16:24 - 5808 of 6574

fck, my god waht figures!

i hear the word patience. nothing to do with it. I am extremely impatient by nature but not selling 22k£ worth of investment that now has a value of 1000 quid is just being sensible not patient, I find it th emost obvious thing to do and I don't feel any urge to sell at all. To consolidate a loss of 21K?? How silly. Losing all will make now hardly any difference.

I still hope, but I would not dream of averaging down, even is my b/e is 5.5p.



freddie ferret
  5 Feb'13 - 17:21 - 5809 of 6574

I feel sorry for people that bought TOO high.

VK74
  5 Feb'13 - 20:52 - 5810 of 6574

by the looks of it, it does not matter if you bought high or low, I have put 9k in this and I will lose it all, same thing I lost another 9k on stupid HMV

*HMV* Shares suspended, bust

rossstar3 

  15 Jan'13 - 15:23 - 18046 of 18050 

whats happened ? have i lost my 30 grand?