Olan Mills Photography goes into administration

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http://www.olanmills.co.uk/

14 December 2006

Olan Mills Holdings Ltd

Olan Mills Ltd (both in administration) (“the Companies”)

Richard Philpott and Myles Halley both of KPMG LLP were appointed in the High Court as Joint Administrators to the Companies on Thursday 14 December 2006.

Following an initial review of the business and its finances, the administrators regret to inform you that the Companies are unfortunately no longer able to continue trading. All stores have now closed and we are unable to fulfil any outstanding orders or appointments.

The administrators are also unable to make any refunds of monies paid. If you are owed money by either of the companies you will need to register your claim by writing to the administrators at 2 Cornwall Street, Birmingham, B3 2DL giving details of the amount you have paid.

At this stage we do not anticipate that any funds will be available to enable a distribution to unsecured creditors.

Customers requiring any further information should call customer services on 08457 585351.

Richard James Philpott and Myles Anthony Halley were appointed joint administrators of Olan Mills Holdings Ltd and Olan Mills Ltd on 14 December 2006.

The affairs, business and property of the companies are being managed by the joint administrators. The joint administrators act as agents of the company and contract without personal liability

Richard James Philpott is authorised to act as an insolvency practitioner by the Insolvency Practicioners Association Myles Anthony Halley is authorised to act as an insolvency practitioner by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales
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Hope no-one has any prints or anything outstanding from them.
 
WOW! That is a pretty big deal. What is it with people going into administration right before Christmas. The heartless b(£%ards!
 
interesting, they had a premises just down the road from me, but moved to a much larger, much more central one about six months ago.
Everyone I know who has used them had nothing but complaints though...
 
I have no feelings about this happening to them.....I used them years ago, afterwards they pestered and pestered me, nothing short of spamming on the telephone...mind you the photos were lovely!
 
Thats a surprise, never used them or anything, but always seems to be a branch somewhere close by.

Guess the digital revolution combined with a DIY attitude is taking its toll, why pay alot when in alot of cases as good a result can be had from an enthusiast and their PC.
 
Just out of curiosity, I wonder what will happen to the copyright and materials, both from the perspective of who will gain control, and also I guess data protection.

All these places must shoot in digital now, where will the master files end up I wonder :thinking:
 
Never actually heard of them ... 'til now ... :shrug:

However ... rum do to be sure ... feel sorry for all those owed something whether photos, gift vouchers, club plan or cash deposits/advance payments etc., ... rum dos ... :eek:

Seems the only safe way to pay for anything ... and have some remote chance of redress ... is Credit Card ... :thinking: ... or CoD ... we should be so lucky ... ;)



:p
 
My brother in law and his wife got a voucher when their baby was born is august, they've just had their second shoot 2 weeks ago, but the bummer thing is they were supposed to pick the prints up next week. Just phoned to tell him, he's gonna try and phone the nottingham branch and see whats happening....:shake:
 
wonder if there is any kit going cheap, or would the creditors strip it all bare??
 
It will probably all go to auction - anyone remember Enron ;)
 
Wasn't run by Neil Porter was it?

You know, that professional photographer from bolton featuring on bbc watchdog who used no punctuation or capitals and didn;t know when to stop riting with pafetic grandma and speeling :lol:
 
I bought my sister a voucher for use at Olan Mills studios last Xmas. She had one set of shots done (which were lovely), and was due to get two more done (as it was a voucher that enabled her to get shots of the kids done over a year). What a bummer, and a waste of money :(
 
Well there local one was still touting for business from us the other day.

Not a fan of them anyway
 
You'd think considering the actual costs of printing that orders should be fulfilled. You'd think. Wonder how many people have bought vouchers as xmas presents this year - many probably don't even know of the administration!
 
minimeeze said:
I bought my sister a voucher for use at Olan Mills studios last Xmas. She had one set of shots done (which were lovely), and was due to get two more done (as it was a voucher that enabled her to get shots of the kids done over a year). What a bummer, and a waste of money :(
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I used to work for Olan Mills and the vouchers would have expired soon anyway... They're supposed to be taken 3 months apart and have a 12 Month expiry date..... I work in a similar role now and it irritates me when people don't listen to terms of offers ie "It will expire" or they don't read and take notice of details on vouchers ie "Expiry date Dec 06" why don't people pay attention to things like this??
 
RichardtheSane said:
You'd think considering the actual costs of printing that orders should be fulfilled. You'd think. Wonder how many people have bought vouchers as xmas presents this year - many probably don't even know of the administration!
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They aren't paying any of there staff so can't keep people on to fulfill orders
 
willo65 said:
I work in a similar role now and it irritates me when people don't listen to terms of offers ie "It will expire" or they don't read and take notice of details on vouchers ie "Expiry date Dec 06" why don't people pay attention to things like this??
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Probably 'cos it's never fully explained to them in the sales pitch! And the punter is too excited to even notice there are that many t & c's.... Not suggesting that's how you are - just a general observation....

I hate pressure sales people .. :bang:
 
willo65 said:
I used to work for Olan Mills and the vouchers would have expired soon anyway... They're supposed to be taken 3 months apart and have a 12 Month expiry date..... I work in a similar role now and it irritates me when people don't listen to terms of offers ie "It will expire" or they don't read and take notice of details on vouchers ie "Expiry date Dec 06" why don't people pay attention to things like this??
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The point is, they never got the last shoot. My sister's fault for being so disorganised, but the voucher is / was still valid until 31/12/06.
 
minimeeze said:
The point is, they never got the last shoot. My sister's fault for being so disorganised, but the voucher is / was still valid until 31/12/06.
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Ok well that is more understandable but your original post made it sound like she had only been for 1 session and still had 2 to use which at 90 days apart would have made the last one out of date...
 
chuckles said:
Probably 'cos it's never fully explained to them in the sales pitch! And the punter is too excited to even notice there are that many t & c's.... Not suggesting that's how you are - just a general observation....

I hate pressure sales people .. :bang:
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Well it was obvious that above poster was aware of validity as she posts "sets of photos taken over a year" which mean 1 year not 1 year and 2mnths etc. The current position I am in I get the client to read the terms and conditions and sign to say they have read them and I don't believe I am or will ever be a pushy sales person
 
Marianne said:
I have no feelings about this happening to them.....I used them years ago, afterwards they pestered and pestered me, nothing short of spamming on the telephone...mind you the photos were lovely!
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Im sorry but how disrespectfull and insensitive can you be? Ok, maybe you had problems with 'Olan Mills' in the past, but I along with a great deal of other staff have all been left job-less and out of pocket and all you can think about is a few phonecalls. I have'nt stopped crying since Thursday, Christmas is'nt happening for me this year because of this. So I hope you enjoy your Christmas dinner while people like me will be eating beans on toast or nothing at all.
 
Weirdly, this thread comes up pretty highly in searches for olan mills going bust // into administration.

Any company going into administration isn't a fun time for anyone involved. I lost almost all my savings a couple of years back when Holly Computers went bust. All the same, if the company were *******s to some people, them going bust isn't gonna change that.

Best wishes WRT getting employed again soon, lolly_xx
 
lolly_xx said:
Im sorry but how disrespectfull and insensitive can you be? Ok, maybe you had problems with 'Olan Mills' in the past, but I along with a great deal of other staff have all been left job-less and out of pocket and all you can think about is a few phonecalls. I have'nt stopped crying since Thursday, Christmas is'nt happening for me this year because of this. So I hope you enjoy your Christmas dinner while people like me will be eating beans on toast or nothing at all.
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to be fair everyone is entitled to their own opinion and its hardly Mariannes fault they were a poorly run company.

They were spammers and i hated them for that. My sister had a photo done there and to get a discount she had to give them some names of others that might be interested. It took about 20 phone calls and me telling them to f-off on the last few before they stopped calling.

If for you Christmas is ruined then i would try and starting blaming your bosses, as they would have known this was coming.

TBH i am really sorry to hear you've lost your job at such a time but dont let it get you down. Get up, get out there and get back into work asap, even if its just a shelf stacking job at tesco for now. things will look better in the new year.
 
brummie said:
to be fair everyone is entitled to their own opinion and its hardly Mariannes fault they were a poorly run company.

They were spammers and i hated them for that. My sister had a photo done there and to get a discount she had to give them some names of others that might be interested. It took about 20 phone calls and me telling them to f-off on the last few before they stopped calling.

If for you Christmas is ruined then i would try and starting blaming your bosses, as they would have known this was coming.

TBH i am really sorry to hear you've lost your job at such a time but dont let it get you down. Get up, get out there and get back into work asap, even if its just a shelf stacking job at tesco for now. things will look better in the new year.
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I worked for Olan Mills and loved the job and will up get and get on, and did not agree with some of the sales methods used.

But there were some very dedicated staff who worked hard to produce great pictures, and I was one of those, funny how you only slag off the bad and completely forget the good points in life!

I suppose you still got a job!! so you might think again before throwing your comments around.

ps sorry to all the customers who have lost out.. Contact the MPA as there is a scheme in place packges I belive..
 
funny how these people making these angry comments only seem to be joining to make one post!

Don't be too quick to judge my comment....I am genuinely sorry for the loss of jobs but hey....I am in a similar situation but I ain't shouting about it....the company, Olan Mills is pants!
 
To be fair Marianne did say the pics were lovely and you yourself say that you disagree with some of the sales methods used, and I think its those which have come in for critisism.
I feel for your loss of employment, Ive been there but if you take the time to look around our little community here, youll find youre not the only person to find themselves out of a job just in time for Christmas.
....Oh! Welcome to the forum!
 
Ooo I'll jump in here with me 2 pence worth :eek:

In the defense of all the forum regulars, the negative comments have been about the company and their methods, not about employees. And yes, it would be nice to see the new members of the forum fill in their profiles and stay a while ;)

BTW, Christmas is a crap time for Anything bad to happen, but then I've just had the best Christmas present of my entire little life, a recon of the plumbing for me heart :D
 
motorphot said:
I worked for Olan Mills and loved the job and will up get and get on, and did not agree with some of the sales methods used.

But there were some very dedicated staff who worked hard to produce great pictures, and I was one of those, funny how you only slag off the bad and completely forget the good points in life!

I suppose you still got a job!! so you might think again before throwing your comments around.

ps sorry to all the customers who have lost out.. Contact the MPA as there is a scheme in place packges I belive..
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The only good point is the phone calls will stop!! Pics wasnt that great at all. With the studio and equipment they had i sure chimps could have been taught to take the pic.

I feel for people who get laid off, especially at this time of year. But everyone has their own point of view and i'm entitled to mine.
 
The bosses would have known this was coming, convenient to wrap up before paying out christmas bonuses etc....

i feel sorry for all those who lose a job before christmas, and i hope you all get new jobs swiftly.
 
:agree:

Facts are the bosses would have known it was coming, so the employees lose out the most, ie no job, no wages, bills to pay and esp. just before xmas.

And also the customers who have been given vouchers, paid for prints not yet received (ie my brother in law).

Lastly whether these people at whatever branch, were decent photographers and behind the scenes people or not everyone is entitled to their own opinion if they have had dealings with the company. ;)
 
I'm guessing that their end of year was the 31st so they closed up before then. Unfortunately it is often the case!
 
This is the first time I've been here, so I apologise in advance if any of my opinions either upset or offend. I worked for Olan Mills for nearly 9 years, as with any job there were good days and bad. I think the cracks stated to show at the beginning of last year when the company broke away from the american running. I know they weren't perfect, but it was safe. And yes i know sometimes new blood new ideas, but i don't think the people who took over had the right way of going about things. It was a case of too much too soon changing everything at a moments notice without really finding out how the studios worked at a ground level. I wish all the staff in all departments well for the furture. I left the company in november last year when I had to look after my wife while she was terminally ill, I'm glad to say the support i had from other staff, not just the branch i worked in, but from all areas.
One thing i will say is that the one thing i don't miss is the customers with what i called selective hearing, the ones that only heard things like free, upgrade, discount and refund. And i would like to point out that sometimes there was a problem with repetetive calling, but for the most part when telsales sold a plan, on occasion it was down to the studio to ring customers to book appointments to keep within the timescales of the package that they had, This was not " spamming "as I've seen it being called, it was the staff trying to do their jobs, sadly this was a problem for some people and it would seem, it still is.
Longwinded I know but that is my feeling on the matter, and i apologise again if i offend but some people only hear what they want and do the same
 
jango75 said:
And i would like to point out that sometimes there was a problem with repetetive calling, but for the most part when telsales sold a plan, on occasion it was down to the studio to ring customers to book appointments to keep within the timescales of the package that they had, This was not " spamming "as I've seen it being called, it was the staff trying to do their jobs,
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Hold that thought. It wasn't the local branch that kept 'spamming' us. We never even had a photo from them except when my sister got our kids to sit in with hers. My sister gave them our number and believe me we were spammed. Even when we said no they phoned back.
 
Thread temporarily cleaned up while we decide what course of action to take.

If any studio or photographer is willing to honour any Olan Mills packages, vouchers, or appointments, then please Contact Us, and we might be able to help you advertise.
Please note though, that this must be a like for like offer. Not just the offer of a 'Free Sitting'.
I believe the minimum Olan Mills package includes a complementary portrait?

The previous two offers haven't been deleted, we've just moved them out of the way for the moment, while we work on a new thread to put all Olan Mills offers of help in.

Thanks :)
 
Thanks for that Andrew.
We'll be starting a thread to put all Olan Mills help offers in shortly (Where we'll move your previous post to aswell). :)
 
Was in Mothercare in Brighton today and they had a permanent Olan mills studio in there, seems the company has been taken on by new management and are honouring old vouchers and say that the majority of photos taken but not posted before they went will be sent out.

Looks like just in Mothercare stores though
 
Warspite said:
Just out of curiosity, I wonder what will happen to the copyright and materials, both from the perspective of who will gain control, and also I guess data protection.

All these places must shoot in digital now, where will the master files end up I wonder :thinking:
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Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I was wondering this same thing. We had a lot of photographs of the kids taken at Olan mills years ago and was wondering whether the copyright now was cancelled?

Could we legally have copies made of the photographs elsewhere? Not that the quality from a scan would be as good as the digital prints though.
 
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