back to article HMRC slaps Getronics with winding-up petition: It'll be sorted out today, blurts tech services firm

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), the UK tax collector, has issued a winding-up order against tech services outfit Getronics over unpaid VAT, an issue the company said will be "resolved today". The petition to wind up the company was filed by "creditor" HMRC on 2 September, and made public on 20 September in government …

  1. Alister

    Getronics, founded 1887 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands,

    Wow, those Dutch were really ahead of the game, they had electronics in 1887!

    1. Excellentsword (Written by Reg staff)

      Founded as Elektrotechnische Fabriek NV to build controls for the shipbuilding industry, smartass. So, yes. It was Getronics by 1988.

    2. katrinab Silver badge
      Meh

      Nokia was founded in 1865 ...

      1. Andy Non Silver badge
        Coat

        Nokia model 0001 phone. Two tin cans and a length of string.

        1. katrinab Silver badge
          Paris Hilton

          Actually, they started in the text messaging business, in the days when text messages were inscribed on sheets of paper. Yes, they were a paper manufacturer.

          Then they moved in to rubber, including as insulation for cables, and they moved from that into other telecoms equipment.

          1. Kernel

            "Actually, they started in the text messaging business, in the days when text messages were inscribed on sheets of paper. Yes, they were a paper manufacturer.

            Then they moved in to rubber, including as insulation for cables, and they moved from that into other telecoms equipment."

            Bog rolls and gumboots - I've seen photos of both with an old but easily recognizable version of the company logo on them.

            The company name comes about from the fact that the the founder built his second paper factory near the village of Nokia - where the local museum has examples of said bog rolls.

            1. simonlb Silver badge

              And I bet that bog roll was much nicer to use than the repurposed sandpaper we had to use at primary school Jeez, that was rough stuff!

              1. Teiwaz

                And I bet that bog roll was much nicer to use than the repurposed sandpaper we had to use at primary school Jeez, that was rough stuff!

                I didn't mind slightly rough as much as the 'grease proof paper' I dreaded encountering in public lavvys up until the mid eighties - maybe it took Andrex to fully encapsulate the idea that more absorbant was better than less - but I fail to grasp the logic that concluded shiny and all but waterproof was a good material for toilet paper.

                Didn't so much as clean it off as spread it around more.

                1. hopkinse
                  Pint

                  UK Civil Service/Forces tracing paper bog roll used to have 'property of HMSO' stamped in green on every sheet. Made me laugh at the time, just before I winced trying to wipe my *rse with the horrible stuff. Beer icon to numb the pain!

              2. Mephistro

                We had a similar product...

                ... in Spain when I was a kid. The brand was "El Elefante" and, from my memory and from pictures and descriptions of the products involved they were much the same thing. We even had a joke about this product being washable and re-usable.*

                But it came with an unexpected upside: Often you could find antique paper coinage (most of them from the extinct Spanish Republic) pressed into the paper.

                Note*: I hope it was just a joke!

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          "Nokia model 0001 phone. Two tin cans and a length of string."

          Those were the days of real battery life!

    3. Sgt_Oddball

      Just a few years older..

      Than Nintendo for example... Not every business stays in one market..

    4. Cuddles

      "Wow, those Dutch were really ahead of the game, they had electronics in 1887!"

      Yes, they did. As did many other countries. Not in the sense of integrated circuits, obviously, but electricity and control systems have been around for quite a while now.

      I do have to admit I had the same immediate "That must be a typo" reaction. But fortunately the wonders of modern electronics means it only takes a few seconds to do a basic bit of research on the matter before making snarky comments about it.

    5. Alister

      Blimey, you lot do overreact nowadays, I'd already looked up when the company was started before I posted, it was a bloody joke, you bunch of twats.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Getronics have been in trouble for years but things took a turn for the worse when the latest crowd took over. Wages haven't been paid on time, suppliers haven't been paid, and no internal investment. It's a wonder we're still afloat.

    Anonymous for obvious reasons.

    1. hopkinse

      The long and winding road...

      I worked for Getronics briefly in the early noughties, having started my job working for Alcatel in the mid 90s, then our unit was sold to Computeraid, a spin-off from Thorn EMI. After losing their shirt on Autonomy they were bought out by PinkRoccade, which was the privatised Dutch Civil Service IT and one of the largest employers in Holland, behind Phillips. Then Getronics bought out PinkRoccade.

      Each move brought further disconnect from the business so I took a sideways step elsewhere...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: The long and winding road...

        I couldn't agree with you more. The rot really set in with the KPN acquisition and the first off-shoring attempts. Since then, it feels like the place has been run into the ground by clueless owners obsessed with growth and not nurturing or caring for the existing customers. With "Operation: Move Everything Off Shore MK2 "in full swing, who knows what the future holds. :(

        1. hopkinse

          Re: The long and winding road...

          For me, the rot had set in during the Computeraid days - I was in an office outside Glasgow and head office/sales was Farnborough. Sales didn't have a clue about using our product ( till software) as a way in to then sell other nicely profitable services off the back of it. They were only interested in stuff you could throw over the wall and forget about

    2. Danny 14

      Yeah i worked as a contractor for them back around 2005. They were moving into the dell server servicing market and were a nightmare to get money paid on time back then.

  3. BebopWeBop

    Extended Screwups

    It must be a fairly extended screwup and quite possibly goes beyond just failure to pay up immediately. While HMRC are easy to have a go at (and I have done it myself) they tend to work slightly more carefully than just whipping up a wind up order at a whim. Don't they?

  4. Captain Scarlet Silver badge
    Unhappy

    Ah yes

    Being outsourced with the Outsourcer having help from Getronics, brings back bad memories.

  5. This post has been deleted by its author

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's an embarrassment to us working hard

    I work for Getronics and I'm surrounded by great colleagues (and friends) that just want to do a good job for our customers and ourselves. From sales to operations, we're are doing our best to continue looking on the bright side of this debacle.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: It's an embarrassment to us working hard

      Brush up your CV mate, everyone else is.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Employees are also not being paid on time

    After the 3rd time being told this won’t happen again. Once again not paid as contracted, instead paid the day later.

    Each time breaking each and every employees contract who was not paid on time.

    You need to consider resigning due to “Constructive Dismissal” and don’t just sit back and accept this!

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