from 1943 to 2005

Born Birmingham 1943 went to normal school then to teck to train as a t/v & radio engineer left to join the RAF training in on air and off air reception and transmition this also included aerial erection. I achieved the rank of SAC, which meant controlling fitting parties all over the world. I left in 1961 on compassionate grounds both my parents had fallen ill so I got out. So back to DRS rentals & then to John James as a service manager controlling handsworth wood it was a demanding job. I left there to join Redifusion as a engineer servicing radios & t/vs this also included installing background music systems for Reditune & IRS services. from there I started my own company called Clinton Aerials with a business partner thing went well until he decided to employ other people so we parted company he started a new company called hear swing ltd I carried on and decide to employ a aerial fitter but it did not work so I opened another company called Delrene electronics this meant I could do installation work as well a aerials I went to Reditune and IRS we hired a shop in Tyseley & converted it for electronic repairs &installation I finally took over the whole of Warwickshire for Reditune & IRS installing background music systems and hospital pa systems with bed head units this included the ATV Birmingham, building disco units to order plus DJ’S for occasions such as weddings and parties, I was approached by a company called kufa plastics who employed us to fit plastic cladding to garages ,schools, shops and such like. Also accompany called Queryco ltd in Exeter to fit music systems from a small juke box from Swiss musical industries so I spread my wings & started travelling to other part of the country. IRS caused the thing to collapse in the end by getting me to quote for Northampton hospital that was going fine till asbotice reared its ugly head and stopped all my crews’ working this meant 16 men with nothing to do so I put my tail between my legs but as luck would have it I was talking to one of the director of Queryco and he said I think there is a service managers job going at head office. So I discussed it with my wife and she said go for it so I did and got it, so we moved to (down st mary) near copelstone in Devon it took me a few months but finally set up a service department controlling the whole of Devon & Cornwall plus parts of the west country. Setting up exhibitions and servicing catering equipment plus installing and commissioning if I did not know it we went to learn it. Unfortunately he went bankrupt in 1979 and closed down the operation. From there I talked to Trevor Nuttall who had been a director and we decide to approach the buttress group to see if they wanted to start a satellite company in the south west called Maidaid South West which they agreed and set up a company with Trevor as a director and my self as the service manager. We ran for ten years until buttress decided to close down all satellite company, from there I joined Blacks who where part of the P H Group, I joined Blacks as there service manager controlling the whole of the west country. I was there until the sales manager got caught with his finger in the till after that I thought my day where numbered and left to set up my own business which I ran for ten years until while fitting a ADF unit in Honiton hospital completing the job I jumped back into my van left the hospital & started to drive back but I must have had a mishap just before I got back on to the main A30 because the next thing I remember was waking up in hospital with my wife looking worried I said to her who are you which made her look even moor worried what I meant so say was where am I
I even had the hospital fooled they thought I had a brain tumour & decide to transfer me to Deriford hospital because there MIR scanner was not due to be installed until about a month later so they did the scan and said this man has had a double stroke
Did a angioplasty on me and said right that wont happen again it took me about eighteen months to recover so it was back to work again until in December 2001 I was moving a gas supply in a industrial kitchen when a Alsatian decide to eat me starting with my arm but I had other thoughts on the subject I got away from the thing and the owner of the hotel came In saying who’s bleeding all over my kitchen I said what the hell is that dog doing in hear she said did he have you and I said well you might have told me he was hear as it the responsibility of the owner to inform any work men that a dangerous dog is on site, if I had been a child I would have been dead, she arranged for the chef to run me to hospital when we got there a nurse had to cut my cygnet ring off and clean up the wound the doctor said if you get any moor trouble come back and we will have another look well the next morning I was back in there and they transferred me to Deriford again when I got there the surgeon said I think we will have to do an exploration operation on your hand so we can see what damage he has caused well they did the operation and discharged me on the 8 December 2001 while waiting for sue she was a long time when she arrived I said where have you been she said mom passed away. So after about six months I still could not feel the end of my index finger so we went back to the hospital asked to see the surgeon who performed the operation and he said you may never get the feeling back. We decided to close the business down and start with something new. Looking round I realised that the only way to make money was by selling on the Internet so as luck would have it I saw a advert which stated thinking of changing perfections ring and a telephone number so I rang it and arranged to meet Stewart Goldsmith who was a man that had made ten million in eight years from nothing and was about to retire and write philosophy after explain to me what he had done to gain his wealth he said he was prepared to sign over the complete right to all his products at the same time he said he had not tried on the internet so I had a word with my wife and we decide to launch another company but this time limiter. So we concluded our business and travelled back to Devon for Christmas. Well I could not wait to start so come the 2nd January 2003 I went to puffin computers in paignton and saw sihead who said Allen Didlick had moved to new premises just over the road and changed his company name to crownhouse computers
So off I went to crownhouse saw Allen and told him what I was going to try and could he build the web site for me he said yes but first thing first have you got a name I said yes and said we thought of D.S.Golden ltd he said right we will see if it is available went straight on to his computer and checked that the name was available it was so I registered it there and then. I gave all the products to him to look through and said can we have a world rotating no the web site he said yes he though so well two months later he came up with the goods but in the meantime he sold me a label printer and a laptop computer which when they arrived he brought round to my home and before
leaving said can you let me have the money for that as he had to pay out of his own pocket at the same time he said can you pop in and see me some time so I arranged to go in the next day when I got there he said your web site need a home and to make sure that no one can get in through the back door you should make sure that what ever site we decide on you get both .com & co,uk so we went through all possible names and decided on dstraining.com and dstraining.co.uk he said right he would set that up for me and bring the invoice round later so I paid on the spot and he came round about
three days later with a copy of the invoice but being a trusting type of person I just excepted it no noticing that the invoice was for dstrainguk.com and not straining.co.uk so I took him to court but the magistrate said you are not going to get a free web site and dismissed it out of court a few months later I thought why are thing not selling and decide to employ another web master the first thing she did was to check if the web site was switch on it was not, at the same time she said what wrong with your laptop and I said I don’t know decide to send it back to the manufactures as I believed it was still under warranty as Allen had said this will carry a three year warranty but fortune computers said he had not paid for that option all it had was a normal guarantee for one year as the option for the three year warranty had not been taken out so he conned me twice and charge me for the privilege no wonder he is now driving a delivery van because as a web master he was not very good and as a business man no good so with my new web master in tow she sorted the site out and put me on the right course decide to invest in a flagship for the company so I went to by a top of the range Mercedes estate so I shot into the show room and saw David Parker the sales man he said we are not Coverdale any more we have been taken over by Toyota so unless you want a Lexus we will not be able to accommodate you if you want a test drive he could arrange on for me so I took the brochure home showed it to my wife and said what I will do is arrange a trip to Exeter to FLP to collect stock that will test it with king ash hill and telegraph hill on the way back so we collected it from Marsh Toyota dropped my Vito off to get a price on it took the Lexus LS 430 had some tuition from David and off we went well it climbed king ash hill as though it wasn’t there accelerating all the way up so we just enjoyed the drive to Exeter collected the stock from FLP and headed back when we got to the bottom of telegraph hill I said to sue well if it goes up this like king ash hill I think we will buy it she just nodded approving what I had just said well it flew up telegraph hill as though it wasn’t there we called in on my web master on the way back she was not at home so I put the paper work through the door then back to Marsh Toyota walked in to the show room and David approached me saying how was it then all I did at this stage was put my thumb up we say down and I said to him right what are you going to give me for the Vito he said £7500+vat I nodded and then he said how was it then I said can we get a new one he said I expect so but you may have to wait ill ring you when I find out well later that day he phoned and said we can but you will have to wait about eight weeks but if you want this on it a ex-demonstration model with only just over 3000 miles on the clock, I can give you a full three warranty as though it is brand new so being some one not to miss a bargain I went round and we discussed how the deal could be struck I paid £1000 deposit on my credit card went home and started to strip the racking out of the Vito I had been using it for my industrial catering business, went to collect the Lexus on the first of august it was due to be re-taxed in the September paid another £21000 plus my Vito and signed a contract to pay the remaining £26000 over the next three years. Drove out of the show room and went home parked the Lexus on the drive and sat down to watch t/v when there was one hell of a noise fro out side it was the alarm system on the car it went off eight time that night the only way I could stop it was by using the remote key to unlock it and relock it again but not a good start the following day which was Saturday I took it back and said to the sales man where is David he said he’s got the day off but can he help I said the alarm went off eight times last night and he said right I will book it in to have it looked at the first time was on the Thursday so I agreed to it but was not amused. We left to go out onto the moors for a walk sue said its got satnav and I said yes she started it up it decided to take us to Ashburton so being a nice town we decide to let it take us there we travelled straight through and went out on to the moors that way we stopped when we got to hay tor had a walk and a ice cream turned round and started back we came back a different way sue started the satnav but once we had got close to Ashburton it decide to direct us there so on the way home. I called back into the show room told the sales man what was happening and he said can you get it down to Plymouth Lexus I said yes tomorrow he said to see Chris when we got there.


The following day we left for Plymouth Lexus asked to see Chris he said ill be with you shortly. When he had finished with the customer he was dealing with he came out to us I explained what was happening and he said well I think I can sort it so we went off to buy some coffee and a snack came back about half an hour later he was scratching his head by this time so I made the comment it fighting back is it he said yes it took him about another hour to sort it he found that some how it had got two home addresses in it and the midway point was Ashburton so he cancelled the first address and inserted our home address and said right you’ll on your way to which I
thanked him and we started home on the way back up the A38 we passed emsley garden centre my wife said can we stop and buy some plants I said yes so we did leaving emsley we got back onto the A38 and sue said ill switch the satnav on I said yes we’ve go t let’s use it but as soon as it turned off the A38 at Avonwick it decide to go back to its old ways telling us to make a u turn when safe to do so I said to sue do you think its like barriers she said I don’t know because his waits and remembers the new way but this was having none of it you could not even turn the thing off from inside the car when I picked it up the wing mirrors used to dip when the reverse gear was selected which had now stopped working the car care system worked when it felt like it so on the Thursday took it in to the service manager who I know from my first highace van about five years before which was the first van that I brought when starting up. They lent me a Toyota to drive round in while waiting for the Lexus it was returned the following day with no faults found. So I decide to phone Lexus care spoke to the head receptionist he said I will deal with it the next thing I know was Lexus Exeter was sending there sales director to see me well this turned out to be a Mr Dan Daily who seem to be in or of my bungalow because over the next few weeks he visited on several occasions I remember his pet praise was you must put all you personal feeling to one side about this car well I don’t know about you but to me how do you put your personal feeling to one side about a car that cost £54500.00 new I finally decide to leave it on the drive and call the RAC in to report on it I remember him arriving and saying I have not seen one of these before to which I replied well you wont forget this one I explained what it was doing and he said did you get a manual with it when you brought it I said yes and got it out of the glove box and left him with it about 30minutes later he came to the front door and said have you got any more keys to which I replied yes ill get them out of the safe for you. I went and got the keys handed them to him and followed him down the drive he said I think its locked me out so I showed him how to open the car with the keys by pushing a small button on the side of the key it realised a skeleton key I inserted it in the door lock and opened it he climbed in inserted the key into the ignition turned it and nothing happened he just said can we realise the bonnet which I did for him lets see if we can find out what is wrong with you? I said I hope so he took his meter and measured to voltage coming of the battery and said there your problem its down to 5.8volts and should be 12volts so I said to him is that natural and he said no I think some on has tried to jump start it and wrecked the ECU unit (electronic control unit) so for them to say they thought nothing was wrong was a load of baloney I got in touch with Lexus Exeter and said the battery is flat to which they replied we el get the service manage to get on out to you well that was in the February and he arrive in the august so from January till august it had not moved when he arrived he said right lets have a look at this then we opened the bonnet he took one look at the battery he had brought with him and said dame wrong battery the terminals where on the wrong side and reversed he said not to worry I can fix it about an hour later he did fit it by undoing all the feeds to the battery and saying right we will have to wait for six minutes so the car knows it got a new battery we waited six minutes in this time I did a power check on the car because it was obvious he wasn’t going to bother. Ill give the car one thing on the second crack of the starter it fired so I took it in the following morning and he meet me in the show room and said is there any where we can take you I said no walked out of the show room and made my way to stockman’s restaurant which was owned by Malcombe Cuncliff who was not there so I had a tea with his daughter who was running it for him told her why I was in Exeter and she said well good luck but I don’t hold much hope because once these people have got your money they loose interest so I left and walked into Exeter looked round the shops and waited for four thirty to come as this was the time he said it would be ready to collect. I walked into the show room and went to the reception desk and asked for the service manager who came through and said nothing wrong I said right we are leaving for London tomorrow to visit my son if it dose the trip ok I will be in to settle up on Tuesday if not ill be back expecting my deposit back. Well we left home midmorning on the Sunday after loading some tomatoes and lettuce and cucumbers in to the cool box, which was in the middle of the back seat. We left and had not got thirty miles when my wife said I don’t think the ac is working well it went from bad to worse during the trip we got there and my son said did you bring the salad stuff to which I replied yes it in the car through him the keys he shot out and opened the car pulled down the cover to the cool box. And surprise surprise it was not cool any more it had cooked it so it must be connected with the air con in the car this twigged when I thought about it after the job I use to do industrial catering equipment not that I understand fridges but I assume they work on the same principle the alarm went off twice that night but it settled down after that the following morning the car care system was not working so I nearly back into a post luckily my son saw what was happening and shouted top me to stop so I did looked down to see that the car care system had not come on so that would have been that one damaged Lexus not cheep to repair so that was my mind made up come Tuesday morning this would be back in to Lexus with me demanding my deposit back well Tuesday came and I was there bright and early demanding to see some one that could sign cheques well finally the principle of the company arrived asked me what was wrong and I said I have had enough I require my deposit back and he announced he had not the authority to sign cheques so I left the following week end we went on holiday to Spain for a fortnight while on holiday a bailiff arrived on my door step saw the neighboured next door who said to him ill just phone the son who will come round with the keys he said he could not wait and dragged the Lexus down the drive while it was in park and the hand break on and loaded it onto the back of his low loader and away he went with out even putting a note through the door so when we arrived back no car and no information as to where it had gone. My solicitor found out where it was it had been taken to Bristol so by the time my engineer got to it the ECU unit had been changed so now I am car less and it was sold for £17000.00
so some one got the bargain of a life time a Lexus LS 430 worth minimum £45000 for £17000.00 with only 6000 miles on the clock and Lexus are now after me to make up the short fall in there accounts plus they lost the Vito which must have sold for £10.000 plus vat I have minimum when in fact they should have been made to pay for supplying a car that was un fit for purpose after all they knew what I wanted it for since then we lost the bungalow which we dropped the price by £52000 for a quick sale we went off to Spain to settle and a very nice estate agent said do you want to settle hear and I said we have not looked at new Zealand yet he said right off you go and if you don’t like it come back and see him