non payment face painting Big als entertainment company

Hi not sure if this is in the right place this is just to let fellow artists know what a company i have done work for .The company is called the big Al entertainment company since may me and few other people have been working for him down ikea now the contract has ended he is not paying,he will not answer phone calls or emails i have had contact with ikea to let them know what he is doing,But as of yet no joy i don't think this person should get away with treating ppl like this,He is also a member of equity so have also been in contact with them about the Big Al entertainment company.I just thought i would warn ppl as i don't want this happening to any more artists/performers,please let me know if any one else has had dealing with him

Um, hi??

Where are you from, blackwidow?
I am from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Hi there.

Too bad about the company. Can you tell us the location so that the artists that live locally, or that work in the area can keep an eye out?

Welcome to the forum.

Also, we have a link where you can tell us a bit about yourself, and you can read a bit about us. *smiling*
http://www.facepaintforum.com/f3-introductions

Welcome aboard!

Hi Black Widow...I'm from the Toronto area too...I know Big Al though I haven't done 'business' with him. He is in the Toronto area. I'm sad to hear about this...do you have a copy of your contract with him? I hope this is just some glitch and everything works out. Please let us know either way!

This is probably an issue to take to small claims court (not sure how that works in Canada).

Just wondering how long since you've worked for him? Some companies have to wait to get checks from the client to clear, and usually get you paid within a 30 day period if that's the case. Not saying this is his deal, but it could be...

If it's the Big Al Entertainment group in Scotland, I too have not been paid for several stints of work despite being covered by contracts.  Like he has done to you, he doesn't answer phone or return emails - he doesn't even accept recorded delivery mail with final demands.  Unless I am mistaken, the address he used for trading was his residence which I hear has been repossessed. I have heard of a few others who have not been paid so I am making it my business to build a case on him and have him blacklisted by Equity, to take out a claim in the small claims court so that if he still doesn't pay me, it will affect his credit rating and I shall also be going to the press to try and warn others never to work for him.  It is my guess that he serially hires people and doesn't pay them.  When he doesn't pay, they naturally don't work for him again but it's not financially worth the risk to sue him in any way.  It is vital that people are warned about the fact that he has a history of hiring people then simply refusing to pay.  The last I heard, Mr Sutherland was on stage as a DJ at the fireworks display at the Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh in November 2013.  I think he's bankrupt, in hiding but somehow still being hired as a minor celebrity.  I don't think I'll ever get my money back (over £1,000) but I'm going to do my damnedest to get this guy the bad publicity he deserves.

OK heres the dirt on Big Al Entertainments in Scotland

The company was owned by Alan and Rosie Sutherland and was run out of their house in Queen Margarets Close in Edinburgh.

The company was thown out of the Agents Association years ago for illegal contracts.

They stopped paying there suppliers whilst still living the high life and have since declared themselves insolvent to the tune of approx £200K

The house they lived in was repossed and recently sold to help pay some of the debt but its will not be much !!

Alan and Rosie divorced and Rosie has since remarried

They stay insolvent for 1 year and that is now complete !

They (both of them!) have now started a new company call QMC Events (www dot qmcevents dot com) doing exactly the same as before and it is being run the street next to there former home !!

If you are owed money you need to contact his accountants!

DO NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR THIS CONMAN!

He has even been working as the Events Manager for Central FM and booking gigs for QMC Events whilst working for Central !! Thats got to be conflict of interest !!!

Thank you for this. I did one job for him a few years ago and was paid almost all of the money owed (minus parking costs which he had assured me would be waived by the venue). I may have considered working for him again, so this is good to know.

Each person who has had something bad to say about this company has only one post. Any chance this is false info for some reason? Anyone else have anything to add? Maybe from members with more forum history?
Just seems fishy.

Hmmm, yeah I agree with you rthling...fishy!  When I see scathing opinions like that from multiple members with only one post I automatically think it's the same person.  But hey, I *could* be wrong.  

'Meerkat' says outright:  

I'm going to do my damnedest to get this guy the bad publicity he deserves.

 ...I suspect that sums up what's going on here!

Coral3 wrote:Hmmm, yeah I agree with you rthling...fishy!  When I see scathing opinions like that from multiple members with only one post I automatically think it's the same person.  But hey, I *could* be wrong.  

'Meerkat' says outright:  

I'm going to do my damnedest to get this guy the bad publicity he deserves.

 ...I suspect that sums up what's going on here!

Hi Coral3 / Meerkat.

Yes Im afraid you are wrong but I dont blame you for doubting the intention of these messages who are from different people.

So, please let me explain the intent and give you some evidense to back this up.

I am one of the creditors and want to remain anonomous to avoid any issues, (threats were made to us when we were chasing payments).

As far we are concerned the past is the past and we have kept quiet for quite a while, however, we have been informed that they are back in business under a different name and have already ripped people off again. So , are we trying to give this company a bad reputation ? Yes , guilty as charged, but not to get revenge. We are trying to protect the many individuals (like the members of this forum) from being ripped off by con artists .

I am the first person to tell people never to believe what people say on the internet, so I do have a lot of documented evidence to back up all that I say and Im happy to share it with you on request. I did try adding ot to this response but got the message "New members are not allowed to post external links or emails for 7 days. Please contact the forum administrator for more information."


It is good to see that members of this forum are careful about what you believe, and the point of this email is to ENCOURAGE that , business is hard enough for all of us without someone ripping us off .

A Friend

To rthling and coral3,


OK, I (meerkat) did only submit one post but I did notice that the previous post had been submitted 3 years previously so forgive me for thinking this forum had dried up or was not being particularly well followed.  Secondly, I sent a message to the member called blackwidow asking her to get in touch with me and I got no reply.  Therefore, no further action by me.  

However, as I was searching the internet again to try and get any more info on Sutherland’s whereabouts, Google dredges up my old post on Facepaintforum.com and I have a read for sentimental reasons having  forgotten I ever posted it.  More fool me for not following the relatively recent flurry of replies.

I also can’t believe that wanting to get a serial defaulter of debt as much bad publicity as possible is regarded as extreme or suspect.  I regard blaring out a loud message is the only way to stop other artists being conned and to stop this conman from enjoying work.  I’m sure he doesn’t work for nothing.

However, don’t just take my word for it.  Read these posts (and no, they weren’t written by me).

http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/big-al-entertainment-edinburgh

http://www.justanswer.com/uk-law/77t5x-go-paid-music-agency-owed-900.html

My experience was as follows.  Through a mutual acquaintance, Sutherland contacts me and deluges me with work.  I can only do some of it.  I tell a musician friend that I will be doing work on behalf of Big Al Sutherland and he frantically warns me not to have anything to do with this guy and calls him the worst agent in Scotland with a history of not paying.  I assure him that I will be OK as I have contracts in my hand, I know where he lives and I also have the safety net of the musician’s union undrneath me.  Well you guessed it.  I did back breaking gigs, earning him plenty of money in the process and duly submitted my first invoice for my services.  After a month of non contact, someone purporting to be his wife phones me and gives me a phone number of someone  at so called BIG AL ENTERTAINMENTS LIMITED and says it is they who are liable for the money owed to me.  I speak to an who make sing song promises about it being sorted out next week etc. etc.  It now appears that this company is about to be struck off but don’t take my word for it, look here

http://www.companiesintheuk.co.uk/ltd/big-al-entertainments


However, the contracts issued to me were from the Big Al Entertainment Group which is only one word different and has never been listed as an official company.  The three sources of legal advice I have consulted all say that it is Sutherland personally that has to be pursued and not his unlisted 'company' or this othe company with a tantalisingly similar but different named

Thanks to member thetruthisoutthere (not me) for pointing out that Sutherland is still trying to drum up work with his new organisation QMC events.  

http://www.qmcevents.com/

Notice the lack of names or photos of people in the so called organisation, the lack of a postal address or the invitation of comments from satisfied customers as well as  the uncannily similar group of after dinner speakers from before.

Compare that to Sutherland’s previous website

http://www.bigalentertainments.com/

I’ll never get the money owed to me but my motives are to stop anyone else being similarly conned and to stop Sutherland from getting work as an entertainer.  If that is deemed as ‘revenge’ then pardon me for being more than mildly annoyed by my experience.

Sutherland has very cynically used the law to his advantage.  He gives someone work and receives a payment from the client shortly afterwards.  When the person who does the work invoices Sutherland for his or her share of the fee, it is not paid.  Unsurprisingly, the unpaid performer does not work for Sutherland again and Sutherland does not hire him or her again.  Sutherland simply repeats this con with a new performer who has never heard of him and that is why I am trying to make as loud a noise as possible.  Sutherland knows that the amounts he owes will be dwarfed by the legal costs of hiring a lawyer so he has gambled that disgruntled performers that he has subcontracted the work to will not pursue the debt but write it off as uneconomic to recover.  

Anyone who wishes to contact me about this matter can contact me at jsta1234@gmail.com which is the email address I have registered with Facepainforum.com

Like thetruthisoutthere, I am choosing to remain anonymous for the time being.

I'm sorry your feelings were hurt by our scepticism. We have had people sign up to be members for the sole reason of spreading hate in the past.
While we appreciate your advice to stay away from this company, and commiserate with the anger and frustration you must feel at the way your situation has been handled, maybe you should take time to introduce yourself and participate in this forum so people take you seriously, instead of doubting your sincerity and motives.
To that end,
Hi! I'm Diane.
I live in the US. Tennessee, specifically.
I've been face painting for about four years.
Welcome to the forum.

Helloo!
My name is fesspenter!
I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
I have been addicted to face painting for 16 years.
Welcome to the Forum!

thetruthisoutthere wrote:OK heres the dirt on Big Al Entertainments in Scotland

The company was owned by Alan and Rosie Sutherland and was run out of their house in Queen Margarets Close in Edinburgh.

The company was thown out of the Agents Association years ago for illegal contracts.

They stopped paying there suppliers whilst still living the high life and have since declared themselves insolvent to the tune of approx £200K

The house they lived in was repossed and recently sold to help pay some of the debt but its will not be much !!

Alan and Rosie divorced and Rosie has since remarried

They stay insolvent for 1 year and that is now complete !

They (both of them!) have now started a new company call QMC Events (www dot qmcevents dot com) doing exactly the same as before and it is being run the street next to there former home !!

If you are owed money you need to contact his accountants!

DO NOT GO ANYWHERE NEAR THIS CONMAN!

He has even been working as the Events Manager for Central FM and booking gigs for QMC Events whilst working for Central !! Thats got to be conflict of interest !!!

I was very interested to read this post as I was not aware that he had set up business again. I see his ex-wife is constantly in the local press along with her family constantly portraying her self as whiter than white because she raises money for charity, little do they know about her involvement in ripping folk off! The chances of getting any money from him are nil as I've heard he owes family members money also and they have not seen a penny! It's not a very bright choice of name for a business, the initials of the address you went bankrupt from!!!