I understand medsea group are a large plc company.how can a company deny your husband did not work there.surely he must have a written contract with the company and some old payslips for his basic salary, i cannot see how a company of such size could deny your husband ever worked there,plc companys have to operate in a open and transparent way i also understand they are a iso approved company,surely your husband has some redress here, as it sounds like a lot of money to be owed ?

I am also owed commission by Italian Connection, along with many others, including past and present employees and independent agents in the U.K and Ireland. Between us we are owed literally hundreds of thousands of Euros.

At the moment the current sales team and some agents are being 'drip fed' comissions in a bid to keep the peace.
Those of us who have left the company have been put on the bottom of the pile and many individual and family lives have been ruined as a result.

They have also refused to provide me with any information with regard to the progress of my own sales in order for me to make a financial forecast. Stating that 'they do not have to waste their time doing this'.

There is now a large number of people ready to take legal action for the recovery of the money and we are now seeking a Law firm to persue claims in Italy and in Spain where Medsea Estates has its Head Office.

I also worked for Italian Connection and have not received any commissions. I have spoken to Tony Gatehouse and Peter McGowen and also been into their Head Office in Torrevieja but they just fob me off. I've waited for over 12 months for the money and have never had problems like this with any other company I have worked for.
Medsea Estates are a bunch of crooks and I would like all ex employees to stand together in this.
WE can be strong together!

I have read the above statements of the ex-employees of Italian connection and I'm not at all suprised to hear any of it.
My husband and I bought a house from them and was told it would be ready on a certain date. We paid for our flights and accommodation and went over to Calabria To sign the deeds and collect the keys, only to discover that the house was no-where near ready. We were so disappointed but Italian Connection could not care less. We have not even received an apology or given a new completion date. Our rep, who has since left the company, told me about the problems out there and has also received no commissions from IC or Medsea!
For anyone thinking of buying from Medsea or Italian Connection my words of advice are DONT DO IT!!!!!!

I am yet another ex employee of Medsea and Italian Connection and am experiencing the same problems as all the other members. Tony Gatehouse and Peter McGowan are still fobing everyone off and rubbing their big, fat hands together with all the money they are swindling out of us.
How can we all get together as was mentioned in an earlier comment? We MUST make a stand!
Also what happened to Medsea's rule of no family working together? Neil Hardcastle who is Manager of Italian Connection has his wife and two sons working at the same company or working for IC Laywers! I doubt if they are short of money! I wonder if thats where all our commissions are going!?
I have emails admitting they owe me money, so I will not let them get away with it.

Medsea may be having a few difficulties at the moment like the rest of Europe's property market. But I don't think Medsea are are worse than the rest who I know are laying off staff because of the general down-turn in the property market, exchange rate, credit-crunch, etc. All the major Agents in Spain for instance have decreased staff, builders are going to the wall or slowing down production, investors cautious, agents applying less than honest tactics... the property market has always been like that (even in the UK). It's not new, especially in a depressed market.

I do have sympathy and concern if you have not been paid for your work / commission but slagging off a company publicly like this is really going to help ??? (not)... you will NOT shame Medsea or any other agent into paying you, if cash-flow is poor but you are in danger of increasing a false or negative impression of the company with out them having a right to explain of the company who have been VERY successful elsewhere. This is likely (no, WILL) put people off buying from them... which means less income and less chance of you getting paid or fulfilling your dream property.

I have bought from Medsa twice and know many others you are satisfied with their Medsea Experience in Spain, I have to admit that Italy is not known to me, the market conditions/politics may be difficult there but knowing the company I would have thought they went into Italy with the same work ethic as they have around the rest of Europe.

I truly believe the so called credit-crunch has affected all aspects of finance and property markets and Medsea are caught up in it like the rest are, through little fault of their own.

The picture is BIGGER than just you and Medsea, it's a global problem at the moment. Of course when you are trapped in the middle that doesn't help. But as a finance professional there are a LOT OF CASUALT|IES right now in all walks of life. Life's a bitch sometimes !!!

As has been said by "One in the know" He/she is correct, the Property Market is very bad at the moment, but one thing you should all understand is that the problems that Medsea are having could easily be cured by the Directors, all they have to do is declare themselves insolvent... Then no one gets anything, especially as the tax man the Banks etc.. get first pick of whats left... This is not happening though, Medsea is down sizing to keep their costs lower than their income so that they can pay off all their debts. You can call them many things, "Stupid", "Brainless idiots with no business sense" or whatever you like (Note: i've kept it polite... :-) ) but one thing I have found with Tony Gatehouse is that he has ethics, not many left like that nowadays. Give them a chance and I think you'll find that everyone will get their money.

I have read all your comments with great interest, it would appear on the surface that you all have a genuine complaint with regard to Medsea, what I find surprising is that no one has actually taken any action... Why is that? Perhaps some of your comments are a little less than honest, I am aware that commissions are not being paid on time, but they are being paid. This I know for a fact. As for being owed €34,000.00 in commission, well I challenge that, personally I think if you are owed any commission, then it is far less, or perhaps you feel you will get more sympathy if you exaggerate. If you’re genuine, why not be open about who you are? why do feel it is necessary to hide behind an anonymous name?????
I have some strong connections with Medsea, (and NO, my name is not JuanCarlos or Tony) and I can tell you all on here that they are not perfect, not by a long shot, they have made some stupid mistakes and are paying for it in a big way. But, and this is where they differ from other Companies, they are trying to settle all their debts, they are not running away or as one person on here has said, they are not “rubbing their big fat hands together” I would say it is more like wringing their hands together in despair because of the situation that they have found themselves in and this is for a number of reasons, most of which have been the fault of other Companies.
Finally, I would point out that I know people that work there, but I do not and have never worked for Medsea, so my comments are totally unbiased, I just believe that there should be some balance in all arguments and that anonymous comments just create unnecessary pain and grief.

James Newbury

James respectfully your comments and a couple of other recent posts sound totally biased to me, although you do point out that you have strong connections with Medsea including it seems the payroll department.
i think these people just want there money not exscuses. presumably they worked hard it, and for which i believe by the sound of it they are fully entitled.
Failing that i would advise them all together to pursue it all jointly.

Well, it's sometimes difficult to get a balanced view because this is an Internet forum and it is easy for people to get carried away. However, let us assume that there is some truth in these allegations for one moment.

Medsea is not doing people a 'favour' by paying commissions - this money has [probably] been rightfully earned. Furthermore, Medsea is not a backstreet agency (yes, plenty of those have gone under) - this is a public limired company listed on the Alternative Investments Market in London. If it were true [as yet, there is no evidence of that...] that payments are being systematically witheld from creditors, then this could in and of itself infer more serious underlying financial matters. By law, such information must be in the public domain under the AIM Principles of Disclosure.

I am more concerned about the allegation that Medsea lawyers have claimed an [allegedly] ex-employee was in fact never an employee at all. This could, of course, simply be a case of not being counted as a direct employee (i.e. they were deemed to be working for a 'partner' as opposed to a connected organisation), or some mis-filing of information - it does happen.

That 'employee' will have ample documentary evidence (contracts, offer letters, payslips, business cards, phone records, emails, company literature, photos showing off the new company car, etc - all the things that typically come with employment) - forget showing them to Medsea, just take them to a half-decent lawyer (one who specialises in employment rather than conveyancing) or better still the tax authorities. Organisations don't generally pay tax and SS for people that aren't actually employees... that in itself could make an interesting investigation!

And if things are as bad as people claim, then just visit the AGM and protest there. That's what I'd do if they owed me 34.000€

i am yet another ex employee of Italian connection which is part of the medsea group and have waited patiently,for my promised commisions. which have not been forthcoming either.
Some of those outstanding commisions relating to sales from more than a year ago.
I have lost touch with many ex employees but would like to get in touch through friends reunited to try and seek some redress on these issues if possible thankfully i have kept my paperwork. proof of employment.and sales lists.and would advise everyone to do the same.

I have read what has been said on here; I too am an ex –employee of the Medsea Group and have been made redundant recently. I have been in contact with friends who are still there and what I have found is disturbing to say the least; It appears that Neill Hardcastle and his wife have resigned from the Company, more staff have been made redundant in Italy and Calpe, the office in Almeria has been closed and there is a strong rumour of more redundancies in the Head office in Torrevieja.
I appreciate that I do not have the evidence to back this up, but my friends have always been reliable in the past, so if you have any ex-colleagues still employed at any of their offices I suggest you check up on this. Who knows!! The next step could be complete closure and one thing is for sure, I expect that JuanCarlos and Tony will not starve, so the only losers will be the employees and the clients who have money with Italian connection. Fortunately, Medsea do not owe me any commission, but that is more luck than judgement. I can confirm what others have said here though, Medsea are not paying commission to staff and Agents because they have already spent it shoring up their little empire and what is also an open secret is that they are heavily in debt to the Italian Developers because they have used client money to shore up the business as well.
If they owe you money, better go for them now, or it will be too late!!!!!!

I think it is disgusting that rumours are being spread like the last comment without the correct facts.

The Almeria office is NOT closed - all companies are down sizing which is sensible in the current climate.

If you are not owed any commission from Italy - you must be a terrible salesman. I know to my cost there is nothing worse than ex-employees spreading vicious and incorrect lies.

As you are in the "know" so much - you should be aware that the Calpe Office was shut about two months ago because Medsea moved the office to Benidorm!!!!!

Clued up aren't you!!! Impressive!!!

I am very clued up chummy.... The Almeria office is closed, a few staff have been kept on to cover aftersales and the occasional client that is interested in making a purchase. What Almeria is doing is working out of apartments owned by Medsea. Also I know about the Benidorm office, but as many others do not I thought it would be easier to call it the Calpe office. Still if you think I know so little, give it a few days and see what happens. If nothing then fine, I clearly know nothing, but I think you will see that I know what I am talking about. Hope for your sake your job is safe!!!! As it is quite obvious you still work there.

The Almeria office is as of today still open, for how long I don't know. How do I know it is open? I was there today. Until 30-4-08 I worked as a sales consultant with Medsea at that office when I was 1 of the 5 people who lost their jobs.

This leaves 4 people currently working.

I will try to give a balanced view and would say having read the previous postings I would say the negative points would have a ring of truth about them. I know several ex sales consultants who having left Medsea have outstanding commissions due to them both in Spain and Italy. Whilst working for Medsea my greatest frustration was getting paid my commission. Having said this it would also appear that this was not solely the fault of Medsea. Delays were mostly due to the developer having not paid Medsea.

What I disliked most was the lack of communication from head office in letting me know that I would recieve nothing. I would hopefully wait for each pay day and the result was generally the same, dissapointing.

I believe the statements made about mistakes having been made in Italy are true. What I find unacceptable is the head in the sand attitude and lack of information that comes from head office.

I would like to believe as well that Tony Gatehouse and co do have ethics but their attitude to date is not showing them in a favourable light. Hopefully the supporters of Medsea who read this might persuade them to take a different stance to that they have taken so far. I would be cheeky enough to advise Tony with all his money behind him whilst I have very little that principles cost. He could make ammends by contacting the people who believe that medsea owe money to and apologise, whilst also informing them what he intends to do to sort out the problem. its not good enough to keep ignoring people and hoping they will go away. The pressure is building up. I would remind him that the impact is not just a monetary one, these situations often cause problems to peoples marriages and their health. I would also advise him that people create sucess and not companies. What Tony achieved in the last 20 years was quite remarkable but the strength of a person is when things go wrong not when everything is going well. I fear Tony has the wrong people around him and has had to let to many good people leave the company who were loyal, hard working and honest in supporting an ethical way to do business. Sermon over!!!

I would also like to hear comments from others who have worked in the industry as this problem is not unique to Medsea, many other companies have been worse in the way they have treated people. The real eatate business in Spain has a chance to clean up its act and regain peoples confidence to purchase a place in Spain. I would also comment that I do think it is a good idea for all those with grievences to support each other but would only support action that enables an opportunity for Medsea to resolve the problem, not one that strangles them to death. That is of course should there be a change in their attitude. failing that I guess they will desereve what ever comes there way.

I would also say in balance that to date Medsea have done everything they have said they would or be it with a bit of pushing and a few minor delays. For my own sake I hope this trend continues and that outstanding money due to me will be paid as and when promised. I will keep the forum up to date with this. Lets hope sense prevails and Medsea gets back to where it once was and we all get paid. Lets not forget the clients who should also be lloked after in a better way. With out them we might all have to go back to England.

Having read all the comments everyone has written, and having worked for Medsea in Spain and Italy that most of the comments are justified. I myself, are owed many thousands of Euros which will be outstanding 2 years come September 08.

I have phoned many times, spoken to Peter McGowran and Carlos in accounts, they just pass the buck between them. As someone wrote earlier, to put their head in the sand and hope the problem goes away. Well guess what Medsea, by the amount of growing comments added here the problems just starting for you. So take heed and pay up, it's about time you faced up to your responsabilities and paid the staff what they have rightfully earned. Due to your irresponsability, my mortgage is in such arrears the bank will take my home. Do you think we can live on fresh air, if you read this Mr Tony Gatehouse, I hope you take heed of whats been said here and face your responsability along with the rest of managment and see that everyone is paid their long over due money quickly.

Why does the management shirk there responsability, is it so hard to let your staff know whats going on. You preach to your staff about being professional, yet you choose ignorence and think that people will eventually give up and go away. I think not, and as you can see we are united here in getting whats rightfully ours one way or another.

I also have been a casualty of the Medsea regime, long drawn out hours, viewing properties, dealing with clients, who I once was, because I bought through Medsea, 7 years ago in 2001, they was once a very good and very conscientious estate agents. with a very very good after sales service, but unfortunatly, they have become ruthless, all the comments that have been made about them, are I am sorry to say, VERY VERY TRUE. I also am owed thousand of Euro's, which I have been trying to get for the passed 10 months, and with I think No chance at all getting what I have worked very hard for and deserve. for the person who was defending Medsea, when you get finished and are owed thousands of Euro's, which is what you have worked long and hard for, let me hear you defend them then my friend. Long let the ball keep rolling to try and get what is rightly owed to all the ex employee's. Let Tony Gatehouse sell some of his Racehorses, which are kept in Ireland, to pay all the outstanding wages. Do the honerable thing Tony, because that was our training advice from you, be HUMBLE & HONEST.

If any faith is to be restored in this company it seems to me that it is high time the Managing Director gets his act together and keeps the promises made to currently still employed staff and the increasing number of ex-staff who have money owing to them.

As a company that has - and is still doing - a great deal of business with Medsea plc since 2003, I would say that the Spanish side of the business has been exemplary. Yes, there are developers that Medsea have had problems getting money from, but their accounts department have been open and honest about their dealings with us and payments have been made when they have been received. Things in Calabria have not been so simple with Bella Calabria SI and Giambrone & Law implicated in the controversy. I hope these matters can be resolved quickly before it damages the Italian market. Tony Gatehouse has a good deal of integrity in this business and a person the media turns to from time to time for an informed comment on the overseas property market. I hope that will always be so.