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Operators say money they're owed doesn't grow on Trees
Page 8
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Jeff Lewis is out of prison and back in business as freight forwarder Tree Freight. But angry operators say he owes them money. Guy Sheppard reports.
AFORM ER CONMAN who was jailed forcheating operators out of hundreds of thousands of pounds is facing a series of fresh allega Lions over unpaid work alter he set up another freight forwarding business.
One company says Jeff Lewis of Tree Freight owes £55,000 for work it carried out.
Lewis is also said to be quoting haulage rates to clients that are substantially below what he promises operators for actually doing the work.
Paul Broughton, the transport manager of Topmix in Spain, says he is waiting to be paid for two jobs carried out for Tree Freight last month where the difference between the haulage rate and the rate quoted to clients was £200.
And Les Carrington, acting transport manager of Dabau, another Spanish-based operator. says the firm is taking legal action to recoup £55.000 for work that was carried out earlier this year. "I think any hopes of recovering it are very slim," he adds.
Lewis, who was jailed for 42 months in 2001 for fraud, has already been threatened with legal action over a £9,000 debt to a Lancashire operator (CM27 May).
Now operating as a sole trader, Lewis denies doing anything underhand. "There are one or two times where we do pay more than what we actually get." he says, "but that is quite uncommon and is only done to keep customers happy."
Lewis adds that several queries relating to Dabau's invoices remain unresolved.