By Lucy Caulkett-
Aggressive trading practices by a lands health supplements boss has resulted in his ban
Phillip Pass (59), from Chorley, Lancashire, incorporated Young Forever Limited in June 2018 and the company sold vitamins and healthcare supplements.
Complaints about the trading practises of Young Forever, led to the Insolvency Service conducting confidential investigations into the health supplements company.
Investigators found that the company had been cold calling vulnerable or elderly members of the public using call centres based in India. Victims reported that sales staff would call repeatedly and made claims they were linked to the government or the NHS.
Young Forever also applied excessive mark ups of over 1000% and failed to keep suitable accounting records of the business.
Enquiries uncovered that the director, Phillip Pass, incorporated the company, he allowed all sales activities to be controlled by an overseas call centre, claiming he had no knowledge of what they were doing.
Bank statements showed that in just over a year between June 2018 and September 2019, Young Forever made sales worth more than £147,000.
On 7 December 2012, the Secretary of State accepted a disqualification undertaking from Phillip Pass, after he did not dispute that he had caused Young Forever to trade with a lack of commercial probity and use improper sales techniques.
Philip Pass is banned for 9 years from directly or indirectly becoming involved, without the permission of the court, in the promotion, formation or management of a company.
Rob Clarke, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:
”Phillip Pass’s company took advantage of elderly and vulnerable people with their excessive cold calls and illegitimate orders. Phillip Pass claimed he did not have a day to day role but this was not a suitable defence as company directors are ultimately responsible for ensuring their business is operated with commercial honesty and decency.
Nine years is a substantial disqualification and this ban means Phillip Pass has now been removed from being in control of any other business for a lengthy period.