zorba_the_greek

LeadWasp Many thanks for your PM. I will not be taking the matter any further and have written off the money. Lessons have been learnt. Its a real pity that the whole thing came to ahead like it did. Such fall out could have been avoided very easily. Nevertheless wish the Owner all the best at this time regarding his ill health.

Did he actually pick up the phone??!!!

Have taken a screen shot of the website. Reluctant to go down there in person tbh looking for the Owners. Call me chicken.

Absolutely. I will try with small claims.

Just to be clear, my day was NOT booked via Guns on Pegs. I booked direct with the shoot Owner, as i have done twice before over the course of 6 years. I simply approached GOP to ask if they had any info on the matter as i remember seeing the shoot in the past advertised through them also. It seems GOP were advised about 24hrs before i was by one of their clients that had been told that his game day (scheduled for this coming Friday) would not going happen and the shoot was now closed. Regarding money paid for the peg, it was just over £700. Have no idea why the shoot Owners has not bothered to remove the website which is still live. Think its taking the ****. I am trying to get hold of a friend of a friend that shot there regulatory to see if he could shed any light. So far i have not been successful in getting hold of him.

Went last weekend (Sunday) with a friend of mine that has recently become a member of the club. Thought it was excellent! You really cannot argue with the price per clay at 0.24 either. Great typography and decent target. Also the Compact had a challenging layout which i shot. Well run and very little if any waiting around on stands. You can finish a round of 100 very quickly. I guess the fact you can only shoot there if know a member and that membership is only open for i think 1 month a year it keeps numbers down. With Bisley just down the road on occasions it sounded like WW3. There were eruptions of what sounded like automatic fire.

With 2,000 acres and 30,000 birds down that the shoot has always boasted i still struggle to understand how it can suddenly just all stop. There must be parts of the shoot that can be shot. There must be the Game keepers 2nd in command that could take over due to Owners ill health. For sure i will be alot more cautious when it comes to booking any future game days. However with game shooting so traditional and based very much on trust i cant see many options for payment methods or the mentality changing too much. Asking a shoot Owner for his Paypal details if he doesn't even know how to use a mobile phone or has limited knowledge on how to work the internet, might be a struggle. It has always been the case that alot of shoots need capital way up front in order to make the season even happen. Being able to pay on the day in full or getting away with a small deposit is not that common. This shoot in question was VAT registered, not sure if that gives it any credibility or ability to seek any kind of action for better chances of seeking some sort of refund/compensation.

If you read the reviews on Guns On pegs they are very positive about the shoot even upto mid October 2016. Recently (August 2016) you can see that the shoot Owner advised the health problems he is battling. Seem GOP are investigating him.

Thank you all for your comments/feed back. This would have been the 3rd time returning to this particular shoot over the course of about 7 years. This kind of hobby/sport is built on an element of trust as the ground work has to be put in well before any guns turn up and the first shot is fired. Having things like this happen really does not help. I really cannot believe that the writing was not on the wall for some time now and the shoot continued to take bookings/payments. I just don't get people like this! I paid by electronic bank transfer. Checked with my bank and they cannot help. Called BASC and they could not help.

What i received - I expect this to be a generic email "It is with deep regret that i am having to write to you and advise that through circumstances beyond my control I have been forced to close down The Kings Walk shoot with immediate effect. Without prior notice and in the middle of my shooting season, my main drives have been heavily cut down. This has resulted in the birds leaving due to the disruption of tractors and chain saws. As i'm sure you are aware these are wild animals and will not tolerate heavy disruption. They have since disappeared over the boundaries. After successfully running the Kings Walk shoot for 20 years and being involved in shooting for 45 years i am extremely sad and truly sorry for lettering my clients down to such a degree. With no birds on the ground and my ill health still troubling me, i can't keep the shoot going any longer and i am forced to cancel all days this season. I am seeking legal advice and filing for bankruptcy as i write to you as i have run out of money and can't honour the arranged dates. Th shoot is not a limited company and has very limited assets. All deposits and income have been invested into the shoot through birds, feed, game covers and rent. I will not be able to return clients money. For which i am hugely sorry. If you have cancellation insurance then i advise you contact your insurer to make a claim With deep regrets" .

Hi All, I have today received an email from the organiser of the long established Kings Walk shoot in West Dean W.Sussex that the shoot has closed with immediate effect. Apparently it was through circumstances beyond his control. After paying for the peg 1 month ago (in full) i am expect little chance of getting any kind of refund. Also did not have the foresight to take out insurance on the day. I understand Guns on pegs have pulled the shoot from their list however i see the home page for the Kings Walk is still live. Really disappoint that its been handled like this and cant believe the organiser was unaware of the impending closure of the shoot yet still was happy to take peoples money in full. With our first child born only a few months ago this game shoot was the one and only i would be going on for the foreseeable future and a real treat that i was really looking forward to. Have any others that have booked on the 2016/2017 dates received a similar message?

Hello hello hello. Fancy seeing your here mate. Small world. Hows the shooting coming along since i last saw you? you should come down to west london (sporting targets) with your son one weekend to let him have a go on the practice range with some clays. Go shooting with John quite abit.

V.good boy......Not sure how he will fit it down the chimney

http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=20719 I need one of these in my life....preferably the V8 supercharger heehee

Is anyone else going along to the Holland & Holland shooting ground on Wednesday 10th? Its a charity shoot event for RAFT