Mr Burke has started rustling up refunds on customers' pre-paid vouchers
UPDATED 13/10/11: A Chislehurst cookery school run by a Michelin star chef has shut down.
Smashing Pans, at 1 Pond Path, was run by Keith Burke and sold £145 vouchers through its website.
The Smashing Pans website has now closed and in a letter to customers Mr Burke said that he was attempting to relocate in Borough Market.
Many customers were initially worried that they would not get their money back. But after contacting Mr Burke directly (see the comments section on this article), Mr Burke has sent out refund cheques.
Hmmm opening a new cookery school doesn’t seem to be a sensible thing to be doing given the obvious difficulties the current one is in.
I had a course paid for in late April. Mr Burke was at the time ignoring his calls and emails and every now and again, would send a single lined email offering a refund, which never materialized. His website, however continued to accept funds for courses. This has been going on since May. He then stated he was relocating and cut off all forms of communication other than email, but yet, still, continued to accept funds for non existent courses. I have reported this to Action Fraud and been issued with a crime reference number.
Hello,
I have only just found out smashing pans has closed – I have £175 voucher. What details do you have to contact? My email to Keith is not going thorugh.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Heather Durne – durneh@cpwplc.com
Hello
I also have a voucher but it is strictly ILLEGAL to take money when you cannot provide the service or goods being offered.
If the company has gone into liquidation then as creditors we make claims, but there is no name of the liquidators to contact.
Does anyone have this information?
Many thanks
Hello, I am in a position to refund you, please send me your address and i will send a cheque.
Thank you
Keith
I would have thought there was more likelihood of customers for a cookery school being in an affluent area, like Chislehurst, than around Borough Market…..
I am in the same position. My husband paid for a one day course as a Christmas gift last year. I had 3 days either cancelled or double booked (apparently) starting in Jan 2011 right through to July 2011, only to find on my last attempt that they had closed down. And the promise of a refund has not happened. I believe they knew they were in money troubles from the very beginning had have been taking people’s money for some time!!!! its a disgrace.
Hi please supply your address for a refund.
Regards
Keith
Hi Denise I cannot find you on my paypal system, can I have an address for a refund please.
Regards
Keith
I’ve been on (some of) his courses, and subsequently fought to get a refund over a period of many, many months – and many broken promises. This was after he’d cancelled numerous lessons at quite literally the last minute (due to a litany of varyingly exuberant excuses, such as ‘suffering from gout’). Sometimes, it would be left to his gardener to inform me that Keith simply wasn’t at home when I turned up for a lesson.
I’ll gladly concede that Keith Burke knows a great deal about food, and could potentially be a wonderful and inspirational teacher… but a business man, he is definitely not. Nor is he a man of his word (in my opinion). He is far too flaky to honour a promise, or even turn up to a lesson. Which is a shame, because underneath I sense there might be a nice bloke, waiting to leap out. In the meantime, that ‘nice bloke’ remains buried.
Despite living in a large house in Chislehurst, and supposedly being a Michelin-Starred chef, he tried every imaginable excuse to worm his way out of refunding a paltry £160… even after he’d come back from a family holiday. Inexcusable behaviour.
In summary: Nice chap; decent sense of humour; clearly passionate about food… but an utter catastrophe in business. Avoid, and do not give him any money.
If Keith reads this, and is horrified by my report, may I respectfully suggest that he’s got off light.
I’ve started a Facebook group called ‘Stop Smashing Pans’ for anyone affected by the apparent ‘closure’ of this ‘cookery school’.
I’m quite stunned by the hypocrisy and hyperbole demonstrated in Mr Burke’s letter.
I was sent a £145 email voucher in April 2010 but, despite trying to contact Mr Burke for more than a year through emails and phone calls, I only managed to speak to him once. On that occasion he was ‘shocked’ by what I had been through, and promised to send me a cheque. That was in mid-June. And, yes, you’ve guessed it, it never appeared despite him having my bank details and home address.
I started posting reviews with my own, factual experience of Smashing Pans and learnt many others seemed to have been affected in a similar way. I also began phoning some of the companies he claimed to have worked for. Two top Michelin-starred London restaurants, which I will not name here, both had no record of him having worked there despite him naming them on his website. They both contacted him to ask that he remove their names, and he did. Curiouser and curiouser. Three glowing Google reviews, raving about the school, appeared within days of each other on the internet at the beginning of December and he responded, despite ignoring mine and, it seems many others’, emails and calls.
He also claimed in the letter he posted on his website that he was contacted by his landlord in April. But I’m afraid I find this difficult to believe considering he wrote on his now defunct Twitter page that the school was moving some time before then (I believe it may have been August 2010). He also seemed to have continued to sell his vouchers up until the end of August 2011, despite obviously having serious concerns in April.
Interesting to hear Mr Burke has paid back £5,000 to customers, but why haven’t any of those 34+ customers been onto websites to tell other people that they have been reimbursed?
Sadly, this is no longer about my lost £145, but principle. As another disgruntled ‘customer’ said, I would have been quite happy had Mr Burke made even the slightest effort to explain his situation, but he never has. You should not be allowed to get away with treating people the way Mr Burke has treated his ‘customers’ and I intend to make sure something happens about it.
N.B. As a final note to the writer of this story, Mr Burke claimed to be a Michelin-starred chef but I believe only the restaurant itself can be given the award, not the chef. And, considering the other (proven) false claims on his website, I’m not sure I’d believe a word he says.
Unfortunately now the website has closed, also the Smashing Pans email address has been removed. Any messages i am sending are now bouncing straight back to me. I do know of one person who has recieved her refund. Keith Burke, or his colleague?? Sarah, sent an email to a handful of their customers, and did not send via a blind copy, hence we have each others details. Only one of the group however has recieved her refund, and she worked for a very well known bank, hence his quick reply/refund to her i assume!
Hi Deb, I work for a national newspaper and I emailed Mr Burke a few times from my work address. However that didn’t seem to bother him, so I imagine the woman you mention just got lucky.
I’d be grateful if you could mention the name of the new Facebook page ‘Stop Smashing Pans’, to others in your group. I’m hoping the group could act as a good ‘one-stop-shop’ for any information or updates people are willing to share.
Hi folks, my daughter’s in the same boat. She bought a voucher as a Xmas present for her mam “and the rest is history”.
keyan, I couldn’t locate you facebook page for ‘Stop Smashing Pans’. Can you provide a link?
Best regards, Pete Ridley
Hello Peter,
I am in a position to refund you, can you supply your address please .
Many Thanks
Keith
are you in a position to refund me too? £700?
Hi Keith, I have a better idea. Please supply us all with your address, then I can make sure that you really are th eperson who owes me and my daughter money.
Best regards, Pete Ridley
KEITH
My brother and husband both have vouchers given to them as gifts that are now worthless and we woud therefore like a refund. You have stated to others that you are in a position to do this and have asked for their address, but where should I send these details to. The email address I had for you does not seem to be valid
Hi my email is keithcooksalot@gmail.com
Mr Ridley,
Here’s a link;
http://www.facebook.com/groups/164044583676449/?id=167088176705423#!/groups/164044583676449/?id=167088176705423¬if_t=group_activity
Many thanks,
Keyan
Hi Keyan, message from that page “This post has been removed or could not be loaded”
Best regards, Pete
I have not long found out about “smashing pans” only when I tried to book our places with the vouchers bought in January as a birthday gift did I read all the comments, i have bought two vouchers which I cannot get any response about so am currently £290 out of pocket, like others my e-mails are returned and the phone is cut off, Im not a facebook member but would appreciate any help or advice on how to get my money back please, who to report it to and what action to take.
Am in the same boat – got a birthday present from my wife to take 3 friends so we are out of pocket GBP 700. I have shiny vouchers to show for it and the culprits are uncontactable. I tried to locate a registered address for the website using “whois” but apparently the website was registered as a non-trading individual. smells bad to me.
Hi chris, sorry have no record of you, also I have never sold £700 worth of vouchers to anyone? Ever, I have no record of chris m on paypal, who bought the vouchers?
The sums dont add up what is the exact figure?
Regards
Keith
Hot off the press: -
Here’s a new E-mail address which is allegedly from Keith offering a refund
Keithcooksalot@gmail.com
Best regards, Pete Ridley
Hello Peter, Keyan and the others have already received refunds please supply address and I will send a chwque prompt. I am not giving out private information on the web sorry.
Best Wishes Keith
i Keith, so you are not prepared to disclose your address but expect me to give you mine! How do you suggest that I respond to your “I am in a position to refund you, can you supply your address please”? How do I know that you are indeed the Keith who took my daughter’s money and ran?
Best regards, Pete Ridley
Why have all these people received refunds when I have been asking for a refund since June, my husband having bought £390 of vouchers last Christmas?! The stress you are causing people by simply failing to honour your promise of a refund is awful – PLEASE POST MY CHEQUE NOW OR I WILL CONTINUE POSTING ON SIMILAR WEBSITES – if you treated people properly in the aftermath of losing your business premises then you might have retained your reputation going forward with a view to setting up again.
Sorry the money has run out, I have no more to give and that’s the truth. You will have to take me to court my reputation has already been ruined. Am sorry but that’s it.
People off this site who have been repaid, Linda Rowan, Heather Durne, Rachel Grunwerg, Keyan, Clayton Hirst the blog owner, Deb Hayes, John Hayes, Peter just email me your address and be done with it.
Regards
Keith
sorry it is £290 not £390 owed
I can’t believe you have spent money that was sent to you for courses. It is so dishonest. If you have run out of money you should sell your possessions until you have repaid our hard earned money!
Hi all,
Please note Keith has posted a message to say he is now in a position to reimburse customers should they want a refund.
His email address is keithcooksalot@gmail.com
Hopefully this can now be put to bed.
Thanks,
Keyan
If you paid by debit or credit card you should be able to claim the money back from your bank, who will then claim it back from his bank.
HSBC have agreed to refund the money for the voucher I bought on my debit card.
I know that many ‘customers’ have now been promised refunds by Keith at Smashing Pans. Keith has said that cheques are in the post. Can people post messages here if/when they receive their money please?
I have refunded all customers on this site apart from Denise Bird, who I cannot find the details for.
I have received a full refund, banked the cheque and it has been honoured so thank you Keith, your a gentleman!!
Regards
Linda Rowan
thank you all for posting your comments .
Regards
Keith
Keith
I have forwarded my details to you but have had no response and no refund.
Hi all,
Received my £145 cheque last night from Keith, will be cashing today and will post once more once it has cleared.
Thanks, Keyan
Hi,
I have also received a cheque from Keith, i have banked it today. Ill also let you all know once it has cleared.
I received an e-mail from Keith asking for my address details so he could post me a cheque and true to his word he posted a cheque for £290 dtraight away. I have received and banked the cheque and will post a follow up once the cheque has cleared.
I too have received a cheque for the £145 owed and eagerly await to see if it bounces or not. I’ll advise the outcome.
Best regards, Pete Ridley
Cheque cleared with no problems
Good news at last. I’ve received the cheque and it has been honoured. Thanks Keith.
Best regards, Pete Ridley
We are very pleased to report that Mr Burke has sent out refund cheques to customers. We wish him luck with setting up a new operation in Borough Market. All the best from ChislehurstNews.
We booked to attend his course in May but he cancelled due to moving his school and I have not been able to re-book since. After reading this article, I tried to contact him to also get a refund. I have attempted to e-mail him on keithcooksalot@gmail.com but he has not responded. Can I confirm this is the correct e-mail to contact him as I am also wanting a refund? Thanks.
Not so fast – not everything is sorted out yet. Jason: I did get one reply from the gmail address you mention.
Today I had a one line email from Keith Burke today saying that he has no money left and will not be able to give me a refund for my voucher or my brothers – no apology , no further explanation .
I am afraid I will not be wishing him luck with his new operation in Borough Market and would certainly discourage anyone from buying “courses” that may never materialise.
I have not received mine for £290 which I have asked for politely since June. I have had enough of being polite now, please send my cheque Keith you have my address. I feel aggrieved by this posting which is simply untrue – Keith’s last text told me to ‘go away love’! He has replied to my husband to say go through the courts so it is not fair this site represents Keith as having repaid everyone. Our money was taken a year ago, it should never have been spent!
Hi Chris, I sent 2 e-mails and have yet received a reply. This was last week.
Keith, Can you please contact me regarding a refund.
Thanks
Keith,
I have also contacted you about a refund on many occasions and I have not heard from you since July. Prior to that date you had offered me a refund and requested my details but I never received any cheque. Having found this website I have now read that you have paid refunds !
I was hoping that you would have contacted me sooner as we had our first e-mail exchange back in June this year.
Please could you possibly respond to me as soon as possible.
Many thanks
Keith Sheppard
Keith
I have tried several time sot contact you on email and phon; my girlfriend bought me a £145 voucher and you cancelled the course at short notice at the start of the summer. Her name is jane Franer. If you do not have our address details, we can of course provide them again.
Regards
Tom
Apologies – I mis-splet my girfriend’s name; it is Jane Fraher.
Regards
Tom
Keith
Following the receipt of your email in early October advising that I could reclaim the money for the voucher from Paypal if within a six month period (sadly it is longer as we have been trying for some time to get a course) I have not heard from you despite sending two follow up emails.
Grateful if you could get in touch again and let me know what happens now – happy to provide an address if you are able (as in other cases) to send out a cheque to me.
I look forward to hearing from you
Caroline Roe
For those of you who are still waiting for a refund, I received an email from Keith (after three attempts and over a couple of weeks). He states he has ‘no more money’ so I have now asked him what he plans to do.
I will let you know if I receive a further response
Caroline
Keith
I have still not had a refund I bought a voucher in February last year for my boyfriends birthday
He has emailed you on numerous occasions with telling him that he will receive a refund however we still have not.
Many thanks
Gemma Gladwin
Hi Keith
I purchased 2 vouchers this time last year for a Christmas Present and still haven’t been refunded despite your many promises of doing so.
You have sent an email to my husband basically saying the comments on this page are unfair and you feel as if it is a witch hunt-I am offended you have said this as we have all purchased these vouchers in good faith and you have responded to us many times now saying you will be posting a cheque! This cheque has never arrived!!!!! This is something WE FEEL IS UNFAIR.
Please can you follow up on your promises and post the cheque as you have seem to have done for some of your other ‘customers’. Hopefully I will receive the cheque before this Christmas and actually buy my husband a present he can use.
Regards
Angela Sheppard
Chislehurst News revises article to read
“Many customers were initially worried that they would not get their money back. But after contacting Mr Burke directly (see the comments section on this article), Mr Burke has sent out refund cheques.”
That’s incorrect. I am still waiting and communication has stopped – Mr Burke has paid off the noisiest complainants – do we all have to start Facebook pages berating him or can he just do the right thing? Frankly, my £580 was taken and apparently spent in advance on nothing to do with the ‘cookery school’. Keith – how hard are you going to make this because I’m not going to give up?
I’m still waiting for my refund too and he hasn’t contacted me again it’s now been 7 weeks. I agree with Chris M he appears to have paid off the noisiest people, I have just emailed him again stating this in the hope that he perhaps realises that we are not the enemy we only want back what is ours. I have joined the Facebook group but only to get help and advice not to make trouble for him. I’ve been nothing but plesant to him and this is where it gets you.
Keith just respond to our emails – when will we get out money?
Diane P
Hi How did you join the Facebook group as I have sent a member request but not heard anything – would you mind asking the organiser if he can agree to my request so I can post too? Many thanks
Sarah
I have had similar problems in trying to get a refund from Keith. The ‘three weeks’ he needed to gain extra funds have long passed and now his email address doesn’t seem to be active as my emails are failing to be delivered. Has anyone else had similar problems over the past week or do we have another form of contact for him? Thanks, Peter.
Peter, I sent Keith an email and it was undelivered I guess he has closed it down. Sarah, there is no longer an admin person on the Facebook account so I think that may be why you are experiencing problems I will try to take over the admin and hopefully you can sign up I think there are only about 3/4 of us on there that have yet to be refunded. Any ideas how we can take this further without any contact details for Keith??
I do have his phone number, but he has ceased to answer calls. I thought someone on the Facebook group might have brought a claim and have an address so it would be great if you could take over the admin of that and make me a member, many thanks
Sarah
I am also awaiting a refund. Keith has made no contact with us either. I would Appreciate any information anyone has to help solve this problem. Thankyou
My wife e-mailed Keith requesting a refund for a voucher but there has been no response. I am hoping that Keith is still monitoring these e-mails and that he is successful in setting up a new venture because I will certainly be one of the first people banging on his door. I am in business myself and cannot believe he thinks that the people will just forget about any monies owed. So I am hoping to see Keith on one of my visits to borough market.
I think that up to a certain point in time Keith could have relocated, but since he has refused point blank to refund the remaining few of us he has jeopardised that. I am sure he still has a roof over his head – he should sell some possessions or get a small loan until he can repay us all – I am annoyed i lost the chance to reclaim through my credit card company as this has all dragged out so long.
By the way some of us are on the Facebook smashing pans group which is a good forum to use to work out our best options – i have suggested bringing a group action to save on costs or we could consider selling the debt on. You can request membership.