Fit Up

by Faith Clifford

  In the quieter moments, Jeremy found working from home difficult. He missed the camaraderie and social aspects of working within a large company. While editing one afternoon he received a phone call from a man named Lloyd Gerard who had a proposition for Jeremy. Gerard was from a company called Video Action, a supplier of video and filming equipment and from whom Jeremy had purchased much of the requirements for our business. He explained that his assistant, who had been with him for ten years, had resigned to take up a position with another company and he was now looking for a replacement. From their meetings and conversations in the past few months, Gerard felt there had been a fairly good rapport between them both and thought that they had some interests in common. He asked if Jeremy would consider working at Video Action part time.

  Not wanting to commit to anything straight away, he agreed to meet at the Video Action premises where Gerard revealed that he wanted to work shorter hours to spend more time with his family. The offer was that he would work from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Jeremy would work in the shop from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. answering the telephone, diverting sales calls, taking messages, speaking to customers and then to secure the premises when he left for the day. This seemed to be a beneficial arrangement for both parties as Jeremy would have someone to talk to most days, have time for editing in the evening and be free to continue his weekend filming, with the added bonus of a retainer. This opportunity, we thought, was too good to refuse.

  For the first year or so, Jeremy and Gerard got on reasonably well together and it was during the quieter moments in the shop that they would play games of Scrabble. This was instigated by Gerard, and it became apparent that he was an exceptionally talented player who got his kicks from beating Jeremy at every game. No one really likes to lose, especially so heavily, but as many times as Jeremy was being beaten he was also learning from the better player, until in the end his persistence paid off and he was able to triumph over Gerard a few times. There was a degree of competitiveness between the two men and so Jeremy suggested a game of snooker one evening, not telling Gerard that he was a talented pool player and was able to transfer his skill to the green baize. After many frustrating frames for Gerard it was his turn to be on the receiving end of continually losing but whereas Jeremy had got better at Scrabble, much to Gerard’s annoyance, the same could not be said of Gerard’s ability to improve at snooker. For Jeremy these games were all a bit of harmless fun but it had become apparent that Gerard hated to lose.

  Around May 2001 Gerard announced that he was thinking about creating a website for Video Action and wanted to set up a desktop computer at the premises so that a website designer could work at the shop. Not being sure how his new venture would pan out, he was reluctant to buy a brand new computer and asked Jeremy if he knew of anyone who might have a second-hand one to sell. By coincidence, at the time we had been discussing the advantages of purchasing a laptop. We thought it would be a better tool for our business as it was portable between home, Video Action and meetings with customers. With this in mind, Jeremy offered our desktop computer, which was only about fourteen months old and which Gerard readily purchased from us for £450 on 24 June 2001.

  Despite the fact that Jeremy had been working alongside Gerard for some time, I had never met him. We had spoken on various occasions and although he was always pleasant enough on the phone, his charm seemed insincere and I never felt entirely comfortable making conversation with him.

  However, an opportunity soon arose when I was finally able to meet the legendary Lloyd Gerard. One morning Jeremy was running late and left hurriedly for work but soon realised he had forgotten his laptop. It meant he would not be able to get on with his administration or accounts work that day, and, as I worked flexible hours, I decided, as a surprise, to take the laptop to him at the shop, which would also give me a chance to see where he worked.

  Entering through the double doors of the shop, I walked to the front counter, at which point both Jeremy and Gerard looked up at me. Jeremy smiled broadly as I held up his laptop. Rushing towards me, looking a bit flustered, he ushered me towards Gerard who was sitting at his desk at the back of the shop. His hair was short and black, his face so tanned that it emphasised his sapphire blue eyes. As I offered my hand to shake his while holding his captivating gaze, I fleetingly thought that it would be polite if he stood up. However, I realised with astonishment that he actually was standing up and, at 5 ft 4 in. in my shoes, I was literally towering over him. I grasped his tiny hand in mine as I gave him a big smile while trying not to register my shock at his diminutive size. All I had heard from Jeremy was ‘he’s shorter than me’, which now I considered to be a vast understatement.

  ‘What brings you here today?’ Gerard asked in his soft, if slightly feminine voice that suited his tiny frame. I replied that I had brought along Jeremy’s laptop as I knew he would be desperate for it and although Gerard continued to smile, his eyes hardened. With a hint of a sneer, he said to Jeremy, ‘What a wonderful wife you’ve got.’

  I felt a little disconcerted as there was definitely a tinge of envy in his voice. Jeremy had heard Gerard frequently arguing with his wife Jo and I guessed that all may not have been well in his personal life.

  After a few short exchanges, Gerard left us in order to answer the telephone and I was able to study him more closely. He looked like a little boy in jeans and a shirt. However, this vertically challenged man harboured a volcanic temper that he had no hesitation about using on anyone, including customers.

  By the beginning of 2002, the wedding business had got much busier and Jeremy found that by working at Gerard’s shop during the weekdays he could not get through the editing of videos just in the evenings alone as he was now filming most weekends. Serious consideration had to be made about working from home again as business was increasing by the month and we did not want to turn away any new bookings.

  Jeremy decided to tell Gerard that the arrangement they had would have to come to an end, but that he would continue to work at the shop until Gerard found someone else to replace him. Gerard had already realised that Jeremy’s business had made significant growth over the last few months but, not wanting to lose him (he had been enjoying leaving early each day and having cover for holiday), came up with a further proposition. He asked Jeremy if he would like to run London Video Productions from Video Action’s premises, which meant that he could advertise his company on the outside walls, set up an editing suite at the back of the shop and continue to be paid a retainer. Also, Gerard wanted Jeremy to do more than answer the phones for Video Action, he wanted him to become part of his business and be involved in selling. Of course, this arrangement was beneficial for both of them and as Jeremy’s business would be installed within Gerard’s premises, to cover himself he insisted that the new arrangement be formulated by way of a contract. Gerard readily agreed and so the working relationship continued.

  Now easily getting through his work each day, Jeremy became more involved with Video Action’s business, which he enjoyed as well as rapidly picking up quite a bit of knowledge about filming equipment, such as professional camcorders, editing and sound equipment, tripods and accessories.

  For some reason, Gerard’s behaviour started to become unpredictable. He would veer from calm and rational to erratic and abusive in seconds, and sometimes he would become quite paranoid. There was a time when he was having one of his frequent arguments with a customer over the phone and he caught Jeremy looking at him. Gerard stopped shouting at his customer, put them on hold and calmly asked Jeremy would he mind not looking at him while he was on the phone as it made him feel uneasy. As Jeremy turned away, Gerard returned to the angry tirade on his customer.

  Word was starting to get around that there was a more professional and polite person to speak to at Video Action, which meant that customers and suppliers were actually asking for Jeremy. Gerard even joked on one occasion that Jeremy was making more sales than he did during the day and this became more evident when he went on holi
day to Dubai. However, just before finalising his business and departing for two weeks, Gerard appeared a little agitated and, in a shocking admission, said that he was unable to cope without his daily fixes of cannabis in the morning and in the evening before dinner. Now on a roll, he boasted that when he went home in the afternoon he would start with a small joint to build up for a huge joint before going to bed – and that he could not even drive his car unless he was high. Gerard explained that he was worried about how he would manage for the holiday without his fix. Jeremy was speechless but realised with clarity that Gerard’s behaviour traits had a lot to do with his drug-taking.

  Putting Gerard’s revelations to one side and with his newfound interest in video equipment, Jeremy started reading the professional filming magazines to keep up with the latest technologies so that he would be able to answer customer enquiries. It was through this research that he found an online forum affiliated to a trade magazine called DVDoctor.net where video enthusiasts would discuss the latest equipment, seek out advice about where to purchase items, as well as have ordinary, general discussions about the industry. Totally out of the ordinary, however, was that some DVDoctor users had deemed it necessary to start a new discussion forum called ‘Video Action’, which served as a warning to other readers and where it became apparent that Gerard did indeed have a bad reputation in the industry. On reading further, there were comments from many dissatisfied customers, such as:

  Lloyd Gerard called me a liar on two occasions, failed to honour guarantees. I have publicly denounced him and openly challenged him and his business practices which quite frankly are rotten fish. There will be one less rude and supercilious person out there. Do not under any circumstances leave a deposit unless you intend to buy. – John A.V.

  I never met anyone else who hasn’t said bad things about this man … what surprises me is that he is still trading. – Stoo

  My summing up of Lloyd Gerard (and yes, I know this is childish, but so is Gerard). Lloyd Gerard is a fucking idiot with the intellect of a monkey’s left bollock and so is anyone that buys his dodgy grey imported crap after reading threads on here. If we carry on the good work on this forum (and others like it) then eventually this muppet will go out of business. What a mentalist! – Beethoven

  When I set up my company I bought a shed load of kit from Video Action. I didn’t really want to go to Lloyd Gerard as I had the same crap from him some months earlier when trying to get quotes and I agree with all that has been said about him. He is a rude, little, arrogant twat though (and he is short)! – Julian

  Sorry to bring this up again but today I’ve just had my first and last experience of trying to deal with this prat. What a plonker! – Fabian

  Jeremy asked Gerard if he knew about this forum but he was never fazed; he knew that by offering attractive prices people would call him and he was always extremely busy. He had no respect for his customers, saying, ‘There will always be another one tomorrow.’ His attitude more than likely stemmed from the fact that he was from a wealthy family and a property millionaire in his own right, so he did not have to care very much about anyone.

  However, Gerard’s behaviour was starting to impact on Jeremy’s business. On one occasion, Jeremy was on the telephone to his customer quietly discussing their wedding video requirements. In the background, Gerard was having a blazing row with someone who had come into the shop to complain about a camcorder he had bought. Gerard’s face was red with rage, his clenched fists on the desk, trying to muster as much height as he could while shouting a litany of swearwords at the top of his voice at the customer. Jeremy had to apologise to his own customer for the commotion and offered to call them back when it was quieter. It became a different matter, however, when he had a bride’s mother visiting the shop to discuss her requirements. Jeremy was embarrassed for his client as she could hear the ranting and swearing. It was at this moment that he decided he did not want his business tarnished by Gerard any more.

  At the beginning of 2003, having tolerated Gerard’s increasingly unpredictable and aggressive behaviour for long enough, Jeremy decided that it was time for him and Gerard to go their separate ways. There had been a couple of times previously where both men had actually sat down for serious discussions about becoming business partners and just as this was about to get somewhere Gerard would come up with certain conditions which, on closer inspection, never actually gave Jeremy any advantages.

  As he had gained extensive knowledge about video equipment, how to sell it and from which suppliers to buy, Jeremy asked me what I thought about us getting premises for this new venture and combining both businesses, as he had been wanting to explore this potential for some time now. I thought it was a great idea and as we had a holiday booked that January for a week in Tenerife, we could do most of our planning in a relaxed environment.

  Fuelled with excitement, on our return home Jeremy looked for premises and quickly found a suitable location in Shenley Road, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire which was perfectly located near Elstree Television Studios as well as being in a prime position on a busy road. The shop was being offered with a long lease commencing in June 2003, car parking at the rear for customers, plus a two-bedroom flat above that we could sublet. We felt very confident that between the two businesses we could make a good go of it. In the following weeks we spent many hours preparing notes, plans and a programme of works, as the shop needed decorating and updating, having previously sold pine furniture and carpets.

  The terms of Jeremy’s agreement with Gerard were that he would give a month’s notice, and he decided that would be on 1 May. He would not be telling him the exact reasons why he was leaving, though, as he knew the news would be greeted with hostility. There was never going to be a good time to tell Gerard about our new venture, so we played it by ear. However, being with Gerard was becoming an increasingly deflating experience and he decided to hand in his notice earlier. Gerard was not happy and asked him to stay, offering incentives, wanting to discuss a way forward, but Jeremy said that his mind was made up. As expected, the reaction became a seismic event. Gerard’s eyes and temple veins bulged, his face flushed with rage, mouth spewing forth a full range of expletives mingled in with his thoughts on the matter, finally ending in him asking Jeremy to leave at the end of the week, which was the Easter bank holiday weekend. Jeremy had stood quietly watching and waiting for Gerard’s rant to finish, half expecting him to throw himself on the floor and start kicking his legs like a child who had not got his own way, all the time remaining guarded in case the situation turned physical. There was no interrupting Gerard in this drug-infused state. His reaction was like no other and reinforced in Jeremy’s mind that he had made the right decision to leave. If Gerard’s reaction to giving notice had been this bad, we thought, what would it be like when he found out about the new business?

  The Easter weekend was spent removing our editing equipment, signage and business stationery from the Video Action premises and setting up at home temporarily before onward transmission to our new shop in Borehamwood. We did not take any customer contact details from Gerard as we knew that it would not take long to become well known in the industry and obtain our own customer database.

  We had named the new business ‘UK Professional Video’ and had already drafted the advertisements that would feature in the trade magazines to come out in August – and then it would be up to the public to decide where they wanted to spend their money. We also changed the name of London Video Productions to UK Professional Video so as not to confuse future customers. There was a lot of work to do at the shop before that advert hit the stands in mid-August. Once we had signed the lease and got the keys it was non-stop clearing out the remaining debris, painting walls, laying carpet, installing CCTV, an alarm system and internal and external electric security shutters. One Sunday afternoon, Cliff helped us paint the walls, which really brightened the place up, while I spent most weekends smartening up the flat above, having a new kitchen installed, painting walls a
nd putting up curtains. Before the decoration of the flat had been finished we were approached by a family wanting to rent it, which saved us advertising.

  When the telephone lines were installed, Jeremy had insisted on purchasing a black box voice recorder. This would record all incoming and outgoing conversations, which, in the main, was to help Jeremy make sure that future orders and payment details were taken down correctly. The other reason was to protect himself from Gerard because he had no doubt that he would call.

  On 14 August 2003, UK Professional Video was opened to tie in with the appearance of a double-page advertisement in Camcorder User magazine. At first Jeremy spent his time with the filming business, getting on with editing and seeing new customers in a quiet, professional environment. This side of the business had been incredible in 2003 and there were still many filming jobs on the books leading up to Christmas. Browsing through his copy of Camcorder User, Jeremy was very proud of his achievement but called me at work mid-morning to say that he had not received any calls. I reassured him, telling him that it was early days and that people had to have a chance to buy and look through the magazine before calling to make their enquiries. After that call I did not hear from Jeremy, which worried me as we would often speak during the course of a day. However, my fears were unfounded when I discovered that the phones had been ringing consistently, keeping him busy with orders and good enquiries. We both knew now that it would not be too long before Gerard saw our advertisement and wanted to know who had set up business in competition with him within the north London area.