Dore – the media creak into action, Wynford issues a statement and the administrators post a notice *update*

Finally, two weeks after the company started to crumble the main stream media are beginning to cover the story. The Guardian have a slightly out of date story covering some of the events and quotes from disgruntled clients. The Guardian story also carries a quote from Wynford Dore, taken from the Dore website, stating that they have called in advisors. However, a more recent statement from Wynford on the Dore Talk forum admits that the administrators have been called in. Holfordwatch have an excellent analysis of this statement and point out that Wynford has still to explain what will happen to people owed money and he has not said sorry. Holfordwatch also ask whether or not details of the administrators will be posted. This has now happened with the Dore homepage displaying the following statement.

DDAT (UK) Limited
Camden Holdings Limited
– Both In Administration (the Companies)

Please be advised that Joanne Wright, Fraser Gray and Jamie Gleave, all of Kroll, were appointed Joint Administrators of DDAT (UK) Limited and Camden Holdings Limited on 28 May 2008. Joanne Wright is licensed by the Insolvency Practitioners Association, Fraser Gray by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Scotland and Jamie Gleave by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

The Joint Administrators will be writing to all known creditors within the next seven days to formally advise of their appointment. In addition, where appropriate, updates will be provided via this website.

The Joint Administrators are in discussions with potential purchasers of the business with the aim of securing a sale which provides continuity of treatment for customers.

For all general enquiries concerning treatment, please contact the helpline on 01926 514 033 or by email at dore@dore.co.uk. The Joint Administrators office may be contacted directly on 0161 838 4543 or dorehelpline@kroll.com.

The affairs, business and property of the Companies are being managed by the Joint Administrators. The Joint Administrators act as agents of the Companies and without personal liability.

More info as and when I get it.

*update*
Holfordwatch point out that The Sun, The Times and The Independent are now beginning to cover this story. While The Independent story is credulous and out of date, both The Sun and The Times point out that Dore lacked evidence and relied on glitzy celebrity endorsements while The Times highlights the secretive nature of the programme. Interestingly The Times articles finishes with this quote from a Dore spokesperson.

“The long-term plan to was get funding from governments, that hasn’t happened.”

If true, and it is a line argued in previous statements from Dore, then it continues to beggar belief that Dore did not carry out good quality research to make their case. Government funding for disability support is not won by celebrity endorsements, silencing critics through legal threats, and inadequate research. Also, this suggests that there business plan has been flawed for some time, the evidence shows that at least since 2005 they have been loosing money, propped up by loans from Wynford Dore, yet they did not change their business model and were happy to take huge sums of money from parents upfront, for treatment lacking evidence, while searching for the pot of gold at the end of the government funding rainbow.

*update 2*
The Guardian have a further short piece.

*update 3*

Wynford Dore has issued a video statement where he thanks people for their offers of help and points them in the direction of his new site. No apology, no offers of help for those who have lost their money.

Dore US collapse too

Dore US have collapsed with staff commenting on their forums. I urge all customers to cancel any cheques they have written or direct debits paid directly to Dore as reports suggest that Dore will continue to take money after the collapse. If you are paying through a third party then contact them immediately to find out what to do.

I will add links to this post and the general links post later on today.

*update*

This is apparently the email sent out to customers:

Hello

Many of you may be aware of the activities which have transpired at Dore in the UK and Australia.

Unfortunately, these activities have impacted our ability to conduct testing and assessments at our Centers here in the US. Therefore, effective immediately, all client appointments have been suspended until further notice.

I truly regret the impact this will have on you and/or your family member.

We are diligently working to resolve the issues so that the Dore program can be made available to you again here in the US as soon as possible.

Wynford and the team in the UK have indicated to me they are working on a plan to provide each of the existing clients the opportunity to remotely access a tailored interim exercise program. They are not taking this lightly and are working very hard to minimize this interruption of services.

Please know that we will contact you as soon as we are able to continue your program.

Thank you for your understanding, and please visit the Dore website and DoreTalk Forums for the latest information and guidance.

Kind regards

*****************************************************

Joe L. Stephens

Co-Chairman/Business Development
Dore – Developing skills, for life
www.doreusa.com
joe.stephens@…

(817)416 – 0158 fax
(817)202 – 3687 mobile

Dore – the vultures start to circle

Normally when a business collapses it is common to see other businesses circling hungrily, eyeing up assets and soliciting customers. The dyslexia industry, for all its claims just to be helping people, is no different from any other business. It has been brought to my attention that The Learning People, subject of one of my very first blog posts, have started wooing former clients of Dore and spamming blogs covering the Dore collapse. While The Learning People may be cheaper than Dore and has had similar amounts of media exposure and celebrity endorsements it also has just as much scientific evidence supporting it. Practically none.

I will keep this simple. There is no cure for dyslexia or other specific learning disabilities. There are only coping strategies which may lead to an improvement over time. If anybody claims they have a cure, whether standing on a wobbly board throwing beanbags or making letters out of plasticine, they are lying, perhaps to themselves as much as patients but they are still lying. If these people charge money for their lies then they are seeking to profit from the disabled. Do not be fooled by them. They may think they are helping, they may have other motivations than profit, but they need profit to survive. They will not pay for research that may question their treatment because that would affect profit. They are business men and women. They will exploit you for their bottom line.

Even though there is no cure for dyslexia or other specific learning disabilities that does not mean you should give up hope for you or for your child. Support them by giving them the extra help they may need, consult with your Educational Psychologist, lobby their teacher for extra help but above all do not think that their problems will hold them back in life without a cure. There are many people, myself included, who have managed just fine despite specific learning disabilities. They are no barrier to success.

Do not let the vultures with their fake cures take your money. Coping with a disability should not be an area of life exploited by commercial interests. It should be an area where the education system supports those who need extra help. If you feel the education system isn’t helping enough then you should contact teachers, schools, MPs, charities, universities and researchers. Not private businesses.

Here are some links to get you started, if you have others leave them in the comments and I will add them.

British Dyslexia Association

AchieveAbility

Dyspraxia Foundation

ADDISS AD(H)D

National Autistic Society

Research Autism

Dyslexia Action

Working Memory

Neurodiversity

thanks to duck

Links about Dore

Here is a collection of links covering the Dore story, many of these have helpful advice and provide valuable insights. However, the most important advice for Dore UK staff and customers is this comment posted by Duck on the Dore Talk forums on how to recover money owed:

Trading Standards is a good place to start for an overview. If you’ve paid by credit card that’s the first place to start. The Insolvency Service has all sorts of useful albeit detailed information, including what to do if you are owed money by a company in liquidation.

Staff should read this guide to getting some wages back, up to £330/week, more detailed information for employees here (pdf). Forms and how to apply are at Redundancy Payments Service. You should apply for Jobseeker’s Allowance immediately, as it can’t be backdated & will affect how much you can get from the RPS.

Podblack has already looked at Australia, though it looks unlikely that anyone will get anything there. Be prepared that the same could be the case for UK clients, though it’s worth a try.

Duck in the comments also suggests this link for those who have entered credit agreements.

I will post other links throughout the day so keep checking back. I appreciate that the links posted so far are largely negative and ask awkward questions, contrast this with the positive coverage Dore has received in the print and broadcast media. Maybe if more of the media had been sufficiently sceptical and investigative this whole mess could have been avoided.

My blog

The original post on Dore finances.

Dore Australia collapse.

Dore UK collapse.

Were Dore brought down by unsustainable debt?

Brainduck

The flaws in Dore’s research.

More on Dore research.

The odd place Dore choose to publish their research.

Radio discussion of Dore research.

Dore Australia collapse.

Dore statement on Australia.

Dore UK collapse.

Badscience

Dore – the miracle cure for Dyslexia?

Dore – the media’s miracle cure for Dyslexia?

Holfordwatch

Dore criticised in medical journal.

Media bias in reporting Dore.

Dore mistreat employee.

Research showing Dore is not of much benefit.

More flawed Dore research.

Even more flawed Dore research.

Dore Australia collapse.

Dore UK collapse.

Podblack

Dore at a festival in Australia.

Questions on Dore theories.

Comments on a pro-Dore blog.

Dore Australia collapse.

Reaction to Dore statement.

Dore Australia closed until further notice.

Dore UK collapse.

Other media begins to notice.

Myomancy

Myomancy has covered this in depth from a relatively pro-Dore point of view

but still has plenty of critical articles regarding conduct going back to 2004.

Left Brain/Right Brain

Some criticisms of Dore research.

More on Dore evidence and ethics.

Dore Australia and Dore UK collapse.

Dore UK go into administration?

Dore UK have posted this on their website:

It is with great regret that we have to announce that Dore has been put into the hands of advisors. As a result Dore is closing all of the UK centres which deliver the Dore Programme with immediate effect.

We are determined to find a way for every client who is on the program to have their treatment completed. We are presently exploring alternative arrangements to ensure every client is cared for.

We will be updating this page of our website every few days with news regarding alternative arrangements for continued programme delivery so please check frequently.

We still want to help people to identify any learning difficulties they may be struggling with, so we are continuing to make our online symptoms test available. We will provide you with a personal report that outlines any learning difficulty and the likely severity.

I will post in more detail tonight with analysis of their financial situation as it is clear Dore have only been surviving for a number of years by their creditors (most likely Wynford Dore) not calling in the debt. In the mean time if any ex-Dore staff or clients would like to leave comments or contact me (gimpyATgimpy@hotmail.co.uk) then feel free. I will provide a round up of other sites covering this as and when they do. If you can then I recommend that you seek legal advice if you are owed money or have paid for treatment you have not received. Dore did not publicise the Australia situation and some creditors may have lost out. Don’t let it happen to you. The Citizens Advice Bureau is a good starting point.

I am really sorry it ended like this.

*update*

Holfordwatch has posted on this
as has podblack

Dore Australia go into administration? *Updated 1, 2, 3, 4 ,5 ,6, 7*

In January I wrote this post on the abbreviated accounts for Dore Dyslexia, DDAT (UK), which revealed a gaping black hole of -£6.8m in their current account accumulated loss of £6.8m. It seems that it is not just Dore in the UK that is in financial strife, Dore Group (Australasia) Ltd have apparently gone into administration. This was posted recently on the Dore talk forums,

We just recently had a DORE representative come to our house to discuss the program for my son.

After convincing my husband that it was a good idea to start the program, all DORE clinics have been closed Australia-wide!!! Apparently they have gone into liquidation?!?!?

I could not believe my luck as I was looking forward to starting the program. Just wanted to express my complete frustration, hopefully this does not happen anywhere else in the world. Lucky we had not paid yet!

It is tempting to view this as schadenfreude as many readers of this blog will see Dore as little more than a pseudoscience that charges vast amounts of money, up to £1700, for something that doesn’t work. However, it is clear that there are many employees and customers of Dore that care deeply and passionately about the programme and are committed to its success. It is these people who have been let down by Dore and its founder, Wynford Dore. I have received the following information about the situation in Australia from a Dore staff member,

Are Dore in deep finanical doo doo? *updated*

Dore, the dubious dyslexia people, have recently come under criticism from brainduck and holfordwatch for publishing their research claiming to successfully treat Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) in the mighty Leamington Courier rather than a peer reviewed journal. Holfordwatch and Brainduck are very critical of the research methodology, the sample size and the ethics of advocating unproven treatments while charging hundreds of pounds. However there are more serious concerns about Dore.

A response to Abigail Marshall and the Davis Dyslexia Association International

Abigail Marshall, author and Davis Dyslexia Association International (DDAI) employee and co-founder has had the good grace to write a lengthy and polite response to my previous post criticising her organisation. I offer a lengthy response in turn to each of her points below.

The Learning People think dyslexia is a gift, I think they are idiots.

The other day I indulged in a foul mouthed rant against those who patronise and profess to cure those with specific learning disabilities. This morning badchemist pointed me to a heartbreaking story in The Express. Heartbreaking because it turned me into a bloodshot, bug-eyed, bad-tempered bastard with the blood pressure of a Glaswegian taxi driver. Apparently the son of actress Louise Jameson, best known for playing Bergerac’s bird, has had his dyslexia corrected by playing with plasticine thanks to The Learning People and the Davis Method. Now plasticine is a wonderful thing and I’ve spent many a happy hour making worms and giant knobs but I’ve completely missed its ability to fundamentally alter the properties of the brain and cure disability. So how does it work?

I wish I was special, so fucking special* – learning disability profit-mongering

Special. Gifted. Talented. No, not the words of a mother to her beloved but dim child, but the emotive terms with which various charities and profit making organisations use when talking about specific learning disabilities.