Working for Darragh Macanthony's MRI
What follows is a factual account of working for Darragh MacAnthony's MRI. It starts right at the very beginning and ends (for now) with a court case, which I won. It will give a complete insight into what was really going on behind the scenes at MRI, what happened in meetings, the bullying and shouting, the pressure, the sackings and the lies, as well as some of the fun times. It will also answer the very valid question that everybody asks "if they were so bad, why did you stay with them for over a year?"
I won a court case against MRI in 2011 and to date only a few close friends know what the outcome of the case was. I am a very private person and wished to keep my privacy. Setting up this site has not been an easy decision. However I now have a gorgeous baby boy. The sum MRI owes me is a life changing amount of money for us and would secure the future of our son. And so, I have finally decided to speak out and tell the truth.
There are no doubt some MRI clients reading this who are saying "you don't deserve anything". To those people, I would ask that you reserve judgement. I cannot speak for staff in other regions, but most of the colleagues I was working with sincerely believed in the company and the properties that they were selling -there was absolutely no reason not to until everything started falling apart at the end. Indeed you'll read that some of my colleagues bought properties themselves. Those aren't the actions of a sales force who believe that they are duping people. I'm certainly not saying that all the sales staff were honest, as will become apparent in my story, but the actions of everybody should not be judged on a bad few.
The website will be updated each week with the next chapter of the story.
Much has been written about Darragh MacAnthony himself and other alleged court cases. Many of these stories have had to be retracted and apologies published. I would like to start with some absolute, irrefutable, provable facts.
Please note that sometimes initials or dots have replaced content. This is either for privacy reasons (I will either be using initials or changing the names of most of the staff members who did no wrong and should be entitled to get on with their lives without harassment or being named unnecessarily on websites), or because the information will be revealed later during the story.
Read on for the first, factual account of life behind the scenes at Darragh MacAnthony's MRI.
FACT: On 29th September 2011, a Judge ruled on the court case ..(me).... v MacAnthony Realty International.
The Judge ruled in my favour. He ruled that I hadn't been paid the commission that I was owed.
The Judge ruled that MRI withheld commission and should pay me the outstanding commission of €157,767.32, plus interest, plus legal fees.
This totals over €250,000. Over a quarter of a million Euros.
The Judge ruled in my favour. He ruled that I hadn't been paid the commission that I was owed.
The Judge ruled that MRI withheld commission and should pay me the outstanding commission of €157,767.32, plus interest, plus legal fees.
This totals over €250,000. Over a quarter of a million Euros.
FACT: Over 2 years after the ruling, and over 5 years after the commission should originally have been paid, I have still not received a penny.
FACT: I worked for Darragh MacAnthony's MRI during the period May 2006 to October 2007.
As per the Judge's ruling, I was not paid all the commission I was owed for over a year of employment.
As per the Judge's ruling, I was not paid all the commission I was owed for over a year of employment.
FACT: Darragh MacAnthony, owner of MRI, was a multimillionaire and included in The Times Rich List during this time. He also bought a football club.
FACT: Multimillionaire Darragh Macanthony's company MRI was not paying at least 1 member of its staff, as ruled by a Spanish in court.
FACT: MRI awarded me "Outstanding Sales Person of the Year" in December 2006. This was Sales Person of the Year throughout the whole of MRI and the 16 countries they were operating in.
FACT: I contacted Darragh MacAnthony via his official website to ask if he intended to pay the owed sum. Although not legally obliged to do so, as it is MRI who owes the money and not Darragh MacAnthony, I thought that maybe Darragh MacAnthony would be shocked that his Outstanding Sales Person of the Year, who had played a significant part in building his fortune, hadn't been paid and would want to rectify this.
FACT: Darragh MacAnthony did not reply.
FACT: I sold properties totalling €18,667,375 for MRI. Over €18 million worth of property.
FACT: On average, in the countries in which I was working, MRI earned 20% on each sale. This totals €3,733,475.
That means that I contributed almost €4 million to MRI's and Darragh MacAnthony's wealth, whilst not being paid myself.
That means that I contributed almost €4 million to MRI's and Darragh MacAnthony's wealth, whilst not being paid myself.
FACT: Despite being owed €157,767.32 in unpaid commission, the month I resigned I was paid only €826. I repeat,€826. Out of this, I had to pay my rent, food and petrol (including all petrol for work).
FACT: Darragh MacAnthony's email response to his Directors when they informed him of my resignation was "Fuck her. Stupid ungrateful bitch". The full content of this email will be included in my story.
FACT: After resigning from MRI it is was mandatory to wait 3 month before claiming any outstanding commission. I was made aware of this during my interview with MRI. I was told that this was to ensure that we didn't work for a competitor and pass on any confidential information.
When the 3 month period was almost over, I sent the following email to HR:
When the 3 month period was almost over, I sent the following email to HR:
"I resigned from MRI on 10th October 2007. Shortly afterwards, MB from the HR department called me and instructed me to contact you approximately 2 weeks before the end of the 3 month resignation period was over, which will be 10th Jan. She informed me that I would receive the commission I was owed to date, and that I would then receive following payments, once the company received payment from the developer.
I have a lot of commission outstanding from ........... and I never received payment for any of my ................ deals, during the 6 months I was there. My telephone number is ................
I appreciate that you are always extremely busy, but look forward to a prompt response."
The reply I received was:"In accordance with MRI´s current procedures, I am authorised to inform you that are due a final payment of 17000€.
Please find attached English and Spanish versions of the Termination and Confidentiality Agreements. You must sign all four documents on the final page where indicated and, in respect of the Termination agreements, initial each of the first three pages at the foot of the page."
Even after everything I'd been through and the lies I'd been told, I was still, very naively, shocked. €17,000. It was just over 10% of what I was really owed. The offer was surely a mistake. I emailed back:
"Following your final offer, please find attached a document outlining my commissions in ........ The clients highlighted in red have already paid their 30% (written confirmation either from the client, the solicitor, or my manager). These total 30,850 Euros of commission owed to me.
The clients highlighted in blue were about to pay when I resigned in October. I would be surprised if they have not now paid (bar one or two, who were unsurprisingly so annoyed at the ineptitude of the solicitors that they may now have cancelled). These total 23,373 Euros of commission.
Please find below a table of commissions owed to me from ........ This is not a table I have devised myself - it was emailed to one of the directors of MRI, who then forwarded it onto me. As you can see it was sent on 11th July 2007, when a total of 133,460 Euros was owed to me (commissions pending payment and expected commissions on unpaid business). Since that date, I have been paid just over 33,500 Euros, which leaves 99,960 outstanding from .........
I am somewhat puzzled by your final offer of 17,000 Euros and can only assume that it is a mistake, given the above facts and figures.
I was informed by HR in October 2007, that I would be paid everything I am owed to date, plus would receive my commission every month also. Is this not true?"
The response was a phone call stating that that was the final payment amount and it was non-negotiable. I do not blame the staff member who called me. He was incredibly apologetic and he intimated that the figures I had provided were correct, but he could only offer what he had been authorised to offer.
I have a lot of commission outstanding from ........... and I never received payment for any of my ................ deals, during the 6 months I was there. My telephone number is ................
I appreciate that you are always extremely busy, but look forward to a prompt response."
The reply I received was:"In accordance with MRI´s current procedures, I am authorised to inform you that are due a final payment of 17000€.
Please find attached English and Spanish versions of the Termination and Confidentiality Agreements. You must sign all four documents on the final page where indicated and, in respect of the Termination agreements, initial each of the first three pages at the foot of the page."
Even after everything I'd been through and the lies I'd been told, I was still, very naively, shocked. €17,000. It was just over 10% of what I was really owed. The offer was surely a mistake. I emailed back:
"Following your final offer, please find attached a document outlining my commissions in ........ The clients highlighted in red have already paid their 30% (written confirmation either from the client, the solicitor, or my manager). These total 30,850 Euros of commission owed to me.
The clients highlighted in blue were about to pay when I resigned in October. I would be surprised if they have not now paid (bar one or two, who were unsurprisingly so annoyed at the ineptitude of the solicitors that they may now have cancelled). These total 23,373 Euros of commission.
Please find below a table of commissions owed to me from ........ This is not a table I have devised myself - it was emailed to one of the directors of MRI, who then forwarded it onto me. As you can see it was sent on 11th July 2007, when a total of 133,460 Euros was owed to me (commissions pending payment and expected commissions on unpaid business). Since that date, I have been paid just over 33,500 Euros, which leaves 99,960 outstanding from .........
I am somewhat puzzled by your final offer of 17,000 Euros and can only assume that it is a mistake, given the above facts and figures.
I was informed by HR in October 2007, that I would be paid everything I am owed to date, plus would receive my commission every month also. Is this not true?"
The response was a phone call stating that that was the final payment amount and it was non-negotiable. I do not blame the staff member who called me. He was incredibly apologetic and he intimated that the figures I had provided were correct, but he could only offer what he had been authorised to offer.
FACT: After the above communication I emailed Darragh MacAnthony, stating that I intended to contact the press about my unpaid commissions. In response Dominic Pickering called me from the US and said that I should fly to Spain to discuss it at MRI's head office. I had no intention of wasting further money and declined, as it could just as easily have been discussed on the phone. MRI's response was a threatening letter from Carter Ruck accusing me of blackmail and "groundless, extremely serious allegations."
It also stated "our client is always prepared to look into genuine issues raised or claims made by its former sales people. Therefore, if it is your position that you have in your possession documentary and factual evidence to support your claims against our client, please provide us with full copies. We will then consider them with our client and, rest assured, in the event that your claims prove to be well founded, then our client will be happy to re-instigate a constructive dialogue."
I have since contacted Carter Ruck as a court ruling is very clearly "documentary and factual evidence". I have not as yet received a reply and am waiting for the "re-instigation of a constructive dialogue".
I have no doubt that this website will result in further legal threats being directed at me.
It also stated "our client is always prepared to look into genuine issues raised or claims made by its former sales people. Therefore, if it is your position that you have in your possession documentary and factual evidence to support your claims against our client, please provide us with full copies. We will then consider them with our client and, rest assured, in the event that your claims prove to be well founded, then our client will be happy to re-instigate a constructive dialogue."
I have since contacted Carter Ruck as a court ruling is very clearly "documentary and factual evidence". I have not as yet received a reply and am waiting for the "re-instigation of a constructive dialogue".
I have no doubt that this website will result in further legal threats being directed at me.
FACT: In the pre court hearing, when solicitors from both sides sit in front of a Judge, MRI denied owing me any money at all. This was after they had already offered me a "final payment" of €17,000.
FACT: My solicitor requested to the Judge that MRI opened their accounts to him, in order that he could verify the claims that MRI were making, which were that every single one of my clients had cancelled. The Judge agreed. MRI never did supply their accounts to my solicitor, as per the Judge's order.
FACT: MRI's solicitor did not appear at the final court hearing. In a Spanish court, both the claimant and the defendant are appointed a Court Official by the court. MRI's Court Official informed us that MRI's solicitor would not be appearing to testify on behalf of MRI. She stated he had told her that this was because he hadn't been paid. I am unable to verify this and am simply stating what MRI's Court Official - who is bound by the rules of the Court - told my solicitor and my Court Official.
FACT: I contacted 125 ex MRI employees via Facebook in 2008 to ask if anybody else was owed money in unpaid commissions. 43 replied that yes, they were indeed owed money. I am unable to verify any of these alleged claims and I do not claim that they are true. These were private communications and there was no reason for anybody to lie.
People's responses include:
People's responses include:
"Yeah they haven't paid me a penny even though Darragh himself emailed me and said he would look into it and its fair to say that after 7 months I have given them plenty of time and been more than patient in waiting for what I'm owed."
"They owe me 140k."
"I am owed approximately 5000 euros from this company. I was offered a settlement in august of 983 euros which I accepted, but have received nothing since, and they refuse to answer my calls and emails."
"I left MRI due to family reasons as my father took unwell in 2007 and I chose to return to the UK, I resigned in Feb 2007. I then asked what procedure to follow with regards my outstanding commission payment as I was due approx between 120k - 160k. I was told to contact HR who informed me that after leaving I would have to wait 3 months before they would make me an offer on my monies owed. After this period of time expired I contacted MRI only to find that HR would not speak to me and that I would be receiving a call from Javier in Martinez Echevarria. After some time I contacted Javier and due to persistence he eventually spoke to me and told me that he was talking to Darragh about my case and would inform me of my commission payment in the near future. When I heard nothing from Javier, I contacted KT in MRI who was chief of operations, he passed me onto Dominic Pickering who was very unhelpful and aggressive, he demanded that I travel to Spain to sit in a meeting with him Darragh, Michael Ligan and K. I refused as I would not subject myself to being bullied, I informed them at that point of my father's death ( Oct 2007 ) and offered to meet them in London in there UK office to which they refused."
"Waiting to sign for an apt that I was given for top sales in 07 ...everything was fine with the transfer of title even getting a confirmation email from PM yesterday morning that the transfer would be in a couple of days....3 hours later I got a call saying you are not getting the apt, no explanation goodbye!....I've got a signed contract fully legal in Bulgaria with all the details correct on it but they say they won't honour it."
"I accepted the 1500 euros they offered me (even though the true figure would be more like 50,000) because I thought that was the best I was going to get. They drained all the fight out of me."
"They actually even owe me the commission on my own apartment I bought with them."
"They owe me 140k."
"I am owed approximately 5000 euros from this company. I was offered a settlement in august of 983 euros which I accepted, but have received nothing since, and they refuse to answer my calls and emails."
"I left MRI due to family reasons as my father took unwell in 2007 and I chose to return to the UK, I resigned in Feb 2007. I then asked what procedure to follow with regards my outstanding commission payment as I was due approx between 120k - 160k. I was told to contact HR who informed me that after leaving I would have to wait 3 months before they would make me an offer on my monies owed. After this period of time expired I contacted MRI only to find that HR would not speak to me and that I would be receiving a call from Javier in Martinez Echevarria. After some time I contacted Javier and due to persistence he eventually spoke to me and told me that he was talking to Darragh about my case and would inform me of my commission payment in the near future. When I heard nothing from Javier, I contacted KT in MRI who was chief of operations, he passed me onto Dominic Pickering who was very unhelpful and aggressive, he demanded that I travel to Spain to sit in a meeting with him Darragh, Michael Ligan and K. I refused as I would not subject myself to being bullied, I informed them at that point of my father's death ( Oct 2007 ) and offered to meet them in London in there UK office to which they refused."
"Waiting to sign for an apt that I was given for top sales in 07 ...everything was fine with the transfer of title even getting a confirmation email from PM yesterday morning that the transfer would be in a couple of days....3 hours later I got a call saying you are not getting the apt, no explanation goodbye!....I've got a signed contract fully legal in Bulgaria with all the details correct on it but they say they won't honour it."
"I accepted the 1500 euros they offered me (even though the true figure would be more like 50,000) because I thought that was the best I was going to get. They drained all the fight out of me."
"They actually even owe me the commission on my own apartment I bought with them."
" The last contact we had was from Dominic Pickering saying that no Ex MRI will be getting commissions."
