‘DEPLORABLE’
Charity’s blast as specialist toy firm for disabled is accused of failing customers
FAMILIES and carers feel they have been ripped off by a firm selling toys for disabled children. Online seller Sensory Education is accused of pocketing customers’ money and failing to deliver the right goods. And when buyers try to complain, they say they cannot get through on the phone and their emails go unanswered for weeks.
A charity for the disabled is now calling for an investigation into the retailer after a string of complaints seen by Money Mail.
The Midlands-based firm sells sensory toys and equipment — most of which are designed for children with special needs. Families say these kinds of toys can help brain development, improve concentration and calm down children when they get agitated.
Sensory Education acts as a middleman, sourcing items from other suppliers then selling them on
its own website for a profit. But customers say their orders are often delayed, wrong or sometimes fail to turn up at all.
Money Mail tried to call the firm repeatedly over several weeks for this article, but no one answered.
Carol MacRae, 59, paid almost £1,500 for specialist equipment in April, which never arrived.
Carol, who owns Ankerville Nurseries in Alness, Ross-shire, has not been able to speak on the phone to anyone from Sensory Education.
She did eventually receive an email blaming the supplier but, by the end of May, she still had not received the toys or a refund. She has since claimed the money back from her credit card provider.
She says: ‘What kind of company does this? It is terrible.
‘It is the children who we hoped would be benefiting from the sensory equipment that have been deprived.’
Carol also says that the complaint she posted on the company’s Facebook page was repeatedly removed.
Sensory Education says Carol was advised there would be a longer delivery time frame and she cancelled the order.
Meanwhile, in March, Nikki Pedder, 28, paid more than £200 for a bubble lamp, dark tent and accessories to create a relaxing space for her son, Oscar, five, who has developmental delay.
ShE says that, when the tent arrived, it was nothing like the one in the picture and appeared to have been used already, as the broken box it arrived in contained an old order note for a school.
The bubble lamp never arrived, but she received a refund for it, of £36.95, in April.
Nikki, who lives in Cumbria, says: ‘It is just disgusting. It is hard enough being a parent when your child has learning difficulties or disabilities. Our children need these toys.’
Sensory Education says the tent had previously been sent to another customer, but it had not been used.
Jessica Leigh, policy and campaigns manager at disability charity Scope, says families with disabled children already face extra costs of around £541 a month.
She says: ‘This is deplorable behaviour. It is unacceptable that families are paying a premium because of disabilities, but to get the brush-off from rip-off merchants with shoddy goods is inexcusable.
‘The case should be fully investigated, and those responsible held to account.’
Money Mail believes Trading Standards is aware of Sensory Education but has not yet acted on complaints about the company’s customer service dating back years.
On its website, Sensory Education, formerly known as Cheap Disability Aids, claims to have a 4.8-star customer review rating out of five.
Yet consumer review site
Trustpilot is littered with one-star reviews from customers who say they did not receive orders. In May, one wrote: ‘I wish there was a zerostars option.
‘Terrible company. Took my money, never delivered and refused to take telephone calls or respond to emails.’
On its website, Sensory Education claims to have supplied local authorities and displays several council logos, including that of Walsall. however, Walsall Council says it does not have a corporate contract with the company.
A spokesman adds: ‘It appears Walsall council’s logo has been used without permission.’
Sensory Education, operating out of Birmingham, was set up in 2014, after Cheap Disability Aids was dissolved.