Sitting targets . . . how firm treats the elderly

Probes a world of scams and scandals

Ms J.G. writes: My elderly aunt and uncle paid a deposit of £2,000 in cash to a salesman from Orchid Mobility, of Colchester, Essex, for two chairs. They changed their minds after two days and cancelled the order. The company promised every week for three months that a cheque would be sent, until finally we won a court order for the payment of the money. However, Orchid and its director Marc Bridges have ignored the court judgment.

IF YOU read the report on this page below about the conviction of David Waters, boss of furniture company Anchor Mobility, you may wonder whether there is any connection. Well, there is. Orchid Mobility is run by Marc Anthony Bridges, who was previously finance manager at the disgraced Anchor Mobility, and before that he worked f or Westminster Recliners.

Like Anchor, Orchid has been targeting the elderly and infirm. It claims: ‘ Choosing a perfect riser recliner and adjustable bed can prove to be a bit of a task. Within the market today, the choices seem endless. Inferior, imported products have appeared in the market and these tend to be poorly made, have minimal warranties and back- up service, and are generally not fit for purpose.

‘Our British factories produce beautifully hand-crafted mobility furniture, providing you with many years of comfort and happiness.’

Your aunt and uncle were visited by an Orchid salesman and pressed into handing over £2,000. They quickly regretted this and cancelled well within the time allowed, but Bridges has come up with one excuse after another.

He claimed repeatedly that ‘ the cheque is in the post’, even emailing to say, ‘ It does appear that two cheques have been sent some time ago but neither has been cashed.’

As long ago as last January, Bridges admitted: ‘ The company has had some financial issues recently and at this time cannot afford to pay the refund back in full.’

He added that he would try to make some small payments to your aunt and uncle. However, he has not paid a penny. In June, your aunt won a county court order instructing Orchid Mobility to repay the full £ 2,000. Bridges ignored it.

I went to Orchid’s premises at Moorside Business Park in Colchester, but there was no sign of the company or its boss.

And the waters are muddied by the fact that Bridges set up two companies at the Colchester address. There was Orchid Mobility itself, but there was also Q7 Consultancy Limited, which used Orchid Mobility as its trading name. The sales receipt given to your aunt and uncle does not reveal which of these banked the missing £2,000.

I traced Marc Bridges to his Suffolk home in Felixstowe and put all this to him. He offered no comment. Both his firms are now under investigation.

Orchid has failed to file accounts legally due a year ago, and both it and Q7 have failed to file legally due details of their ownership. These are offences in themselves. And Marc Bridges – believe it or not – describes himself as an accountant.

Time, I think, for official action against him instead of leaving it to pensioners to pay for action against his companies.