Firm shuts door on angry customers
THE scandal of bust garage doors company Essati and its rogue warranties, which have left scores of furious customers out of pocket, has now claimed another victim. Charlie Ricketts spent almost £800 on a roller door and an extended guarantee but has nothing to show for it. His claim, after the door collapsed, has been rejected and the repairer who took it away promising to sort it out has not returned.
“I’ve had to block the entrance with sheets of wood. It’s like being in an episode of Only Fools And Horses – without the funny bits,” he told Crusader.
Charlie bought his Essati door in 2014, with a warranty from father and son Paul and Graham Kelly who have run a series of firms in Essex, including Essati and its parent company Vecelli. More recently, Graham set up a firm of his own called Roman Garage Doors.
The Kellys faced complaints about Essati’s shoddy workmanship and have been accused of folding firms before opening new ones under different names as pressure mounted to honour refunds or repairs.
The extended cover customers were encouraged to take out was traced to P Kelly Warranties, owned by Paul Kelly. Companies House records show he is currently involved in more than 10 businesses with
WATCH OUT FOR DODGY WARRANTIES
JUST because a bit of paper promises a guarantee or warranty, do not take it for granted that it will be honoured when you need it to be.
This goes further than reading the small print. Beware of anything you are offered that is not a formal financial contract, unlike insurance, which is underwritten and has to be authorised by the Financial “warranty” in their name. When Charlie’s door was first installed it took three more visits and a new control unit for it to finally open correctly, he says. Eighteen months later “it collapsed in a heap while I was closing it,” he adds.
“When I spoke to P Kelly Warranties they insisted I paid £65 Conduct Authority. Solicitor Joanne Lezemore, of adviser Consumer Genie, says: “If a seller of goods provides a warranty or guarantee, they do not have to be regulated.
“People should complain if they have had a problem and the more that do the better.”
For more information go to consumer-genie.co.uk for a home visit. We contested this and tried other contractors. But once I mentioned Essati they refused and mentioned safety worries.
“So we paid the charge, a fitter came out and said it needed more slats but he didn’t come back.
“Last month the motor wouldn’t stop the door closing and it came away from the winding mechanism then the door just stuck.”
Things were at a stalemate until Crusader contacted Graham Kelly at Roman Garage Doors in Billericay to remind him a repair was needed. There was no response to a recorded-delivery letter but a fitter did finally appear and the broken door was removed.
After we asked Graham Kelly a second time to sort out the issue, P Kelly Warranties told Charlie the door was broken due to accidental damage, which is not covered under his guarantee, and that he will have to pay another £150 upfront for a part to repair the motor, although they will waive labour costs.
As Charlie’s wife Marguerite paid some of the door’s first costs with her Tesco credit card, the bank is now carrying out an investigation.
“I really appreciate the support from Crusader and Tesco so far,” Charlie says, adding: “I don’t want others to be caught like this and I’m now considering court action.”