Sitting comfortably? How firm ripped off woman of 95
Probes a world of scams and scandals
J.F. writes: My 95-year-old mother ordered a fitted chair from Westminster Recliners Limited on July 7, for delivery in August. The chair has still not arrived. We have tried to contact the firm several times but were fobbed off with a mobile number that does not work, or told we cannot speak to the manager. My mother has asked for the contract to be cancelled and her money refunded, but she has received neither the chair nor a refund. YOU told me your mother answered a magazine advertisement and was then visited by a salesman who quoted a price of £6,000.
When she refused to pay this much, the price suddenly dropped to £1,500. She paid £750 by debit card, with delivery agreed for August. On August 23 she received a request for the balance, with delivery set for September 5. She sent a cheque but the chair did not arrive. It was then promised for September 19, but here we are in November with no sign of the chair.
Westminster Recliners Limited is run by a father and son team, David and Oliver Waters, of Felixstowe, Suffolk. I tried repeatedly to get the company to explain what had gone wrong. Does your mother’s chair exist? If so, why has it not been handed over? If it was supposed to be custom made, why is it not ready? Why can she not have her money back? The company and its two bosses offered no comment and no explanation. But perhaps I was being optimistic to expect one. You see, David and Oliver Waters and their company are well known to the Trading Standards Department at Suffolk County Council – and to local courts.
In 2013, Westminster Recliners was a trading name used by Mobility UK Limited, run by the two men. In March of that year they appeared at Ipswich magistrates court and pleaded guilty to using ‘aggres- sive and misleading’ practices in breach of consumer protectionn laws.
Suffolk Trading Standards tandards gave details of numerous merous com complaints, often involving elderly customers, with salesmen falsely claiming to offer a reduced price because of links to the health insurer BUPA. In fact, BUPA was never involved.
Magistrates fined the company £3,000 with £10,000 costs. Also, David Waters, then 65, was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £10,000 costs.
Oliver Waters, then aged 24, was fined £1,000 with costs of £10,000 for the consumer protection offences, and a further £1,000 for running the company while an undischarged bankrupt.
You might think this taught the appalling rip-off artist a lesson. Wrong. In January last year, Oliver Waters was back in the dock, this time at Ipswich Crown Court, where he and Westminster Recliners were convicted of almost the same offences.
Waters was given an 18-month condi- tional discharge after agreeing to tape record sales meetings for checki ing by Trading Standards, and to refund three customers wh who gave evidence. He and his company were also ordered to pay £86,000 in legal costs. Suffolk County Council has now told me: ‘Trading Standards are continuing to look at the business, and recommend that anyone in dispute with them should contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service helpline on 03454 040506.’ Please urge your mother to call the helpline – and let me know how she gets on. I have a feeling the Waters may appear on this page again. If you believe you are the victim of financial wrongdoing, write to Tony Hetherington at Financial Mail, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TS or email tony.hetherington@mailonsunday.co.uk. Because of the high volume of enquiries, personal replies cannot be given. Please send only copies of original documents, which we regret cannot be returned.