Customers counting the cost of shop closure (From Echo)

Customers counting the cost of shop closure

9:00am Tuesday 22nd January 2013 in Local News

WORRIED customers have been left counting the cost after a furniture business in Leigh closed suddenly.

People who have paid deposits of £1,000 for new sofas have got in touch with the Echo since Holmes Furnishers shut its doors last week with no notice.

Pamela and Roger Norris, of Rayleigh Road, Eastwood, visited the shop in Broadway West and ordered two new sofas on December 1.

They paid £1,000 deposit on debit card with £1,300 left to pay.

Mr Norris, 65, said: “We knew nothing about the shop closing until my sister in law who works in Leigh rang to say she went past and said it was empty.

“We went down there and there was no notice and the phone just rings. I had a leaflet for the company who make our settee and called them and they hadn’t even had our order.

“There was nothing to concern us when we placed the order and it wasn’t being delivered for ten weeks. Its a mystery as to what’s happened. We don’t know if they’ve gone into liquidation or administration at all.”

The couple hope to get a refund through the bank but Mr Norris added: “I feel sorry for anyone not covered by a refund scheme or credit card.”

A customer in this situation is Muriel Ray who has given up hope of seeing £600 cash paid in deposit for a sofa to be delivered in six weeks time.

Mrs Ray, from Rochford, said: “We ordered our sofa on January 3. There were signs up make a reasonable offer, my husband did but it was refused.

“We paid £600 cash and £300 on credit card. There was no hint of a problem and now we’ve lost that money, It’s terrible.”

The Echo tried to contact Holmes but had no reply.