Customers lose out in kitchen con

More than 25 people in the East complained about the firm

Customers have been left thousands of pounds out of pocket after a kitchen company ceased trading.

A BBC East investigation has discovered that the Bedfordshire man who ran the Kitchen Surgery is a disqualified company director and was previously fined for a previous money-making scam.

Figures just released by the Office of Fair Trading show that 8,000 people in the East complained about their fitted kitchen last year.

More than 25 people have complained

about the Kitchen Surgery, including Ben and Sally Wilkin, from Bedford who spent more than £6,000.

Part of the order was eventually delivered but has sat for three months in their garage.

Mr Wilkin said: "We've got boxes and boxes of pieces of wood that appear to be the fronts and shelves of the cupboards and cabinets that make up our kitchen.

"Unfortunately what we don't have is counter tops, work units, work surfaces - we haven't got a sink, we haven't got any taps, we've got no handles and, quite importantly, we haven't got any appliances either - no cooker, no dishwasher, no oven."

Mrs Wilkin said: "It's very, very stressful. We are absolutely gutted that we've lost this money. It's our life-savings basically."

He said he would make me bankrupt. He said he had done so to three other people that week Jo Mortimer

The Kitchen Surgery promised "half the hassle, half the time, half the cost", but more than 20 other customers have complained to trading standards and Consumer Direct.

Chef Jo Mortimer, who lives near Leighton Buzzard, was charmed by the man from the Kitchen Surgery.

She said: "Paul Martin visited us. He seemed really good and he came out and talked the talk and he guaranteed he could beat the quotes we had by 10%."

She paid £3,300 deposit and was told the kitchen would be fitted in two weeks.

After waiting eight weeks, she asked her bank to refund her card. That was when the phone calls from Paul Martin started, she said.

'Frightening call'

"He said he would make me bankrupt. He said he had done so to three other people that week. He had won his case and he would win against me.

"Then he phoned again the next night and he was quite frightening so I went and stayed with some friends for two nights, taking the kids with me."

Her bank did refund the money, but later redebited it after receiving a letter from Mr Martin.

Since the BBC began its investigation the money has now been returned to her account.

Mr Martin called himself trade manager on his business cards and registered the website at his home address in Bedfordshire.

But BBC East discovered he is disqualified as a company director and "banned from taking part in the promotion, formation or management of a company".

Lee Howard carried out fitting and surveying work for the Kitchen Surgery. He said: "I'm owed around about £10,000.

"It started off all well and good and then people weren't getting paid, so they started leaving.

That's when we all started thinking that there was something wrong with the company because no wages were being paid.

'Warn customers'

"I tried to warn the clients about the problems with the company and that they may not be receiving the goods that they was promised. "

Bedfordshire Trading Standards confirmed they were looking into a number of complaints.

Last July, Trading Standards in Cardiff took Mr Martin to court for breaching trade descriptions over a bereavement brochure scam.

He pleaded guilty to nine offences and was fined.

Mr Martin, who lives in Shillington did not reply to BBC East's request for an interview and would not comment at his home.

He has told customers that the company has ceased trading.

The BBC's file is being handed to Trading Standards, the Office of Fair Trading and the police.