Kitchen firm customers lose £1.5m

7 July 2011 Last updated at 14:20 GMT

  The administrators hope to sell Moben, Dolphin and Kitchens Direct Deloitte has been appointed as the administrators to Homeform, which owns brands such as Moben, Kitchens Direct, Sharps Bedrooms and Dolphin.

The administrators said 453 customers who did not use credit or debit cards or finance agreements to pay deposits will lose a total of £1.5m.

Customers who used cards or finance agreements should contact the provider.

The Sharps Bedrooms business has been sold, so Sharps customers will still have their orders fulfilled.

The operations of Moben, Dolphin and Kitchens Direct have been closed down, although the administrators are still trying to sell the brands.

They have made 557 staff redundant, keeping only 24.

The administrators' advice to customers is:

People who have had goods delivered but whose fitting has not been completed will be contacted in the next five to 10 days to arrange to have their fitting completedMoben, Dolphin and Kitchens Direct customers who have paid a deposit but have not received a delivery should contact their card provider, finance provider or the customer helpline on 0800 840 0118Customers who did not pay with a card or finance agreement can write to the administrators at Deloitte LLP, Athene Place, 66 Shoe Lane, London EC4A 3WA but "are unlikely to receive a refund" unless the remaining Homeform businesses are soldSharps Bedrooms customers will have their orders fulfilled by the new ownersVictim

One customer who believes he has lost £4,000 as a result of the collapse is Mark Love, of Northampton.

"We paid a deposit of £4,000 on a new bathroom in May by cheque with the remainder to be paid by finance over a period of three years," he said in an e-mail to the BBC.

"The salesman offered us a better discount if we paid a deposit on the day of his visit. We feel cheated out of our money as since making the payment Dolphin have delivered nothing.

"We are being penalised for saving and paying by cash. I feel like I have been burgled by stealth."

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