A conservatory company which took thousands of pounds in deposits from householders has ceased trading, according to its boss.

For the last two weeks, Rights and Wrongs has reported how Direct Conservatories UK boss David Richardson has taken deposits ranging from £3,500 to £317 from householders wanting a conservatory.

He gave them all the same installation date and most were then given the same second date. No work has started in any of the cases.

Most of them say he told them the delay was due to him moving his manufacturing site from the south to the north of England.

They claim they never heard from him again after asking for their money back.

Rights and Wrongs found out he has been dealing with an Oxfordshire-based company which manufactures conservatories and sells direct to the trade.

Rights and Wrongs traced Mr Richardson's home and a reporter knocked on his door yesterday afternoon. He said: "We have ceased trading and I don't want to say anything else."

Rights and Wrongs has now compiled a list of people from Bradford, Darlington, Hull and Sheffield who say they have paid him deposits and have not heard from him after asking for their money back.

Asked if they would get their deposits back, Mr Richardson would only say he hoped so, adding that matters had to be "sorted out".

In a statement today, he said: "I would like to state it was never the intention of the company not to install conservatories which had been ordered, and I totally disagree with any statement made to the contrary.

"Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond my control and upon advice taken, the company has ceased trading. I do not wish to add anything further to this statement."

Mr Richardson has apparently been advertising in the Hull and Sheffield areas as well as in West Yorkshire.

A Bradford man said: "I paid him £1,100 and I left a message for him to ring me after I read the first Rights and Wrongs article.

"He eventually phoned and I asked for my money back. He said he would ring me back but he hasn't." One man from Hull, who paid him £2,500, said Mr Richardson told him he had applied for planning permission for the conservatory.

"When I checked, the council said they had received nothing."

Most of the other householders Rights and Wrongs contacted told the same story.

We tried for nearly two weeks to contact Mr Richardson.

The phone number for his home in the village of Crambeck, near Malton, which last week gave an answer machine message, is now unobtainable. Mr Richardson had it disconnected on Tuesday, according to BT.

And staff at the accommodation address he used in Harrogate say they have been "absolutely inundated" with calls from people trying to contact him over deposits they have paid.

A spokesman said: "I just don't know what to do about it - I can't help these poor people."

Mr Richardson's mobile phone appears to be permanently switched off.

A North Yorkshire Trading Standards spokesman said the service had received a number of complaints and he added: "We are concerned about the complaints and what may be happening with this company, and we are looking into it."

We would like to hear from anyone else who has paid money to either Direct Conservatories UK of to Clarovale Ltd, the other company Mr Richardson runs.

Extended warranty? Forget it, advises Which?

Extended warranties - highlighted repeatedly in Rights and Wrongs - have been put under the microscope by the Consumers' Association.

The latest Which? magazine examined some on offer to consumers - and found they were not worth the money.

The organisation says the chances of kitchen appliances breaking down enough times to give the consumer value for money with an extended warranty are pretty small.

A Which? survey showed that an average washing machine repair cost about £43 while a warranty from a manufacturer or retailer cost about £113 to £200.

It revealed that only three per cent of five-year-old washing machines had gone wrong often enough to make an extended warranty worth buying.

Which? editor Graeme Jacobs said: "Don't feel pressurised when you buy an appliance.

"Our latest research shows these machines don't break down often enough for a warranty to be worthwhile.

"The whole peace of mind argument just doesn't stand up - you're better off simply paying for a repair if it becomes necessary."

West Yorkshire Trading Standards have repeated the warning in Rights and Wrongs, urging people to find out if the warranty they are buying gives than anything more than they already have under their statutory rights.

A spokesman said: "Under the Sale of Goods Act, the retailer is obliged to fix an appliance free of charge if it goes wrong after purchase.

"And - in theory at least - you have up to six years to make a claim if a product fails."

Rights and Wrongs has also reported in the past that the Office of Fair Trading echoes the advice to think carefully before paying for extended warranties.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.