A pensioner faced a £1,800 loss on a special bath he ordered after suffering a stroke - until Rights and Wrongs stepped in.

Alan Gaunt, of Saltaire, said his 75-year-old stepfather ordered the £3,650 walk-in bath from Hampshire-based Aquability on October 18, paying a £1,825 deposit.

Six days later his stepfather suffered a stroke and was taken into hospital.

"I phoned them on October 25 and explained what had happened and we agreed to place the order on hold until we knew what was happening," said Mr Gaunt.

Several weeks later his stepfather's carer and a Social Services worker said the bath would be unnecessary so Mr Gaunt wrote cancelling the order.

"I received a letter in December saying the firm wouldn't refund the money because it had already incurred about £2,000 in expenses," Mr Gaunt said.

"I think £1,800 is a lot of money for anyone - especially a 75-year-old. It was his hard-earned money and now he has lost it with nothing to show."

A West Yorkshire Trading Standards spokesman said the company was entirely within its rights to keep the deposit.

"The complainant may hold the moral high ground, but the company is in the right," he said.

"If a contract is made, as it was in this case, and if there is then a breach, then the company is entitled to claim loss of profit."

Rights and Wrongs contacted Aquability and spoke to sales director David Ramsay who said the order for the bath was put through to the manufacturers as soon as it was received.

"The order was put on hold but the manufacture of the bath was not," he said.

"As a result we have incurred about £2,000 of costs.

"But I am quite happy to give Mr Gaunt a credit for £1,825 against any other mobility product whether it be a shower, a stairlift or anything else which may help his stepfather.

"If we can help him in some other way, we will."

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