A woman fighting for compensation over a poorly-built conservatory is being thwarted in her attempts to claim nearly £3,000 awarded to her by a county Court judge.
Tina McMahon, of Flawith Drive, Fagley, paid Bradford-based Boss Secure & Style Ltd about £9,000 for a conservatory in January, 2008.
After the work was complete a surveyor’s report found 13 items of disrepair, including the floor not being level with that of the living room, the frame being fractured, daylight being seen between the external double rear doors and the gutters being incorrectly aligned.
A Bradford County Court judge ruled in September, 2009, the company should pay Mrs McMahon and her husband £2,985 in one lump sum.
She said although the company originally offered to pay in instalments of £100 a month, she did not accept this, and it was the ruling of the court she should get all the cash back in 14 days.
The money was not paid and bailiffs have attended the company’s given address several times since the warrant was issued.
A letter to the McMahons after the most recent visit said the bailiff’s warrant could not be executed because the bailiff was informed the debtor had ceased trading at the address, the debtor had no saleable goods at the address and local inquiries had not indicated the debtor’s whereabouts.
Mrs McMahon said: “It’s been a nightmare for us the last few years.
“I honestly thought I’d be able to get my money back.
“I’m at the end of my tether. I don’t know what to do now.
“I can’t afford to be thousands of pounds short.
“I don’t want anybody else to go through what I have been through.
“The judge has made a decision and that should stand.”
A spokesman for HM Courts Service said: “County Court bailiffs will do everything within their powers to recover the debt owed but no court can guarantee that a claimant will get their money back.”
A spokesman for West Yorkshire Trading Standards has confirmed it is now investigating Mrs McMahon’s case.
The Telegraph & Argus was unable to contact Boss Secure & Style Ltd for a comment. A different company – Boss Security (UK) Ltd – is listed by Companies House as operating from its former address in Nesfield Street, Manningham, Bradford.
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