A Chadwell Heath man is considering legal action against an Ilford furniture shop after eight months waiting for a new bed.

Vijay Meher, of Freshwell Avenue, said he paid Exclusive Designs Furniture, in Ilford Lane, £500 up front for the £600 bed in September but has not received the bed or a refund.

Mr Meher, 38, said he told the shop he would accept a dining set as an alternative but nothing has been delivered. He added: “It wasn’t the whole cost but it was still a lot of money.

“They keep maintaining they will return the money but nothing happens.

“They say the supplier has a problem or the truck ran into problems.”

Invoices

Trading Standards investigated a complaint against Exclusive Designs Furniture earlier this year where they had not provided a correct business name and had put a no refunds statement on invoices.

Officers visited the shop and wrote to owners outlining their legal obligations.

A spokesman said Trading Standards are also aware of five complaints about goods not being delivered or being unsatisfactory.

She added: “As this is a civil matter, customers need to contact Citizens’ Advice Bureau for advice on challenging the shop for not meeting its contractual obligations.”

Trading Standards advises consumers to use credit cards where possible for additional payment protection.

Exclusive Designs has been closed for two weeks but a staff member said it would reopen soon.

The man, who did not want to be named, added that the closure was due to a dispute with the landlord over the lease agreement.

He said: “We will get people’s money back and sort the deliveries out within the week.”

The staff member said Mr Meher could not be refunded because the bed was a “special order” and he “couldn’t say” when the dining set would be delivered.