7:02am Thursday 13th September 2007
By Neil Docking
ANGRY parents-to-be say they have been ripped off' by a pram store that has shut up shop.
The shutters have come down on nursery superstore Peekaboo, of Haydock Street, off Lythgoes Lane.
And customers say they are yet to receive their orders and are out of pocket.
Paul and Patricia Dowd, of Kingswood, paid £350 on August 11 for a Silver Cross 3D Pram System after they were offered a 10 per cent discount for immediate payment.
Mr Dowd, aged 31, says he called into the shop with his wife, who is six-months pregnant, over the August bank holiday and was reassured that the delivery was on its way.
But Peekaboo has been closed since last Wednesday and there is confusion over whether the pram was even ordered.
The dad-to-be said: "They have blatantly just ripped us off. They have just taken people's money and run.
"My mother- and father-in-law paid, so we have lost their present and it will cost us £700 for a pram now."
A spokesman for Silver Cross said Peekaboo ordered a 3D pram at a trade fair in March and this could have been intended for the Dowd family.
Andy Stokes, of Fairfield, paid £405 up front on August 4 for a double Babystyle buggy after being offered the same deal.
But he says his complaints were fobbed off and his girlfriend Katie Phelps is expecting twins next week.
Katie said: "We've bought other stuff from Peek-a-boo and I thought they were nice. But it's £400 gone."
Sharon Albinson, aged 23, of Orford, paid £150 as a deposit on a double buggy.
She said: "This might not sound like a lot but it is to a single mother.
"She (the Peekaboo saleswoman) told me it wouldn't be closed for long but the shutters are down.
"I have been told I won't get my money back."
Owner Jane Campbell could not be contacted by phone or letter by the Guardian. Peek-a-boo's telephone message says they are closed.
But speaking to the Warrington Guardian after complaints in August, she blamed problems with suppliers and difficult' customers.
She said: "We do our best but unfortunately that is never good enough for some people."
Edwina Greenwood, of Warrington trading standards, said: "We have had a number of inquiries from people who have placed orders that have not been fulfilled.
"We have checked with Companies House to see if the company has gone into liquidation - which it hasn't yet. And because it was a limited company there is sometimes a delay on this.
"But this could be a long-term process.
"If people paid with a credit card and paid more than £100 then they can claim from the credit card company.
"We do advise people to seek the extra protection of a credit card rather than a debit card or cash."
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk