Farepak OAPs await refund (From This Is Wiltshire)

Farepak OAPs await refund

2:45pm Thursday 6th November 2008

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COLLAPSED Christmas hamper company Farepak, which went bust two years ago leaving west Wiltshire residents out of pocket, are taken to the High Court by liquidators giving new hope to customers affected by their demise.

Farepak went into administration in October 2006 leaving 150,000 people across the UK £40m worse off.

Customers were originally told they would only receive 5p for every £1 they had saved but now legal action has now been started at the High Court in London by Berkshire-based liquidators.

Mary Daniells, 82, and her husband Percy, 86, who have been married 61 years and live in Anne Close, Westbury, lost more than £600 through the collapse of Farepak.

Their daughter and granddaughter, who was a Farepak agent, lost a combined amount of £1,300.

Mrs Daniells is not buoyed by the news that Farepak are being taken to court and believes her family will never see their money again.

She said: “We’ve received no compensation and neither has my daughter or granddaughter.

“My granddaughter had three children to buy presents for and one had meningitis. She bought gifts for the children and a food hamper so she really lost out.

“I think the owners of the company should be brought to book for it because if we owed someone money we’d be taken to court and made to pay it back, or we’d be put in prison.

“The company directors had big flash cars and went on nice holidays and they’ve left their customers with nothing.

“But to be truthful it’s gone on so long now that I can’t see us getting any of our money back.

“I feel sorry for the people who are on their own and have no support. We were lucky because family and friends helped us out.

“I used to be a lollipop lady in Westbury and even one of the children I used to cross over came to my door and gave me a food parcel which was very sweet of her.

“It affected us that Christmas because we only receive a pension and we paid money into the Farepak scheme every week so we had no other money to buy presents with.”

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