A PENSIONER claims a window company that was shamed on BBC's Watchdog last week owes him £500.

Four days before Coldseal was disgraced on air on Tuesday last week, Roy Ingram asked The Chronicle to help him get his money back.

The 69-year-old, of Abbot's Park, Chester, says if the company stumps up the cash he we will donate it all to charity.

'I have been through months of hell with Coldseal,' said Mr Ingram. 'I felt I had to speak out when their salesmen rang last week, trying to sell me windows again. I was boiling mad.

'It's not just about the money any-more, I want to warn people so that this doesn't happen to others.'

Mr Ingram says he agreed to buy windows from the company, then called Coldseal Ltd, last October after a cold-call from a salesman.

A surveyor was sent out and Mr Ingram's order was priced up. But as soon as the company's representative left, Mr Ingram realised all was not as it seemed.

He said: 'He tried to sell me finance and I did not want it at first, I wanted to pay straight up. But I was persuaded because he said that I would be able to pay it off in larger chunks in a few months.

'After he had gone, I read the agree-ment and I realised that I would not be able to do as I had asked at all.'

Mr Ingram and his wife Ann contacted Coldseal and asked that the finance agreement was cancelled. Coldseal then sent round a representative to collect a cash deposit of £422 from the couple.

Then the company called to say that because the Ingrams had altered their agreement, their windows would have to be surveyed again.

'I couldn't understand that because I still had the same windows as the week before, but they insisted and an appointment was arranged - but nobody turned up,' said Mr Ingram.

Mr Ingram called Coldseal and claims he was kept waiting on the phone for nearly five hours.

When he eventually got through, he demanded his deposit back and was told that he would soon receive it.

Ann said: 'The money never arrived. Roy is on medication for his heart, so I decided to make the next phone call. I was told I was worrying about nothing and the money was as good as in the bank.'

By January, when they still had not received their money, the Ingrams went to a solicitor who demanded their deposit, interest and legal fees.

But then Coldseal Ltd went into receivership and became Coldseal Group Ltd. The Ingrams' solicitor told them there was nothing more she could do.

Roy said: 'They got away with it because they changed their name.'

Coldseal has had a number of company names: Bryco, Coldseal, Cold-seal Windows and Doors, Coldseal Conservatories, and Coldseal Group Ltd.

BBC presenters said 270 people have complained to Watchdog about Coldseal in the last four months.

Furious customers had described the company and its staff as incompetent, rude, shoddy, aggressive and unprofessional. Viewers claimed to have called the helpline as much as 50 times and waited up tp 20 months for problems to be put right.

On the programme, a spokesman for Coldseal apologised and said each case would be investigated to find out what went wrong and to stop it happening again.

The Chronicle rang Coldseal and spoke to the company's spokeswoman about Mr Ingram's money. She did not return the call.