A pensioner has thanked the Bury Times after winning a battle to receive a refund on a £3,200 TV.

Fred Pollitt, aged 93, of Lupin Avenue, Farnworth, bought the BeoVision Horizon set from Bang & Olufsen in Ramsbottom at the end of March, but decided he wanted to return it less than a week later.

However, the luxury electronics retailer refused him a refund, which he claims they said was because his wife Kath had signed away their right to a cooling off period.

But after the intervention of a neighbour, the Bury Times, and the Consumer Action Group, Mr Pollitt has now been awarded a full refund. He said: “I got in touch with them and said I was interested in buying a TV.

“This guy brought me a magazine and I said I liked that one. He told us it would be ten times better than anything we had ever seen or heard.

“We thought it must be out of this world because I could get six for that price. This was a present to my wife. I would rather spend my savings on her at my age.”

A demonstration at Mr Pollitt’s home was then arranged, after which he bought the TV. However, after its arrival on April 5, he said it fell below their expectations.

Mr Pollitt said: “We were watching it and the sound went a bit funny and then the picture suddenly went darker and darker. We persevered with it and then everything went black. It wasn't all it was cracked up to be."

Mr Pollitt’s neighbour, Andy Jamieson, then wrote a letter to Bang & Olufsen on his behalf requesting a refund, which was denied.

“They said we can’t have a refund,” said Mr Pollitt. “But I understood that within 14 days, you can say ‘we don’t want this’. It’s a cooling off period. Their argument is that this form Kath signed means that does not apply.”

However, the Consumer Action Group claims it is not possible to sign away your right to a cooling off period.

Mrs Pollitt then wrote a letter to the firm and the saga had a happy ending last Friday when someone from Bang & Olufsen visited the house with a cheque for £3,200 to take the TV away.

Mr Pollitt said: “The pressure was on them to do something. I think the Bury Times having been there has forced their hand. There was no mention of this last week.”

A spokesman for Bang & Olufsen said they had offered to look at the fault. Then a refund was denied because the letter requesting it ‘has to come from a customer’.

They added that on receipt of a letter from Mrs Pollitt, ‘it was decided to refund the customer in full, as they did not want him to be unhappy’.