Sick miner left in lurch

Oct 23 2011 by Mr Justice, Sunday Sun

A RETIRED miner in ill health has lost £2,000 after buying a portable oxygen device from the internet.

Joseph Hunt, 69, found someone flogging the device while browsing the web.

But the machine does not work and the firm he bought it from has apparently vanished.

Joseph, of Easington Colliery, County Durham, fears he will never see his money again.

He suffers from emphysema and pneumoconiosis after spending his working life in the pits.

He said: “I saw a website for Aeir Concentrators Ltd. They were selling something called an Aeir Distinct and I thought it was the thing for me.

“It was a machine I could carry around with me and which would have given me freedom to get out and about.

“Apparently, it makes its own air so I would not have had to rely on a oxygen tank any more. It sounded ideal.

“But there were problems as soon as the machine was delivered.

“There was no manual telling me how to work it and I even got an electric shock.

“I tried to get in touch with the company again but all I got was a recorded message asking me to leave a number and someone would be in touch.

“No one was in touch and now I have lost almost £2,000 which I can’t afford.”

The device, described as an air concentrator, boasts it can supply medical-grade oxygen to patients.

It comes with a battery, can be carried on the person, and weighs 3.9kg (8.6lbs).

Joseph received an email from Christopher Quinn telling him how to make the bank transfer. The transfer was made under a CHAPS payment, meaning the money was transferred on the same day.

I tried to contact Christopher Quinn on his email – info@aeir.co.uk – but my message bounced back.

A call to the telephone number provided to Joseph was met with a message saying there was no one available to take my call.

An attempt to access Aeir Concentrators website was met with a network error.

And no one has yet replied to a letter sent to their address at Office 36, 88-90 Hatton Garden, London.

Joseph said: “I put my faith in these people and they have let me down badly.

I may be old, and I may be ill, but I could cheerfully strangle them.”