AN ANDOVER pensioner has spoken of her disappointment after a charity rejected her furniture donation and claimed the two-year-old item was “unsellable”.

Barbara Coleman, 80, who lives with her husband Les in Lion Oak Court care home on Salisbury Road, was miffed after collectors from the British Heart Foundation rejected her offer of a Caxton display cabinet, deeming it “scratched and damaged”.

(Inset) - The cabinet which the British Heart Foundation deemed as 'unsellable'.

Andover Advertiser:

 

The gran had originally asked the charity to collect the cab i n e t , which was bought for n e a r l y £700 in 2013, to give care home staff b e t t e r access to assist Mr Coleman, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease.

However when the staff arrived to pick up the furniture they quickly pointed out scratches and refused to take it away saying they would be unable to sell it.

Mrs Coleman says the cabinet is “in great condition”. When an Advertiser reporter visited the couple and inspected the furniture for himself, he found only very minor scratches on it.

Since the Advertiser got involved, the charity has apologised and launched an internal investigation.

Mrs Coleman said: “They insulted me in my own home so I told them to get out of my house.

“They said it was all scratched and that they couldn’t sell it, but I only bought it two-and-a-half years ago and it’s worth a lot of money.

“I’ve seen some of the furniture they have in their shop and this is much better. I won’t be donating anything to them again and I’ve told my friends not to either.

“I spoke to the manager who explained why they had rejected it, but I still feel insulted.”

Mrs Coleman’s son, 52-year-old Mark, was also disappointed.

He said: “It’s a heart foundation without a heart.

“At the end of the day you are giving something to a charity and even if they sell it for £10, it’s still money going to a good cause.”

Paul Pritchard, BHF area manager, said: “We apologise for any inconvenience or distress caused to Barbara and her husband.

“Our drivers should always treat customers with politeness and respect, and we will be launching an internal investigation into what happened on this occasion.

“We value all of our customers and their donations, and our customer service team has been in touch with Barbara to discuss the incident.”

Mrs Coleman said the cabinet has now been given away to a young married couple “in need” and that they have promised to take good care of it.