Dozens of customers have been left hundreds of pounds out of pocket after ordering garden furniture from a shop in Norwich's Castle Mall which suddenly shut.
Norfolk police are investigating and have arrested two men linked to the shop, called Retail Direct UK, and its website.
Retail Direct UK was selling garden furniture, barbecues, spas and trampolines at an outlet in the shopping centre as well as on its website.
MORE: Retail Direct UK in Norwich's Castle Mall shuts amid customer complaints
But customers have repeatedly complained about placing orders for goods which have not been delivered.
Sharon Davies, (pictured), from Poringland, spent almost £300 on an outdoor spa there two weeks ago: 'I saw it (the shop) had been there for a few weeks so I thought it was kosher. I questioned them about how they could get it so cheap. They said they bulk bought them in winter. There was a pile of order forms on the table and I thought it would be OK.'
She was told the spa would take seven to 14 days to come and she would get a call to arrange delivery but she is yet to hear anything from them.
Alan Sabol, 42, from Norwich, bought garden furniture has also complained after his wife paid £170 for chairs and a table which were meant to be delivered on Tuesday but have not appeared.
He phoned Castle Mall and has also contacted the agency the unit was let through, Shoppertainment.
'You have confidence knowing it is in Castle Mall,' he said.
Jenna, 40, from Thorpe St Andrew, spent £70 on an egg chair for her garden at the outlet: 'I had wanted one for a while and just thought I'd get it,' she said.
She paid on debit card and was told it would arrive within two weeks but is yet to hear anything.
Another customer who bought an egg chair, Rachel from Norwich, said she had contacted Trading Standards after her order never arrived: 'I went in about two weeks ago and was just walking past and saw one. I've always wanted one and saw it was £70. I thought because it was in the Mall it would be OK.'
The man in the shop told her delivery would take about five days.
Another customer, Jayne Ling, 54, from north Norwich, said: 'Normally I would stay away but in Castle Mall I thought it would be OK to use and people were queuing up to buy furniture while we were in there.'
She bought a garden settee and two chairs for £65 for her new house. She ordered it last week and then went on holiday, but she is not expecting anything to now be delivered after hearing about the problems other customers have had.
On Monday, when this newspaper tried to place an order at Retaildirectuk.co.uk, a message said it was unable to take payment. The company's phoneline was also not working.
Retail Direct UK's website says it has a 'collection point and showroom' in Castle Mall on Level One near TK Maxx but when we visited on Monday it was closed.
The general manager of Castle Mall, Robert Bradley, said the shopping centre was helping with the ongoing police investigation
'We pride ourselves on customer service and quality of retailers and unfortunately on this occasion we have had one which has not quite been up to that standard,' he said.
Retail Direct UK moved into Castle Mall in April through an agency called Shoppertainment but Castle Mall ended the lease last week amid customer concerns.
Mr Bradley said the Mall had worked with the firm at the start to try to address customer concerns.
The company behind Retail Direct UK is called Go Direct Online UK Ltd. It is registered to a London address and was set up in January 2017.
A Norfolk police spokesman said a man in his 20s and a man in his 70s have been arrested in relation to allegations of fraud. The men have been released under investigation while enquiries continue.
•'I'm annoyed with myself'
Customers have repeatedly left negative reviews about Retail Direct UK on website Trustpilot.com
Of the 20 reviews on the site as of Tuesday afternoon, 17 have rated the firm as one out of five.
Juliette Grossman, from Surrey, left a review after placing an order on the Retail Direct website at the start of April when she saw an advert for it on Gumtree.
She spent £40 on a table and chairs which have not been delivered.
'I'm annoyed with myself,' she said.
One reviewer wrote: 'Extremely disappointed is an understatement. Ordered almost 3 weeks ago in-store. Was promised 3 delivery dates. No show. Had to take time off work to stay home for these dates.'
Another said she had saved for a trampoline for her disabled son but it had never appeared.
Retail Direct UK's website states it has a 'generous exchange, refund and returns policy'.
•What the company says
One of those arrested said, on behalf of the company, that they would do their best to refund everyone who had lost money.
Many of the goods were marketed as significantly below the RRP and cheaper than named stores.
He claimed the company achieved this by taking smaller profits on the goods.
He also claimed the company did their best to deliver the goods.
•Anyone who purchased goods which have not been delivered should contact DC Graham Kett at Norwich CID by calling 101.
•Do you have a story which needs investigating? Email tom.bristow@archant.co.uk or call 01603 772834
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