A 78-year-old man lost £500 after he had bought two appliances for his new home on the outskirts of Norwich.

Paul Carrick, of Breck Farm Lane in Taverham, had just moved from Hevingham with his wife Madelyn in January, and decided to pay for a dishwasher and fridge freezer from Power Direct.

But after the items did not arrive, Mr Carrick grew increasingly suspicious as his emails and phone calls were ignored by the company, which is based just outside Leeds.

He said he feels the need to warn others after discovering hundreds of other people across the UK appear to have been scammed by Power Direct.

Around half of the company's 4,399 Trustpilot reviews have a one-star rating, with the vast majority of customers stating they paid for items - only to never see them arrive.

Eastern Daily Press: Many other customers have posted to say they have been scammed by Power Direct on TrustpilotMany other customers have posted to say they have been scammed by Power Direct on Trustpilot (Image: Trustpilot)

Mr Carrick was able to claim his money back from his bank through the cashback scheme, which he also felt others should be aware of.

He said: "A lot of people who have lost their money probably did not even contact the bank knowing there was this chargeback scheme. As soon as I rang Lloyds, they looked it up and refunded it straightaway.

"It is important to highlight this scheme will be implemented even if it is direct debit rather than credit card. I had a bad experience but it has been resolved now."

Power Direct's website is down with a message saying it is "currently in maintenance". The company describes itself as an "independent electrical retailer based in Leeds delivering the very best appliances direct from the manufacturers on a daily basis".

An automated message says no staff are available at present when this newspaper contacted the company for comment.

Mr Carrick said: "We had just moved house and I looked around to find their prices were not cheap, but competitive without the knowledge I know now.

"After it happened, my wife told me she had looked online and lots of people were saying they had been done over £600 to £700. It's just amazing all banks have chargeback schemes."