When David Randall signed up for a home-delivered meal service he did not expect the run-around he was to be put through after noticing he had been overcharged by some $500.

When he dropped into the Register last week, he was resigned he would not get his money back but he wanted to warn elderly folk like himself to be very wary about signing up for a service that promised everything but delivered very little. We assured Mr Randall we would do everything in our power to get his money back.

He had been trying but the company, based in Queensland, kept telling him he needed to provide more bank details. This was despite the fact they had been direct debiting his account. He came to us saying he couldn’t understand how the company could take money out but not put it back in.

That was not his only complaint. When the first meals arrived some came with vacuum sealed rice sachets that were livid with mould and most certainly toxic. His complaints to the company seemed to go around in circles, something with which many of us are familiar when trying to sort out accounts that don’t add up. A man in his late 70s should not have to put up with such treatment.

All it took for the company to actually listen to Mr Randall’s complaint – and promise to act on it – was an inquiry from the Register. Suddenly, all the obfuscation evaporated, the accounts department agreed there was an overpayment and promised to put the money back in the account within 48 hours. 

The company even offered to recompense Mr Randall for the meals that arrived in a totally inedible state. 

To be able to stand up for a more vulnerable member of our community is something we love doing at the Register. To have a speedy resolution is even better.