Cabby who lost £4,000 is awarded £12.50

Stewart Bryk thought he was getting a good deal when he bought a Daewoo Lanos in June 2002. The dealer at Enfield business park in north London promised the disabled former cab driver that the new car would have free servicing and warranty for three years, and that a hands-free mobile phone would be fitted.

Stewart Bryk thought he was getting a good deal when he bought a Daewoo Lanos in June 2002. The dealer at Enfield business park in north London promised the disabled former cab driver that the new car would have free servicing and warranty for three years, and that a hands-free mobile phone would be fitted.

However, when the car was delivered, not only did it not have a phone, but it had a dent on its offside front wing. Mr Bryk complained.

"The dealer said: 'Just take it, and I'll pick it up in a fortnight and sort it all out,'" he recalls.

But the man did not come back and when Mr Bryk tried to get in touch with the dealership he got no reply. Eventually he discovered the whole group was in administration. He never got his phone, had to have the dent repaired himself, and received neither his warranty nor the free servicing.

He contacted Ernst & Young, the administrators, and was told they had no record of his purchase. He photocopied his records and sent them off. In the end, after months of fighting, he received £12.50 in compensation. Mr Bryk ended up selling the car for just £2,000, losing £4,000.

His case has been taken up by Françoise Budd, who is campaigning for people who lost out in the collapse of the car maker Daewoo. She said: "In view of the large number of insolvencies affecting customers, a review of the conduct and practices employed by the insolvency profession is long overdue."