THE owner of a Torfaen window-repair business is demanding an apology from local assembly member Lynne Neagle after she complained about his company to Trading Standards.

Ms Neagle says she raised the company’s behaviour after concern for an elderly and unwell constituent.

Dean Cubitt, who owns Llantarnam-based The Window Doctor, said a sales representative attended a Pontypool home in January after an elderly man said he wanted a patio window repaired.

The resident was told the job would cost £260 and he signed a contract agreement agreeing for the work to be undertaken.

But Mr Cubitt claims when Window Doctor staff phoned the customer to sort a date for the work, he said he was unwell and that he doubted he would see the week out, "giving us the impression he only had days to live”.

Mr Cubitt then claims the customer, when phoned a second time, said he wanted to cancel. And said that Window Doctor staff phoned him for a third time to say “he had signed an order and we would hold him to it”.

In an e-mail seen by the Argus - which was circulated to National Assembly support staff, Torfaen council representatives and Mr Cubitt – Torfaen AM Lynne Neagle said it was “completely unacceptable” for the company to insist the elderly man should pay for the work despite asking for cancellation.

In the e-mail, she said: “As you know the issue of scams affecting older people has been an issue of national prominence recently and I am extremely concerned that this may be such a case.”

Ms Neagle claimed the customer told her Window Doctor staff 'pressed' him and were 'particularly rude to him and would not accept the cancellation request' despite him being unwell.

Mr Cubitt now wants Ms Neagle to apologise for “not consulting with us first about this matter, and insinuating we are a ‘scam’ company”. The customer has since paid court costs of £35.

He said: “We only contacted the customer three times. I can’t believe she’s calling me a scam company.

“She didn’t even speak to me to get my side of things. I’ve got rights as a constituent as well.”

He added: “We were very much aggrieved by her presumption and would like her to retract that comment.”

Mr Cubitt said his sale representative did not use “bully boy tactics” when agreeing the contract with the customer.

Gerald Elias QC, Standards Commissioner at the National Assembly for Wales, is looking into the matter following an e-mail sent to him by Mr Cubitt.

But in a statement, Ms Neagle said: “Having been approached by an elderly and unwell constituent who needed help and support, I wrote to trading standards on their behalf to try and resolve the situation.

Above all, I was very concerned about the health and wellbeing of the elderly constituent at the heart of this who was feeling really distressed; as the company have since confirmed, my constituent had informed them that they were very unwell - indeed they confirmed they were under the impression he may only have days to live.

“When constituents approach me for help, quite rightly, I believe they would expect no less from me than to make robust representations to the appropriate authorities, which is exactly what I did in this case by approaching trading standards.”