THE family of a grandmother who died before she could use her new mobility scooter have hit out at the “heartless" firm who refused them a refund.

Eileen Robinson, a proud grandmother of five and the main carer for her 62-year-old Downs Syndrome nephew, died suddenly on Wednesday, February 27, just five days after she had taken delivery of the £850 scooter from Norton firm Bainbridge Mobility Ltd.

Mrs Robinson’s family approached the company shortly after her death, hoping to return the unused Roma Vegas scooter and use the refund to pay towards funeral costs for the 69-year-old, from Thornaby, near Middlesbrough.

Son Ken Robinson, also from Thornaby, said: "It was brand new. The only time it went out of her house was to let the paramedics and the mortician in to take her body away.

"Bainbridge just flat out said no, they wouldn’t refund us. They said they wouldn’t be able to do anything with the scooter and did not offer us anything at all.

“It is absolutely disgusting that any company can operate like that. They advertise themselves as a family firm but this smacks of greed and a total lack of compassion.

"They refuse to help us at all and are causing us more hassle at a very difficult time.”

Stephen Bainbridge, from Bainbridge Mobility, confirmed that the company would not be refunding the grief-stricken family.

He said: “The scooter was ordered in for her. If we took it back, we would be stuck with it.

"We have only ever sold one other like it before. The manufacturer won’t take it back because it is out of its packaging. I do not see how we could compensate them, they ordered it in.

"It is a difficult situation but it is not a matter of just putting it on the shop floor and hoping someone will buy it.

"If it was, we would do it but it is a specific scooter and we could have it sat there for a long time.”