A PROFESSIONAL musician and former Durham County Councillor got more than he bargained for when he ordered an eye-catching hat to wear on stage.

Phil Graham, of Park View Terrace, New Coundon near Bishop Auckland, is making a remarkable recovery after being struck down by a rare disease of the nervous system, Guillain Barre Syndrome, two years ago. Discharged from hospital in August last year, he is now able to walk with crutches and unaided indoors.

Not letting his disability get in the way of enjoying his life, the former postman and trade unionist was looking for a new hat to enhance his stage presence as lead singer with his band, Share the Darkness when he saw a stunning red Fedora.

The internet company selling it, Brands Shop – internet address brownsinvestigations.co.uk - appeared to be above board and based in the UK, selling a wide range of branded goods. He ordered the hat for £25 and eagerly awaited its arrival.

However, some days later, he received something different from what he was expecting - a squashed straw hat that would make Worzel Gummidge look untidy.

Mr Graham said: “When the hat arrived, we had a laugh about it because it was the sort of thing you would buy in a bucket and spade shop on Skegness sea-front for about £1.99. It wasn’t the right one and it wasn’t even the right size.”

Reasonably – or so he thought - he sent another email asking for the right hat or a full refund but was startled to receive the following reply.

It read: “We have checked your picture, we find all that are our new arrival model, that are more cooler than you ordered, so we hope you can keep them, many thx!”

The company weren’t budging. They wanted him to accept the hat because, as they eloquently put it, it was “more cooler” than the one he had ordered. A few checks on the internet revealed that Brand Shop was using a foreign distributer.

Another email was called for, in which the same reasonable demands were made. This time, Mr Graham received an (almost) illegible reply asking him to accept a 5 per cent refund.

The normally patient Mr Graham was now getting a tad tetchy but he immediately resent his original email. Quarter of an hour later, he received the following, whimpering reply:

“Hi, how much refund will u agree?” it said, to which the now distinctly cross musician called The Northern Echo.

The Brands Shop was offered the opportunity to reply but chose not to respond.