A CITY father who was let down by a national furniture retailer will now see his kitchen finished by Christmas, thanks to the generosity of a local firm which stepped in to help.

As reported in the Echo, Alistair Garden, of Woodwater Lane, had ordered a kitchen from MFI, on Sowton Industrial Estate, but soon realised the store had sent him 14 mismatching handles for the cabinets.

Alistair returned the faulty handles and was promised new ones would be delivered — but none arrived.

Then the retail giant went into administration, and when Alistair went along to the store and demanded he should be given the handles, managers called the police.

Now, Paul Walters, owner of Gourmet Kitchens, a family-run business in Exeter's Guildhall, has given Alistair the handles he needed free of charge.

"I'm over the moon," said Alistair. "Before Paul rang me, I had tried every single merchant in Exeter, over eight places, but no one could source the identical handles. I started scouring the internet, but with no success.

"It was essential I had identical handles because I had already drilled the eight correct ones in to the cabinets, so if I had got different ones, I would have had to replace eight doors as well.

"I saw Paul and in 10 minutes he found the handles through his contacts. I am so pleased he has helped me in the way he has.

"Now I can put the handles in and we will have the kitchen ready for Christmas."

Mr Walters said he had read the story in the Echo about Alistair's misery with MFI, and decided he wanted to help.

"I saw the article, and I thought, this is really bad, the way big companies treat their customers.

"That customers who have paid for something are not given what is their property is awful. So I thought, let's try to help him out, and we did."

Mr Walters has been running Gourmet Kitchens, an independent shop, since 1976.

He warned shoppers to be careful when putting deposits down for goods and to do background checks on suppliers.

"It looks like the same thing that happened to Alistair could happen to others," he said.

"We tell customers that if they are going to have a kitchen, check out the company they are purchasing it from.

"Check how credit-worthy the supplier is, look at bank letters from bank managers, and ask old customers about the business.

"What happened to Alistair was absolutely appalling. You just don't treat people like that. It is ridiculous. There is something not right there at all.

"I think people don't give enough credit to independent retailers. If we can help out, we will."

MFI remains in the hands of administrator MCR which is trying to find a buyer for the firm.