A PENSIONER and his 100-year-old mother have been waiting more than THREE MONTHS for repairs to a solar heating system. William Dennis Parker, 76, of Flambards Close, Meldreth, originally bought the solar system from Poole-based company Ultimate Energy in

A PENSIONER and his 100-year-old mother have been waiting more than THREE MONTHS for repairs to a solar heating system.

William Dennis Parker, 76, of Flambards Close, Meldreth, originally bought the solar system from Poole-based company Ultimate Energy in March 2007, at a cost of £9,995.

And since then the system, which can provide up to 40 per cent of the energy needed to heat his water and radiators, has been beset by problems.

The latest fault occurred in March, and 58 calls and three months later, Mr Parker is still no closer to getting it fixed.

Mr Parker, who lives with his mother Gertrude, said: "When I call they always say leave it with us, and we will get back to you.

"They never do."

And on one occasion when an engineer did come to look at the system, he was not really prepared.

Mr Parker, a retired vehicle mechanic, said: "I told him what was wrong, and he said all he had brought was two spanners!"

"They sent a bloke on a 350-mile round trip with two spanners."

Mr Parker has since contacted Trading Sandards, and South Cambridgeshire MP Andrew Lansley.

Mr Parker said: "I rang Trading Standards and they said that I should get somebody else in to repair it and then send the bill to Ultimate Energy.

"But I read the small print of my contract, and if I do that, the guarantee is null and void."

Mr Lansley wrote to Ultimate Energy's managing director Floyd Lewis on June 16, to ask when Mr Parker's repairs would be carried out.

To date, Mr Lansley's constituency office has not received a reply.

And Mr Parker, who works part-time as a driver for Royston & District Community Transport and Cambridgeshire County Council, has sent a letter of his own to Mr Lewis.

He said: "I have asked him for compensation for loss of earnings and he hasn't even replied."

And when asked if he would ever give the company his custom again, Mr Parker said: "I would not give them the drippings from my nose."

The Crow called Trading Standards in Poole, Dorset, and asked if it had received any other complaints about Ultimate Energy.

Jane Burrows, Trading Standards officer for Poole Council, said: "We know of the company because it is based in our area, and we would be aware of any issues possibly relating to the company, but I can't give you any more specifics than that."

The Crow also posed a number of questions to Mr Lewis about the service Mr Parker has received.

We were promised answers by Mr Lewis - to date we have had none.