Phillip Kitson and his brother Christopher Kitson, whom he employed, were found guilty of attempting to scam customers by overcharging for unnecessary boiler replacements.

The case involving two separate incidents was brought to Wolverhampton Crown Court after an investigation by Dudley Trading Standards.

The court heard that in October 2018 Phillip Kitson, 41, owner of Gastek Solutions Ltd, quoted a 78-year-old woman £1950 for a boiler replacement. However, the woman got advice from her family and decided not to proceed with the work.

Phillip Kitson responded by harassing her for payment, claiming she had signed a contract. He even threatened to involve debt collectors.

Phillip pleaded guilty to eight offences of unfair trading and received a 12-month suspended prison sentence, 120 hours of unpaid work, and was ordered to pay £3,100 in court costs.

In a separate incident in February 2019, Phillip’s brother Christopher attended a home in Dudley where the boiler had stopped working and advised the homeowner to replace it for approximately £4500.

The customer paid a deposit of £200. However, it was later discovered that a lever on the gas meter was out of position, causing the boiler to malfunction. With the lever pushed back into place the boiler returned to normal operation.

When the homeowner cancelled the order, Christopher Kitson refused to refund the deposit and sent an invoice demanding full payment for the installation. He even instructed bailiffs to enforce the alleged debt.

Christopher Kitson was found guilty of fraud and three offences of unfair trading after a trial in June. He received an 18-month community order, 120 hours of unpaid work, and was ordered to pay court costs of £8000.