A FAMILY say they were stunned after selling off their war hero father’s possessions to help pay his care costs – and receiving just £3.73.
Alzheimer’s sufferer Andrew Brown, 91, had to leave his Jesmond home in April, three years after being diagnosed with dementia.
To help cover the £620-a-week needed to provide 24-hour care for the RAF veteran, who flew gliders into Holland in World War Two, his son Len asked Newcastle auctioneers Anderson & Garland to clear his Eskdale Terrace flat.
But following a sale last month that raised £580, the family were left “shocked and depressed” to find almost all of the proceeds had been eaten up in commission, insurance, website and carriage fees.
“I think they just sent a cheque for £3.73 without thinking how we would react,” said Len, 53, who grew up near Morpeth before moving to Newcastle. “It’s hard to accept that the sale of my dad’s personal possessions has raised so little to help him at this difficult time.
“The valuation team were full of charm and enthusiasm when they visited us. They put on an Antiques Roadshow-style performance but gave us no information about the high level of costs involved.
“We expected them to take a reasonable commission but instead it seems like they’ve grabbed everything.”
A former horticultural adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and an active member of Jesmond Parish Church, Mr Brown was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2008.
In April this year his family decided to move the Newcastle United fan to a nursing home nearer to where they live in Southwell, Nottinghamshire. Last night Andrew McCoull, senior partner at Anderson & Garland, said Mr Brown had “jumped the gun” and there was “no need to panic”.
He said: “We were asked to go to a flat in Eskdale Mansions, Jesmond, and remove the contents and sell whatever we could and dispose of what we couldn’t sell. The bill for that included removing a piano and came to £434.40 including VAT. It would have been pointed out to vendors that removal costs are deducted from the first invoice.
“So the proceeds they’ve got so far are quite rightly for a small sum of money – but we have more stuff to sell for them.
“I’m not aware of any complaint but if we had received one we would have said ‘don’t panic, you’ll do OK at the end of the day’. We’ve been in business in Newcastle for a long time and a reputation to keep. If we had a disgruntled client there is no way we would not want to sort it out.
“Hopefully Mr Brown will be delighted by the time we’ve finished and if he’s not satisfied then we’d expect him to get in touch with me.”
