MORE THAN 1,000 consumers who paid deposits totalling more than €1 million to furniture firm Jim Langan, which is now in liquidation, are unlikely to receive the items they ordered.

Tempers flared at a creditors’ meeting held yesterday in Stillorgan, Co Dublin, where the company’s owner, Jim Langan, was berated by hundreds of irate customers who paid deposits, and in many cases paid in full, for furniture they have not received.

The Dublin retailer, which had showrooms in Liffey Valley and Carrickmines, closed in March after failing to secure funding from banks and outside investors.

According to its statement of affairs, the company owes customers €1,004,325 in deposits. Trade creditors are owed €942,683. The retailers’ other debts include €380,735 due in VAT, and €300,794 in PAYE and PRSI, while Bank of Scotland Ireland is owed €275,695.

Jim Stafford, of corporate recovery firm Stafford Friel, who was appointed as liquidator at the meeting, said customers will only receive their furniture if it is in the company’s warehouse or showrooms and has been specifically allocated to them. Otherwise, they will be ranked as unsecured creditors, behind secured creditors such as the Revenue, and are unlikely to receive recompense. Mr Stafford will post updates for creditors on www.liquidation.ie

Customers who paid by credit card may be able to get a refund through their card provider, but those who paid by cash, laser card or cheque will have to join the back of the queue as unsecured creditors.

One particularly angry depositor had paid €1,100 for a sofa. She and her children are “still sitting on deckchairs”, as she can’t afford another sofa. Another customer complained that she had ordered a table and a set of chairs. “Lucky enough I got my table but I never got my chairs,” she said. “Do you want my deckchairs?” the first customer joked.

A pensioner and widow told Mr Langan she had paid more than €1,000 for furniture she never got. “My money is hard got and I have no comeback,” she said.

Several customers had borrowed to put deposits on items of furniture and are paying off the loans even though they never received their orders.