A pensioner has warned others not to blindly accept the word of trades people who carry out work on their homes after she landed herself with a month-long headache.

Margaret Wright, 68, of White Horse Drive, Epsom, found herself overcharged to the tune of £385 then couldn’t contact the company responsible to obtain a refund.

She enlisted a business to carry out tree removal work in her garden but was not happy with the results.

The divorced Bourne Hall volunteer, who has lived in the area since 1982, had the work carried out on June 25 after agreeing to an upfront quotation of £700, which she was told was a reduced rate, plus a disposal cost of £170 per tonne.

Six men duly removed the 10ft viburnum hedge and the stump of what had been a 7ft high plum tree in little under an hour and told her the amount to be disposed was 3.5 tonnes.

Mrs Wright was already unhappy when she paid in cash only to be told she couldn’t have a receipt, but was even angrier when she spoke to SITA – the waste management company – who confirmed it only cost the company £60 per tonne to dispose of garden waste.

After writing and calling several times with no reply, Mrs Wright turned to the Epsom Guardian, and this newspaper managed to speak by phone one of the owners who agreed on Tuesday to return £300.

Satisfied with this outcome, Mrs Wright asked us not to identify the firm in question as she wished to avoid any further aggravation.

However, she asked to tell her story anyway as she wants fellow pensioners to avoid the hassle she experienced.

She said: "It ended up being more trouble than it was worth. I’m incredibly grateful to The Guardian; I doubt I ever would have got my money back without their help.

"I hope this serves as a warning to others to check all details thoroughly before you agree to spend your money."