Middlesbrough retailer sentenced after defrauding more than 20 customers

A Middlesbrough man has today (15 May 2026) been sentenced at Teesside Crown Court to an eight-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to complete 140 hours of unpaid work after taking more than £16,000 from customers across the UK for doors and furniture that were never delivered.

This sentence follows an investigation led by the National Trading Standards North East Regional Investigations Team, based within Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

John Paul Rowe, 43, of Hemlington, Middlesbrough, was sentenced after pleading guilty on 26 January 2026 to fraudulent trading between May 2022 and June 2023.

Rowe was the sole director of Sethcodoorstore Ltd, an online retailer selling doors and furniture through its website. The Trading Standards investigation identified over 20 customers who placed orders online, often paying in full in advance, with the expectation that goods would be delivered within stated timeframes.

Instead, many experienced repeated delays and were given false or misleading information about delivery and refunds. Despite ongoing issues with fulfilling orders, Rowe continued to accept payments and made assurances that refunds would be processed when they were not. Customer funds were retained and, in some cases, used for other business and personal expenditure.

Customers described repeated attempts to obtain updates by phone and email, often receiving assurances that deliveries or refunds would be processed, only for these promises to go unfulfilled. In several cases, consumers were forced to pursue chargebacks through their banks or take action through the County Court to recover their money, with some still waiting for payment despite judgments being made in their favour. Rowe’s total gain from the fraudulent trading was £16,175.

One customer alone paid more than £3,700 for goods that never arrived and was falsely told that a bank transfer refund had been sent. After months of chasing and further empty promises, he was forced to take legal action to recover his money. In another case, a purchase made on behalf of a charity led to concerns that donated funds had been lost, after repeated attempts to secure delivery or a refund went unanswered.

Ahead of the criminal investigation, National Trading Standards officers engaged with Rowe to address the growing number of complaints and seek assurances that affected customers would be refunded. Despite these interventions, complaints continued and refunds were not issued. Rowe continued to accept new orders, including after he became aware of Trading Standards’ involvement, while failing to resolveoutstanding customer losses.

Lord Michael Bichard, Chair of National Trading Standards, said:

“Members of the public were left out of pocket for months, chasing money that should have been returned without delay. Some were forced to take legal action to recover their own funds, while others were left in financial and emotional distress as promises of refunds were repeatedly broken.

“Payments continued to be taken despite repeated warnings and complaints were not resolved. This investigation shows that action will be taken to protect consumers and support honest businesses who play by the rules.

“Anyone who believes they have been targetedby unfair trading or fraud should report it to the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133.”