A HUDDERSFIELD businesswoman has urged people to steer clear of an “awful” company after she was stung with a £1,000 bill.

Representatives of Nottingham-based Britannia Law phoned Faye Hallas and offered to try to reduce the amount of business rates she pays on XTG Hair Salon in Byram Arcade.

She told the Examiner how the company took her expression of interest over the phone as a verbal contract.

Ms Hallas added that Britannia Law had demanded £500 and then more than £1,000 without providing any proof that they had tried to reduce her rates.

She said: “I was contacted back in November. They rang a couple of times saying that they could reduce the rates. With the recession, where you can cut costs, you’re going to try it.

“I said I don’t mind looking into it but definitely not if you were going to charge me more than the amount coming back.

“Apparently the conversation was recorded and this was a verbal agreement.

“They said ‘we will send you out lots of paperwork, if you don’t want to go ahead, send it back’.”

Ms Hallas, 30, of Shepley, was surprised to receive a bill from Britannia Law.

“A few weeks after that they sent me a bill for £500,” she said.

“I don’t mind them carrying out work for us but I didn’t realise they wanted money up front.

“I rang them and asked what they had done, we hadn’t received any money.

“My business partner rang the rates office and they said they hadn’t received anything, which we thought was a bit weird.