Shameless businessman STILL 'ripping off' disabled kids: Trading Standards probe firm 'hoodwinking' families... four years after being exposed for selling mobility aids that never arrived

Parents of children with special educational needs have accused a firm selling toys for disabled youngsters of 'ripping them off' and 'profiteering'. 

Online seller Sensory Education and sister company Cheap Disability Aids have allegedly pocketed customers' cash and not delivered orders, sometimes worth thousands of pounds. 

'Enraged' parents say they have been forced to fight for months to get refunds from the Midlands-based operation after items never arrived, leaving many to rely on their credit card company to step in and get their cash back. 

A torrent of negative reviews have been left on Trustpilot by angry customers in recent months. One claimed a £3,000 order never arrived, while another said they never received a children's buggy worth almost £930. 

Meanwhile, one woman who complained and was refunded said she was 'threatened' with bullying emails from the company, warning of 'severe consequences' and legal action against her if she didn't hand the money back.

It's the latest time Sensory Education, run by father-of-two Daniel Edwards, 40, has come under fire for allegedly ripping off customers, after similar complaints were exposed by the Daily Mail in 2019. It also featured in a Watchdog probe, with similar complaints reportedly stretching back to 2016, according to the Guardian.

Now concerned charity bosses have demanded urgent action as they accused the firm of 'hoodwinking' disabled families. 

While Trading Standards officials have confirmed to MailOnline they are launching a probe into the business, which is run by Mr Edwards from its HQ in Walsall near Birmingham. 

Jamielee Robson, a former school catering assistant, says she spent five months battling to get her £230 back after placing an order with the firm which she said never arrived.

She had bought a carousel spinning seat for her three-year-old son, Zack, who has autism - as well as a few other smaller gifts. But the seat never turned up. 

When 35-year-old Jamielee approached her bank for a refund, she was then sent a stream of 'threatening' emails from the company, 'badgering' her to return the refunded cash or face being taken to court. 

'I was raging, absolutely raging,' said Jamilee from Glasgow. 'They were badgering me saying I owed them £10. I was having none of it. I just said you can take me to court.'

The email, seen by MailOnline, warned Jamielee she would face 'severe consequences' and a costly legal war if she ignored their demands. 

In the message, a company official wrote: 'Despite our numerous attempts to resolve the matter amicably, your silence has left us with no choice but to escalate further.

'We have checked our system, and it confirms that you have read our last email, which clearly stated the gravity of the situation.

'Unfortunately, you have chosen to ignore our warnings, despite having a clear understanding of the possible consequences.

'As a result, we regret to inform you that we will now proceed to issue county court proceedings against you. Not only will this add significant costs, including court costs, legal costs and other court fees, but it will also damage your credit score.

'We strongly advise you to take this matter seriously and consider our offer to resolve this issue amicably. Failure to do so will result in severe consequences that we would rather avoid.' 

Catalina Popa was another one of those who never received her purchase. The NHS worker from Ipswich says she spent almost £54 on a specialist seat and bands for her three-year-old son Nico, who has autism. 

But she said her 'heart sank' when the items failed to turn up and she looked online to complain - discovering dozens of others who have allegedly faced similar woes.

Despite pressing the company for several months, calling and emailing, she says she's still trying to get a refund almost three months on. 

'For the first month I was devastated but then after that I just became upset. It was like this sinking feeling that nothing was going to happen,' she said. 

'Clearly this company has no conscience. It's just profiteering off what they see as the weakest link - families with disabled children. It's enraging.' 

Lilliput Pre-School, in Canterbury, Kent, also complained after placing an order in March which it never received. A spokeswoman for the pre-school told MailOnline: 'Unfortunately the company failed to provide the goods, despite many emails and attempt to contact them, we remained unable to resolve.' 

A charity for the disabled has now blasted the firm for 'ripping-off' families and has called for an investigation into the retailer after the latest slew of complaints. 

Jessica Leigh, campaigns and mobilisation manager at disability charity Scope, said families with disabled children already face extra costs of around £975 a month and were 'much more likely to live in poverty'.

She added: 'We're appalled to hear that a company that was pulled up for shoddy practices four years ago hasn't improved and they continue to rip-off disabled people and their families.

'We previously called on the authorities to take a closer look at what's going on here, but it doesn't look like much has changed. With Christmas fast approaching, and cold weather driving up bills for everyone they need to act fast to stop more disabled families from being hoodwinked.'

About 90 per cent of the 445 Trustpilot reviews for Cheap Disability Aids were given one-star verdicts. But some have sought to defend the company, giving them highest score of five stars. 

One person wrote: 'This is a lovely little shop I come across on Google they sell unique children's toys and other gifts. Well packaged and shipped really quickly with very attention to detail with packaging.'

Another five-star review added: 'All items are great and good value for money. Was worried after reading the reviews after I paid that I was going to have a horrible experience, but had the opposite, will be using again.'

Mr Edwards lives with his 36-year-old wife Lucy - a former secretary in his previous business Cheap Disability Aids - and their two children at their family farm in Lichfield, Staffordshire. 

Mr Edwards' Walsall-based companies are now facing an investigation after the latest string of complaints were exposed by MailOnline.

As well as running Sensory Education and having been the director of Cheap Disability Aids, Mr Edwards is also listed as the director of Sensory Toy Warehouse Ltd - which is not behind the website www.sensorytoywarehouse.com, which is run by a different company called Playlearn Ltd, based in Manchester. 

MailOnline understands Playlearn Ltd once supplied Mr Edwards but cut ties several years ago after complaints first emerged. 

A spokesperson for Walsall Council said its Trading Standards team was 'aware of issues' relating to Sensory Education and cheapdisabilityaids.co.uk but that it had not yet received a complaint about Sensory Toy Warehouse Ltd. 

A spokeswoman added: 'As this company does indeed seem to be an associated business, we will make further enquiries. 

'Walsall Council will always seek to safeguard vulnerable persons and their families from any financial harm caused to them however whilst enquiries are ongoing it would not possible for us to make any further comment at this time.'

On its website, Sensory Education, claims to have a 4.5-star customer review rating out of five.

Yet consumer review site Trustpilot is littered with one-star reviews from customers who say they did not receive orders. One wrote: 'I wish there was a zero-stars option.

'Terrible company. Took my money, never delivered and refused to take telephone calls or respond to emails.'. 

MailOnline has approached Sensory Education for comment and called Mr Edwards, who did not respond.