The Consumer Claims Tribunal has awarded Kenneth Ciangura €700 following a claim that a solar water heater purchased from AR Tech Ltd was defective.

In 2006, Mr Ciangura bought the homemade solar water heater with a five-year guarantee. But after three and a half years, it started leaking. AR Tech counter-claimed the damage was because the anode was not changed every year, as it should be.

However the tribunal noted that the company had never informed Mr Ciangura about this.

In another case, Lilian, Frank and Bernice Vassallo were awarded €375 from Mondial Travel when their complaint was upheld by the tribunal.

They claimed that a holiday in the Tyrolean Alps was ruined because the hotel was changed from Westendorf to Chiemsee and, as a result, they spent more time on the coach than visiting. They had to miss going round Berchtesgaden and the party ended having to travel an extra three hours on the coach.

In a third case, Arthur Abela was awarded €200 by the tribunal from International Sales Direct after the company failed to install an air-conditioning unit Mr Abela had ordered and refused to give him back the €200 deposit he had paid.

Gordon Tanti was awarded €300 by the tribunal from Kargo House after an aluminium door he ordered did not arrive because the foreign company that manufactured it had stopped that particular line of production. Mr Tanti did not accept the Maltese company’s offer to alter an imported door to his specifications.