It was the free fitting offer that tempted Robert Peel to splash out on a new car stereo for his girlfriend.

Robert Peel and the radio he bought from Currys on the understanding that it would be fitted free of charge

He paid £149.99 and waited for an electrician to come round to install the equipment.

But Mr Peel got a nasty surprise when he was told that, rather than being gratis, the installation would cost him nearly £100.

Mr Peel, 25, of Market Weighton, bought the stereo for his girlfriend, Julianne Elgey from the Currys store at Clifton Moor, York.

It was to go in the couple's 1977 VW Beetle.

He said: "I thought it was a great deal, but if it was not for the free fitting offer I would have bought a much cheaper stereo.

"It seemed so straightforward and hassle-free - all I had to do was ring up and get them to come out and install it."

But when the technician arrived yesterday to put in the stereo, he said there was no wiring in the 23-year-old car for a stereo and that it would cost Mr Peel £99.46 for the installation.

"When he told me it would be the best part of £100 just to run two wires from the battery to the front of the car all I could do was laugh," said Mr Peel.

"It's ridiculous because Currys advertised it as free installation.

"I work in the retail trade and I know that if there's any conditions to the offer they must be advertised, but there was nothing to say that older cars were not included.

"All I'm asking for is the stereo I bought with free fitting to be fitted for free. Surely that's not asking too much."

Mr Peel said that when he called the company's customer care line, he was kept waiting on hold for 45 minutes before hanging up in frustration.

And it was the same story when he rang the Clifton Moor store.

A spokeswoman for Dixons, a parent company of Currys, admitted a mistake had been made and said the company would be happy to pay for the installation.

She said: "Our customer services department has looked into it and we're unable to get the installation company to agree to installing the stereo and invoicing Dixons for the work.

"We do not know why this is.

"But we are going to write to the customer and say that if he pays for the work to be done and sends us the receipt we will reimburse him.

"I think it's just a mix up, having looked into it and realised the mistake we will put it right."

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