A couple buying their first home are furious after a complaint to the house builder's CEO led to their reservation being cancelled.

Emma Moffatt and partner Jordan Burns were set to move into their new-build home in Huyton, but said there had been several issues with builders, Bellway - including that the new plot had a coal shaft "close to the property", a misspelled name, and claims they were overcharged for flooring.

So they wrote to chief executive Jason Honeyman asking for a "gesture of goodwill" in return for the "errors".

But Emma said she was shocked days later when she read the response from the region's managing director, telling her nothing in her complaint "warranted a goodwill gesture" - adding that because of the complaint's nature, "and how unhappy you seem to be, Bellway is not the builder for you".

They are not the only people to find this happen to them after Sarah and Jon Chan had a similar experience.

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The email added that Bellway had cancelled the reservation - meaning the house at the Willow Grange development in Huyton , was back on the market.

Emma said the couple are now "extremely upset and angry", telling the ECHO she had a panic attack when she heard the news.

In a statement, Bellway - one of the UK's largest house builders - said it would be "inappropriate and unprofessional to comment" - and that it was "incredibly proud of our customer service".

Emma, who is from Lydiate , said the couple were "devastated", adding: "Mine and my partner's dream house, which we have worked so hard for, is gone.

"We are extremely upset but angry more than anything with how we have been treated. It seems that they thought we are a young couple so let’s bully them out of the house - and this is not ok."

Emma said the couple had been looking for a house for a year, and had visited the Willow Grange development on various occasions looking for the "perfect home".

She added: "We were looking for a home to start a family in, so after a few months of back and forth, we finally decided on a four-bedroom detached house, so reserved the house."

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She said after being shown the plans, they were told there was a mine shaft close to the house - prompting the couple to ask about the risks involved - but said the issue "was brushed under the carpet and we still have not received the information".

According to Emma, a number of other issues with the builder included that her name had been spelt incorrectly, with the deposit amount also allegedly incorrect.

She claimed the couple had also been overcharged for flooring, leading them to email the customer care and Mr Honeyman.

The firm has refunded the overpayment, she said - but "no other part of our complaint was addressed".

Then, last week, a letter addressed from the firm's North West managing director David Williams to Emma, said he was "very sorry" the couple had "found it necessary to email Mr Honeyman".

The letter added that "all" of the errors could have been easily rectified, adding that the flooring had indeed been refunded.

It said: "We do not believe that any of the issues raised in your email warrant a goodwill gesture from Bellway, and we also feel that due to the nature of your email and how unhappy you seem to be, Bellway is not the builder for you.

"We have therefore instructed our solicitor to request contract documentation back from your solicitor, and the property will be placed back on the open market."

Describing the situation as the "worst customer experience", Emma said: "I was driving and Jordan rang me to inform me of the news. I had a panic attack on the side of the motorway and my parents had to come and get me, I literally cried the whole night as my dream house had just crumbled in front of my eyes."

Emma said despite the setback, she rang Bellway in an attempt to salvage the deal and spoke to several officials but said she was spoken to "rudely".

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"I hope nobody else has to go through the stress an upset we have been through," she added.

A spokesman for Bellway Homes told the ECHO: “As an NHBC five star accredited housebuilder, we are incredibly proud of our customer service and feel that it would be inappropriate and unprofessional to comment on individual customer cases which remain a private matter between ourselves and our customers.”