WHEN bosses at a Clitheroe therapy centre took up a doorstep deal to change their telephone provider, they got a lot less than they bargained for.

Wendy Loudon and Debbie Featherstone who run The Gateway Centre, have been without phone lines for almost two weeks after they were approached by a telecoms firm offering a better deal.

But London-based Xln Telecom has not connected the centre in Castlegate, leaving them without a phone and internet access since January 27.

And the business partners, who opened the centre offering alternative therapies in September last year, said the disconnection had cost them thousands of pounds.

Ms Loudon said the centre had been badly hit this week, as it was preparing to run a number of sessions during Tinnitus Awareness week, helping people who suffer from the condition which results in a loud ringing in the ears.

She said: “They told us it was going to be a flawless transfer with absolutely no disruption.

“We have had to rearrange and cancel a number of sessions because people can’t get through to us. It is disgraceful and it has costs us thousands.”

XLN Telecom was founded in 2002.

James Wilson, marketing director at the firm apologised for the inconvenience.

He said: “Normally this is a fast and streamless operation and incidences like this are very rare.

He added: “We will have this sorted by the end of the day.”