Carpet firm on the mat

The chance of a free holiday lured customers to sink thousands of dollars into a carpet shop on the brink of collapse.

They've been left out of pocket after franchise store Carpet Court Howick went into voluntary liquidation on Monday.

The shop closed its doors on the final day of a promotion encouraging customers to pay up early for a chance to win a free trip.

Other Carpet Court stores are separately owned and unaffected by the closure, but the major franchise holder has said it won't walk away from those affected.

Craig Teirney paid more than half the $16,000 cost of a new carpet two weeks ago to be in the prize draw and secure a discount price.

He ripped up his old carpet in readiness for new flooring to be laid this week, but when workers failed to show he went to the shop and saw a liquidation notice on the door.

Teirney said he'd had to re-lay the old carpet as best he could to make the house safe for his twin six-year-old boys. One is autistic and the other suffers from severe allergies.

Franchiser Flooring Brands Ltd, which owns more than half the Carpet Court stores, said it was working with liquidators to help customers left out of pocket.

Chief operating officer Chris Ogden said: "It's just a matter of waiting for the liquidators to come up with the numbers. Then we need to find out what product is there, what needs to be ordered, and what, if any, has been repossessed or claimed back by suppliers."

Ogden said the promotion was held across all Carpet Court stores, and customers from Howick would still be entered in the draw.

The Commerce Commission confirmed a complaint had been made about the promotion, and was waiting for more information. Liquidators Alliott Thompson Francis said the company Desani Ltd, trading as Carpet Court Howick, was put into voluntary liquidation by the shareholders on August 31.