While some customers of collapsed retailer Courts were jubilant after receiving their furniture, others are furious after being asked to pay extra for their goods.

Courts' Botley Road storeSecurity guards were employed at the Oxford store after staff at other branches were threatened by customers who had not received furniture they had paid for.

People were warned to expect long waits after the Botley Road store opened for the first time under new management, but only a trickle of customers turned up, and many soon emerged clutching their goods.

However, Beverley Oakley, of Bletchington, was horrified to be asked to pay another £56 for a glass cabinet she had already paid for in October, which had not been delivered before Courts was declared insolvent.

Mrs Oakley, a swimming teacher at Blackbird Leys pool, said: "It was £195 then, and now it seems to be £279, but they offered 10 per cent deposit, which takes it down to £251." A bookcase which she had also ordered and paid for in October was finally delivered yesterday to her home, and she is now waiting for her other furniture to be delivered. "I don't ever want to buy furniture again, but if I did I would buy it with a credit card and not a debit card, because you can get your money back if they go bust," she said.

Another customer, who did not want to be named, said the store, now run by SB Capital, had asked for £25 to deliver a carpet she had paid for two weeks ago.

"The carpet is there and it has been cut to the right size for our room, but they won't fit it and they want £25 to just dump it in the room," she said. "I can claim on my credit card insurance, but it is upsetting."

However, other customers were happily carrying away goods, plus a ten per cent discount. SB Capital has only bought 14 of the 88 outlets from administrator KPMG Corporate Recovery.

The Oxford branch is set to close by February 20 with the loss of about 20 jobs.

KPMG has said 4,000 people nationwide who paid in full for furniture which was at the chain's stores or warehouse would have it deliver- ed.

All customers who paid in full would receive their original order where possible, or an alternative item of the same value.

Customers who had paid a deposit would be offered an alternative item less ten per cent discount. SB's offer closes on December 22.