“HAPPY Spending!” That was the cheery message received by Caroline Barker after she sold her precious jewellery to a company offering her cash in return.

The only problem now was what to spend it on – a shopping spree, a hairdo, or pay a few bills?

Whatever she decided, she wouldn’t have got much change back, for Caroline received a cheque for a grand total of...51 PENCE.

Having parted with two white gold wedding rings and a white gold engagement ring, Caroline told the WHT she was expecting somewhere in the region of �40 from gold-buying company CashMyGold, which advertises on high profile television stations such as Sky and ITV 1.

But she was shocked to discover the measly sum and the accompanying letter telling her she was receiving “more cash for your gold”.

“I thought it was a joke when I first opened it,” said Caroline, from Woodhall Court, WGC. “I thought maybe they’d put the decimal point in the wrong place.”

“I wasn’t expecting much, maybe around �40, but I definitely thought I’d get more than this.”

Caroline has since rejected the company’s offer and received a new cheque – for �13.

“I’m going to write them a letter saying I want �60 or my jewellery back,” she concluded.

In November, Hertfordshire Trading Standards issued a warning to residents using companies that offered cash in exchange for gold, following an investigation by officers posing as customers.

It discovered that at least one firm was paying under the odds for gold, and was not returning customers’ jewellery when they asked for it back.

And Caroline, 53, echoed the warning. “They’ve probably taken in a lot of poor, lonely, old ladies, that’s my concern. I’m big enough to look after myself, but it’s the older people getting ripped off that I worry about.”

But Justin Prichard, managing director of CashMyGold, said: “We do our utmost to ensure that all our customers are 100 per cent happy with the service they receive.

“The value given for these items does appear to be out of line with what we would normally offer so we would value the opportunity to discuss this with her.”