Bunnings has done right by an Auckland family of eight left homeless after a fire caused by a wall panel heater they bought from the DIY chain.
"Ninety-thousands dollars - oh it's awesome, it's awesome! Well you couldn't ask for a better outcome could you?" says a jubilant Angella Smith.
Fair Go drew the family's plight to the attention of new Bunnings NZ general manager Toby Lawrance.
"We make no claims to be perfect, but we always try to do the right thing by our customers," Mr Lawrance told Fair Go.
He also offered Ms Smith and her husband a personal apology for the four-year delay in sorting out the matter, which they accepted gratefully.
"For a company that is seen as a big machine, you know they're real people," Ms Smith told Fair Go.
"I really felt just so humbled by their gesture, by their presence."
The family had lost tens of thousands of dollars' worth of possessions in the fire and racked up bills for tens of thousands more trying to salvage what was left.
A Fire Service investigation had pinned the blame on an electrical fault in an Arlec 600 Watt PEH209T wall panel heater.
That report stood, with support from an electrical engineer, though the safety regulator Energy Safety disputed some of his findings.
Fair Go understands Arlec also disputed the report and Bunnings insurer declined the claim on that basis, leaving the family in limbo, with no contents insurance and no one fighting for them to be compensated - until Bunnings had a change of heart.
"Having reviewed this situation we apologise to Horace and Angella that the correct outcome was not reached the first time it was raised with us, and for the time, inconvenience and distress this may have caused," Toby Lawrence told Fair Go.
Anyone concerned about their heater should check www.recalls.govt.nz .
If it has been recalled, the appliance must be replaced at no cost with a newer, safer version.
Got a problem? Tell Fair Go! Email fairgo@tvnz.co.nz in confidence.
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