Several people who recently ordered products from Mambra Electronics in Luqa are now worrying that they will never get what they paid for since the shop appears to have closed down.

Maureen Stephens paid €325 for a 32-inch television on June 13 but is still waiting for its delivery two months later.

She was told that if she paid for the television in full she would receive it in July because a shipment was planned for that date.

After several unanswered phone calls, she decided to visit the shop where she saw a sign saying that it would be on shutdown until August 4.

But since then, Mambra has remained closed and its prominent signage has been removed.

"I don't know what to do. The shop's website isn't working anymore and when I call up all I hear is an answering machine telling me the opening hours. Now I'm hearing that the owner has left the island, but I don't know," she said.

Her fears were shared by several other customers who spoke to The Times.

Steven Vassallo said he had sent a steam-iron and a fan for repairs in July but was now unable to contact the store.

"I didn't bother filing a complaint because I didn't think it was worth it. I heard he left the island too," he said.

Justin Cucciardi said he had taken a defective DVD player still under guarantee for repairs but had the same experience of being unable to get in touch with the company afterwards. "I've now given up," he said, adding that whenever he called he would hear the same answering machine reciting the opening hours of the shop.

Other customers, who recall more positive experiences with the shop, said they were sad to see it close down since it always had the best prices.

The electronics store opened in 1995 and made a name for low-cost television, hi-fi and DVD equipment. Mambra recently advertised a mega-sale but when it was due to start, the doors never opened, despite queues of people who turned up.

The outlet had started to be emptied out over the past few months with what shoppers described as "giveaway prices" and "ridiculous offers".

Mambra last year was the target of judicial protests filed by the Inland Revenue and VAT departments for taxes due to the government claimed to be in excess of €600,000.

At the time of publishing, owner Joseph Pavia could not be contacted and his whereabouts were unknown. Several phone calls to the shop went unanswered.