A THUMPING row has erupted after a giant rabbit's offspring died three days after it was bought as a Christmas present for two brothers.

And the customer claims the pet shop owner told her she had "messed with the wrong people", when she was asked for a refund because Ben the bunny had died of a heart defect.

Nicola Dugdale bought the £200 rabbit, an offspring of Roberto the giant rabbit featured in the Evening News last year, from Bunnyland, on London Road, to give to her two sons as a Christmas present.

Roberto is three-and-a-half-feet long and weighs the same as a four-year-old child. It was mated with Amy, a similar-sized doe and the offspring were ready in time for Christmas, and selling for £200 each.

According to Mrs Dugdale, Annette Edwards, the storeowner, offered to "lend" the family a "replacement" until the next batch of giants were ready.

Of the litter of eight, Mrs Edwards said seven were perfectly healthy.

After several conversations to resolve the problem, and a £50 post mortem to confirm the cause of death, she took two £30 lion head rabbits in compensation.

"I'm really annoyed with her. I didn't want my boys to get attached to a rabbit that was going to be taken away from them," said Ms Dugdale, from Durham Road, Ronkswood.

When she told the owner she was going to speak to the Press and Trading Standards about a refund for £140 she believed she was still owed, Mrs Edwards allegedly said she was "messing with the wrong people", and slammed the phone down.

Replacement

But Mrs Edwards refutes the story, saying the cost of a neutering operation and various injections for the replacement rabbits cost £184. She offered credit vouchers for £16.

"We would never pass on anything that wasn't right, because our name's at stake."

And she counters that, in fact, the irate customer threatened her.

Worcestershire County Council Trading Standards advised Ms Dugdale to write a letter to Bunnyland and tell them she was entitled to a refund. She is still waiting for a reply.

Mrs Edwards said she has spoken to Trading Standards herself, and believes she is in the clear.

A spokeswoman for Worcestershire County Council said that if customers had any doubt when buying a pet, they should contact trading standards.

"Buying a rabbit is the same as buying any product. However, because of the issue of proving if the pet was ill prior to being sold confuses the issue," she said.