By Luke Voogt
A Drysdale couple have accused a painter of taking a $2500 deposit from them, without beginning the job for almost four months.
Ross Brown, 67, who has recently survived two health scares, paid the deposit to the painter on 10 October, 2018, for a $5500 job.
“He said he needed to buy the paint,” Mr Brown said.
“I’ve had a lot of contractors ask for money before they do jobs. I’ve done heaps of things and paid a deposit – I just thought that was what you do.”
But the painter, Gary Keele, had yet to begin the job or repay the deposit, Mr Brown said.
“He hasn’t been near the place since!“
The Indy has seen an invoice with Mr Keele’s name and a withdrawal receipt for the deposit.
When Mr Keele returned the Indy’s call he admitted to accepting a deposit for the job and said the matter was “being sorted“, before hanging up.
In text messages last October and November, seen by the Indy, he assured Mr Brown he would commence the job in few days.
In a series of text messages in late November he instead said he would pay transfer the money back.
The painter alluded in the texts to “court troubles” and getting “blind-sighted” lending the money to someone.
Mr Brown visited Drysdale Police Station, where officers advised him the dispute was a civil matter.
Mr Keele had failed to return calls over the past couple of months, Mr Brown said.
Consumer Affairs Victoria, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and Australian Securities and Investments Commission had all been unable to help, he said.
“VCAT need a company extract. But ASIC could not supply any company extract.”
Mr Brown and wife Coral had planned to repaint their home since moving from Bairnsdale in 2017 to be closer to their children, who live in Geelong.
“We’ve come from a community where we trusted and knew everybody,” Mrs Brown said.
Mr Brown warned others to be wary of paying a deposits to tradespeople.
“We just don’t want this to happen again to someone else,” he said.
In July 2017 Mr Brown spoke to Indy about waiting for an ambulance for four hours in “agonising pain”, which resulted in Ambulance Victoria conducting a review.
A kidney stone caused the incident and Mr Brown also had prostate surgery about the time. He got another kidney stone late last year.
Barwon Community Legal Service issued a claim on their behalf for return of deposit to the painter, to which he had yet to respond, Mr Brown said.
