Dodgy tradies

Took the deposit. Took the long weekend. Took forever.

Paid a deposit and the tradie vanished? Work so bad it needs redoing? Australian Consumer Law says services must be provided with due care and skill and within a reasonable time. A letter of demand puts that in writing.

Start a tradies claim

Sounds familiar?

Deposit paid, job never started
Defective workmanship that needs redoing
Overcharging beyond the agreed quote

Evidence checklist

Quote or contractkey
Proof of paymentkey
Photos of the work / defectskey
Second quote to fix or finish
Messages with themkey

Watch out for

Residential building work over certain values often goes to a dedicated building list or fair-trading dispute service first.
Check the tradie's licence and ABN — name the right entity.

Where it usually goes

Consumer claims tribunal (e.g. NCAT, VCAT) or small claims; building disputes may need fair-trading mediation first.

NSW guide VIC guide QLD guide SA guide WA guide TAS guide ACT guide NT guide

Questions

Do I need a second quote?

It's the best evidence of what it costs to fix the mess. Get one (or two) before you name an amount.

Stop being nice about it.

Build your case free in about 10 minutes. Letter of demand first, statement of claim and court pack if they ignore it. Court-ready from $99 incl. GST.

Start my court case