Am I Being Scammed by Demolition Company?

Jackson on 06/04/2023 - 18:28
Last edited 06/04/2023 - 18:38 by 1 other user

Our builder used the same demolition contractor for the asbestos removal. After missing some asbestos in what I thought was an obvious spot, they have turned around and said they want a 5 figure additional charge for getting rid of contaminated waste. I felt like I was being scammed, but they threatened the progress of the job, so I told them to go ahead on the condition of receipts being provided.

Fast forward a bit and the plates on the receipts don't match the trucks that have left the site, as such I refused to pay, but now I'm being pressured to pay regardless. Anyone have any idea about how things work in this space and any advice would be appreciated.

Home & Garden

Comments

  • Bafranz on 06/04/2023 - 18:29

    Knockdown rebuild?

    • Jackson on 06/04/2023 - 18:30

      Yes

      • Bafranz on 06/04/2023 - 18:33

        So you both agreed on a price for demolition, and they've come back 1/2 way through saying they misquoted & want more money… Sounds dodgy

        • Jackson on 06/04/2023 - 18:36

          I didn't even agree on a price, the builder did, I just got a call one day and got asked to go down and see what they found which I thought was obvious, as it was an original outer wall that had been extended onto

          • Bafranz on 06/04/2023 - 18:39

            @Jackson: Long story short, sounds like you're being scammed however if you have the original contract, get it checked over by a professional to see where you actually stand on this

  • MS Paint on 06/04/2023 - 18:31

    Looks like you were scammed by Grammarly as well.

    • Jackson on 06/04/2023 - 18:31
      +2

      Updated ;-)

  • Stewardo on 06/04/2023 - 20:51

    Five figures more? Are you in double bay?

    • Jackson on 06/04/2023 - 21:52

      No, out west

      • Sinnerator on 07/04/2023 - 08:32

        There's a 'culture' of people/tradies who quote an attractive price upfront ONLY to then scam for more later.
        Your builder has failed you by using one of these people.

    • Richardc on 06/04/2023 - 23:57
      +1

      Sounds like they mixed some asbestos with other material.

  • Traveller107 on 07/04/2023 - 01:40
    +5

    Being scammed. Contaminated waste is their problem. Check if the demolition contractor is even licensed for asbestos removal(friable if the property needs). All the states have a register that you can check. A lot of cowboys out there are not even registered and the ones that are have restricted licenses. Would you be open to sharing how much asbestos have they removed or what's the house size being demolished and what have you paid? Cheers

    • Jackson on 07/04/2023 - 08:06

      Don't know the original price, but it was a 2br fibro house w/extention.

      What's the upshot if they aren't registered but the job is already done?

      • Traveller107 on 07/04/2023 - 12:51

        Depends if they were hired by you directly or your builder. If by your builder then both will get fined and work safe or whoever the whs authoeity in your state is will check the site and have a licensed asbestos removal company fix the issue and this will be paid for by the builder or their insurance. But worksafe or the state relevant authority will need to provide a clearance. Have you checked the asbestos removal license register yet?

        If theyve found contaminated waste and want another 5 figure payment it pobably means the first contractor was unlicensed and site failed clearance. The builder now has to get a different properly licenced contractor to fix the problem and instead of paying it themselves they are trying to get you to pay all over again for the same job. Shady as.

        Also to give you an idea of pricing- I've known large 5 bed asbestos houses to have been demolished properly by licensed contractor for 15-20k and smaller 3 bed cottages for even under 10k. This was before 2021 though..

        • Jackson on 07/04/2023 - 14:11

          Hired by builder, it was the same contractor for both stages. Even 15-20k should have been enough I guess, I can't imagine anyone setting aside less than that

  • garetz on 07/04/2023 - 05:11

    Definitely being scammed.

  • Euphemistic on 07/04/2023 - 06:39

    Unfortunately might be lawyer time

  • Ms3612 on 21/04/2023 - 19:13

    Hi Jackson,

    I just read about your experience with this demolition company. I have also recently had a horrible experience with a Sydney Demolition company which have scammed us.
    I'm very curious to know if we are dealing l with the same company as it sounds very similar? 🤔

    • Jackson on 02/05/2023 - 22:45

      It's quite a common occurrence apparently, so it's not just limited to one or two contractors

  • Shaws on 26/02/2024 - 08:55

    I read this review and gasped. We engaged a demolition company who have done the same. Day 1 asked for additional $ due to them miss quoting. We declined. Paid our $6k deposit on day 3. Day 4 they found asbestos in the ground. Didn't stop work. Day 5, found asbestos under the concrete driveway. Didn't stop work. Saturday, didn't work. Had a site meeting at 14:00, advised site remediation would take 5 days and an additional $12k. We declined. Sat night the called said it was first time they had experienced this and needed to bring in a Hygienists. The Hygienists wasn't independent so we said, stop work, don't access site we wanted to bring in an asbestos specialist. Sunday they went to site put in place all the SafeWork things they hadn't had in place all week. Asbestos they had stored in buckets, a rubbish bin and tarp vanished and we have a secured area with black polythene over an area of our site. They locked us out of our own property. We obtained the asbestos clearance cert - so that was lucky. We haven't paid them and have been in dispute for the past 3 weeks. I've asked for the disposal receipts and an itemised invoice - haven't received either. They are trying to invoice us for additional works carried out on the Sunday which we did not give consent. We got an asbestos specialist in who has provided a plan for remediating the site. But it's been difficult to obtain quotes being locked out. We have now taken back our site by taking down their site fence and installing our own. So fingers crossed. NSW Fair Trading, SafeWork, EPA, and the police have been symptomatic but cant help. Everyone says it's a civil matter and get legal advice.

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