Customer's shock claim about collapsed building company Porter Davis: 'Theft'

A customer of collapsed building company Porter Davis claims he was encouraged to hurry up a payment, under the guise of a discounted rate, before the builder went into liquidation on Friday.

Speaking to A Current Affair, George claims he was contacted last week and was offered a discount if he paid money to Porter Davis by Thursday. Enticed by the saving opportunity, the father of four met the deadline and said he paid thousands, only to learn the company went into liquidation the following day.

"If they knew it was going to happen on Friday, why would you still take people's money?" he told A Current Affair. "To me that's theft."

The once "excited" family said the turn of events felt completely "surreal" as they await answers on what will come of their investment and home plans. However, disappointment continued for George after he was unable to access an informational online webinar on Tuesday, organised by liquidators Grant Thornton for victims, as the meeting hit capacity.

"This meeting is full," George read aloud on A Current Affair, reading from his iPad as he attempted to gain access.

Matt Barnseley, another Porter Davis victim who reportedly lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, was able to attend the meeting but shared with A Current Affair that it was "disappointing".

"Everybody that had a deposit... it's gone," he said.

Grant Thornton share some insight into victim's situation

In Tuesday's webinar, liquidator Said Jahani acknowledged customers' frustrations, but urged them to be patient, saying Grant Thornton should know within a week whether Porter Davis would be sold.

Their hope is another builder will take over the contracts and all will be resumed, but Mr Jahani noted time was not on their side.

"The reality is, we just don't have the luxury of this process dragging out for weeks and months," he said.

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Liquidators hoped they could get customers' homes built quicker than if they went through insurers, with both Queensland and Victoria having state-backed warranty insurance schemes.

However, there was no guarantee the process could be expedited, with some customers not having insurance, meaning many will lose their deposits as plans for their homes are held hostage.

"At its extreme, it means you do not have any insurance cover and it means that the deposit you have paid has been lost," he said.

with AAP

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