Roof swindle hits grandfather hard
THE Bunbury grandfather swindled out of $15,000 by scammers has suffered a nervous breakdown, his daughter says.
Not only has he been hit emotionally, he has little hope of recovering the money and has been forced to cover the insurance excess to fix the sub-standard repairs to his roof.
The man was allegedly targeted by workers from Kennedy Roofing and Paving, operated by Noel Anthony Kennedy, which has been accused by authorities of scamming vulnerable residents across Perth and the South West.
One of the nine official complaints by victims includes the Bunbury grandfather, who was allegedly bullied into paying $15,000 for sub-standard repairs to his roof that were left unfinished earlier this month.
The man's daughter, Camilla Taylor, said her dad had suffered in the weeks since.
"He virtually had a nervous breakdown and is on anti-depressants," she said.
WA Consumer Protection last week named the company it believes is responsible for the scam.
Ms Taylor hoped it would lead to prosecution.
"I am really hoping they catch them and I hope no one else falls under their spell," she said.
Ms Taylor said the workers caused thousands of dollars of damage and her father's roof leaked during the rain. Some of the cost for the repairs, believed to be thousands of dollars, will be covered by insurance.
Consumer Protection Commissioner Anne Driscoll said the people registered to Kennedy Roofing and Paving could not be located.
They had disconnected their phone number and left their last known addresses, she said.
"However, we believe they may still be operating," she said.
"So we urge WA consumers not to do any business with this company until they have resolved the complaints, which are currently outstanding, and while investigations are continuing.
"We would also urge consumers to be aware of their right for a cooling-off period when they receive an uninvited approach from a tradesperson.
"Even if you have invited a tradesperson to your home to only provide a quote, the cooling-off period still applies."
People with information about scams can phone 1300 30 40 54 or email consumer@commerce.wa.gov .au.
