Two tradespeople were filmed demolishing a customer’s driveway after the customer allegedly refused to pay for their services.
Damian Hallett, 37, and his business partner Jamie Sommerville, 39, of Clare Concreting, were seen arguing with a customer in Clare, a small town about 140km north of Adelaide.
Three videos of the incident show Mr Hallett and Mr Sommerville using their bulldozer and power tools to destroy the driveway.
Police were called to the scene as the customer pleaded with the two men to stop removing the concrete.
Damian Hallett (right) and his business partner Jamie Sommerville destroyed a customer’s driveway
The traders claim the customer refused to pay the full amount owed to them (pictured, Mr Hallett bulldozing the driveway).
“I’m tearing everyone down,” Mr. Hallett told him.
“That’s not going to help anyone,” the owner replied.
Mr. Hallet replied: “It won’t help me to leave him here.”
Both merchants claim the customer owed them $13,500, but only paid $10,000 and refused to pay the difference.
“I don’t care, I’ll take that back.” In the end, you owe me $3,500. I take that back, you had your chances,” Mr Hallett told the owner.
The customer continued to argue, so Mr Hallett told him: “You said you weren’t going to pay me the money. If you want to pay me I will stop, otherwise I will bulldoze now.
Another video showed a police officer asking Mr Hallet to stop bulldozing and to “be reasonable”.
“I have messages to say a day ago you said you would pay,” Mr Hallet told the customer.
The officer interrupted, “Now we can go here and talk about it.” »
Mr Hallett told him: “You can go and talk to him, I’ve finished talking to him.” Why should I talk to him?
Damian Hallett and Jamie Sommerville are pictured
A third video shows the police officer ultimately siding with the merchants and telling the customer he had to pay.
The clip began with the owner begging Mr Hallett to stop destroying the couple’s work.
“Please, please, can I talk to you for a second?”, he asked.
“Stay away from my Bobcat, I’m digging the driveway,” Mr. Hallett told him.
“I tried to negotiate with you. If you want to pay, talk to me, otherwise fuck off. I do not care. I’ve never done that in my life.
The officer then discovered the source of the argument and asked how much the owner owed the business.
When Mr. Hallett told him, the agent told the customer, “Well, you have to pay him $3,500.” »
Mr. Hallett later said he and Mr. Sommerville “do not tolerate” harsh interactions with customers, but said they had been pushed to their limits.
Mr Hallett later said the customer paid the full cost of the driveway after an SA police officer (pictured) arrived.
“The main reason this happened is because he openly told us he wasn’t going to pay,” he said. news.com.au.
“There were no quality issues. He said there was a discrepancy in the invoices, he wasn’t sure which invoice was supposed to be paid and when.
He said both men were “hard-working Australians” and thanked the officer as “outstanding”.
“I couldn’t believe it myself,” Mr Hallett said.
In a follow-up post on Instagram, Mr Hallett wrote: “On this, we were paid in full on the day. Thanks to the involvement of the South Australian Police.