A builder has been accused of targeting cash-strapped Australians who handed over their money for home renovations that were never carried out.
Zane and Melody Ralph, a couple from Melbourne’s western suburbs, exposed NT Kitchens owner Hiep T Phung after he disappeared with $9,000 they had paid him for renovations to his home.
Although the work began, it remained incomplete, leaving the family with their house in disarray.
Ms Ralph described the builder as a “Grinch” who they are now in the process of taking to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Another alleged victim, disability support worker Abdul Ali Ghafoori, said Phung charged him $19,400 for renovations he never carried out.
Mr Ghafoori said Mr Phung had been told the renovations were to help his own children with special needs.
“I have five children and the last one is autistic. He told me he had two children, like mine. I told him I wanted to provide a nice home for my family,” Ghafoori said.
In a stroke of bad luck, Mr. Ghafoori accidentally wired Mr. Phung an additional $4,000 instead of $400 for a sliding door that never arrived.
NT Kitchens owner Hiep T Phung has been criticised for failing to complete the work
“When I realized this, I called him immediately and he told me that he would return it to me through his bank account, but that was not returned to me either,” she said.
He also claimed that Phung was using a different name. Ghafoori said he only realised Phung’s real name after he sent him a picture of his licence and encouraged him to send even more cash.
“I didn’t know his real name. When I found out, I Googled him and saw the article that showed he had done the same thing,” she said.
“Unfortunately, he is likely to attack someone else and no one knows who that is.”
Messages provided by Mr Ghafoori to the Daily Mail Australia show Mr Phung repeatedly asking for more money while being asked when work could start.
The bank receipts also show every transaction Mr Ghafoori made to Mr Phung.
Mr Ghafoori said he reported Mr Phung to the police three times but each time it was dismissed and referred to VCAT.
It is a common complaint among those targeted by the builder.
“The police refused to take up my case… they told me it was not their job,” Ghafoori said.
Police told the same thing to Robyn Barrie, who claims Phung conned her out of $5,000.
Mr. Phung had vandalized the kitchen of his property for another $600 and never returned.
Ms Barrie said Mr Phung blamed an unpleasant split with his wife for his inaction.
Disability support worker Abdul Ali Ghafoori stands in the ruins of his home
Abdul Ali Ghafoori was repeatedly asked for money to do work that was never done.
Mr. Phung continued to ask for more money.
Mr. Phung receives more money for a job he never did
She ponied up the money, bought a kitchen on Gumtree for a few hundred dollars and installed it herself.
“I said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ve sorted it out. Obviously I’m not happy that you ripped me off, but I’m not chasing you anymore so you have to bear it, it’s your conscience. You told me about karma, well this is your karma and if you ever get into a position where you’ve sorted your life out then you can pay me back. ‘ I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Barrie said.
“The best part was that when I told him I had the kitchen figured out, he insisted he would come back and get me a ‘good kitchen’… and then he offered to take that kitchen away from me and buy me a better one. It was weird,” Barrie said.
When asked by the Daily Mail Australia in November about the Ralph family, Mr Phung claimed his father had recently passed away, forcing him to stop all correspondence with his clients.
“I didn’t steal from them… I’m not a thief. I’m very sorry about what happened… I didn’t steal from them. They know my friend and I didn’t steal from them. A lot of things have happened, that’s why,” he said.
A look at NT Kitchens’ social media page indicates that even more people have been targeted by Mr Phung.
“If I could give it zero stars, I would. I started a small pantry project in March and by October, I still hadn’t finished it,” another disgruntled customer posted in October.
“He never showed up when he promised, damaged the countertop in at least five places and had large chips missing. He drilled hundreds of screw holes in the cabinets, screwed cabinet doors on by mistake, didn’t deliver shelves, cabinet trim, etc. So many lies and drama.”
Zane and Melody Ralph are out of money and their home is in disarray.
NT Kitchens owner Hiep T Phung could be getting coal in his stocking again this Christmas
Ms Ralph said the stress of her ordeal had affected her whole family.
“We’ve been living with half the renovation for months. We have things all over the house because we don’t have anywhere to put them all,” she explains.
‘My husband and I have wasted over two weeks of our time waiting at home for him to turn up, but he hasn’t. We’d be lucky if we got a text from him to let us know he’s not coming. It’s incomprehensible. Who runs a business like that?’
“We are honest and hard-working people. We just want this project to be finished. Right now we don’t have the money to finish the project because they have taken everything.”
When contacted by Daily Mail Australia on November 13, Mr Phung said he was committed to finishing the work he had started at Ralph’s home.
Mr Phung said he was having financial difficulties completing the construction due to his recent divorce.
“I’m not running. I’m not a runner… I’m not playing,” he said.
‘I’ve had too much going on in the last 11 months. I know it’s my business, but I’ll be calling you this week… what can I do? I’m having financial problems right now, I have to find the money and continue with the job.’
Mr Phung told the Daily Mail Australia he would sort out Ralph’s renewal.
“I will contact them, resolve the issue and get on with the job,” he said.
Although Mr. Phung contacted the Ralph family days later, the work remains incomplete.
Daily Mail Australia attempted to contact Mr Phung by phone and email about the latest allegations but never received a response.