Two tradespeople who demolished the concrete driveway of a customer who refused to pay have revealed new details about why they took such drastic action.
Damian Hallett, 37, and his business partner Jamie Sommerville, 39, of Clare Concreting, destroyed their hard work after a homeowner ‘blatantly’ told them he would not pay the last $3,500 of his bill of $13,500.
In incredible footage captured outside the house, tradesmen begin to dig up the driveway with a bulldozer, as Mr Hallett told the shocked homeowner: “I’m tearing it all out.”
It was previously reported that tradesmen took a tough approach because they were left with $14,000 out of pocket after completing a job for a major company last year that refused to pay.
“We’re still recovering from this. We’re just hard-working Australians. It’s a tough job, concreting,” Mr Somerville said.
But speaking to the Daily Mail Australia on Friday, Mr Hallet said the amount they were left out was actually much larger.
“That was $40,000 from that previous job that we hadn’t paid.”
“I have kids, Jamie has kids we need to take care of… If you want someone to work and you don’t have the money, then don’t take the bill.”
Damian Hallett, 37 (left) and his business partner Jamie Sommerville, 39 (right) of Clare Concreting decided to destroy their hard work after a landlord ‘blatantly’ told the pair he was going to pay the last $3,500 of his $13,500 bill.
“We tore the driveway down because he openly said he wasn’t going to pay,” Mr Somerville said.
“The night before the pour we spoke to him and he said he was going to settle the bill before the concrete set, so we said okay and continued on Saturday morning.
“It was a 43C day, so you shouldn’t really be pouring concrete that hot in a day, but we got there early and did it.
“He screwed us after we poured the last piece of concrete, he accepted the $13,500 contract for the work and he put $10,000 in our account, then he said, ‘Why is Do I owe you the remaining $3,500?’” he said.
Mr Somerville said he told the customer he could either pay the full amount of the invoice or he would “get my materials back” for the remaining amount.
When the client chose the second option, the craftsmen used their tools to unearth their work.
“We knew it was tough from the start.”
In the footage, a police officer is seen witnessing the chaotic scene in the driveway (photo)
The 45-year-old homeowner has since said he was making lunch for his two daughters, aged nine and four, when he heard a rumble and went outside to find his driveway was being cleared. be destroyed.
“I walked in because my kids were crying, grabbed my phone and called the cops. He wouldn’t stop and the cops said, ‘It’s a civil matter, there’s nothing we can do,’ the owner said. news.com.au.
The owner, who moved to Australia 14 years ago, claimed workers failed to complete some additional work, including ground leveling, plumbing and building a retaining wall.
He said the video sparked a flood of comments against him and his family, and residents even drove past his house to look at the large crater the shopkeepers had left in his driveway.
“(People) send me racist comments, Indian this, Indian that, when they have no idea what the story is about. All they know is a five-second TikTok thing. I’m getting messages from friends and family all over Australia, people are worried.
He added that he was receiving legal advice on the saga.
Traders used an excavator to tear out part of the concrete driveway (pictured)
The men finally managed to come to an agreement.
In a follow-up post on Instagram, Mr Hallett wrote: “By the way, we were paid in full on the day. Thanks to the involvement of the South Australian Police.
In footage of the disagreement, a police officer is seen observing the chaotic scene in the alley before asking the concrete workers to “be reasonable”.
“I have messages to say: a day ago you said you would pay,” Mr. Hallett shouts to his client.
The police officer then intervenes. “Now we can go here and talk about it.
“You can go and talk to him,” said Mr. Hallet. “I finished talking to him. Why should I talk to him?
The argument continues before the officer discovers the source of the dispute.
“Wait, how much do you owe him?” he asks the owner.
“$3,500,” replies Mr. Hallet.
“Well, you have to pay him $3,500,” the officer said.
The traders then applauded the police officer, calling him “exceptional”.
The customer is seen begging the concreters to stop bulldozing his new driveway.
The tradesmen decided to destroy their hard work after claiming the customer “blatantly” told them they were not going to pay the last $3,500 of their $13,500 bill.
“We don’t tolerate this sort of thing, we never have before,” Mr Somerville said. news.com.au THURSDAY.
“The main reason this happened is because he openly told us he wasn’t going to pay,” he said.
The traders added that the customer refused to pay the $3,500 because he claimed there was a “discrepancy” with the invoices.