A state attorney general has named a merchant accused of being a “serial scammer” following a litany of “very serious complaints.”
The Queensland Office of Fair Trading has warned residents of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales to avoid doing business with Brendan John Hawxwell and his company, Cre8tive Construction Group Pty Ltd.
The move comes after several months of complaints from customers who say he stole thousands of dollars from them under the guise of a deposit.
At the head of the group of angry alleged victims is Jane.
He claims he gave Mr Hawxwell an $8,000 deposit to build a colorful fence around his mother’s house while she was receiving treatment for stage five cancer.
The Office of Fair Trading has warned residents of south-east Queensland and northern New South Wales to avoid doing business with Brendan John Hawxwell (pictured).
Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath (pictured) described Mr Hawxwell’s alleged misconduct as “disgusting” and “deliberate”.
jane said A current issue Two months ago, Mr. Hawxwell tore down his mother’s fence before disappearing.
When confronted by the show at the time, the tradie threw a water bottle at a cameraman.
For the first time since Hawxwell allegedly conned Jane, she came face to face with him outside the court.
He pleaded guilty to driving without a license and suspended and faces 11 other unrelated charges, including possession of dangerous drugs, weapons and illegal taking of native animals.
Jane said it was “really difficult” to see the alleged scammer.
“He doesn’t care, he doesn’t care at all,” she said.
Mr Hawxwell previously ran his fencing business under the names “Brisbane Fencing and Decking”, “Queensland Fencing and Decking” and “Cartier Constructions”.
All of the businesses were run by its parent company, Cre8tive Construction Group Pty Ltd, under which it has now been banned from operating.
Hawxwell has been accused of receiving thousands of dollars from clients despite failing to complete agreed-upon work (pictured, one of Hawxwell’s half-finished jobs).
Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath described Mr Hawxwell’s alleged misconduct as “disgusting” and “deliberate”.
“He is a despicable individual and should be held accountable for what he is doing,” he said.
Ms D’Ath warned Australians against paying large deposits, or the full amount, for services up front.
Brisbane mother Claudine claims Mr Hawxwell scammed her out of $10,000.
She said he was “really good” at convincing clients it was legitimate to pay the full fee for his services directly.
Another alleged victim, Wayne, claims he saw Hawxwell’s business online and paid him an $8,000 deposit for a retaining wall.
His wife withdrew money from her pension to pay for Mr Hawxwell’s work, but the tradesman never completed the work.
‘We have to get even more to finish it. So we paid twice for it,’ Wayne said.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the Office of Fair Trading said Cre8tive Construction Group Pty Ltd has been liquidated.
Hawxwell (pictured) recently pleaded guilty to driving without a license and faces 11 other unrelated charges, including possession of dangerous drugs, weapons and unlawful taking of native animals.
“Unfortunately, we see more and more dodgy merchants operating through social media and online marketplaces like eBay; they like to hide behind online profiles and take your money before disappearing into the digital abyss,” said Ms D ‘Ath.
‘Our message to Queenslanders is simple: do your homework by checking reviews and a general internet search for companies you want to use.
‘If something doesn’t seem right or right to you, choose another merchant to get your goods and services from.
“We will continue to crack down on shady traders who are taking money from consumers and not supplying.”