The tradie quoted competitively, took a deposit (or full payment “for materials”), and then either disappeared, did half the job and left, or completed work so defective it has to be torn out. This is one of the most enraging scam patterns — and one where Australian Consumer Law is on your side, provided the tradesperson is identifiable.
The legal context
Where a tradie supplies services in trade or commerce, the ACL imposes statutory guarantees of due care and skill, fitness for purpose, and supply within a reasonable time. If they took a deposit and never started, that is also a straight breach of contract. Most states additionally regulate building work — Queensland’s QBCC, NSW Fair Trading, VBA in Victoria, and equivalents — with their own complaints and dispute paths.
Realistic outcomes
Unlicensed cash-only operators with no fixed address are hard to recover from but not impossible — bank account details often reveal a real name. Licensed tradies, by contrast, have everything to lose: their licence, their insurer relationship, and their ability to bid on future work. A Letter of Demand to a licensed tradie almost always produces a response.
The document approach
Set out the contract, dates, payments and defects (with photos referenced as attachments), cite the ACL guarantees breached, and demand either completion or refund of the unearned portion within 14 days. Note that you will refer the matter to the licensing body in parallel.
What Claim Done delivers ($79)
For a flat $79 our AI produces a tribunal-ready Letter of Demand citing the correct ACL provisions and your state’s regulatory framework, in your name, as a PDF.
What to expect after
Send the letter, lodge a complaint with your state’s building or fair-trading regulator, and prepare a tribunal claim if the deadline passes. Where defects exist, get an independent quote for rectification — that quote becomes the dollar figure in your tribunal claim.