NSW Fair Trading has issued a public warning to consumers to avoid dealing with Sydney man Hong Thang Dang Tran, Maris Building Group Pty Ltd and A&J Group Services Pty Ltd after a high number of complaints about unlicensed, uninsured and incomplete building work.
NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rose Webb said the public warning followed a NSW Fair Trading investigation that identified immediate and ongoing risks to consumers in dealing with Mr Tran, Maris Building Group Pty and A&J Group Services Pty Ltd (A&J).
"There have been 20 complaints about Mr Tran and companies for which he is a director since May 2020. The complaints concerned contracts totalling about $200,000," Ms Webb said.
"These complaints related to unlicensed work, taking excessive deposits from consumers, failing to provide insurance and failing to provide contracted services within a reasonable time.
"Mr Tran has shown a blatant disregard for previous compliance action taken by Fair Trading by continuing to perform unlicensed and uninsured work.
"Issuing a public warning about Mr Tran, Maris and A&J is in the public interest to prevent further financial loss to consumers."
In one case, a consumer paid Mr Tran $58,500 to renovate a kitchen, laundry and two bathrooms. However, after stripping the bathroom and kitchen, Mr Tran did not return to finish the job, leaving the consumer without access to the two rooms.
NSW Fair Trading issued Mr Tran and associated companies 15 penalty infringement notices and fines totalling $19,500 between May 2020 and August 2020.
Mr Tran, who had nine different aliases, Maris and A&J have also failed to comply with four NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal orders.
He was also continuing to seek residential building work after NSW Fair Trading issued a verbal warning to stop.
Consumers are advised to check the credentials of builders and other tradespeople before engaging a contractor for work.
A licence is required for all specialist work such as electrical, plumbing and air conditioning regardless of the cost. Further, a licence is required for all other residential work valued at more than $5,000."
Further, the Home Building Act prohibits seeking more than 10 per cent of the contract price as a deposit prior to starting residential building work.
To check the licence details of a tradesperson, visit https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/help-centre/online-tools/home-building-licence-check or call 13 32 20. Consumers are encouraged to contact NSW Fair Trading with any complaints.
NSW Fair Trading is committed to protecting the community through its investigation of alleged breaches of the law and via educational campaigns to inform consumers and businesses of their rights and obligations under the law.
