Former Geelong fraudster David Robert Matthews’ new flooring company revealed in Bundaberg

A serial fraudster who allegedly fleeced a number of Geelong families while running a Lara flooring company has launched another business in Queensland.

Serial builder scammer David Robert Matthews, formerly of Lara Floorcoverings, has started another business in Bundaberg, Phat Floors.

A convicted fraudster, who allegedly fleeced a number of Geelong families out of thousands of dollars while running a Lara flooring company, has launched another business in Queensland and is pleading with customers to forgive his dodgy past.

Former Lara Floorcoverings owner David Robert Matthews, who spent a year in prison after pleading guilty to fraud charges in NSW in 2019, has been running Phat Floors in Bundaberg for the past 12 months, it can be revealed.

It is the same Queensland town he was extradited from by detectives in 2019 on fraud charges – which led to a number of his former customers in Geelong coming forward with allegations he ripped them off and left unfinished work.

Matthews spent a year behind bars for crimes in NSW.

Mr Matthews, who was ordered to pay one NSW victim $100,000 compensation from his previous conviction, which included dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception, told the Addy he was “busting his balls” to “do the right thing” with his new venture.

“I haven’t ripped anyone off since I’ve been in business here,” he said.

“If I piss sideways people will say I’m not doing the right thing.”

One alleged customer wrote a review on his business page claiming he had not finished a job or had work completed to a professional standard.

“Dave is happy to take the 50 per cent deposit but then you do all the work trying to get him to complete the job,” Sara Harper wrote.

Another post on a Yeppoon Community Noticeboard accused Phat Floors of not paying their subcontractors, while another claimed she’d lodged a complaint with the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

He is trading again in Bundaberg under Phat Floors, with some claims of unsatisfied work.

This masthead is not suggesting the online allegations are true, only that they have been made.

Mr Matthews categorically denied any suggestion he had been dishonest or had been involved in any illegal dealings with his new clients when questioned by the Addy.

“Do you know how hard it is when your past gets dragged up all the time?” he said.

“I’m sick to death of it.”

He claims to have received three customer complaints about unsatisfactory work “out of about 250”, one of which received a partial refund.

“I’ve been busting my balls and I’m doing really well,” he said.

Geelong small business owner Simon Gatt, who says he lost thousands at the hands of Mr Matthews, said he was shocked to learn he had started up another flooring business.

He claimed he was told a similar “sob story” on the phone by Matthews back in 2016.

“I have heard that before,” he said.

“I have zero sympathy for him.”

Mr Gatt said he previously paid $7500 for the floor of his Lara home.

“He completely stuffed it,” he said.

He alleges he then spent “close to $30,000” to repair the shoddy work, and claimed he never saw a cent of the money he was owed by Matthews.

Simon Gatt was an alleged victim of Mr Matthews in 2016, claiming the dodgy work ended up seeing him almost $30,000 out of pocket. Picture: Peter Ristevski

“I am actually dumbfounded,” he said.

“That is how stuffed our justice system is.

“How can you do prison time on fraud charges and then be able to start up another business once you get out? That is just beyond me.”

He called for a “system overhaul” and slammed a “flawed” federal government and Australian Taxation Office.

“I’m a small-business owner and if we don’t do our taxes right then we get screwed for every last cent that we have,” he said.

“Then you get this bloke who can get out of jail and it’s just rinse and repeat.
“It’s a joke. Once a con, always a con in my eyes.”

St Leonards woman Amelia Zarb said it was “disgusting” he was able to operate a flooring company again.

She recalled allegedly handing Mr Matthews and Lara Floorcoverings about $6000 for work on one of her townhouses in the small coastal town before subcontractors walked out half way through the job.

“He didn’t pay them,” she alleged.

“He just up and left and left us to pay again to have it finished.”

Amelia and Dave Zarb say they were scammed by Matthews on a project in St Leonards. Picture: Alison Wynd

She said he came across as “very smooth and charismatic” during her initial dealings.

“He was suave, good looking, he didn’t seem uneducated and he had his own shopfront in Lara,” she said, adding his new Bundaberg business “raised alarm bells”.

“I’m the first one to move on and accept an apology, but don’t go back and start doing what you did before,” she said.

“I would say it’s buyer beware up there, that’s for sure.”

The alleged Lara incidents occurred in 2016 and 2017.

In that same time period, Mr Matthews fronted a Victorian court over charges of theft, stating a false name when requested, threatening to inflict serious injury and obtaining property by deception.

He copped a six-month community corrections order, 100 hours of unpaid community work and a $300 fine in relation to those offences.

Mr Matthews recently posted a message to his new Phat Floors customer base on social media addressing negative posts and reviews online, calling them “undeserved”.

“You’ve probably heard about my past and the time I did,” a section of the statement read.

“Yeah, I made serious mistakes. But I’ve fought tooth and nail to rebuild my life, learn from my past, and come back stronger.

“The harsh comments and judgment I’ve faced recently cut deep.

“How many times do I have to keep paying for the same crime?”

The message received more than 10 positive responses from satisfied clients.

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Originally published as Former Geelong fraudster David Robert Matthews’ new flooring company revealed in Bundaberg