Adelaide ‘Bitumen Bandits’ business 2Coat sentenced after scamming thousands of dollars out of elderly man, couple

A dodgy Adelaide company known as the “Bitumen Bandits” have been sentenced after its scams were revealed in court.

A “self-funded retiree” whose wife was in a nursing home has been left $7000 out of pocket at the hands of a company known as the ‘Bitumen Bandits’, a court has heard.

2Coat Pty Ltd, a private company established in November 2023, was sentenced in the Christies Beach Magistrates Court on Thursday after the company pleaded guilty to conducting building work without a licence.

No charges were laid against any individuals.

A second couple, who had an offer from the bandits to bitumise their Waitpinga driveway, suffered a $5000 loss after they agreed on a $20,000 quote.

Magistrate Oliver Koehn told the court the bandits had knocked on the couple’s door and offered their services using bitumen “left over from another job”.

The bitumen bandits were sentenced on Thursday. Picture: Consumer & Business Services

“They (the couple) accepted the offer and agreed on a quote for $20,000 to cover the cost of the work,” Mr Koehn said. “They then paid a deposit of $5000.

“Work was arranged to commence the following day – on that day, the same employee commenced work on the driveway but also agreed to bitumise another driveway for (the victim) at a cost of $12,000.

“Police became involved and the work was never completed. In a victim impact statement read aloud to the court, the (couple) indicated their distress over the ordeal. Their trust in tradespeople has been destroyed and they are afraid to talk to door-to-door salespeople.”

Minister for Consumer and Business Services Andrea Michaels said bitumen bandits “use standover tactics and offer cheap work”.

“Bitumen bandits are bands of itinerant tradies who go door to door, claiming to have cheap leftover bitumen from a larger job and offering to do low-cost bitumen work,” Ms Michaels said.

“They often use high-pressure tactics, hoping the allure of quick, cheap work will entice consumers – and while the price they quote is cheap, the end result is anything but. Either the work isn’t even started or – on those rare occasions where the work is done – it is of such a poor standard that consumers are left considerably out of pocket with any repairs or remediation work that is needed.”

Ms Michaels told the Advertiser Thursday’s sentencing was “one of the first prosecutions of its kind” in SA.

One of the victims’ unfinished driveway. Picture: Consumer & Business Services

On Thursday, Mr Koehn further noted one of the victims who was left with a $7000 debt was an elderly man who had recently retired.

In a victim impact statement previously read to the court, the victim said he felt “humiliated and scammed”.

“He is a self-funded retiree whose wife is in a nursing home (and) he could ill-afford to lose $7000,” Mr Koehn said.

The court heard an employee of the company – who had been appointed director without his knowledge and has not been individually charged – was “unaware” of the offences.

The court heard he believed the business had “no assets whatsoever”.

Counsel for Consumer and Business Services told Mr Koehn bank records revealed the company had a total balance of minus $30 and conceded they wouldn’t be able to provide any compensation costs to the victims.

Mr Koehn ordered 2Coat Pty Ltd to pay $1890 in victims of crime levies.