Handymen Jashavantkumar and Tejaskumar Patel fined $20,000 for misleading elderly and vulnerable customers

They promised cheap after-hours work and senior’s discounts – instead, two dishonest handymen ripped off their clients. Now they’ve paid the price.

Two handymen have been fined for misleading their vulnerable customers.

Two “deliberately dishonest” backyard handymen, who exploited elderly and vulnerable clients by overcharging for poor-quality, after-hours work, have been fined $20,000.

The South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal has found Jashavantkumar “Jash” Patel and Tejaskumar “TJ” Patel engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct.

Between 2017 and 2019, their company, Star Plus Group Pty Ltd, offered electrical, plumbing and gas services, promising no call-out fees and discounts for seniors. Instead, they charged hundreds of dollars for poor work and, if the clients objected or requested refunds, yelled at and intimidated them over the phone.

One of the pair’s former clients, Helen, 84, who did not want her surname published, told the Sunday Mail she was charged $701.34 for 45 minutes’ work – and was denied the $55 discount promised in the duo’s advertisement.

“When they told me the bill was over $700 I couldn’t believe it and I very nearly collapsed,” she said. “I’d expected it might be $200 or $300, because it was after 5.30pm, but I never for a second thought it would be that much.”

Fortunately, Helen told a friend about the pair while shopping, and was overheard by a retired police officer, who referred her to Commissioner for Consumer Affairs Dini Soulio. Subsequent investigations located six other victims who had been ripped off over gas fittings and toilet and hot water system repairs.

One man suffered an electric shock when he touched his shower taps, because the men had not installed a proper earth stake while working on his property.

A woman, meanwhile, learned the pair had withdrawn an additional $350.22 from her bank account, after leaving her house, without her authorisation.

In its ruling, SACAT said the men’s conduct had been “very serious”, noting the duo had admitted all of the conduct alleged by Commissioner Soulio and refunded its customers.

“We consider this conduct to be at the higher end of the scale of seriousness,” it said.

“We note the number of consumers involved, their vulnerability and the continuing course of deliberately dishonest, unfair and, in one case, seriously negligent conduct. The misleading advertising is blatant and particularly serious – the company apparently had no intention to honour its … offers about discounts.”

Helen was “delighted” to see the matter resolved.

“I thought I might get back whatever the difference was (in my bill). I didn’t expect to get the full amount – it’s lovely,” she said.

Commissioner Soulio said the duo “preyed upon and misled vulnerable consumers”.