Tikool business owners Paul Vickery and Alicia Davies claim they ‘have done nothing wrong’

A Gold Coast man who has drawn attention from authorities after spruiking an unregistered hangover cure and posting fake reviews for his and his wife’s businesses, says he has done nothing wrong.

Paul Vickery and wife Alicia Davies. Photo: Supplied

A GOLD Coast man who has drawn attention from authorities after spruiking an unregistered hangover cure and posting fake reviews for his and his wife’s businesses, says he has done nothing wrong.

Paul Vickery, 47, changed his name from Robert Paul Davies after being sentenced in 2015 to 200 hours of community service over an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission probe into his Natural Food Vending company, which went into liquidation in 2010.

Meanwhile his wife Alicia Davies’ business is spruiking hangover remedies that were axed by the regulator for non payment of fees more than two years ago.

Paul Vickery, formerly known as Robert Paul Davies, and his wife Alicia Davies. Photo: Supplied

Vickery’s new venture, Tikool, claims to help businesses improve their online reviews and thus increase sales.

However, multiple online reviews for his new business — and the Fresh Start Everyday Detox business owned by his wife — appear to have been completed by him, his family members and a fellow director of the company.

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The Therapeutic Goods Administration and Australian Competition and Consumer Commission are aware of the posts.

Screenshots of online advertisements for Fresh Start hangover cure, which had its TGA approval cancelled three years ago. Photo: Supplied

The TGA said it appeared the Fresh Start products were being advertised in breach of TGA requirements and that it would review it.

Mr Vickery yesterday said the claims were “unfounded” and “unsubstantiated” and that he believed the hangover product did not require registration.

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“It doesn’t need to be registered by the TGA for me to sell my own product,” he said.

He said he’d taken it off the register because the TGA had told him he wasn’t allowed to list a particular ingredient in the product as an “active ingredient”.

“I took it off the TGA so I could speak about my product freely, which is my complete right,” he said.

Another screenshots of online advertisements for the Fresh Start hangover cure. Photo: Supplied

“We’re able to sell whatever we want to sell, without their recommendation.”

However, the Therapeutic Goods Act says otherwise, setting out specific provisions relating to importation, manufacture, supply and export of therapeutic goods, as well as for contraventions of the advertising requirements for them.

Told his response would be published, Mr Vickery said he’d have to check whether his views on TGA registration still applied.

“As I understand it, that is the law, that you are able to sell products in Australia, that are not TGA registered,” he said.

“I would like to check that fact, I knew that it was true at the time that we did it, now it might not be true now. Back in 2016, I believed it was true, that’s why we did it.”

Mr Vickery said the Bulletin’s coverage was a personal attack.

“You’ve muddied my name for what? Leaving a review on our own site,” he said.

“Is it really that illegal?

“You can’t do this, you can’t just be falsifying this bull****.”

Mr Vickery said he said he had not been contacted by the ACCC about any false reviews.

Originally published as Tikool business owners Paul Vickery and Alicia Davies claim they ‘have done nothing wrong’