Ben Purchase, former The Block carpenter, to plead guilty after Consumer Affairs probe into furniture company Ingrain Designs

A tradie who was dramatically fired from The Block is expected to plead guilty to rorting the customers of his Collingwood boutique furniture company.

A tradie who was fired from The Block will plead guilty to a string of charges after rorting the customers of his boutique Collingwood furniture company out of thousands.

Ben James Purchase, 41, of Preston, faced the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday on charges laid by Consumer Affairs Victoria.

Purchase’s lawyer indicated he would plead guilty to all charges when the case returns to court in June.

Both Purchase and his former company, Ingrain Designs, were charged last year, but it is unclear if any Consumer Affairs or the DPP will continue with the charges against the company, which has never had a lawyer representing it, and from which Purchase was removed as a director when he was declared bankrupt.

Purchase’s decision to plead guilty comes a decade after he starred on The Block, when contestants Whitney and Andrew fired him, citing a “personality clash”.

Ben Purchase (not pictured) a former tradie from The Block, will plead guilty to a string of charges following the collapse of his boutique furniture Collingwood furniture company, Ingrain Designs. Picture: Supplied/realestate.com.au

Purchase’s company formerly operated out of a showroom on Johnston St, Collingwood and a workshop in Reservoir.

At one stage Purchase oversaw a large staff, including his father, Brett, but the business began to implode around 2022, with Consumer Affairs inundated with complaints about unfulfilled orders and refusals to pay refunds.

Brett Purchase is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Ben Purchase (right), former The Block carpenter, will plead guilty after Consumer Affairs probe into furniture company Ingrain Designs. Picture: Supplied/realestate.com.au

Purchase and the company’s first legal trouble came in April last year, when he was fined $4000, without conviction, for failing to provide Consumer Affairs investigators with information about his business.

Purchase was subsequently hit with his current raft of charges, which include multiple counts of accepting payment without intending to supply goods.

Consumer Affairs director Nicole Rich said at the time he was charged: “If you buy goods, you have every right to expect them to be supplied to you, and in a timely way.

“If the business can’t do so, it shouldn’t be taking consumer money.”

Ben Purchase, pictured being fired from season ten of The Block. Picture: Supplied/The Block

Ms Rich said her office took action after receiving complaints about Purchase and the company’s failure to supply furniture to multiple customers, with items totalling more than $25,000.

The latest set of charges carry significant financial penalties, but it is unclear whether Purchase, whose finances are currently under the control of a trustee in bankruptcy, will be able to pay any fines.

His sentencing proceedings will take place in the County Court.