Notorious plumbing company stripped of its licence

The company behind Dan’s Plumbing and Ferguson’s Plumbing have had their licence cancelled and disqualified after 183 complaints, including a 98 year old invoiced $31k for a toilet blockage.

John Rose, 98, was ripped off by plumbing company Dan's Plumbing for work he needed done at his Thornleigh home. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Building Commission NSW has moved to permanently cancel and disqualify the licence of a notorious plumbing company, which attempted to charge a 98 year old man $31,000 to fix a broken toilet.

The action against Australian Trades Pty Ltd, which operates under several names including Dan’s Plumbing and Ferguson’s Plumbing, follows 183 consumer complaints over the past 18 months.

On Thursday the company’s director, Charbel Alha, launched legal action against the ban, managing to temporarily hold onto his licence until a full hearing at the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) next week.

The Daily Telegraph has previously revealed 98 year old Sydney resident John Rose was quoted more than $31,000 by Australian Trades Pty Ltd for a basic toilet blockage, which was subsequently fixed by another plumber for just $550.

Building Commissioner James Sherrard personally investigated Mr Rose’s matter after he was alerted to the case by this masthead.

In a statement on Thursday, Mr Sherrard said the Commission had taken action against Australian Trades Pty Ltd “to protect homeowners in NSW”.

“A disqualification is the most serious disciplinary decision we can make in relation to a licence holder and means they cannot operate in NSW,” Mr Sherrard said.

His department has been extensively investigating the company and its owner for several months, and is understood to have taken a large number of witness statements.

98 year old John Rose almost paid more than $31,000 to fix a basic toilet blockage. The company are notorious for overpricing customers. Picture: Jonathan Ng

The infamous toilet which a tradie from Australian Trades tried to charge more than $31,000 to fix. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Other “victims” of Australian Trades Pty Ltd identified by the Commission include a resident quoted $12,000 to fix water pooling around a stormwater drain, with other plumbers offering just $2,450 for the same job.

The business also charged a person in their 80s almost $2,500 to fix leaking taps, but none were actually fitted. The same elderly resident also agreed to a “free inspection” and ended up being charged another $14,095.

Australian Trades Pty Ltd has been operating under a string of names including Ferguson’s Plumbing, Dan’s Plumbing, Andersons Plumbing AUS, Bob’s Plumbing NSW, Dan’s Electrical NSW, Lloyd’s Plumbing and Gas, Truefix Tradie and Wilson’s Plumbing NSW.

A brief hearing at NCAT on Thursday afternoon heard Mr Alha’s companies had more than 60 staff and the cancellation would bring his operations “to a complete stop”. Mr Alha’s legal representatives claimed that the company had an overall complaint rate of less than 1 per cent.

Lawyers on behalf of the NSW Building Commission argued it had gathered evidence of Australian Trades Pty Ltd “engaging in high-pressure sales tactics”, “grossly overcharging” and “intimidating customers for payment within hours of invoicing”.

The company has been allowed to temporarily keep its licence, with strict conditions that include not entering new contracts, until the full NCAT hearing on Friday December 5.

Mr Alha, the company’s director, declined to comment but has previously denied wrongdoing when contacted by this masthead. His business has featured regularly on Nine’s A Current Affair and 2GB.

Originally published as Notorious plumbing company stripped of its licence