A Rye man who took payment for products he failed to supply has been convicted and fined by the Melbourne Magistrates Court.
Consumer Affairs Victoria prosecuted Stuart Ritchie Mitchell for breaches of the Australian Consumer Law, after he:
- received $1750 on 20 May 2011 for the supply of two eight-seater player benches, but failed to supply them. On 23 September 2011, he promised the customer a full refund but failed to provide it
- accepted $3355 from Darebin City Council on 26 May 2011 for the supply of two eight-seater player benches. These were to be delivered in four to six weeks, but Mr Mitchell did not supply the goods or a refund.
On 13 December 2012, the court convicted Mr Mitchell of both charges and fined him $8000. He was ordered to repay the council and other customer in full, and pay $1000 in costs.
Mr Mitchell previously operated as an unregistered builder and targeted Black Saturday bushfire survivors. In November 2011, he was ordered to repay a Kinglake couple $11,000 after pleading guilty to charges under Victoria's building, fair trading and business names laws.
For details, view Stuart Mitchell – Court action (29 November 2011).
You can check a licencee's current status via our Search public registers page.