Motel owner ‘really upset’ over construction firm’s unpaid bill

A Nelson motel owner is out of pocket by more than $5000 after the company contracted to build the Greenmeadows centre failed to settle its final bill.

The owner, who doesn’t wish to be named, said TCT Ltd, the construction firm Watts & Hughes had contracted for the build, made six bookings over a six-week period between August and September last year.

Local subcontactors working on the site said TCT’s workforce comprised mostly unqualified, unskilled labourers from the Czech Republic.

The owner of the Tahunanui motel got in touch with Stuff after reading about the workmanship and ongoing delays at the Greenmeadows site.

She said that when the first group arrived, she took a credit card from TCT for security, and the man who provided it asked that she not use it, saying he would pay by direct debit.

At first, the owner was grateful to fill her rooms during a quiet time of year, and when the first booking was paid for right away, she accepted further bookings from the company. However, she became worried when payment for subsequent bookings did not arrive.

‘‘When they checked out after the final booking, I said I would charge the credit card,’’ she said. The man asked her not to, and he said he ‘‘would pay me the following Monday.’’ When she didn’t receive payment on the Monday, she found that the card did not work.

Between September and Christmas 2017, she chased the firm for payment, eventually receiving two further payments totalling $3000. Of the final balance, $5370 remains unpaid.

The owner said she contacted Mark Emberton, a construction manager at Watts & Hughes. Emberton was was initially helpful, giving her another number for TCT, but eventually he stopped taking her calls.

She also contacted the Nelson City Council. ‘‘When they first booked, because they were doing a council project, I felt quite secure. They told me the company got an accommodation allowance from the council.’’

Council spokesman Paul Shattock said he sympathised with the owner’s predicament but confirmed that NCC did not offer an accommodation allowance for subcontractors.

The owner said she felt ‘‘stupid’’ for not taking measures against non-payment, but she had not had problems before.

‘‘You presume people are honest. I have spent a long time trying to get the money back. I have been really upset.’’

She said reading about the problems that had blighted the Greenmeadows construction was upsetting. ‘‘The fact that it is such a debacle on top of the fact that they have left a small local business like ourselves out of pocket is not fair.’’

The impact on her small business was significant, she said. ‘‘Not being paid a substantial amount of money left us struggling to pay the rent, which in turn makes everything else tight.’’

Watts & Hughes said the unpaid bill was a matter for the subcontractor and that TCT was no longer trading. TCT did not respond to Stuff’s questions.

‘‘When they first booked, because they were doing a council project, I felt quite secure.’’