Police want to get hands on handyman
Police say they are working to bring a case against a Wellington handyman after reports of people being left thousands of dollars out of pocket.
Seven complaints have been made to police about the man, understood to be Mark Morton, who has been advertising handyman services on local community Facebook pages in Wellington.
Police believed all the cases were linked, a spokesman said. ‘‘We are actively working to bring a case against the person responsible.’’
In some cases, the offending appears to be criminal, the spokesman said.
But Morton is adamant he is not conducting a scam, saying he intends to pay back the money or complete the work.
Kristine Ford, a solo mother of three from Miramar, said she paid Morton a deposit of $2133 in September for work that was never started.
After advertising on her local community page in July asking for recommendations for someone who could paint her roof, Ford met an ‘‘engaging’’ Morton, who provided a quote.
Ford said she spent several months saving up the money, before paying Morton a 30 per cent deposit on September 13. Ten days after paying the money, Morton still had not shown up, Ford said, citing various reasons, including the weather, car troubles and delays with scaffolding.
Ford asked Morton to get in touch with her or refund her money, otherwise she would go to police.
‘‘Hey Mark, I have a horrible feeling you have scammed me,’’ the message said.
‘‘I’m really uncomfortable with the lack of communication and action on your part,’’ she said, four days later, after Morton blamed car issues again for not showing up.
Ford said he then showed up on October 4, inspected the roof, and left again, saying he would return the next day. When Morton didn’t show up for three more days, Ford told him to not come back onto her property, as she was feeling unsafe about the situation, and filed a police report.
In response to questions from Stuff, Morton said he intended to complete the work but as Ford told him not to come back, he could not.
‘‘She told me to go away. I don’t have to return the deposit, but I’m quite willing to go and do the work,’’ he said.
Ford said she wanted to support local when looking for someone to complete the work. After posting on social media about her experience, she received messages from people who had similar experiences with Morton.
‘‘I’ve lost so much sleep – $2000 is a lot of money for me. There’s been a lot of tears. As a result, I’m a lot less trusting. I’ve felt really stupid, I’ve berated myself, it’s been really difficult. I’ve lost everything,’’ she said.
Aotea resident Anaci du Plessis said she had paid Morton $1705 for work, after meeting him and discussing work she needed to create a home office, including building a cupboard. After completing some work, she said Morton did not return and ceased contact.
Du Plessis reported the dealings with police and her case was one of seven being investigated.
Morton admitted he ‘‘f... up’’ with the job, and said he would refund du Plessis the money he owed her.
Another Aotea resident, who declined to be named, won a case against Morton at the Disputes Tribunal this year after he was paid for gardening work that he failed to complete. Morton did not attend the hearing, and was ordered to pay $1500 by July 13. He had not yet paid, but said he intended to.
‘‘I never went out to defraud people of anything. It’s not fraud because I intended on doing the work the whole time,’’ he told Stuff.
Customers who had issues with him should go through the Disputes Tribunal, he said.
Police are appealing for anyone who may have been approached via social media for similar work, and feel the person wasn’t legitimate, or if there are concerns for others who have received similar offers, to report it.