Aircon Factory Direct (Western Australia, Australia) 2011-01-20 Source: watoday.au/wa-news/turn-up-the-heat--dodgy-aircon-man-back-20110117-19tup.html?from=age_ft Turn up the heat - dodgy air-con man back Chalpat Sonti January 19, 2011 - 7:31AM A notorious Perth air-conditioning installer appears to be back to his old ways. Alwyn Healy, who has been in the crosshairs of authorities for several years over dozens of complaints of failing to deliver or install air-conditioners after accepting payment, appears to have breached a court order for the second time in little more than a year, and shortly after being handed a suspended jail sentence. Mr Healy was given a suspended 20-day term by the WA Supreme Court in November, after being found guilty of six charges of contempt of court. They related to the Aircon Factory Direct business he ran. Advertisement: Story continues below Mr Healy had given the court an undertaking a year earlier that he would adhere to timeframes relating to installing air-conditioners - including informing if he could not - 24 hours before a scheduled installation, ordering and paying for all parts within two working days of entering into a contract, and responding to customer inquiries within 48 hours. The suspended sentence was handed down by Justice Kenneth Martin, who described Mr Healy as dodgy. The circumstances of each contempt are undoubtedly serious, Justice Martin said. It is distressing for a consumer to sign a contract only to receive nothing and, worse, not to be told anything. It was the latest in a long string of run-ins with the authorities, including a five-year ban on being a director by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in 2003, after three companies collapsed owing more than $6 million. Consumer Protection commenced court proceedings against Mr Healy and got the court-enforceable undertakings in 2009. In May 2010 Mr Healy was ordered to pay about $16,000 in damages after two trials in the Perth Magistrates Court. They were part of eight seperate civil actions, with the other six being settled pre-trial. Consumer Protection also issued a warning last year that Mr Healy was operating under the business name Dual Cycle Airconditioning, but the latest complaint relates to a business named Healthy Home Airconditioning. Warnbro man Neil Gill, who has forwarded his complaint to Consumer Protection, told WAtoday.au that he responded to a newspaper advertisement by Mr Healy in November. Taken in by Mr Healys manner - he was a nice polite bloke to talk to, but I wish I knew then what I know now - Mr Gill handed over $1990 as a 50 per cent deposit for an air-conditioning unit for a rental property he owned. The cheque was to be made payable to AFD - shorthand for the former company Aircon Factory Direct - with an approximate installation date of December 21. Mr Gill recently received a text supposedly from Mr Healy saying the unit would be installed at the weekend. That deadline came and went with no word from Mr Healy, with Mr Gill unsuccessfully trying to contact him. Mr Healy earlier told him he had ordered the air-conditioner from Welshpool supplier Global Machinery. A Global Machinery spokesman told WAtoday.au that Mr Healy - who comes across as a real smooth operator - came into the business asking it to order some units but nothing ever eventuated. That was after he gave Mr Gill the docket. Someone in the office looked him up on the computer and found out all this stuff about him, the spokesman said. Once we found out, we put the hard word on him and obviously nothing was going out the door unless he paid first. We havent heard from him again. Mr Healy claimed that he had not breached any of his court conditions. This business were operating now, its actually not my business, he told WAtoday.au. I stopped trading in July last year. Im actually working on a commission basis. I havent breached any conditions. Im just getting on top of things now. However, he did not say who owned the business. Mr Healy claimed delays stemmed from his mother becoming ill in November, and he said she passed away on Christmas Eve. I took a few days off. The problem was I took my eye off the ball. The installation teams didnt actually perform as they were supposed to and very hot weather caused some installation delays. In January we had two or three days of wet weather and then some hot weather, and we ended up five or six jobs behind schedule. Mr Healy also claimed that there were problems with a manufacturer in South Australia, which he said had two major breakdowns, leading to shortages. He claimed he spoke to Mr Gill before sending him the text message, but Mr Gill denied any conversation took place. Mr Healy said he tried to contact Mr Gill further, but could only get through to his voicemail. However, Mr Healy said he would install the unit today. WAtoday.au also tried to call the landline number supplied by Mr Healy to his customers. A woman answered the landline phone number he has given out. She said the business name was Inspired Roof Restorations. When asked where Mr Healy was, she said hes not a member of this company. He may have been an old tenant of the building and has since moved premises, she said. A Consumer Protection spokesman said the agency was continuing to investigate Mr Healy, but could not comment further as proceedings were still before the Supreme Court on other matters.
Posted on: Fri, 22 Nov 2013 23:31:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015