Brisbane tradie pockets $200K in deposits, ghosts customers, now forced to pay it all back
Dozens of clients paid for jobs that never even started, handing over deposits in the thousands before being left waiting. Now a Brisbane tradie has been ordered to pay back close to $200,000 and fined after pleading guilty to multiple breaches of consumer law.
Brendan Hawxwell, 36 clients, $200K in deposits. Now forced to pay it back.
This was not one unhappy client. Not two. This was 36 people all waiting on the same thing. Big deposits paid, trust given, and left out of pocket with nothing delivered.
Deposits taken… and work never started
The case centres around Brendan Hawxwell, who was offering jobs like fencing, decking, roofing and general home upgrades.
The pattern was always the same. Lock in the job, ask for a deposit straight away, in some cases up to $17,000, then vanish or just ghost the client.
Jobs never moved. Some never even started. People waited weeks, then months, chasing answers while the money was already sitting in Hawxwell’s pocket.
“Deposits paid. Then ghosted. Nothing delivered.”
$200,000 on the line and dragged through court
The damage was not small. In total, 36 clients were hit, with close to $200,000 in deposits taken.
It all ended up in court, where Hawxwell and his company pleaded guilty to multiple breaches of consumer law.
The outcome was blunt. A $45,000 fine and a court order to pay back nearly $200,000 to the clients. Proper hit. And not without reason.
More than money, it wrecks trust
Cases like this land differently. It is not just about losing cash. It is about trusting someone to work on your home and getting left hanging.
And when it happens once, it is bad. When it happens 36 times, it hits the whole industry.
Because now every bloke who rocks up in hi vis has to deal with that shadow. Scammers wearing tradie gear, looking for the next victim.
At the end of the day, it is not just clients who get burned. It is the trust in anyone who shows up with tools ready to work.
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Dozens of clients paid for jobs that never even started, handing over deposits in the thousands before being left waiting. Now a Brisbane tradie has been ordered to pay back close to $200,000 and fined after pleading guilty to multiple breaches of consumer law.