The Melbourne Magistrates Court has ordered an air conditioning company to pay the maximum penalty for breaching consumer Law.
In a civil case brought by Consumer Affairs Victoria, Australia Heating and Air Conditioning in Victoria has been ordered to pay $20,000 in costs and $100,000 in compensation to customers.
The court found the company had accepted money from customers, but failed to supply those goods and services.
The company also breached the terms of a 2012 enforceable undertaking, which required the company to repay money to certain consumers.
The court said Australia Heating and Air Conditioning engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by requesting payments when it was restrained from the court from doing so.
Aside from the fine, company officer Mardi Angela Tovey has been disqualified from managing a company until July 2024, while complaints manager Richard Francis Luke Tovey is barred until July 2018.
The company has also been ordered by the court to maintain a notice on its website until July 1, 2015, stating the company “had accepted payments for the supply of goods and services but not supplied the contracted goods and services”.
In addition, the Toveys have been restrained from accepting any payments for installing heating or air-conditioning systems before they complete the work.
In a statement, Consumer Affairs Victoria said this was not the first investigation involving a company linked to the Toveys.