An unlicensed builder who took payments from clients totalling $10,000 for work that was never started has been penalised more than $12,000 in the Adelaide Magistrates Court this week.

In court, 57 year old John James Meyer pleaded guilty to breaches of the Australian Consumer Law and the Building Work Contractors Act.

In one case, Meyer had accepted payments totalling $2400 to refurbish a client’s kitchen, bathroom and laundry – but never completed the work.

The court heard Meyer’s client had obtained a civil judgment to recoup the money they had paid to him.

In a second case, Meyer had accepted deposit payments totalling $7600 to renovate a kitchen in a suburban café, and had given his client a fake building licence number to convince them that he was appropriately licensed.

The court heard that Meyer didn’t submit any plans to the council for the renovation and failed to even commence work on the site – avoiding repeated phone calls from his client.

Meyer, who had a previous conviction for accepting deposits for work that was never undertaken, was fined $4000 and ordered to repay $7600 to his second client.

He was also ordered to pay $800 in prosecution costs and $320 in court costs.