In Australia, a group of construction workers reversed their work after a payment dispute with a client. The disagreement arose when tradesmen working on a driveway found that the homeowner, Viola, refused to pay the full agreed amount.
Jesse Crowe, a construction worker from Logan, Queensland, had settled on a fee of $4,012 (or $6,000 AUD) to concrete a large driveway beside Viola’s home. But after the job was finished, Viola reportedly refused to pay in full, offering only $1,670 ($2,500 AUD) and withholding the remaining $3,500 AUD ($2,340) due to issues she claimed with the quality of work and cleanup.
Viola explained to 7News that she felt pressured by Crowe to pay, claiming he warned her, “you pay now, or we will smash the concrete.” She added that she would have paid if the work had been completed to her satisfaction, saying, “They did what they wanted, not what I asked for.”
In response, Crowe filmed a video to document what he called “what happens when you don’t pay for work done.” He and a colleague then used a pickaxe to break up the newly poured driveway, leaving it patchy and damaged. The person recording the video commented, “You should have paid. Now it’s going to cost more to remove and redo it. Didn’t want to pay? This is what happened.”
Crowe, who has long worked in concrete, told 7News he takes pride in his work and is frustrated by clients who don’t pay. Although disappointed to ruin his own work, he emphasized his commitment to doing right by customers.
The homeowners planned to fix the driveway themselves. Though the incident occurred last year, it recently gained attention online, with both parties still standing by their actions. Crowe concluded, “I just want to get paid.”