Shonky batts installers

‘con residents, swindle

$1200 Govt subsidy’

RESIDENTS across the region should be wary of dodgy batts home-insulation installers, warns Member for Dubbo, Dawn Fardell.

The Independent MP says she has received complaints from residents after salespeople knocked on their doors and offered to provide a quote for the insulation.

She says the quotes are usually for $1200, the exact subsidy provided by the Federal Government. Homeowners sign up in the belief they will not be left out of pocket. The salespeople then ask homeowners to sign the quote.

Ms Fardell says residents aren’t given a copy of the paperwork which the installer then uses to claim the subsidy from the Federal Government, regardless of whether batts are installed.

“In one instance, the installers contacted a property owner in Gilgandra offering to quote for insulation in

“When the installer didn’t phone to complete the paperwork the owner contacted him and the installer said there had been enough batts on hand to complete the job and the tenants [had] signed off on the paperwork.

“As a result, the installer walked away with $8400 for throwing a few packs of batts into the ceiling of four of the houses and none in the other two houses.”

Ms Fardell says anyone considering insulating their home should contact a reputable local business rather than listen to dodgy door-to-door insulation salespeople who “are obviously targeting” western centres, including Mudgee, Gilgandra, Dubbo and Cobar.

“There is no obligation to allow traders into your home and anyone who feels threatened or unsure . . . should phone the police,” she says.