‘Catfishing’: Dodgy tradies’ insane rip off tactics exposed

Most Aussies claim they have had a bad experience with a tradie at some point.

Frustrating issues normally seen in the dating world have rocked Australia’s home repairs and renovations industry, with homeowners warned about a concerning rise in “catfish tradies”.

These smooth talking operators have been reported to be luring unsuspecting clients with too-good-to-be-true quotes, only to spring them with extra charges once works begin.

Catfish tradies also include companies who misrepresent their previous jobs with fake imagery or qualifications and then deliver shonky projects that fall well short of what clients were promised.

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Decisions about hiring tradies are made on gut feel or a handshake, making it a rife climate for catfishing operators.

It comes as hipages research showed Australians’ confidence in tradies has eroded over time, with 66 per cent of those surveyed in a recent poll saying they struggled to find one they could trust.

This lack of trust, coupled with a widespread ignorance about proper qualifications and pricing, is creating perfect waters for these Catfish Tradies to thrive, according to hipages.

Homeowners caught in the web of catfishing tradies were losing thousands of dollars on projects that were substandard or didn’t deliver on specifications.

Relationship expert Sera Bozza said it was homeowners’ lack of understanding of how to select a tradie that was creating a particularly favourable environment for catfishing behaviours.

Many people still relied on gut feeling, handshakes and false recommendations for sourcing tradies, which made it easier for them to be exploited, Ms Bozza said.

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“Sometimes tradies can be really charming and the homeowner will get swept up by it all,” she said.

“Often what happens is there is a lump sum quote that’s given in the beginning but once they get to the job it becomes itemised. It’s all added up to a total and it’s a lot higher.

“(Catfishing) tradies misrepresent their experience, qualifications and past work to win jobs … they offer quotes that seem too good to be true and often use misrepresented photos to seal the deal.”

Ms Bozza added that a lack of knowledge about pricing exacerbated the issue.

About two thirds of those polled by hipages said they were in the dark about how much hiring a tradie should cost, leaving them vulnerable to inflated invoices and hidden fees.

hipages data showed many Aussies didn’t know the right tradie to even call.

“About 2 million Aussies have hired the wrong tradie at some point,” Ms Bozza said,

“Platforms like hipages let tradies show reviews, but there are other ways people find tradies and without these verifications it’s easy to go by just a handshake or a feeling.

“Many people don’t know what they are looking for. It’s essentially guesswork. And that makes it rife for catfishing.”

Ms Bozza highlighted some key red flags homeowners should watch out for – many of which were similar to certain types of dating trends. These behaviours were categorised as:

> Mr Unreliable: A tradie who promises to call but never does. “Trust comes from consistency,” Ms Bozza warned. “If they’re hard to reach before the job starts, imagine how they’ll handle your timeline.”

> The Pick-Me Tradie: Someone who trashes other tradies to win your job. “If they need to bag out the competition to look good, they’re not the better choice,” Ms Bozza said.

> The Zero Footprint: An operator with no reviews, license, or verified history. “If you can’t find anything about them online, there’s a likely reason,” Ms Bozza said.

> Lying About Their Height (and Their Quotes): Quoting one price and invoicing another.

Many homeowners have attempted DIY repairs on complex issues because of a lack of trust in tradies.

> The Catfish Carpenter: Photoshopped pics and work that looks nothing like promised. “Being catfished by an unqualified tradie can leave you feeling betrayed and duped with dodgy results.”

Signs of a good tradie were that they confirmed quotes and actually showed up, Ms Bozza added. They also had legitimate photos and something of an online presence with substantive reviews.

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