There’s no telling when an Auckland floorer, who's out of the country, will be back to face his customers.
Stephen McEwan of Ondol Ltd advertises flooring products and services on Facebook, claiming to have 30 years of experience in the industry.
Fair Go has received several complaints from disgruntled customers, including Artur Rakhimov and Elena Poltorak, who are $16,000 out of pocket.
“I don't know how he's sleeping at night,” Poltorak said.
The couple were wanting underfloor heating installed as well as timber flooring throughout their home.
Rakhimov says the flooring contractor promised that their new floor was going to be very special indeed – made in Europe, not lacquered, and waxed with Carnauba wax.
The job would cost approximately $22,000 and McEwan asked for two payments upfront.
In April 2022, they paid McEwan $8000 for the underfloor heating and electrician services and another $8000 for the timber flooring. Rakhimov says they agreed on a timeframe of about six weeks.
McEwan dropped off the flooring – but soon dropped out of sight.
The underfloor heating that was due in late April never arrived. Sometime in May, the couple found out McEwan was overseas, travelling between Europe and the UK.
McEwan told the couple he was visiting his sick mother, but reassured them he would be back in the next week or two. This dragged on, until in July, Artur and Elena asked Stephen for a refund.
They also discovered they had been sold flooring that was different to what McEwan had promised them. Far from being from Europe, the boxes showed the exact same specifications as a product they could buy just up the road at a competitor’s store – and for cheaper.
Rakhimov and Poltorak have written to McEwan several times and asked for their money back. His latest promise was to refund them on August 20.
Since the Fair Go story aired on August 22, the couple have now got $8000 back and are speaking with McEwan about the second $8000 when his flooring products are taken away.
Fair Go has made repeated attempts to contact McEwan, but he has not responded.
But in promising news, New Zealand's largest flooring retailer, Flooring Xtra, is going to meet with the couple to see how it can help them finally finish their floors.
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