The Palmerston North premises of Green Innovations NZ now sits locked and empty. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
A Palmerston North window installation company has shut its doors, leaving multiple customers tens of thousands of dollars out of pocket.
At least 16 aggrieved customers have banded together in pursuit of Green Innovations NZ owner Michael Wright, who has gone to ground owing the group over $450,000.
Michael Gibbs said he and his partner paid half of a $40,000 order for windows and doors with Green Innovations NZ in November last year.
At the time the firm said it would take 11 months to construct.
In August this year he spoke to Wright, who told him the windows were due in two months and instructed him to pay another third of the bill.
"Then he went silent and there was a closed sign under Google on their page and I tried to get a hold of the sales rep, I managed to track him down to be told that six weeks prior he had resigned."
He was put in touch with the owner of NK Windows, who manufactured the windows on behalf of Green Innovations NZ. They told Gibbs that his quote was put through to the company in early November, but no money had been paid to them.
"So our windows hadn't actually been manufactured, produced or weren't on their way up to us. They were never due. So the second payment was trying to get money off us by deceit.
"Knowing that they weren't ready, they were never going to be ready, they weren't ever manufactured."
Gibbs said he and his partner had saved for 10 years to have the work done and now their money was gone.
Green Innovations NZ successfully installed windows in the lower story of Chris Turnbull's Paparangi home in January. Next month Turnbull paid another $24,000 deposit to have the rest of the building done.
Like Gibbs, Turnbull was told his windows were ready and paid another $15,000. But when he noticed Facebook posts from other angry customers Turnbull soon realised he had been lied to.
"I think at that point he just became a criminal. He was even signing on new contracts in August. This was right at the very end. It's like, why are you signing on new contracts when you can't even look after the people you signed a year ago? It's just criminal."
Turnbull said his family would be repaying the loans he had taken out to cover the work for the next three years, and all for nothing.
As responses from the firm dried up, Turnbull organised a meeting of 12 others who were experiencing the same problems. Soon the group had grown to 16 clients who were collectively owed more than $450,000. Two members of the group said they had each paid over $50,000 for windows that never arrived.
"It was good that people could see that they weren't alone, but I think the realisation started to sink in how big the problem was and the chances of anyone seeing their money were starting to slip away.
"Several of us had spoken to lawyers with all similar stories of you can chase, but chances are you'll just be throwing your money away."
At the beginning of October, owner Mike Wright sent an email saying the company was "working through winding down business" and was unable to to fulfil orders.
Wright made no mention of any attempts to refund customers, but recommended they approach NK Windows as the best option to get the work completed.
Owner of NK Windows Martin Ball said he was aware of nearly 40 orders that had stalled when Green Innovations NZ stopped paying its bills. He said his company contacted customers from a list provided by Wright, and some had hired them to complete the work.
"There's some people that are pretty upset here. There's solo mums and young families and people that are impacted by this.
"We were reliant on these orders as well and so part of this is about keeping our own staff employed. We've tried to be as open and honest about us and our situation as well, with the goal of getting in some decent windows ultimately."
Police and the Serious Fraud Office confirmed they had received complaints relating to Green Innovations NZ, but would not comment further.
Maxine Paterson said she was $35,000 out of pocket in what she saw as a pattern of unfulfilled orders and deception. She had complained to police, the Serious Fraud Office, the Commerce Commission and the Disputes Tribunal, and said she was gutted the firm was allowed to suck in so many people.
"Everyone's pissed off. We want people to know about this person and not get into the same boat that we've been into. His website's still up and running, even though he says he's winding down the business, his website is still there."
RNZ approached Wright and Green Innovations NZ multiple times for comment, but they did not respond.
