A THORNLANDS resident believes door-to-door salesmen offering cheap driveway paving are hitting the Redlands again.
Ruth Diprose said men had knocked on her door, saying they had done a job nearby and had bitumen left over.
Although it was not enough to do all of her 80 metre long driveway, they would give her a good deal at $40 a square metre.
Ms Diprose said at first they quoted her $9000 but the price dropped rapidly to $7500 when she declined.
“There were no signs on their vehicle and they offered us a contract though, of course, it would be worthless if they are not licensed,’’ she said.
“I just thought people should know about this because there have been complaints about this sort of thing before.’’
Bitumen bandits were targeting Birkdale in May last year.
The Office of Fair Trading issued a warning to residents after salesmen offered cheap deals on asphalt for driveways and asking for upfront payments.
Similar lines were used at acreage properties on Brisbane’s southside.
A fair trading spokesman said police had dealt with other instances of bitumen bandits making offers too good to be true, using watered-down materials and leaving before jobs were completed.
Residents should be wary if approached by traders offering bitumen laying or other home maintenance in return for cash.
It was illegal for door-to-door traders to take upfront payments or deposits for services valued at more than $100.
"They often hand out business cards in an attempt to appear legitimate, sometimes carrying or mimicking the name of a reputable local business," the spokesman said.
Door-to-door traders must leave your premises immediately if asked to do so and consumers must have a 10-business-day cooling-off period and be provided with documentation to enable them to cancel the contract at any stage during that period.
Anyone wit concerns should note vehicle registration numbers and vehicle description and report it on 13 74 68.
Ms Diprose said she hoped that no one would be taken in by the scam. “I guess we might stick with our crushed rock driveway,’’ she said.
