Builder accused of leaving customers, tradies out of pocket

Angry customers and frustrated tradies have savaged Michael Merrick, a man accused of trying to drum up business by pretending to be a bathroom builder for the reputable Jim's franchise group.

James Pettit told A Current Affair he handed over a $12,000 payment to Mr Merrick, only to get a shower he says he can't use.

"I came home one day - electrical cables hanging out of the wall, light switches hanging off the wall, not working properly," he said.

"I rang him about that, and he lied to me."

With Mr Pettit's wife heavily pregnant at the time, he said they had been forced to travel to his mother-in-law's for a shower for 13 weeks.

He said it had cost thousands more to repair the bathroom.

"He promises the world but delivers nothing, absolutely nothing," Mr Pettit said.

Cafe owner Stewart McGarity and beautician owner Melvia Conti are more dissatisfied customers, who claim they wish they'd never spoken to Mr Merrick, whom they paid about $17,000 for a bathroom.

Both work 70 hours a week, and say they are still paying for the reno.

"About $2500 to get things fixed up, and, you know, there was just so many mistakes, it was frustrating. I feel sorry for anyone who has to deal with him, very unprofessional."

Hugh Powell hired Mr Merrick in his then-capacity as an actual Jim's building inspector.

He said he had wanted to convert an area of his property into a workshop, but after Mr Merrick gave him the tick of approval to do so, a number of problems emerged.

"A lot of the beams were incorrectly supported up where they run the final wall, we also found where they butt up to the bricks, moisture was seeping through and they were beginning to rot," Mr Powell said.

"It didn't appear he'd looked under the house at all."

Although Mr Merrick was a Jim's building inspector, franchise founder Jim Penman said he had never been qualified to do bathrooms.

And after A Current Affair contacted Jim's Building Inspections, they terminated Mr Merrick's franchise.

"The problem is he's done work under another company and he's turned up in a Jim's shirt," Mr Penman said.

"We're horrified, it's appalling behaviour."

A number of tradies also claim Mr Merrick never paid them for their work.

A tiler and two plumbers claimed they were collectively owed thousands that had not been paid.

Mr Merrick did not comment when approached by A Current Affair.