Frustrated by waiting over a year for payment, a Westport digger operator turned up at a local business today to dig up gravel he says he wasn't paid for.
"Legally, I actually own that gravel and I'll be digging it up," Warren Knox told The Westport News as he headed to Carters Westport yard.
Mr Knox said he had supplied the gravel in March last year. Carters had given him $250 credit to buy building supplies, but hadn't paid the remaining $250.
He had contacted the Westport branch and Carters' Auckland office several times, with no luck.
On Monday, the Auckland office had promised it would direct credit the money to his account.
"I gave them until Wednesday, it's now Friday and still nothing," Mr Knox said.
"If I owed Carters money, I'd be in BayCorp (debt collectors) within two weeks
"I'm not asking for $25,000, I'm asking for $250. Can they not get $250 out of the till and go 'here'?"
That was more or less what happened when Mr Knox turned up at Carters with his digger this morning.
He said he was intercepted by the Westport manager who took him to the bank, withdrew $250 from his own bank account, and gave Mr Knox the money.
Mr Knox said non-payment of bills was the main reason he was winding up Knoxy's Digger Hire, which he had owned and operated for 11 years. "I'm owed thousands."
Other small local digger operators had closed for the same reason, he said.
When his business began, everyone had paid their bills on time. Things had deteriorated over the last year, until only about 60 percent of his customers paid on time. Others promised "I'll catch up with you."
"I'm catching up with them now."
The Westport News was unable to obtain comment from Carters today.
- By Lee Scanlon of the Westport News
