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What can I do if a tradesperson does a bad job?

The short answer

Consumer guarantees require services to be provided with due care and skill. For a minor failure the provider gets to choose the remedy, and for a major failure you can cancel and claim compensation.

TradieAnswers editorial · written in-house and sourced to the authorities listed below

Checked against 7 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

Australian Consumer Law gives you automatic guarantees on services that cannot be contracted out of. Services must be provided with due care and skill, be fit for the purpose you told them about, and be delivered within a reasonable time. Those apply regardless of what any contract says.

Minor versus major failure

The distinction decides who is in control. For a minor failure, the provider may choose to fix it, and you must give them the opportunity. For a major failure, you choose: cancel the contract and get a refund, or keep the service and claim compensation for the difference in value. A failure is major where a reasonable consumer would not have engaged them had they known, or where the problem cannot be fixed in a reasonable time.

Escalate in this order

  1. Contact them in writing describing the defect and what you want done, with a reasonable deadline. Many problems end here.
  2. If there is no response, lodge with your state's consumer affairs or fair trading body, which offers free conciliation.
  3. For building work, lodge with the building regulator, which in several states can direct rectification.
  4. Apply to your state's tribunal if it remains unresolved.

What helps enormously

  • Photographs taken before, during and after, with dates.
  • The original quote and every message, kept in one place.
  • An independent report where the defect is technical.
  • A record of every attempt you made to resolve it, since every forum will ask.

Who does this work

You can probably handle this yourself

Because the first steps here are documentation and a written request to rectify, both of which you do yourself before any regulator gets involved.

This work is licensed, though the threshold and the licence class differ between states. Check a licence in your state

Where are you?

Who regulates consumer disputes in your state

Trade regulation in Australia is state law, so the body that answers this depends on where the work is. Pick yours.

New South Wales — NSW Fair Trading, then NCAT
Free conciliation first. The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal hears building and consumer disputes without requiring lawyers. How to check a licence in NSW
Victoria — Consumer Affairs Victoria, then VCAT
Domestic building dispute resolution now sits inside the Building and Plumbing Commission. VCAT hears matters that do not resolve. How to check a licence in VIC
Queensland — QBCC, then QCAT
The QBCC runs an early dispute resolution process for defective building work. QCAT hears matters that do not resolve. How to check a licence in QLD
Western Australia — Building and Energy, then the State Administrative Tribunal
Complaints about regulated building service work go to Building and Energy first. How to check a licence in WA
South Australia — Consumer and Business Services
CBS handles complaints about licensed trades and consumer matters in South Australia. How to check a licence in SA
Tasmania — Consumer, Building and Occupational Services
CBOS handles consumer and building complaints in Tasmania. How to check a licence in TAS
Australian Capital Territory — Access Canberra, then ACAT
Access Canberra publishes guidance on choosing a tradesperson and handles complaints. How to check a licence in ACT
Northern Territory — Consumer Affairs NT
Building contractor and consumer complaints are handled by Consumer Affairs NT. How to check a licence in NT

If it has already gone wrong

  1. Photograph everything, dated, before anything is touched or repaired by anyone.
  2. Put the complaint in writing to the contractor, describe the defect, and ask them to rectify it by a stated reasonable date. Consumer guarantees give them the first opportunity to fix it.
  3. Keep the contract, every quote, every variation and every payment receipt together in one place.
  4. If they refuse or do not respond, your state's consumer affairs or building regulator runs free conciliation, and that is the next step rather than a lawyer.

Sources

Every source below was fetched and its response recorded on the date shown. Where a government site blocks automated clients, that is noted rather than reported as a successful check.

  1. Consumer rights and guarantees · Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  2. Repair, replace, refund, cancel · Australian Competition and Consumer CommissionChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  3. Competition and Consumer Act 2010 · Federal Register of LegislationChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  4. NSW Fair Trading · NSW Fair TradingChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  5. Building and renovating · Consumer Affairs VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  6. Fair Trading · Queensland GovernmentChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  7. Consumer Protection · Government of Western AustraliaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK

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