Remote Queensland customers in limbo after business vanishes

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Outback customers have been left in limbo after a business promising vital mobility equipment disappeared. 'Remote mobility' allegedly took orders and payments from vulnerable residents in central- west Queensland before ceasing contact.

Transcript

00:00Belinda Avery lives with cerebral palsy and relies on mobility equipment to get around.

00:08Earlier this year she ordered a walker from Remote Mobility,

00:12a business promising to transform accessibility in the bush.

00:17I want me to walk straight because I can't bend down on them little ones.

00:23She paid for the walker through her NDIS package.

00:26Nine months later, she's still waiting.

00:29The 54-year-old hasn't heard from the business

00:32and hasn't been able to contact its owner, Christopher St Clair.

00:37Nothing happened, I asked him all the time and I don't know what happened.

00:41I believe they did this to many other people out here with disabilities.

00:46In Barcouldin, Russell Burns is waiting on a $6,300 scooter.

00:51Without it, he can barely leave the house.

00:54Without a scooter on Barcouldin, it knocks me around too much.

00:58He was told by Remote Mobility they would hand deliver the scooter and ensure it was correctly fitted for him.

01:05They just disappeared into the blue. That's odd.

01:08For someone like Russell, he's not eligible for the NDIS. He's not eligible for my aged care.

01:13So when you look at his unique situation, you couldn't get someone more vulnerable.

01:18Katie Grian, who helped Russell secure a grant and ordered the scooter,

01:22says she was last contacted by the business in May when they said the product was ready to be delivered.

01:28Within a few weeks of no contact, we actually contacted the manufacturer of those goods.

01:33And it was at that point in time that we found out the goods were never ordered through them.

01:38They were never paid for. They were never delivered to Remote Mobility.

01:42Police say Mr St Clair told them the business is insolvent.

01:46On a website that no longer exists, Remote Mobility claimed they provided a thorough and tailored service that cared for remote communities.

01:55The ABC has been unable to contact the business or its owner.

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