A construction company staged a fake virus outbreak.
TikTok
footage showing their employees ripping apart a customer’s driveway while implying it was due to an outstanding £3,800 invoice.
Kendall Contractors Ltd, located in Leeds, shared a video showing workers tearing down a homeowner’s driveway accompanied by the caption: “Can’t pay? We’ll remove it for you.”
However, the company has since been compelled to remove the video and apologize to the owner after it came to light that she had fully settled the bill several months prior. It turns out that the video was assembled by
AI
.
The homeowner became extremely angry when the video spread rapidly online and garnered over a million views. She explained to MailOnline that Kendall Contractors had placed her in a difficult situation.
She said
The assertion that the driveway was demolished due to an unpaid invoice is entirely untrue. In reality, the driveway was undergoing repairs as part of scheduled corrective actions after being damaged by a utility firm.
The reality is, they did it all as a joke,” she stated. “They uploaded a video onto TikTok implying that I’m someone who avoids paying bills, which led them to tear up my driveway.”
We have all seen television shows about this sort of thing. However, that isn’t who I am.
‘Absolutely not true. Actually, they were working on the drive, but only because it required repairs.’
She stated: “This has placed me in a difficult situation. Individuals on the internet believe I am someone who avoids paying their debts.”
The footage appears to show a man with a chainsaw tearing into the newly-completed tarmac, set to music. A digger is then seen destroying parts of the driveway.
The homeowner stated: “Although this situation is frustrating, annoying, and distressing, I am thankful that you came to my door because it made me aware of what was happening.”
I simply can’t understand why anyone at a company would consider doing such a thing.
A neighbor of the homeowner stated: “I empathize with her situation. It’s completely inappropriate to post her house online and allege that she isn’t settling her debts.”
This video has become incredibly popular, and people have essentially accused this unfortunate woman of not making any payments.
‘The best thing they could do now is write off the money she owes them for the repairs, as a goodwill gesture. I’d tell them to go and whistle for the money.’
The company has removed the initial video and uploaded a fresh clip showcasing the finished work.
In an accompanying statement with the post, the company stated: “We want to clarify some points from our recent TikTok video which was taken down after it went viral.”
The driveway was finished last year, and the customer paid in full. The reason for removing the driveway was because the gas board conducted work at the property and had to excavate a portion of the driveway.
We were subsequently requested by the client to return and correct what the gas company had done to the newly paved driveway.
I have apologized to this customer individually since it has attracted unnecessary attention.
The company informed MailOnline that the video was ‘fabricated’ and ‘created using AI.’
When pressed for further details, the staff member added: ‘[I’ve] put another video out explaining this and apologising. I’m at hers now. All sorted!’
Based on the company’s most recent financial statements prepared until November 2023, Kendall Contractors Ltd has reported a loss of £122,000.
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