A father and son who hit the headlines some years ago for ripping off their customers are back on the scene.

Jenny Psaila contacted this newspaper saying she was swindled out of €2,000 in April by the two men who, she added, were sending fliers promoting their waterproofing services.

The flier the Gaucis are using to promote their 'services'.

“We had a damp patch that needed waterproofing and, when we found the flier in the letter box, we called. There was no name on the flier but the pair immediately identified themselves as Carmel and Marphil Gauci when we called,” Ms Psaila said.

Two years ago, the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority had issued warnings to the public about waterproofing services offered by the Gaucis.

At the time, the pair would regularly advertise their services under different names, making it difficult for the watchdog to keep tabs. The men would carry out the work, charging thousands of euros only to then allegedly deliver part of what their customers would have paid for.

Ms Psaila said she and her husband, Winston, were unaware of the pair’s history and so when the father informed her they could start work the day after they made their call, they agreed. She said the son was the first to show up. After being shown the area where the work was needed, Mr Gauci proceeded to drill a number of holes in a wall, despite it not needing any attention.

“He came over and spent half the morning working, drilling holes in the wall. The wall has nothing to do with the area that needed work, but we’re not experts, so we let him work,” Ms Psaila said.

Mr Gauci left after a few hours saying they would return to finish the job.

“Carmel then returned for half an hour the following Monday. He sprayed what was supposedly some sort of sealer and then put duct tape all over the holes his son had drilled,” Ms Psaila recounted.

Telling them he would come back in a few weeks’ time, Mr Gauci gave them a bill of €2,000 and the couple paid there and then.

Ms Psaila admitted they did not envisage getting their money back but wanted to expose the fact that the Gauci pair were at it again. “It was only after we started complaining with neighbours about the works that we learnt that the pair had been ripping people off for years,” she said.

Attempts by this newspaper to contact the Gaucis were futile and the website listed on the flier could not be accessed.

Contacted about Ms Psaila’s complaints, a spokesman for the MCCAA said the warning issued two years ago about the two men was still in place and was still posted on the watchdog’s website.

The spokesman said he was not in a position to make any further comments.

claire.caruana@timesofmalta.com