Left with a $25,000 legal bill after taking their retirement village to court over a broken air conditioning unit and losing the case, pensioners Walter and Carola Sadlo were on the verge of bankruptcy.
In a heartwarming segment, Allison Langdon told the Sadlo’s that A Current Affair viewers had banded together to bail them out of their financial debt.
Walter and Carola’s legal battle began in 2018 when their air conditioning unit broke. The couple had paid an extra $1,375 for air conditioning but maintenance wasn’t covered by the retirement village. Walter said he believed it would be covered, so he tried to fight it in the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT).
After taking the retirement village to court and losing the case, the couple were issued with a bankruptcy notice just two days before Christmas. “I could not believe that somebody could be so vicious and cruel,” Walter said.
The couple had also sacrificed their savings to fight the case; $15,000 that Carola inherited from her mother. With this gone, they feared losing their home.
Langdon then stunned the couple by telling them, “our viewers have paid your debt.”
“I normally don’t get emotional. I had better make sure I don’t have a heart attack!” Walter said.
Not only was their $25,000 legal bill covered, but viewers chipped in almost enough to cover the $15,000 they had to put toward their bill.
“Hopefully, there will be village operators who see this story and will show a bit more heart,” Walter said.
Image: A Current Affair
This article first appeared on Over60.