Kevin and Andrea Griffin, from Australia, became the lucky owners of an impressive $4.2 million house in Gisborne, which had been offered as the grand prize by a lottery company.
At first, it seemed as though their most incredible dreams were coming true.
However, this quickly changed when the couple arrived at their new home and discovered something shocking. As Andrea told the Herald Sun, “We were just like, what the hell?”
Since their story went viral, many people have taken to social media to criticize the Griffin family as being “ungrateful.”
One individual commented: “They seem pretty ungrateful to me.”
Another person remarked: “People be complaining about having a house – what I wouldn’t give in this world to have a home of my own.”
“Honestly, these people have to be the most ungrateful people I have ever heard of,” someone else wrote.
The previous owner of the Gisborne property was Adrian “Lambo Guy” Portelli, a property investor known for his extravagant lifestyle and flashy cars.
He reportedly bought the home, located northwest of Melbourne, after it didn’t sell at auction on the reality TV series The Block.
Portelli offered the property as the grand prize through his lottery company, LMCT+, which the Griffin family won.
In the lottery’s promotional videos featuring the home, the couple reportedly saw items like a robotic lawn mower, treadmill, Smeg appliances, and a BBQ smoker.
However, when they entered the house, they discovered that these items had been removed.
The Griffin family believed they were entitled to everything they had seen in the promotional videos.
Yet, Portelli contends that the items shown in the video were only for staging and were not included in the giveaway, as outlined in the lottery’s terms and conditions.
According to MailOnline, tensions increased when Andrea and Kevin discovered footage of Portelli taking away the missing items from the property.
They presented Portelli with a bill for $102,000, detailing the items they claim are absent from their new home.
Portelli also released “behind-the-scenes footage” of the couple touring the house, in which they appear to identify various issues.
The Griffin family has defended their position after facing criticism on social media.
Andrea told Daily Mail Australia: “We are anything but ungrateful and we’ve said that all along. We even pull up at the gate now and look up and go, ‘Wow, that’s our house.’ Like, we own that house. We are just so thankful that the dice rolled our way.”
She also mentioned that the home needs expensive repairs due to various defects, saying: “It’s just been an absolute nightmare.”
Portelli responded to Daily Mail Australia, stating that the issues raised by Andrea and Kevin would be handled through “appropriate legal channels.”
He emphasized: “The terms and conditions governing each competition hosted on our client’s website are clearly displayed for all participants, ensuring transparency and a mutual understanding of the rules and expectations involved.”
“Furniture is clearly not included.”
Andrea and Kevin are reportedly communicating with builders from The Block and are optimistic that urgent repairs will soon be made to their dream home.
