Andrea and Kevin Griffin have achieved what many people dream of: the couple from the Australian state of Victoria won a dream house in a raffle. The home is said to be worth the equivalent of around two and a half million euros, in a prime location just outside Melbourne. And yet the couple is anything but satisfied with their win.
The Griffins had taken part in a raffle organized by millionaire real estate investor Adrian Portelli and his company LMCT Plus. Portelli regularly holds competitions – in this case he bought a house at auction and later raffled it off. The Griffin couple were lucky and initially delighted with their win. But that has now changed radically.
The couple has been at loggerheads with the millionaire since winning in February. The point of contention is the interior of the house: Andrea and Kevin Griffin are bothered by the fact that the furnishings do not look exactly as shown in the advertising pictures. Among other things, they miss books and candles, but also larger items such as a robotic lawnmower, a treadmill or a high-quality grill.
The couple told The Herald Sun newspaper that they had surveillance camera footage that showed Portelli clearing out the house shortly before the handover. “We were like, ‘What the hell?'” Andrea Griffin explained. “Why did he do that?” She and her husband firmly believe that they are entitled not only to the house, but also to all of the items shown in the advertising images. That’s why they sent Portelli an invoice for the equivalent of more than 60,000 euros. They now describe their winnings as a “nightmare”.
Complaining at a very high level, you might think. Adrian Portelli, known on social media as a lover of fast cars and expensive real estate, also sees it this way. The millionaire speaks of “blackmail”. Portelli does not deny that the furnishings of the house actually looked different than in the pictures, but emphasizes that these items were only for show and were never part of the terms and conditions. “What I do with these things is up to me,” he explained in a TikTok video. He accuses the Griffin couple of being “ungrateful”.
There is still no end to the saga surrounding the raffled house: the winning couple wants to see money, Portelli refuses to pay. If nothing changes, the Griffins want to put a website online where they will document how they were allegedly cheated. Adrian Portelli has now started the next competition: the items that have been removed from the house will be raffled off for a stake of one Australian dollar. According to Portelli, the proceeds will go to the homeless. “We want the money to go to someone who is grateful for it,” he explained, taking a swipe at the couple. “Many people would be happy to have a roof over their heads at all.”
Sources: Mirror / The Herald Sun / LMCT Plus on Instagram / Adrian Portelli on TikTok
