A group of Canadian tourists were trapped in the lift of a luxury apartment building owned by The Apprentice host Terry Serepisos because of a contract dispute with an elevator company.
Apartment owner Maurine Treacy was stuck with visiting friends in the lift of the Renaissance building in downtown Wellington for more than an hour.
She had to call 111 after two elevator companies would not rescue them.
"On the way down, the lift got stuck," she said. "That was scary enough, but imagine how we felt when we were informed by two lift companies that we would not be rescued because of an accounting dispute.
"We all sat there on the floor of the lift for well over an hour, calming one of our very distressed friends. Finally we had to call the Fire Service to release us from the lift. The whole evening was very traumatic."
Her comments were made in email documents leaked to the Herald, but attempts to reach Ms Treacy in Canada for further comment were unsuccessful.
The Fire Service confirmed firefighters went to the Renaissance building to rescue the group at 7.47pm on March 3. The building is owned by 79 Manners Street Ltd, of which Mr Serepisos is the sole director.
The Herald has learned that Kone Elevators would not attend the emergency callout because of a dispute with the Renaissance body corporate over contract payment.
The second company, Ampco Ltd, would not help because Kone had the contract.
Kone general manager Ron Perez declined to comment, saying: "We've got a contract so we can't speak outside that. And what issues we have are between us and the Renaissance body corporate."
Body corporate secretary Geoff Holgate, general manager of YPM Ltd, said any maintenance problems with the Renaissance lifts had been fixed.
"There was a dispute over the lift contract, which I can't go in to. But that was no fault of any owners or the body corporate."
Mr Serepisos did not return messages left with his property development company, Century City.
Cash row leaves tourists stuck in lift
Terry Serepisos
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