The Australia wide roll-out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) commenced on 1 July 2016.
To coincide with this, new information guides have been released for consumers with disabilities about their rights and businesses with useful information about their obligations under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Many products we buy can be a danger to children. Often Consumer Protection voices concerns about small items such as parts that can choke, button batteries that can cause internal burns or potentially poisonous laundry detergent pods. But large items, such as furniture, also pose a big risk.
With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Consumer Protection has noticed that anytime there is a change in the economic climate there will be some business closures as a result. It is often difficult to spot telltale signs of financial distress but, as consumers, we need to be aware of the risks involved when paying for goods or services in advance; even the purchase of gift vouchers.
Business closures we have released advice about recently include:
For many of us, summer is the season to relax and unwind but this is also the time of year when travelling tradespeople start approaching householders and businesses with ‘cheap’ deals on jobs like roof painting and bitumen laying.
Travelling salespeople often use high pressure tactics to make their deal and can charge exorbitant rates for sometimes sub-standard work, so we are reminding consumers to be aware of their right to a cooling off period when they receive an uninvited approach from a tradesperson.
Two clients of a WA builder have transferred a total of $72,000 to scammers believing they were paying instalments towards the construction of their homes.
The two payments of $38,000 and $34,000 were made when the consumers received emails purporting to be from their builder requesting the payments be made to a different bank account.
The emails were fake and the consumers are now attempting to recover the lost funds from their banks.
Travel is often expensive so it’s well worth taking the time to do a bit of research before you book your trip to make sure all goes to plan and you get what you paid for.
Whether using a travel agent or booking online yourself, it is always a good idea to compare travel packages as well as the cost of individual flights, trips and hotel accommodation before you purchase anything and always read the terms and conditions.
Western Australians are well known for their generosity but donors need to ensure that they are dealing with a licensed organisation to ensure their money reaches the intended recipients.
Always ask for identification from door-to-door charity collectors and, if you do donate to them, get a receipt. Times for door-to-door collections for a charitable purpose are between 9am and 6pm Monday to Saturday. Generally no collections are allowed on Sundays and Public Holidays.
Western Australians are being warned about the risks of attaching or hanging items around their homes, in the wake of a young man’s tragic death in Subiaco this month after a brick pier collapsed on an attached hammock.
It is WA’s second fatality in the past decade involving a hammock attached to a brick pier, prompting Building & Energy and Consumer Protection to urge caution about how and where equipment such as hammocks, swings, hanging chairs, shade-sails and basketball hoops are installed.
As some of us get older, some of our housing needs are likely to change to suit our lifestyle but there is what appears to be a confusing array of housing options now available for retirees.
Working out what is the best choice for you can be tricky and it is important to weigh up the positives and negatives.
The Seniors Housing Advisory Centre (SHAC) operating out of Consumer Protection provides free information and advice to seniors and their families so they can make an informed choice when deciding to make a housing change.
A dealership which specialised in selling luxury motor vehicles on consignment and its Director have been fined a total of $90,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court for breaking laws designed to protect consumers.
