Children’s toys that light up and make noise are supposed to be fun, but lurking within many of these devices are a hidden danger – button batteries.
If young children gain access to just one button battery and ingest it, they may suffer internal burn injuries, which can result in serious illness and even death. That’s why it’s crucial for button batteries to be properly and adequately secured within the devices they power.
Gone are the days in Western Australia where if you had your heart set on attending a sold-out event or concert you would have little choice but to fork-out hundreds of dollars more for a ticket than it was originally worth.
This is because new ticket scalping laws have taken effect that restricts the resale of tickets to a maximum ten per cent mark-up from the original price. Also outlawed is the use of software known as ‘bots’ that bypass security measures to make bulk ticket purchases.
A supervisor will be appointed to a West Leederville settlement agency to take control of the agency’s bank accounts and its operations after concerns were raised about its inability to complete numerous property settlements and failing to communicate with clients.
UPDATE 2/11/21: Melissa Sheed was fined a total of $8,800 by the Perth Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to four charges of accepting payment but failing to supply the photos of new-born babies to four consumers, in breach of the Australian Consumer Law. Ms Sheed was ordered to pay costs of $1,500 as well as compensation of $400 to each of the four complainants ($1,600 total) in order for the photos to be edited after the raw photos were retrieved by Consumer Protection and delivered to the parents.
Finding reliable and trustworthy tradespeople is at the crux of any home project, no matter whether you’re building, renovating or needing a simple day job done.
While most tradies do the right thing, consumers often come to us about the unscrupulous operators who don’t.
Issues can arise when consumers accept tradespeople on face value and pay large amounts of money as a deposit – but the work is then not completed or is done to a poor standard.
Consumer Protection has put ticket re-sellers on notice as new scalping laws in WA take effect from today.
Notices have been sent to seven online re-sellers advising them of the new laws and the heavy penalties that they could face should they not comply.
Taking that step from renting to buying your first home is one of life’s biggest milestones, but the costs can quickly add up. As well as funding a deposit and organising a home loan, first home buyers also need to cover expenses such as settlement, lending institution fees and mortgage costs.
That’s where the State Government’s Home Buyer’s Assistance Account (HBAA) scheme administered by Consumer Protection can help, by reimbursing some of the expenses of buying a first home in the shape of a grant worth up to $2,000 for eligible applicants.
Failure to lodge three tenancy bonds on time has resulted in an East Perth real estate agency being reprimanded and fined $2,500 by the State Administrative Tribunal.
Retirement villages are an important part of available housing options as we get older and Consumer Protection is keen to get your feedback about proposed reforms to legislation.
We recently released the final consultation paper in Stage Two of the retirement villages’ legislation reform process in Western Australia, and all interested parties are encouraged to make a submission.
You can provide feedback on the phone, via email or through the post before submissions close on 21 July 2021.
Entrants in Facebook competitions are being warned that they could be targeted by scammers with the devious aim of stealing personal and financial information.
