Consumer Protection

Jobseekers wanting to work in the WA construction industry may be misled by a company offering “introductory” online safety training courses.

It is a requirement for people working on a construction site in Australia to have what is known as a “white card” which indicates they have undertaken and passed a safety induction course delivered by a registered training provider.

Consumer Protection and WorkSafe in WA are investigating a training provider that is offering an “introductory” course for a reduced fee of about one-third of the usual cost of the full course.

Shopping online during a global pandemic certainly has its perks – you can order almost anything your heart desires from the safety and comfort of home, while playing your part to reduce the spread of a deadly disease.

Therefore it’s little wonder that online shopping sales have boomed during COVID-19, but if you have ordered something from the internet lately, chances are you would have noticed a delay in its delivery to your door.

WA’s Commissioner for Consumer Protection is advising travel-buyers to read terms and conditions very carefully and be wary of ‘pay now/book later’ deals when purchasing holidays during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.

Lanie Chopping said that while regional border restrictions continue to ease in Western Australia, interstate and international travel restrictions are a different story and that means buying future travel can be risky.

The McGowan Government has created a free conciliation service to assist renters and landlords reach agreement about coronavirus (COVID-19) related tenancy disputes, without having to go to court.

The aim of the Residential Tenancies Mandatory Conciliation Service (RTMCS) is for all sides to reach a fair and achievable solution through informal discussion. Unlike court where a decision is imposed, mandatory conciliation encourages renters and landlords to work together to come up with arrangements that suit everyone.

Consumer Protection has received reports from seven victims of scams where COVID-19 was used in the plot to steal a total of about $68,000.

Most were the victims of fake websites, social media pages and advertisements in which COVID-19 was used as an excuse for why their online purchases had not been delivered.

Failing to display warning labels on the retail packaging of portable spas has prompted the supplier to introduce strict new quality assurance procedures and donate $10,000 to Royal Life Saving Australia.

The measures are part of an enforceable undertaking entered into by Hunter Products Pty Ltd and its sole director Jeffrey Donald Hunter after Consumer Protection commenced legal action in the Perth Magistrate’s Court over the incident.   

Laws that regulate the sale of motor vehicles on consignment in WA are under review with a ban being considered as one of the options.

Consumer Protection has begun consulting the industry and community about the future of these laws, proposing three options: maintaining the status quo; strengthening the consumer safeguards and training requirements; or banning consignment sales altogether.

Western Australians are warned to be on high alert for unsolicited SMS or social-media messages urging them to inject money into a fraudulent scheme disguised as an investment opportunity.

Consumer Protection is aware of an investment scam circulating in the WA community that claims almost $22 million can be unlocked from an international account if the recipient pays part of the $500,000 required in fees and taxes to release the money.

Commissioner for Consumer Protection Penny Lipscombe said the scammer seemed to be targeting those living in regional WA.

The Costco fuel outlet at Perth Airport will now be required to report its prices to FuelWatch when new regulations come into effect tomorrow.

Previously, the member-based fuel retailer was exempt as the Petroleum Products Pricing Act 1983 (WA) did not cover fuel sales when there is an existing agreement between the customer and the fuel retailer. The law has been changed so Costco cannot claim this exemption and is now required to participate in the FuelWatch scheme.

It’s every landlord’s worst nightmare – receiving a call from the police with the news their investment property has been turned into a hydroponic cannabis farm.

Unfortunately that’s the reality for a growing number of Western Australian landlords recently, following further raids by the Organised Crime Squad, which continues investigating networks of Vietnamese crime gangs posing as tenants to use rental homes for this purpose.