A Perth plumbing and electrical company has been issued with a $6,600 infringement notice by Consumer Protection for breaking consumer laws related to unsolicited sales and initially refusing to refund a deposit.
Car trouble can strike at any time when you are out on the roads, so it’s important to be across your rights before a breakdown or an accident occurs to avoid being taken for a ride by tow truck operators.
Following recent heavy rains, we heard from a number of motorists who broke down on flooded streets and allowed tow trucks to move their vehicles without ensuring a total price was included on the 'Authority to Tow' form. As a result, these motorists are now being charged exorbitant towing and storage costs by the tow truck companies.
Consumers are urged to be aware that numerous websites offering to carry out internet searches for a fee may actually be providing information from government agencies that is publicly available for free or at a much lower cost.
Western Australia’s residential property market is booming right now, so house-hunters may be feeling some pressure to buy now to avoid missing out in future.
While it might be a seller’s market, we would urge buyers to avoid making hasty decisions they might later regret by doing their own research, asking lots of questions and seeking professional advice. There is no mandatory cooling-off period for real estate contracts in WA, meaning it’s very difficult to back out once a written offer is signed.
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.
A Nedlands catering company and its Director have been ordered by the Perth Magistrates Court to pay more than $20,000 in fines, costs and consumer compensation after failing to turn up at a wedding reception and botching a birthday celebration.
Eat Street Enterprises Pty Ltd, trading as Ole Paella Catering, and sole Director Bradley John Lamb were fined $3,500 each for breaching the Australian Consumer Law and ordered to pay costs of $1,500 each, with Mr Lamb to pay a total of $10,073.10 in compensation to two affected consumers.
With their ornate design and intricate mosaic patterns, it’s hardly surprising that Turkish-style lamps are a popular decorative feature in many Western Australian homes.
But just because they are beautiful, it’s important to remember that lamps are an electrical item that can pose a serious safety risk if they haven’t been approved for sale in Australia.
Regional Express Airlines Limited (Rex) has agreed to review its refund policies and procedures to ensure ongoing compliance with the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) when flights are cancelled or delayed, as part of an enforceable undertaking agreed between Consumer Protection and Rex.
The airline has agreed to modify some terms and conditions on its website that had the potential to mislead consumers by giving the impression that a refund was not available under any, or very limited, circumstances.
A Highgate business has been ordered to pay almost $11,000 in fines, costs and compensation after failing to lodge or return the bond money for three Leederville units.
Newblack Nominees Pty Ltd, trading as Verandah Apartments, did not have a representative at Perth Magistrates Court on 4 September 2020 when it was sentenced for three breaches of the Residential Tenancies Act 1987, which requires a security bond to be lodged with the Bond Administrator as soon as possible or within 14 days of receiving it from the tenant.
Members of Perth’s Chinese community have lost more than $175,000 so far this year to phone scams after they were threatened with arrest or deportation unless they paid fees.
There have been 17 reports from people who have been targeted by the scammers this year, with four victims claiming to have lost individual amounts of $30,000; $13,800; $71,500 and $60,000.
