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.
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.
The cooling off period for fitness industry contracts will increase to seven days from the current 48 hours under an updated mandatory Code of Practice that will come into effect on 1 July 2021.
The new Code, to be part of the Fair Trading Act, will be expanded to include other fitness service providers apart from traditional gyms, such as personal trainers and group exercise organisers.
It’s a scenario many of us are familiar with – you’re at home and there’s a knock on the front door, which you open to be greeted by a salesperson wanting to sell you something.
This may not be a welcome sight, so it’s worth knowing that there’s a simple way to stop uninvited salespeople showing up on your door-step – by displaying a ‘Do Not Knock' sticker at your front door or gate.
Consumer Protection created ‘Do Not Knock’ stickers following a 2013 Federal Court ruling in South Australia that found ignoring a ‘do not knock’ sign was a breach of the law.
An East Victoria Park real estate agency that failed to lodge 19 tenancy bonds on time was fined $18,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court on 18 September 2020.
Verse (Aust) Pty Ltd, trading as Verse Property, pleaded guilty to breaching the Residential Tenancies Act by failing to lodge with the Bond Administrator the 19 bonds from 16 properties it managed as soon as practicable, or in any event, within 14 days after receipt.
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.
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.
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.
