Consumer Protection

• Online retailer attracts more than 100 WA complaints with $27,000 owing
• Many products not being delivered and refunds not being provided
• Warning not to purchase goods from this website with huge backlog of orders

Consumer Protection in WA is raising the alarm about a national online retailer that has attracted a large number of complaints relating to non-delivery of goods and failing to provide refunds.

• Scams may follow the leak of personal information and proof of identity documents
• Affected consumers urged to be on high alert for approaches by scammers
• Devices should be secured and accounts monitored closely for unusual activity

Current and former Optus customers affected by the data breach are being urged by Consumer Protection to be vigilant over the coming weeks for scams and misuse of their identity.

A motor vehicle might have many owners over its lifetime, so one of the most important things you can do when buying a used car is to thoroughly investigate its history.

Unlike ‘statutory’ write-offs which can only be used for spare parts, it is legal for ‘repairable’ write-offs to be registered and sold in Western Australia, so long as these vehicles have passed a safety inspection.

• Aircon business fined $15,000 for failing to supply to three consumers
• Clients owed a total of $15,780 in deposit money not yet returned
• Consumer Protection warns against paying large deposits upfront

A Langford air conditioning business operator has been fined $15,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court for accepting large deposits from three consumers but failing to install the systems, despite numerous empty promises.

Odometer tampering is a dangerous practice that puts the community at risk while lining the pockets of those who engage in it. And it’s at the expense of the consumers they are ripping off.

Consumer Protection recently had a win in the Courts against a couple of mates who rolled back the odometers on two vehicles by more than 200,000 kilometres each. What’s especially shocking is one of the men is a licensed motor vehicle salesperson.

Motorists in Perth and Mandurah are advised to fill up now if they need to, with petrol prices set to rise tomorrow. After today motorists will likely have to wait a week before petrol prices are again at the bottom of the price cycle.

In today’s competitive property market, it’s easy to feel pressured to purchase a home quickly, however, this is when life-long and expensive mistakes can occur.

As part of buying the perfect home to meet your budget, there are at least four key steps to undertake as part of your due diligence, which should include:

Have you ever checked your bank account and noticed payment after payment taken out for a subscription you thought you cancelled, or didn’t even know you had?

Turns out some subscriptions might not be as easy to cancel as you originally thought, and you might be caught in a subscription trap.

Subscription trapping is a tactic known as a “dark pattern”, where you are manipulated or tricked into spending more than planned – just like with subscriptions that are easy to sign up to but hard to get out of.

Motorists in Perth and Mandurah are advised to fill up now if they need to, with petrol prices set to rise tomorrow. After today motorists will likely have to wait a week before petrol prices are again at the bottom of the price cycle.