Commissioner's Blog: Keep your wits when buying tickets

Live sport and music lovers will be spoilt for choice in the coming months, as Western Australia gets set to host to a slew of major international events. 

Competition for tickets to the likes of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Coldplay and P!NK has been fierce, so it’s never been more important for WA consumers to stay on the ball when trying to secure their own seat or spot.

Scammers target real estate and settlement industry trust accounts

  • Real estate agent lost $43,080 and two settlement agents lost a combined $64,468
  • Victims tricked into transferring trust account funds by scammers posing as bank
  • Consumers and businesses urged to not give out access codes over the phone

Consumer Protection is warning the real estate and settlement industries to be extra vigilant to calls from their bank after scammers successfully lured a WA real estate agent and two settlement agents into transferring large amounts of funds from their trust accounts.

Backyard trading of motor vehicles ends in fine for Thornlie man (Samuel Pihl)

  • $7,908.30 fine and costs for buying and selling motor vehicles without a dealer’s licence
  • 21 vehicles bought and 24 sold during almost a year
  • Public urged to report unlicensed motor vehicle dealers

The Armadale Courthouse has imposed a $7,500 fine on a backyard dealer who operated without a motor vehicle dealer’s licence between July 2021 and April 2022.

Commissioner's Blog: Speak up about substandard rentals

Western Australia’s rental market has never been tighter, but it doesn’t mean tenants should accept living in homes that are falling into disrepair, have mould or electrical safety issues.

So far this year, Consumer Protection has received 367 enquiries and 32 complaints about rental repair and maintenance issues, but we suspect these figures are only a small proportion of the actual number of tenants experiencing such problems currently.  

Commissioner's Blog: Clearer pricing rules for funerals

There’s nothing easy about losing a loved one, but we hope new WA laws will go a long way towards clearing up any confusion about what their final farewell will cost.

Funeral companies must now publicly display their prices upfront to give consumers the chance to compare costs without having to meet with a representative from the business to get this information. Consumers should now receive a full breakdown of prices and know exactly what the total cost of the funeral will be, so there are no surprises later on.

Consumers fight back against Albany shed seller and win (Aussie Sheds Albany / Armand Javellana)

  • Aussie Sheds Albany owner found guilty of breaching ACL
  • $158,853 worth of deposits paid for incomplete shed and patio works
  • 11 consumers to receive full compensation

An Albany shed seller who took large deposits from consumers between January 2020 and 25 July 2020 and failed to deliver goods and services in a reasonable timeframe has been found guilty of breaching the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).

Scammers steal over $300,000 from real estate agent trust account

  • Real estate agent lost $329,500 to remote access bank scam
  • Scammers posed as bank on phone and knew latest transactions in the account
  • Agents urged to not give out access codes or allow remote access

Consumer Protection is warning the real estate and settlement industries to be extra vigilant to calls from their bank after scammers successfully stole $329,500 from a WA real estate agent’s trust account last week.  

Pool fibreglass repairer fined for leaving owners out of pocket (Marcello “Marc” Maddaloni)

  • $8,000 fine for taking deposits and not completing pool repair work
  • Three consumers paid deposits totalling $6,050
  • Public urged to only pay small deposits or make progress payments to reduce risk

A swimming pool fibreglass repairer has been fined by the Perth Magistrates Court for breaching the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) by taking deposits from three consumers and failing to supply goods and services within a reasonable time.

Button battery laws one year on are keeping children safe

  • 43 per cent of button battery products inspected failed to meet product safety standards
  • 19 Infringement Notices issued in WA
  • Button battery emergency department presentations have halved in last two years

43 per cent of inspected products containing button batteries failed to meet product safety standards in Western Australia since mandatory button battery laws came into effect last year.

Commissioner's Blog: Shops must act honestly on extended warranties

It’s a familiar scenario for many shoppers – you’re about to pay for a new car or appliance, then the salesperson tries to ‘upsell’ you with an extended warranty for things that may go wrong after the manufacturer’s warranty expires.

As the end of financial year sales roll around, we want consumers to seriously question whether buying this type of insurance policy means paying for rights they already have for free under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).