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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
Western Australians who have made financial donations to charities in the last 10 years or more are being urged to beware of scams following reports of a major data breach of a telemarketing company holding donor information from Australian charity organisations.
Many consumers don’t have the time or patience to read the long lists of terms and conditions that often accompany the products and services they buy, but at least they can take comfort knowing they will soon be better-protected if any of those contracts are not fair.
That’s because the Australian Consumer Law has recently been amended to introduce penalties for businesses that present contracts containing unfair terms.
The search is on for outstanding individuals, organisations, groups and the media who advocate for and promote consumer rights in WA, with nominations open for the prestigious 20th anniversary Consumer Protection Awards.
Many shoppers like to ‘tap-and-go’ when paying for purchases, while others like to hand-over cash, but one thing all consumers have in common is the right to receive a receipt if they want one.
Consumer Protection was concerned recently to hear claims that a retailer in WA had denied a consumer’s request for a paper receipt, citing ‘company policy’ and pointing them to their own bank statement for proof of purchase.
Money’s tight right now for many Western Australians, so the last thing any hopeful tenant needs is to be scammed out of their hard earned money, on top of having no-where to live.
Unfortunately that’s the reality for a growing number of WA renters, as scammers pretending to be landlords flood online marketplaces and social media platforms with fake property listings and responses to ‘rental wanted’ adverts.
