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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
WA ScamNet has seen an increase in reports of scams affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Western Australia (WA) since 2019. In the last 12 months, 50 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples reported losses of $161,772 to scams to ScamNet.
The Perth Magistrates Court has handed down a $15,000 fine on a Perth woman who bought 18 vehicles and sold 22 of them between January 2021 and October 2021 and operated without a licence as required by the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act.
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.
