Fake websites pretending to sell farm machinery are increasing in number as the number of victims and their losses also increase.
WA ScamNet at Consumer Protection has now received reports from nine people losing a total of $142,975 after they paid for tractors and other farm machinery that were advertised at greatly discounted prices on fake websites, but the goods never turned up.
Jobseekers wanting to work in the WA construction industry may be misled by a company offering “introductory” online safety training courses.
It is a requirement for people working on a construction site in Australia to have what is known as a “white card” which indicates they have undertaken and passed a safety induction course delivered by a registered training provider.
Consumer Protection and WorkSafe in WA are investigating a training provider that is offering an “introductory” course for a reduced fee of about one-third of the usual cost of the full course.
Shopping online during a global pandemic certainly has its perks – you can order almost anything your heart desires from the safety and comfort of home, while playing your part to reduce the spread of a deadly disease.
Therefore it’s little wonder that online shopping sales have boomed during COVID-19, but if you have ordered something from the internet lately, chances are you would have noticed a delay in its delivery to your door.
WA’s Commissioner for Consumer Protection is advising travel-buyers to read terms and conditions very carefully and be wary of ‘pay now/book later’ deals when purchasing holidays during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Lanie Chopping said that while regional border restrictions continue to ease in Western Australia, interstate and international travel restrictions are a different story and that means buying future travel can be risky.
The McGowan Government has created a free conciliation service to assist renters and landlords reach agreement about coronavirus (COVID-19) related tenancy disputes, without having to go to court.
The aim of the Residential Tenancies Mandatory Conciliation Service (RTMCS) is for all sides to reach a fair and achievable solution through informal discussion. Unlike court where a decision is imposed, mandatory conciliation encourages renters and landlords to work together to come up with arrangements that suit everyone.
Consumer Protection has received reports from seven victims of scams where COVID-19 was used in the plot to steal a total of about $68,000.
Most were the victims of fake websites, social media pages and advertisements in which COVID-19 was used as an excuse for why their online purchases had not been delivered.
The Supreme Court has overturned the acquittal of a Perth tree lopper and convicted him on six charges of breaking consumer law related to an unsolicited sale after a successful appeal by Consumer Protection.
Sean Robert Weinthal, who at the time of the offences was operating under the business name West Coast Trees, was acquitted of the charges by the Perth Magistrates Court in June 2019 but this was overturned on appeal by the Supreme Court on 30 April 2020. He will be sentenced on 13 July 2020.
Online shopping has revolutionised the way many of us buy goods, but it has also meant navigating additional challenges not faced by traditional in-store shoppers.
Given online purchasers are required to pay for their items upfront before waiting to receive them, a common complaint we hear about is goods taking a long time to arrive, or perhaps never arriving at all.
Babies can spend up to 17 hours a day sleeping, so it’s vital to ensure the place where they spend all this time resting is as safe as possible.
As the range of infant sleeping products available in the Australian market continues to grow, leading medical and injury prevention experts, industry and regulators have developed a new best practice guide for the design of safe infant sleeping environments.
A revamp of laws regulating retirement villages in Western Australia is planned with the McGowan Government aiming to make the process of entering, living in and leaving a village fairer and easier for seniors, while supporting the industry's longer term viabilit
