Every day across Western Australia there many individuals and organisations fighting for the rights of WA consumers and a number of these outstanding efforts have been recognised in this year’s Consumer Protection Awards.
Being offered an extended warranty by a salesperson on new cars, whitegoods or electronics may be a familiar scenario to many shoppers, but it could be a waste of your money if you buy one.
This is because the products we buy automatically come with a number of guarantees under our consumer laws, including a requirement that they be of acceptable quality and last a reasonable amount of time, depending on what they are and how much they cost.
Family and domestic violence (FDV) is an extremely serious issue in our community, so we need to make sure the right laws are in place to not only support victim-survivors, but to keep them and their children out of harm’s way.
An estimated 24,000 Western Australians sought help from specialist homelessness services last year, with 41 per cent needing these services because they were experiencing FDV.
Given we know many of these crimes are occurring in rental properties, the State Government has agreed to review our FDV tenancy laws to see if they need to be fine-tuned.
The McGowan Government has embarked on an action plan with the major focus of improving the services available to consumers and tenants living with disability in Western Australia.
Christmas is an exciting and magical time of year but the lead up to the big day can often be chaotic and stressful. With online shopping scams and delivery delays, Western Australian shoppers are urged to get on top of their Christmas shopping early to avoid disappointment.
Online shopping is an easy and convenient choice to buy Christmas gifts, but Western Australian shoppers should be aware of scammers looking to trick unsuspecting victims into buying a product they may never receive.
Special provisions in tenancy laws aimed at helping renters in situations of family and domestic violence (FDV) are now under review by the McGowan Government to determine if they need to be fine-tuned.
As the weather warms up, our thoughts are likely turning to summer holidays and the festive season, however it’s important that consumers research their purchases to make sure they are safe and fit for purpose.
Faulty products continue to cause serious injury and harm to thousands of Australians every year – in 2017-18, more than 4.5 million faulty or unsafe items were recalled by suppliers.
To protect your home against fire risks at Christmas, choose less hazardous options for decorations, use low-voltage lights and keep flammable items away from the tree.
Australians are losing more money to scams than ever before, so taking a moment to consider whether there might be a scammer behind the next random phone call, text message or email you receive has never been so important.
Empowering consumers to learn how to spot a scam is the focus of this year’s Scams Awareness Week (7-11 November 2022), hosted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Scams Awareness Network.
As one of the world’s sunniest landscapes, Western Australia is home to a booming rooftop solar industry that shows little sign of slowing down as many households look to address rising power bills and reduce pollution.
More than 400,000 WA homes and businesses, or around 36 per cent of customers, are estimated to have rooftop solar connected to WA's main grid, with that figure predicted to swell to 50 per cent by 2030.
A rogue tree lopper is leaving many consumers with holes in their gardens, roofs and pockets. Sean Robert Weinthal of Wanneroo runs a tree lopping service under the apparent name Palm and Tree Professionals.
This unscrupulous tree lopper lures consumers with flyers left in letterboxes stating that local council verge-side collections of green waste are commencing in the next two weeks.
