Consumer Protection

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard

Are your airbags safe? Car owners across Western Australia are reminded to check whether they have faulty Takata airbags as the Department of Transport exercises its powers to cancel vehicle licences if owners do not respond to notices to replace deadly Alpha airbags.

Quarterly recall figures show that around 2.8 million faulty Takata airbags have been replaced across Australia, including more than 250,000 in WA, but thousands of affected vehicles remain on WA roads.

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard

Winter is here and the colder temperatures mean products designed to keep us warm are coming out of storage or being purchased. We want you to carefully check electric blankets, hot water bottles and other winter items are in good condition and have not been recalled before you use them. 

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection Penny Lipscombe

A super bargain promoted via an online pop-up or social media advertisement is just like an enticing shop window display with ‘sale’ signs. It can be hard to pass up the chance of big discounts or low prices but digital impulse buying may mean you get nothing in return for your money.

The COVID-19 coronavirus Consumer Protection FAQ page provides detailed information on a range of situations arising from the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

It covers common questions relating to shop opening times, event tickets, travel, housing and accommodation. 

The information is relevant to consumers, shop owners, event organisers, tenants and lessors/landlords.

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard

Big name concert announcements lately include U2, the Spice Girls and Michael Bublé coming to Perth. In the excitement and rush to get the best tickets for music, entertainment or sport events we know people can accidentally buy from unauthorised sellers that come up first in an internet search*.

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard

It has been my position for a number of years that a small amount of damage to a wall, which can easily be repaired, is a small price to pay for ensuring the safety of children living in a rental home. Since 2001, on average, one child a year has died in Australia from toppling furniture with many more suffering serious injuries.

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard

Seeing the recent bushfires is horrifying for most of us and we just want to help somehow. But unfortunately scammers see it as an opportunity to impersonate charities, or create fake charities. This can happen online, via social media or website pop-ups, or in person, such as at your front door or on the street.

It’s doubly cruel because not only does it con the donor out of their money, it also denies the true cause much-needed funds for those truly affected.

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard

Did you know that currently when you build a home in Western Australia, such as a one or two storey house, there are no mandatory inspections during, or at the end of, construction?

In a recent social media survey run on Consumer Protection’s Facebook page, 55% of respondents wrongly thought local government WAS required to carry out inspections of home building work during construction of single residential dwellings.

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard

Baby walkers are a common sight in family homes. But they can be a dangerous product with more than 100 children ending up in hospital emergency departments each year because of baby walker accidents.

Consumer research shows that 32 per cent of carers placed no restrictions on where a baby walker was used, which is really concerning. A baby walker allows a young child to travel a distance to an unsafe area, such as stairs.

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard

It’s been more than 10 years since Western Australia’s tenancy laws were reviewed and times have certainly changed. So, Consumer Protection is set to review the Residential Tenancies Act 1987 and we are going to want to hear from you.