Consumer Protection

An offer to buy new and used items, advertised in several WA newspapers, has been identified as a scam after being reported to Consumer Protection.

The large colourful advert offered readers of papers such as the Bunbury Herald, South West Times and Busselton & Dunsborough Times the chance to sell ‘merchandise or product’ and listed a huge variety of items that would be accepted; from pets and animals to clothing, furniture, electrical appliances, toys and musical instruments.

The only contact details given were two email addresses:

With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard

You only have to look up ‘white van speaker scam’ online to find out it happens all over the world and it’s been going on for years. At the moment back of vehicle sellers are currently popping up in metropolitan Perth and regional WA and we want to make sure people steer clear of them.

With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard...

There are many pleasant things we associate with summer in Western Australia, such as barbecues and swimming, but unfortunately at Consumer Protection it’s a time when we hear of ‘bitumen bandits’ in the State.

‘Bitumen bandits’ turn up at homes and businesses without invitation and then offer to lay driveways at supposedly discounted prices; often claiming they have asphalt leftover from another job.

With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard

Consumer Protection would like to remind Western Australians to protect themselves while shopping online and to know their consumer rights this Valentine’s Day.

February 14^th is seen by many as an opportunity to spoil loved ones. But if the flowers you ordered are not as described or don’t show up on time, or you are left with an empty wallet and nothing to show for it, you are unlikely to be feeling romantic.

Red roses shouldn’t be blue

With Acting Consumer Protection Commissioner Gary Newcombe

Complaining via social media – think before you tweet

In the past consumers who wanted others to know about their bad experience with a business would usually rely on word of mouth or perhaps a strongly worded letter to a newspaper editor but nowadays it’s commonplace for people to speak out on social media.

With Acting Consumer Protection Commissioner Gary Newcombe

Due to their popularity at Halloween-time, I recently used my weekly Community News column to remind consumers to have their eyes open to the potential safety risk posed by short-term wear lenses that allow you to change your eye colour temporarily, or to display a fun pattern over your iris.

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection Anne Driscoll

In July 2014 Consumer Protection saw a growth in mould issues, raised mostly by tenants but also by landlords and property managers in WA. The seasonal spike, also seen in 2013, can be attributed to cooler, wetter weather and means we’re expecting similar figures around now and in the months up to October.

With Acting Consumer Protection Commissioner David Hillyard

If you’re applying for a loan online the last thing you need is to lose money in the process but unfortunately that’s what has been happening to a number of people here in the West and over East. In the last few weeks consumers have contacted WA ScamNet at Consumer Protection after being defrauded by scammers posing as Mercury Money – a legitimate brokerage company based in Perth.

With Consumer Protection Commissioner Anne Driscoll

Things to consider before making an offer on a property

You might walk into a home and fall in love with it very quickly but it is important to do your own research and ask questions before making a written offer on a property. There is no mandatory cooling-off period for real estate contracts in Western Australia, so make sure you know what you are getting into before signing documents and committing, especially if you are putting down a deposit you cannot afford to lose.

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection Anne Driscoll...

In the last 15 years at least 14 children under nine years old have died from domestic furniture falling on them in Australia.