With Commissioner for Consumer Protection Lanie Chopping
Consumer Protection welcomes new safety requirements for miniature motorbikes, which strengthen consumer protection for young riders.
Miniature motorbikes are often copies of popular road motorcycles, such as grand prix race bikes or ‘chopper’ motorbikes and are usually about half the size of a full-size motorcycle.
Winter has officially arrived and many of us have already dragged out the winter woollies, electric blankets and hot water bottles, but it’s important to make sure we are using these items safely.
Electric blankets, hot water bottles, heat (or wheat) packs and children’s sleepwear are just some of the winter items that can pose an injury risk if they are old, worn or not used properly.
As with any product – but particularly products that can cause scalds, burns or fires – consumers should always follow user guides.
Heating appliances will soon be emerging from hibernation as cooler weather sets in, particularly with many of us working from home this winter.
If you are using a gas heater, our colleagues at Building and Energy have issued a timely warning about the dangers of exposure to carbon monoxide, which can leak from faulty, poorly maintained or misused gas appliances.
If you’re a tenant who’s lost their job in the coronavirus crunch, you may be wondering how to afford what’s likely the household’s biggest weekly expense – the rent.
To relieve some of the burden, the State Government has announced a $30 million residential rental relief scheme, which will see payments equivalent of four weeks’ rent up to a maximum of $2000 granted to landlords on behalf of tenants in financial strife due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tenants can apply for the grant online, however there are some things they should know before taking that step.
Keeping a roof over everyone’s head has never been more important as thousands of people suffer job losses due to the economic fall-out of COVID-19 coronavirus restrictions.
New laws are now in place to ensure renters can stay in their homes and businesses won’t have to leave their premises, while recognising that landlords shouldn’t be unnecessarily burdened.
The emergency residential tenancy laws aim to provide some certainty during these uncertain times for those in private and public housing, residential long stay parks, as well as boarders and lodgers.
With Commissioner for Consumer Protection Lanie Chopping
When it comes to email scams, many of us think of unsolicited and badly-spelt requests for money landing in our inboxes from dodgy email accounts.
But the reality is that email scams are now so sophisticated and believable they’re almost impossible to tell apart from the real thing.
One such ruse is the payment redirection or ‘man in the middle’ scam, which involves a scammer pretending to be a legitimate company seeking payment to a bank account they control.
With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Western Australians shopping online often get caught up in a web of lies by landing on fraudulent retail sites. The sites feature stolen ABNs and photos, and when you pay for a product, you’ll get nothing in return.
With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Imagine waiting four years for money owed to you after leaving a retirement village. In extreme cases it’s the shocking reality for former retirement village residents who are left in serious financial hardship and distress and unable to pay for alternative accommodation. We know seniors in this position may have urgent needs to move into aged care.
With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Do sales items tick guarantee boxes?
Australians are set to spend billions in post-Christmas sales and well into the New Year. Consumer Protection WA, and consumer affairs regulators across Australia, want to remind everyone that automatic guarantees apply when you hit the sales.
Whether you buy in-store or online, from any business trading in Australia, you are protected by the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
We all know that clean hands are one of the best ways to guard against viruses, so it’s little surprise that hand sanitiser has become a must-have item during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
With many households and schools now using hand sanitiser as part of their daily routines, it’s important to remember these products should be treated with extra caution especially around children.
Most alcohol-based sanitisers contain upwards of 60 per cent alcohol content, meaning just a couple of mouthfuls can be enough to poison a child.
