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’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.
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).
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
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
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
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
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
If you don’t know much about iTunes gift cards, that’s music to scammers’ ears. Fraudsters call out-of-the-blue pretending to be a representative of a government agency, such as the Australian Tax Office (ATO), or they might pose as a utility company – they say you owe money and make threats to scare you, claiming you can pay off the debt with iTunes cards.
With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Did you know you’ll pay more when buying foreign cash at the airport than at any other location? Also debit or credit cards are usually the cheapest option for buying things overseas.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) research, to help us with foreign money purchase decisions, found:
