A bikini business ended up in deep water and was fined $30,000 after Consumer Protection prosecuted the online swimwear seller for misleading customers about refund and returns rights.
Frankii Swim Pty Ltd must also pay costs of $546.30 after a sentencing hearing at the Perth Magistrates Court on 17 May 2019, for three breaches of the Australian Consumer Law.
With the end of the financial year looming, Consumer Protection is warning WA taxpayers to be aware of scam attempts that usually accelerate over the next six months.
Tax scams continue to take a large financial toll on Western Australians who are usually cold-called by criminals pretending to be from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) and demanding a fictitious tax debt be paid immediately. In most cases, the caller threatens their victim with arrest if the payment is not made.
A Perth migration agent who accepted money from clients for a range of services which were not supplied has agreed to repay the money under a payment plan supervised by Consumer Protection.
Director Rebecca Joan Mason and Mason Migration Pty Ltd, formerly trading as Mason Migration of Subiaco, have signed an enforceable undertaking that agrees by 30 June 2019 to pay a total of $20,955 to Consumer Protection who will then distribute the funds to five clients. Ms Mason has already refunded $1,400 to one client.
With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Consumer Protection has concerns about the value of add-ons such as extended warranties, rust proofing, paint and fabric protection, and window tinting being sold at the point of sale to people purchasing motor vehicles in Western Australia.
There’s a new Consumer Protection Senior Regional Officer for the Great Southern.
Steph Marsh spent her first week in the job training at Consumer Protection’s Perth HQ but is now permanently based at the office on Aberdeen Street in Albany.
Steph has lived and worked in Albany for the past eight years at the Department of Communities, supporting children and families. She is looking forward to helping consumers and tenants in her new role.
A Perth car dealership and a salesperson managing the business have been fined $31,500 in total for duping consignors who they were selling vehicles for.
PAG (WA) Pty Ltd, trading as Xoticar of Welshpool and Mr Zeljko Grujin each pleaded guilty to a total of seven contraventions of the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act (MVDA) and two breaches of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) at the Perth Magistrates Court on 27 May 2019.
The dealership, specialising in consignment sales, did not comply with the MVDA by:
With Commissioner for Consumer Protection, David Hillyard
Enthusiasts refer to it as retail therapy, but it can also be incredibly frustrating to circle packed car parks, push your way through hordes of shoppers or visit the shops only to find the item you want isn’t even available.
Consumer Protection is warning the WA community not to deal with the seller of food vans and trailers who has accepted more than $70,000 from small business operators but has failed to supply them or provide refunds.
Cody Raymond Williams, sole Director of CLC Group Pty Ltd trading as CLC Fabrications (unregistered), has taken deposits and, in some cases, the full amount from six people who responded to advertisements on Gumtree.
Consumer Protection and the WA Police Force are alarmed at the high number of incidents of home owners utilising the services of unlicensed security installers, and may be unknowingly inviting criminals into their home.
These possibly dodgy businesses and individuals advertise their services on websites such as Gumtree as well as on social media, offering to install alarm systems, CCTV cameras, security doors and locks, often at below market prices.
A photographic business that specialises in taking photos of new-born babies is the subject of a Consumer Protection public warning following complaints about unacceptable delays in supplying the images to parents.
Nine complaints have been lodged against Melissa Sheed Photography of Aubin Grove with some of the parents waiting for more than a year to receive the photos of their babies. The consumers paid at least $1,500 for a package of photos with delivery promised within three months.
