With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Changes to the way several new TV channels broadcast is causing reception issues for some television users, and sellers of TVs or set top boxes should attune to this.
With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
The product, membership or subscription may say “free trial” but in many cases it turns into an automatic charge or renewal and consumers need to be aware of this marketing trap.
We receive many complaints and enquiries from consumers who report receiving unexpected charges resulting from the automatic charging or renewals of products or services they have purchased, usually online.
With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
You may have seen or heard about a Samsung washing fire at a rental property in Wanneroo recently. Early indications are that it was a top loader which is subject to a national product safety recall and I would like to use the case as a reminder about recalled products that pose a threat to public safety.
With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Crowd funding is an increasingly popular way for people to raise money for a variety of causes using the internet. If an online crowd funding campaign is regarding a work-related or leisure-based project we see this as peer-to-peer lending. However, when the fundraising is for a charitable purpose Consumer Protection is interested because we enforce the Charities Collections Act 1946.
With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Court case highlights landlord obligations
A recent court case has highlighted the need for private landlords in WA, as well as real estate agents and property managers, to be aware of their obligations under tenancy laws and to comply with them.
In the case, Bozena Sakowski was fined $7,200 by the Perth Magistrates Court after she pleaded guilty to 24 breaches of tenancy laws when acting as a landlord.
With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Next time you’re asked ‘would you like a receipt?’ say yes and be sure to check it.
Contactless technology that allows us to pay with a wave of a card seems to be resulting in a lower take-up of receipts and this becomes a problem when there’s a query about how much was charged and what for.
With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Some tree loppers tout for business by putting flyers in letterboxes, advertising in the local newspaper or on noticeboards, promoting their services via social media, such as community Facebook pages, or advertising via online classifieds such as Gumtree.
In 2015 Consumer Protection received 160 enquiries and 34 complaints about tree loppers tending to relate to:
With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
The gift card industry is a growing one. We used to purchase gift vouchers directly from the shop or business where they would be redeemed, but it is now commonplace for department stores and supermarkets to have a variety of gift cards for other places on display near the till.
With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
If you buy a high-price ticket for a premium event on a yacht with a promise of champagne and caviar, you don’t expect to be served cheap wine and supermarket-bought frozen spring rolls on a fishing boat. This is one of the complaints received by Consumer Protection from ticket-buyers recently, however, headline acts not appearing at beach parties, concerts or festivals and even crying babies disrupting a musical theatre production have also been reported.
With David Hillyard, Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection
Checkout Checks
Each week, our team of compliance officers visit shops across the Perth metropolitan area to see whether prices advertised on store shelves match the amounts customers are charged when the goods are scanned at the checkout. These checks are called price scanning audits and are also done by Consumer Protection officers in country towns to make sure regional consumers are also paying the advertised shelf price amount for goods.
