With Acting Consumer Protection Commissioner David Hillyard
The holiday season is now in full swing and many families will be travelling and staying in short-stay accommodation which could pose a danger to children if safety standards are ignored.
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
Consumer Protection has noticed that anytime there is a change in the economic climate there will be some business closures as a result. It is often difficult to spot telltale signs of financial distress but, as consumers, we need to be aware of the risks involved when paying for goods or services in advance; even the purchase of gift vouchers.
Business closures we have released advice about recently include:
With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Many products we buy can be a danger to children. Often Consumer Protection voices concerns about small items such as parts that can choke, button batteries that can cause internal burns or potentially poisonous laundry detergent pods. But large items, such as furniture, also pose a big risk.
The Australia wide roll-out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) commenced on 1 July 2016.
To coincide with this, new information guides have been released for consumers with disabilities about their rights and businesses with useful information about their obligations under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).
Consumers can be forgiven if they feel overwhelmed or confused by the myriad of insurance options currently being advertised.
At the end of every financial year health insurance providers’ start talking about tax, surcharges and rebates but don’t let this rush you into a poor decision.
Health insurance is a complex area and your needs may change with time so when you are looking to take out or review your health insurance policy there are a number of consumer tips that can help you with your decision.
With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard
Cots are supposed to be a place for babies to rest and sleep safely but Kidsafe WA reports that 51 children attended Princess Margaret Hospital in 2014/2015 with cot-related injuries.
If you buy or receive a second-hand cot, it may not meet current Australian safety standards, increasing the risk of injury to any baby placed in that cot. For example there is a minimum and maximum gap allowed between cot bars to ensure infants do not trap their head or limbs.
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
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
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.
