Announcements

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Commissioner's Blog: Happy Holidays

Travel buying tips to avoid holiday hell The recent collapse of a travel agent business in WA and similar instances over East should send a warning to Australians looking to buy airfares and/or holiday accommodation. Consumers who had paid cash, in person or by direct bank transfer, for travel services lost their money when the agent failed to pass funds on to suppliers or cancelled booked travel...
Consumer Protection
Department News
01 Oct 2015

Concerns expressed over coaches to Melbourne

Consumer Protection and WorkSafe would like to remind the community and travel industry about the importance of having an alert driver on express coach or bus services going from Western Australia to Victoria for the AFL Grand Final. Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection Gary Newcombe said footy fans from Perth, heading across the Nullarbor, should seek assurances from coach or bus charter...
Consumer Protection
Alert
29 Sep 2015

Commissioner's Blog: Choose charities carefully

With Acting Consumer Protection Commissioner Gary Newcombe The Syrian refugee crisis has prompted an outpouring of public support for those in need of aid. Consumer Protection would like to remind Western Australians, who try to make a difference through charitable donations, to choose an established humanitarian charity. Charities in Western Australia need to be licensed and you can check...
Consumer Protection
Department News
25 Sep 2015

Business warning: bitumen bandits

Consumer Protection is warning businesses not to deal with ‘bitumen bandits’ who offer to lay driveways on-the-spot with material supposedly leftover from another job. A report received by Consumer Protection suggests that a British man is approaching business owners in the Willetton area with the offer of immediate start, drive-way laying services, using asphalt in his truck, leftover from...
Consumer Protection
Alert
25 Sep 2015

Puppy scammers bite - Commissioner's Blog

With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection Gary Newcombe Puppy scammers are getting their claws into the money of pet-buyers in Western Australia. WA ScamNet – the area of Consumer Protection that deals with consumer fraud – received four reports of monetary loss to puppy sale scams recently. All of the victims had been buying online but there were slight differences in their stories: One...
Consumer Protection
Department News
04 Sep 2015

Samsung washing machine recall - FAQ

Page last updated 5 October 2015 What models are affected? They are all top loaders and the numbers are: SW75V9WIP/XSA; SW65V9WIP/XSA; SW70SPWIP/XSA; SW80SPWIP/XSA; WA85GWGIP/XSA and WA85GWWIP/XSA. I had my machine repaired as part of the recall – do I need to do anything? We understand there has been at least one fire in WA involving a ‘reworked’ machine and there have been at least 17 fire...
Consumer Protection
Alert
02 Sep 2015

Commissioner's Blog: In a spin over washing machine recall

UPDATE: New advice to seek a refund or replacement has been issued since this blog was published. Please read the latest media statement: www.commerce.wa.gov.au/announcements/urgent-advice-owners-recalled-samsu... With Acting Consumer Protection Commissioner Gary Newcombe It has been more than two years since Samsung Australia recalled six models of top loading washing machines because they pose...
Consumer Protection
Department News
25 Aug 2015

Commissioner's Blog - Mould a growing issue for tenants in winter

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection Anne Driscoll In July 2014 Consumer Protection saw a growth in mould issues, raised mostly by tenants but also by landlords and property managers in WA. The seasonal spike, also seen in 2013, can be attributed to cooler, wetter weather and means we’re expecting similar figures around now and in the months up to October. Mould is a fungus that thrives on...
Consumer Protection
Department News
11 Aug 2015

Commissioner's Blog: Toppling furniture can kill kids – anchor it!

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection Anne Driscoll... In the last 15 years at least 14 children under nine years old have died from domestic furniture falling on them in Australia. Anyone who has been around small children will know that they like to climb on furniture, however if freestanding items such as bookcases, drawers or wardrobes fall, they can trap, crush or suffocate a child...
Consumer Protection
Department News
24 Jul 2015

Commissioner's Blog - Considerations before making an offer on a property

With Consumer Protection Commissioner Anne Driscoll Things to consider before making an offer on a property You might walk into a home and fall in love with it very quickly but it is important to do your own research and ask questions before making a written offer on a property. There is no mandatory cooling-off period for real estate contracts in Western Australia, so make sure you know what you...
Consumer Protection
Department News
13 Jul 2015

Commissioner's Blog - Laws around car sales and repairs offered online

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection Anne Driscoll People who sell cars on a regular basis need to hold a motor vehicle dealers licence. In fact the law says that if you sell more than four cars a year you may be asked to substantiate why you do not hold a dealers licence. If it is purely for personal use and is not connected to running a de-facto business buying cars privately and then on-...
Consumer Protection
Department News
06 Jul 2015

Website warning – Travel Advisor Pro (TAP)

A travel accommodation website is listing properties for lease without the property owner’s permission, sparking fears that the site is run by scammers. WA ScamNet is currently investigating the origins and purpose of Travel Advisor Pro (TAP) traveladvisorpro.net but due to early indications that it is a scam, a decision has been made to issue an early warning to protect consumers from potential...
Consumer Protection
Alert
29 Jun 2015

Survey scam warning for Aqwest customers in Bunbury

Consumer Protection is warning Aqwest customers in Bunbury about a potential phone scam. There have been three reports from people who were phoned by a caller claiming to be Aqwest, offering a free water filter for taking part in the survey and asking for credit card details from the call recipient. Aqwest says it does not offer inducements or ask for credit card details during phone surveys...
Consumer Protection
Alert
26 Jun 2015

Commissioner's Blog - Too much trust can mean tradie trouble

With Acting Commissioner for Consumer Protection, David Hillyard Paying large amounts of money up front for nothing in return or hiring a tradesperson without a recommendation, or without seeing references or sighting previous good work are some of the mistakes Western Australians regularly make when having work carried out on their homes. In the last few months we have issued new warnings about...
Consumer Protection
Department News
26 Jun 2015

Public warning about Gerardus (Gerry) Jorissen

Consumer Protection is warning Western Australians not to deal with Gerardus (Gerry) Hermanus Jorissen who has sent at least $200,000 of other people’s money to overseas criminals under the guise of an investment scheme. Mr Jorissen who lives in Moora, came to the attention of authorities in 2013 as a possible fraud victim identified by Project Sunbird – an anti-fraud initiative run...
Consumer Protection
Media release
23 Jun 2015

Commissioner's Blog - Online loan scam = deeper debt

With Acting Consumer Protection Commissioner David Hillyard If you’re applying for a loan online the last thing you need is to lose money in the process but unfortunately that’s what has been happening to a number of people here in the West and over East. In the last few weeks consumers have contacted WA ScamNet at Consumer Protection after being defrauded by scammers posing as Mercury Money – a...
Consumer Protection
Department News
19 Jun 2015

Commissioner's Blog - Checkout Checks

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...
Consumer Protection
Department News
12 Jun 2015

ANZAC Day 2015 - Public Holiday Arrangements

Check your obligations for public holidays now! This year ANZAC Day, 25 April, falls on a Saturday, which means that employers and employees need to check what public holiday arrangements apply under the relevant WA award, particularly if the business trades on weekends and public holidays. Under the Public and Bank Holidays Act if ANZAC Day falls on a Saturday the next following Monday is also a...
Consumer Protection / Labour Relations
Alert
09 Mar 2015

Huge demand for iRentWA app helping tenants

July 2020: Please note the iRentWA app is no longer supported. The Renting a home section of this website continues to be WA consumers’ go-to place for all renting information. Only four months after its official launch, Consumer Protection’s iRentWA smartphone app is proving extremely popular with WA tenants. So far the app has been downloaded by 4,175 iPhone and Android phone users, giving them...
Consumer Protection
Media release
29 Jan 2015

Extended warranties can be a waste of money

Consumer Protection has seen an increase in enquiries and complaints about extended warranties, prompting a seasonal warning for Western Australians. Between January and November 2014 there were 695 enquiries and 69 formal complaints – up from 576 enquiries and 48 complaints between January and November 2013. It is a trend that is likely to continue. Post-Christmas sales or deals mean that many...
Consumer Protection
Media release
30 Dec 2014

$80,000 in fines and costs for selling vehicles without a warranty (Wanneroo Cars and Commercials / Brian Whitehead)

A Wangara motor vehicle dealer and its sole Director have been ordered to pay a total of more than $80,000 in fines and costs by the Joondalup Magistrates Court for selling used vehicles without a warranty. Ridgehaven Holdings Pty Ltd, trading as Wanneroo Cars and Commercials of Wangara (now closed), and its sole Director Brian John Whitehead pleaded guilty to 29 charges under the Australian...
Consumer Protection
Media release
19 Sep 2014

Bullying tree lopper threatens WA consumers: Urgent Warning (Sean Robert Weinthal)

Consumer Protection has issued an urgent warning about a bullying tree lopper who has been threatening WA consumers and has now been charged with harassment and unconscionable conduct. Sean Robert Weinthal of Wanneroo, who is an employee of West Australian Tree Services, Manageable Tree Services, WA Tree Professionals and also formerly known as Metropolitan Tree Services (deregistered), is facing...
Consumer Protection
Media release
26 Nov 2013

'Bikini Girls Massage' operators permanently restrained

Originally issued Tuesday, 25 January 2011 The Supreme Court of WA has ordered that the operators of ‘Bikini Girls Massage’ be permanently restrained from carrying on any unregistered business in Western Australia and from placing misleading recruitment advertisements in WA. The Commissioner for Consumer Protection launched the legal action to stop Mr Bon Levi and Mr Colin Burton from further...
Consumer Protection
Media release
25 Jan 2011

$17,100 penalty for 'Bikini Girls Massage' operator

Originally issued Thursday, 2 September 2010 An operator of the infamous WA business formerly known as ‘Bikini Girls Massage’ has been fined $12,100 and ordered to pay $5,000 in costs after admitting more than 40 breaches of fair trading and business name laws. Mr Bon Levi appeared at the Magistrates’ Court of Western Australia today for what was due to be the start of a trial but what was...
Consumer Protection
Media release
02 Sep 2010

Maximum fine for operator of 'Bikini Girls Massage'

Originally issued Tuesday, 17 August 2010 The Perth Magistrates Court has imposed the maximum penalty against an operator of the 'Bikini Girls Massage’ business who engaged in misleading advertising. Mr Colin Burton was today fined $6,000 after pleading guilty to 11 offences under the Fair Trading Act, relating to misleading employment advertisements. He was also fined $100 for a further offence...
Consumer Protection
Media release
17 Aug 2010

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