A Perth carpenter has been ordered to pay more than $10,000 in fines, compensation and costs by the Midland Magistrates Court after taking deposits from consumers but failing to do the work. Benjamin Dean McVilly , trading as BDM Carpentry of Caversham, was fined a total of $5,000 on three charges of accepting payments for carpentry materials and installation but failing to supply them, in breach...

Mistakes made on a property sale contract have resulted in a York real estate agency and its operator being reprimanded and fined a total of $6,000 by the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT). Avon Districts Professionals Pty Ltd , trading as Westerntown & Country.com.au , and supervising agent Nicola Di Giulio were each fined $3,000 and both were ordered to pay $700 in costs for breaching the...

Summer, school holidays and Christmas should be times of fun and relaxation and Consumer Protection wants to make sure that they are also safe times for everyone. In the 12 months from July 2018 to June 2019, there were 276 drowning deaths in Australia with 31 of them occurring in swimming pools*. Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard is concerned that these figures are higher than...

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. The high cost of owning a home means more people in WA are renting. Meanwhile people with investment...

The average cost of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 20 cents per litre (cpl) to 153.3 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 12 November 2019, most branded retailers are increasing their ULP price. BP, Caltex and Coles Express sites are increasing between 29 and 32 cpl to 162.9 cpl, Caltex Woolworths...

Home and business buyers as well as real estate and settlement agents in WA are urged to be on high alert after two payments totalling $70,000 meant for a Perth settlement agent were stolen by scammers. The scammers had cloned the settlement agent’s Yahoo email address, changing just one character, and sent a payment request for $48,000 to the buyer of a business. The email contained details of a...

The average cost of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 18 cents per litre (cpl) to 151 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 5 November 2019, most branded retailers are increasing their ULP price – Coles Express hiking by 29 cpl to 162.9 cpl, BP and Caltex to 159.9 cpl, 7-Eleven to 158.7 cpl, Caltex...

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection Penny Lipscombe We have had continuing reports of tree lopper businesses harassing customers, not removing debris, damaging property or not completing work. They distribute flyers and advertise their services on Gumtree, Facebook and supermarket noticeboards. They have been spotted mostly in the northern suburbs of Perth and in Fremantle. Some businesses...

A real estate property manager and agency licensee have been ordered to pay a total of $9,700 by the State Administrative Tribunal after the property manager operated while her certificate of registration as a sales representative had expired. Property manager Wendy Maxine Caroline Vettler was fined $1,500 for breaching the Real Estate and Business Agents Act. Her employer Teevor Pty Ltd ,...

A tree lopper who accepted payment to cut down six trees but only chopped off branches on one has been fined $3,000 after pleading guilty to breaching the Australian Consumer Law. Siuosavaii Maiava trading as Fairdinkum Tree Services was also ordered to pay court costs of $2,307.50 when the Consumer Protection prosecution was heard at the Joondalup Magistrates Court on Friday 11 October 2019. In...

Laws to allow renters to fix furniture to walls to prevent death or injury to children from toppling furniture have passed through State Parliament. The Consumer Protection Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 amends the Residential Tenancies Act and means landlords must allow tenants, who submit a request form, to attach furniture to a wall to prevent a child, or a person with a disability, from...

The hunt is on for people who have contributed to raising community awareness of consumer rights, either as an advocate or educator, to nominate for the Consumer Protection Awards 2020. Nominations have now opened for the awards which were won last year by a consumer researcher, a community legal centre, a family lobbying for toppling furniture laws and an ABC reporter. Each was presented with a...