Consumer Protection WA has given its seal of approval to 270 Perth Royal Showbags after product safety inspectors checked about 1500 toys and novelty items that will be sold at the Claremont Showground. Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard says the majority of toys and novelty items have been ticked off as safe for kids to have bags of fun with. “I’m pleased to announce that most...

Consumer Protection is offering some reassurances for residents of two WA retirement villages affected by the Settlers group of companies being placed into receivership. Administrators and receivers have been appointed to the company which operates a total of 463 units at Settlers Lakeside village in Ravenswood near Mandurah and Settlers Ridgewood Rise near Butler, as well as two villages in...

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard Perhaps it’s the recent cold weather or maybe use of tax refunds but many Western Australians seem to be booking trips to tropical destinations – Consumer Protection has seen an increase in complaints from holiday-buyers. One example involves purchases of discount return flights – Perth to Bali for as low as $99 – via a travel agent on...

The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 19 cents per litre (cpl) to 149.2 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 20 August 2019, most Caltex sites are increasing their ULP price to 158.9 cpl (hiking by 30 cpl). Most BP and Coles Express sites are increasing their ULP price to 156.9 cpl,...

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard Hotel comparison websites offer to take the hassle out of searching for best value accommodation but instead of saving you money they could leave you out of pocket. One man who recently came to Consumer Protection had paid $137 above the quoted room rate using an American-based comparison site to book a hotel stay in Mandurah – charges,...

A property manager has been reprimanded and fined $1,500 by the State Administrative Tribunal for operating without a current certificate of registration. Shamela Rima Neilson was working for an Attadale real estate agency when her real estate sales representative registration expired in March 2017, but continued to carry out duties as a property manager in breach of the Real Estate and Business...

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard Are you paying extra for bills you receive in the mail? Service providers may be charging you a fee to cover the costs of printing and posting your bill – but there may be a way you can avoid the charge. The easiest way is to switch to online billing and receive your bills by email or via the company’s app or website but that is not going...

The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by around 18 cents per litre (cpl) to 149.6 cpl tomorrow (30 July 2019), so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 30 July 2019, most Caltex sites are increasing their ULP price to 159.9 cpl (hiking by 27 cpl). Most 7-Eleven, BP and Coles Express sites are increasing their ULP...

Thousands of dollars are being lost by WA victims who are led into falling for grant or lottery prize scams by Facebook friends who have had their profiles cloned. The victims get contacted by the cloned friend’s profile via Messenger asking if they had received their money, as their name is on a list of recipients who have won money either from a grant scheme or a lottery. The victims are...

With Commissioner for Consumer Protection David Hillyard Big name concert announcements lately include U2, the Spice Girls and Michael Bublé coming to Perth. In the excitement and rush to get the best tickets for music, entertainment or sport events we know people can accidentally buy from unauthorised sellers that come up first in an internet search*. Usual consumer rights apply when you buy...

The average price of unleaded petrol is set to increase by over 20 cents per litre (cpl) to 150.6 cpl tomorrow, so FuelWatch is encouraging Perth drivers to fill up today to save money. FuelWatch advises that on Tuesday 16 July 2019, most Caltex sites are increasing their ULP price to 159.9 cpl (hiking by 30 cpl). Most Caltex Woolworths and Puma sites are increasing their ULP price to 159.7 cpl,...

A Balga man has been fined $4,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court on 5 July 2019 after pleading guilty to operating a large car dealing operation without a licence. Wesam Mohammed had bought and sold more than 80 vehicles from June 2017 to August 2018. He was also ordered to pay $426 in costs. In considering the penalty, Magistrate Young took into account the guilty plea and the fact that Mr...