Over one third of Western Australian households already have solar PV systems, with numbers growing rapidly. These systems comprise grid-connected, stand-alone and hybrid, incorporating grid and battery back-up. Grid connect systems enable surplus power not used by the household to be fed back into...
A review of the regulation of consignment sales under the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act 1973 (WA) has been completed by Consumer Protection. Review purpose The key purpose of the review was to consider whether the regulation of consignment sales should continue in its current form. Review finding A...
There are rules for funeral directors to follow to help consumers compare funeral packages or manage a pre-paid funeral contract. Funeral directors must: be transparent with their pricing, not make incorrect or misleading statements and not offer unfair contract terms or engage in unfair market...
Unit pricing at grocery stores shows consumers not just the cost of a product, but what the value of that product is as a cost per standard unit of measurement on shelf labels for groceries. Unit pricing makes it easy to check, compare and save when buying groceries. Large grocery stores and some...
Introduction Plumbing compliance is monitored and enforced by the Plumbers Licensing Board (the Board) through the designation of plumbing compliance officers employed within the Plumbing Inspectorate for the Building and Energy division of the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety...
New prepaid funeral code – what it means for industry Fair Trading (Prepaid Funerals Code of Practice) Regulations 2020 (the code) is a new mandatory code of practice for Western Australia's prepaid funeral industry. The code ensures any funds are managed within secure investments under the name of...
Have you checked if the products you are buying or installing are certified for use in Australia? In Australia most plumbing and drainage products must be WaterMark certified. The WaterMark Certification Scheme is a mandatory national scheme for plumbing and drainage products to ensure they are fit...
Short-term rental accommodation has increased in popularity in recent years. Homeowners want to make money by renting out a room or property to guests. Meanwhile holiday-makers and business travellers are looking for alternatives to traditional accommodation. Information below addresses the...
Reforming WA's accident towing industry - outcome of consultation. The consultation report summarises what stakeholders told us about problems with Western Australia’s accident towing industry and options for regulating the industry.
Nominating for a Consumer Protection Award The frequently asked questions below provide some helpful information about the Consumer Protection Awards such as the essential entry requirements, how to apply for an award and the judging process. When do nominations open and close? Nominations open and...
Operators and residents of residential parks and lifestyle villages Changes are on the way! From 31 January 2022, changes to the Residential Parks legislation take place. This will affect your...
Progress report on local government’s four yearly inspections of private swimming pool safety barriers 2020-21. This Report is the third annual report on the progress of local governments’ pool inspection programs and is in response to recommendation 7 of the Ombudsman WA report Investigation into ways to prevent or reduce deaths of children by drowning , tabled in Parliament on 23 November 2017.
As part of its function, Building and Energy provides an avenue for both consumers and builders to resolve disputes relating to workmanship issues in connection with a regulated building services and...
This guide to your rights when shopping answers many common consumer questions and explains your rights under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). What if a supermarket scanner charges me too much?...
Misleading behaviour Misleading or deceptive behaviour is when a shop owner or trader presents an incorrect view about the price, value or quality of goods or services to you. A shop owner can break...
Estimates and quotes are different ways of putting a price on a job or service before the job is done. What is a quote? A quote is the total amount a tradesperson agrees it will cost to do a job or...
When buying expensive goods, including fridges, washing machines and televisions, there are many options available to help you make these purchases. Saving If you know you’re going to have to come up...
Before you buy a mobile phone or sign up to a contract you should be aware of these 10 things. 1. Shop around Look at many different types of plans, pre-paid, capped and monthly because call costs...
What is book-up? Book-up is short term credit offered by a shop owner that lets you buy goods or services and pay for them later. Some shop owners will charge a fee for allowing you to use book-up...
Experience tells us rogue traders are deliberately preying on Aboriginal consumers either door-to-door or over the phone in a telemarketing style. Don’t Come Knocking - The Australian Consumer Law...
Word of mouth recommendations in the real-world can be a useful tool when deciding which product or service to buy, however the same can’t always be said when seeking out this type of guidance online. Nearly 40 per cent of consumers turn to the internet to read user reviews as part of their research, according to an investigation by consumer advocacy group CHOICE, but it may not be immediately...
Unqualified employee told to follow a script and manual to upsell electrical work Bonus scheme encouraged sales of electrical safety packages for at least $4,000 Vulnerable consumers told their homes and families were unsafe Pascoes Maintenance Group Pty Ltd has been fined $75,000 for instructing an unqualified employee to assess electrical installations as part of an “upselling” sales strategy...
Motorists in Perth and Mandurah are advised to fill up now if they need to, with petrol prices set to rise tomorrow. After today motorists will likely have to wait a week before petrol prices are again at the bottom of the price cycle. FuelWatch reports that, from 6am tomorrow (Wednesday 19 July 2023), the average price of regular unleaded petrol (ULP) will increase by 30 cents per litre (cpl) to...
Following the liquidation of Perth builder City Residence Pty Ltd , Building and Energy is advising affected property owners to contact QBE to discuss a home indemnity insurance claim. City Residence appointed liquidators yesterday (12 July 2023). Building and Energy understands the company was yet to complete 13 residential building projects. Building and Energy Acting Executive Director Nabil...
Electric shock risk if power adaptors do not meet Australian safety standards Check for compliance symbol, insulated pins and no exposed metal when in use Buy from reputable retailers and be cautious about overseas or online sales A rise in electric shock reports has prompted a warning from WA’s energy safety regulator about dangerous travel adaptors that are not approved for use in Australia...
$34,600 staircase, decking and painting project left incomplete and faulty $8,000 fine after guilty plea for non-compliance with a building remedy order Previous order to pay more than $47,000 in rectification costs After issuing an $8,000 fine for abandoned building work, a magistrate has warned tradespeople not to accept jobs if they cannot complete them to the expected standards. The comments...
Motorists in Perth and Mandurah are advised to fill up now if they need to, with petrol prices set to rise tomorrow. After today motorists will likely have to wait a week before petrol prices are again at the bottom of the price cycle. FuelWatch reports that, from 6am tomorrow (Wednesday 12 July 2023), the average price of regular unleaded petrol (ULP) will increase by 31 cents per litre (cpl) to...
Failure to fix defective swimming pool plasterwork $3,750 fine for not complying with a building remedy order Home owners previously received $19,000 compensation payment An Armadale swimming pool renovator will pay more than $4,000 in fines and costs after ignoring an official order to rectify work at a Roleystone property. In Armadale Magistrates Court on 13 June 2023, Steven Edward Eatwell of...
Factory Direct WA customers paid $342,264 but most received nothing Contracts entered into go as far back as October 2021 with no work completed 60 complaints from WA consumers so far Consumer Protection has raised the alarm over a business that supplies and builds patios, carports, garages and sheds, after 60 WA consumers lodged complaints claiming goods and services were not supplied, or the...
20 victims report losses totalling half a million dollars Victims lured by promises of work from home for high returns Victims tricked into investing crypto currency to secure a job People seeking jobs with flexible work conditions such as working from home, have fallen foul of an employment scam that has so far claimed 20 victims in Western Australia who reported losing a total of $510,000. The...
