Victorian Retailers Put On Notice This Christmas
In the lead up to Christmas, Australia’s consumer protection agencies are hitting the streets, checking retailers compliance against the Australian Consumer Law 2010, Consumer Affairs Victoria Director, Dr Claire Noone said.
The agencies, including representatives from Consumer Affairs Victoria, will be visiting a range of telecommunications, whitegoods and electronics retailers to ensure refund policies are legal, and traders are abiding by the law when consumers report faulty goods.
Dr Noone said research showed Australians have in the past been dissatisfied with the outcome when faced with defective white goods, electronic goods and mobile phones, in particular.
By law, suppliers and manufacturers must guarantee goods are safe, durable, free from defects, acceptable in appearance and finish, and will operate properly.
When consumers buy a service – which may be anything from a haircut to house painting – the business selling the service automatically guarantees to use an acceptable level of skill or technical knowledge, and to take care to avoid causing loss or damage.
This Christmas, the agencies will particularly focus attention on retailers that have produced a greater than average number of complaints since 1 January.
“Through consistent state and national agency coordination and cooperation, we can target large national retailers as well as smaller local businesses,” Dr Noone said.
The most common shopping complaints in 2010-11 throughout Victoria were from consumers with refund queries relating to clothing and apparel.
“I strongly encourage all consumers to arm themselves with as much information as possible before making any purchase,” Dr Noone said.
In the 2010-11 financial year, Consumer Affairs Victoria received almost 142,000 queries from Victorians seeking advice and information on shopping problems.
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For more information, call Consumer Affairs Victoria on 1300 55 81 81 or visit the Shopping and trading section of their website.