Consumer Affairs
Refunds, warranties, faulty goods, scams and disputes under Australian Consumer Law.
Consumer Affairs
Refunds, warranties, faulty goods, scams and disputes under Australian Consumer Law.
- Unlock →Used-Car Trouble: Consumer Guarantees, Major Failure and Getting a RefundPractice dialogue · 14 min
A Punjabi-speaking buyer visits a consumer affairs officer after a licensed dealer's used car developed a serious transmission fault a week after purchase, and the officer explains the consumer guarantees, the major-failure test, keeping records, and how to escalate to the state Consumer Affairs/Fair Trading body if the dealer refuses.
- Unlock →Telco Complaint: Unresolved Faults, Overcharging and Escalating to the TIOPractice dialogue · 14 min
A Punjabi-speaking customer phones a telco's complaints line about a home internet and mobile fault that has gone unfixed for three months while they were charged the full amount, seeks a refund and repair, and is told how to escalate free of charge to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
- Unlock →Returning a Faulty Winter CoatPractice dialogue · 14 min
A Punjabi-speaking shopper tries to return a $220 winter coat with a broken zip ten days after purchase, and the store returns manager explains that the "store credit only" sign covers only change of mind, while a faulty product carries a consumer guarantee entitling them to a refund, a replacement, or compensation for the coat's reduced value.
- Unlock →Losing Forty-Seven Thousand Dollars to a Fake Investment PlatformPractice dialogue · 14 min
A Punjabi-speaking man tells a financial counsellor he lost $47,000 over three months to a fake investment platform, 'MetaTrade Global', and is guided on urgent bank recovery, reporting to Scamwatch and ReportCyber, and avoiding a second 'money-recovery' scam.
- Unlock →Disputing Unauthorised Card Transactions With AFCAPractice dialogue · 14 min
A Punjabi-speaking bank customer brings a complaint to an AFCA case manager after her bank refused to refund four unauthorised card transactions totalling $3,180, because she read a one-time SMS code to a caller impersonating the bank's fraud team.
- Unlock →Electricity Catch-Up Bill And Back-Billing RulesPractice dialogue · 14 min
A Punjabi-speaking customer contacts the Energy and Water Ombudsman after receiving a $2,400 catch-up electricity bill following fifteen months of estimated meter reads, and the officer explains the nine-month back-billing limit, arranges an actual read, and sets up an interest-free hardship payment plan.
- Unlock →Disputing a Bond Deduction for Cleaning and Carpet StainsPractice dialogue · 14 min
A Punjabi-speaking tenant disputes $1,150 the agent wants to deduct from her $2,400 bond for end-of-lease cleaning and carpet stains she says were already there when she moved in, and a Fair Trading officer explains proving the loss, the entry condition report, fair wear and tear, and the 14-day tribunal deadline.
- Unlock →Arranging a Prepaid Funeral PlanPractice dialogue · 14 min
A Punjabi-speaking woman meets a funeral director to set up an $8,500 prepaid funeral plan and needs the inclusions, exclusions, cooling-off rights, trust protection, CPI indexing and interstate transfer explained.
- Unlock →Cancelling A Gym Membership After InjuryPractice dialogue · 14 min
A Punjabi-speaking member with a shoulder injury tries to cancel a 12-month lock-in gym membership four months before the minimum term ends, and the consultant explains the medical-cancellation clause, the $79 exit fee, the Ezidebit debits, and the default-listing risk.
- Unlock →Cancelling A Door-To-Door Solar ContractPractice dialogue · 14 min
A Punjabi-speaking homeowner calls a solar company to cancel a $9,900 rooftop solar agreement signed under sales pressure two days ago, and the officer explains the unsolicited-agreement cooling-off rights and refund.
- Unlock →Gas Heater Safety RecallPractice dialogue · 14 min
A product recall officer phones a Punjabi-speaking customer whose portable gas heater is recalled for a carbon-monoxide leak, checks the batch and serial number, and arranges a free replacement or a $349 refund.
- Unlock →Chasing a Statute-Barred Credit Card DebtPractice dialogue · 14 min
A Punjabi-speaking man harassed by a collection agency over a $6,700 credit-card debt from 2017 sees a community legal centre solicitor about the six-year limitation period, reviving the debt, and contact limits.