Helping the Community

Tickets for premium events sell like hotcakes – literally in minutes for some of the wonderful sport and music events that get hosted in WA and around Australia! If you miss out, don’t be fooled by scammers and scalpers when you see offers for tickets on social media, online classifieds and resale sites. Two things to know: it’s always safest to buy tickets through authorised ticket agents, and some event tickets have “restricted resale”, making it illegal for anyone to sell them at inflated price (more than a 10% mark-up). If in doubt, go to official ticket sites, which also have resale pages for individuals to legitimately sell their tickets when they can no longer attend events. Ways to avoid scams: if you’re looking at an offer online, check where the supposed seller is located – if they’re not in Australia, they’re unlikely to be real or have genuine tickets for sale. Another warning flag – if they ask for payment by bank transfer or gift cards, you could be at risk of being scammed. Third tip – if possible, buy with a credit card, and if you think you’ve bought a ticket that may be fake, first ask for a refund; and second your bank may be able to give you a chargeback on your credit card. Listen to our podcast for more information on all these topics.

Many people want to plan ahead for the cost of their funeral, to reduce this burden on their family at a time of much sadness. We talk to Nina Weir from Consumer Protection about some new rules for funeral companies, and options for planning the cost of a funeral. Companies must now be very clear upfront about the total costs of a funeral, so there are no post-funeral price shocks. Price details of each component must be easily available on their website or brochures, and companies can be fined if that information is misrepresented or isn’t publicly available. For those looking to pay for a funeral before it’s needed, the best, safest and simplest option is to save up for it – put your money in a savings or term deposit account, and make sure your loved ones have access to the account details. Prepaid funerals and funeral insurance both have risks. And a reminder, if you were a member of the collapsed Youpla Group/Aboriginal Community Benefit Fund, you can apply to the program set up by the Government until the end of November, for the funeral benefits of members. Listen to our podcast for the pros and cons to help you choose what to do, and more details on all of these issues.

Now that people are travelling more freely again, we look at consumer law and how it protects you when you’re buying travel products – whether it’s flights, cruises, tours, or accommodation etc. There’s even more small print than ever, post-pandemic, and it’s important to read it so you know what your travel contract gives you and doesn’t give you. Like any product, the travel service that you buy must be as it’s described in the brochure, advertising, or ticket. This was highlighted recently when the itinerary of a booked cruise was changed at the last minute. Whilst this may be permitted due to weather for example, in this case it was for proposed boat maintenance and clearly unacceptable for the travel purchased. Fortunately for those passengers, Consumer Protection was able to intervene and the cruise went ahead as originally planned. Again, like all consumer protection, remedies may include refunds or alternative bookings, and always best to talk to the travel provider first to try and resolve issues – whether that’s a travel agent or direct to the airline/hotel etc. Paying by credit card also gives you some protection, but you can always contact Consumer Protection if you want advice or need their help. Listen to our podcast with Nina Weir from Consumer Protection for their travel advice.

We take a deep dive this week into the latest myGov and PayID scams, so you know what to look out for and how to avoid getting scammed out of your money or personal details. Following the recent Federal and State budgets, scammers are straight onto it, sending text messages or phone calls about a one-time payment to help with the current cost of living crisis. This is simply not true! There is other financial assistance that may be available, but myGov will never send messages asking you to click on a link or provide information. The golden rule is log in to myGov directly to check out any messages, only at https://my.gov.au. Don’t click on links of any similar looking web addresses – the only address for myGov is my.gov.au. PayID is a great way of transferring money easily to someone else’s bank account instantly, using our unique phone number or email address. Scammers are posing as buyers who then say that PayID requires us to upgrade to a business account (no such thing!), which needs us to make a payment to a bank account, with various reasons given. Again, this is simply not true! PayID is 100% free and simple – anyone saying an upgrade or payment is required is a scammer! Nina Weir from Consumer Protection WA takes us through details of various ways the scammers operate, how to recognise them, avoid them and report them.

When shopping for those special Mother’s Day gifts, it’s good to know Australia Consumer Law is there to back you up – if things are faulty, turn out to be not fit for purpose, or the wrong thing arrives in the post. What’s not covered are changes of mind, and that includes cases where mum doesn’t like the gift or it doesn’t fit! In those cases, talk to the store about their return policies as they still may give you a refund or replacement if the goods are returned in good order. Gift cards are a good option so mum can get what she really wants. They now have to be valid for a minimum of 3 years, but still encourage mum to go shopping sooner than later, just in case the business closes up shop for some reason. And of course, be careful if you’re shopping on line – use reputable online shops and check consumer reviews. Listen here for more information and tips to help make your Mother’s Day gift successful!

In our latest podcast with Nina Weir from Consumer Protection WA, we talk about the newest type of bank scams. As we become more aware and better at avoiding scams, the scammers become more sophisticated with their attempts to trick us. They are using new technology to make scam calls look even more like they are coming from our bank, for example – text messages seeming to come from a genuine bank phone number. More than ever, it’s essential to be wary. Do not click on a link or phone a number that’s sent to you by text. Banks do not communicate that way. Do not follow a request to transfer money to a given account to “keep it safe”. Banks protect our money in our own account – they would never ask us to transfer it to a different account. These are examples of how people are being caught out by bank impersonation scams. Do not feel put under pressure to act – practise the pause, and contact the bank yourself to verify any unusual requests. Listen to our podcast for more information and tips on how to be scam savvy.

This week we talk to Nina Weir from Consumer Protection WA, about the switch from paper bills to email billing. With more and more companies encouraging us to ditch paper bills, and some companies now charging customers for the cost of printing and posting a paper bill, it’s time to make the switch. Take a look at any paper bills you’re still getting to see if you’re being charged for them, and for information on how to change over to email billing. There may be some exemptions to those charges for those on various concessions, or who require a paper bill for accessibility, but check with each company for their position. Email billing has convenience and some security benefits for many people, but also the possibility of scammers tricking us with fake bills, so make sure you always check your bills, know what and when you’re due to be billed, and don’t click on links in suspicious looking emails. Listen to our podcast for more information on all of this.

This week we talk to Nina Weir from Consumer Protection WA, with our regular reminder warning about button batteries – and also those little high powered-magnets that might be stuck on the fridge. To little children, they are bright, round and shiny and easily end up popped in the mouth and swallowed. Both products do enormous damage to our insides. Toys using button batteries must have a child-safe cover on them and Consumer Protection do regular checks in stores, but don’t assume, if a toy is in the shop, that it’s safe! If you think your child might have swallowed a battery or magnet, go to the Emergency Department as soon as possible. Listen to our podcast for more information and tips on what to do and what to look for.

You may not think about consumer rights when buying your next family pet, but Consumer Protection receives many complaints such as pets arriving with significant health issues (due to improper treatment), not matching the description or photo of your chosen animal, or refunds and deposits not being returned when warranted. Pet breeders must supply the animal you ordered, without health issues that aren’t breed-related, and must meet various promises based on pedigree and other characteristics. So it’s important to make sure you buy through a reputable and registered breeder, and if possible, find someone to check them out in person, especially if you buy online – not one wants to encourage puppy farms and other forms of animal mistreatment! If your new pet has a genuine issue, you may be entitled to a financial remedy through consumer law, even if you keep the pet. Like any purchase, this doesn’t apply for a plain change of mind, or for private purchases not through a registered seller. Listen to our podcast with Nina Weir from Consumer Protection WA, for more information and tips, and how to contact Consumer Protection if you do need their help.

Once this week’s cyclone action is over, next week there is a total solar eclipse – a rare event skirting Australia’s west coast. Have a look at https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/map/2023-april-20#@-17.965,122.233,5&pin=australia/broome for some cool information about the coming eclipse, including an animation of what it will look like. But our message here is about viewing (not watching) it safely! In Broome, 89.41% of the sun will be obscured at the peak, but still, we don’t stare at the sun for obvious reasons and even at the maximum, 10.59% of the sun will still be visible and will be especially bright. So it’s really important to protect our eyes – using special eclipse glasses that meet ISO-12312-2020 certification, or a home-made pinhole camera, but definitely not with naked eyes, regular sunglasses, phones, cameras or telescopes that don’t have very particular filters. And of course, some glasses and filters will be counterfeit so check them carefully, make sure they’re not damaged, supervise your children, and get your eyes checked out if you over-expose them.