Gold Coast residents reminded - know your consumer rights
Posted by editor (editor) on Jul 22 2010
2010 >>

The Office of Fair Trading is urging Gold Coast residents to be wary of traders who approach them at home offering to do odd jobs.

Minister for Fair Trading Peter Lawlor said residents in Koala Park, Burleigh had recently been approached by two men offering to power clean their driveway.

"There’s nothing wrong with drumming up business this way so long as salespeople follow certain rules under the Fair Trading Act 1989,” he said.

“Door-to-door traders must for example give consumers a 10-day cooling off period when the goods or service are worth more than $75.

"What people might not be aware of is the trader is not allowed to take money or start the job until after that time.

“So if someone does a cash job on the spot for work worth more than $75, they would be breaking the law.

Member for Burleigh Christine Smith said the law is in place to protect consumers from door-to-door traders or salespeople who might try and rip them off.

“Door-to-door traders must also produce proper identification, as well as a written quotation and receipt with their full business details,” she said.

“They can only visit customers between 9am-6pm from Monday to Friday, and 9am-5pm on Saturdays. Visits on Sundays or public holidays are prohibited.

Mr Lawlor said door-to-door traders who were dodgy often used pushy tactics, overcharged and demanded cash before disappearing.

"Their work is usually not up to scratch and you may be left with a mess which you have to pay someone else to fix," he said.

“Laying bitumen driveways with material ‘left over from another job’ is a common door-to-door trade the Office of Fair Trading is alerted to.”

Members of the public can report suspicious activity of a trader to the Office of Fair Trading by visiting www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au or calling 13 13 04.

Traders caught breaching the Fair Trading Act face fines of up to $54,000 for individuals and $270,000 for companies.

Last changed: Jul 22 2010 at 11:10 AM