Cairns top 10 consumer complaints for 2007 revealed

Cairns residents are standing up for their consumer rights and making it known if they are unhappy, lodging 525 complaints with the Office of Fair Trading during 2007.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Kerry Shine, and Member for Cairns, Desley Boyle MP, said motor vehicle dealers topped the list, generating 13 per cent of all complaints in the area.

Mr Shine said other top ten complaints included real estate property management (ten per cent), household electrical goods (ten per cent), household trade services (seven per cent), real estate sales (six per cent), motor vehicle repair and maintenance (five per cent), computers (five per cent), and holiday, entertainment and travel services (three per cent).

"Across the state, consumers lodged 12,561 complaints with the Office of Fair Trading during 2007, an increase of 14 per cent from 2006," Mr Shine said.

Member for Cairns, Desley Boyle MP, said she was pleased local residents were making it known when they were unhappy.

"It's important that all consumers know their rights and express any concerns they may have directly with the trader involved. If this proves unsuccessful, contact the Office of Fair Trading for advice on 13 13 04," Ms Boyle said.

Mr Shine said the Office of Fair Trading continues to monitor real estate agents and motor dealers and will crack down on any traders doing the wrong thing.

"Last year, the Office of Fair Trading investigated 390 motor dealers state-wide, resulting in a total of $41,400 in fines and $101,775 in infringement notices. One dealer was permanently disqualified from holding a licence," he said.

"During 2007 the Office of Fair Trading negotiated $3 million of redress for Queensland consumers, including repairs, refunds and compensation by traders.

"Younger people complained about computers and related hardware, as well as personal services such as gyms, hairdressers, photography, beauty clinics and modelling agencies," Mr Shine said.

"Older age groups had more complaints about holiday, entertainment and travel."

Mr Shine said the Office of Fair Trading received an average of more than 40,000 calls a month from people seeking advice and information about consumer and business issues, with a similar number visiting the website each month.

The top ten complaint categories in Cairns were:

Media Contact: Troy Davies / Jamie Byron (Office of the Attorney-General) 3239 3478