Fair Trading wins back $6.7 million for Queenslanders

Published Sunday, 21 January, 2018 at 10:00 AM

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice
The Honourable Yvette D'Ath

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) returned more than $6.7 million to consumers in 2017, with 15,756 complaints finalised across Queensland.

The most common complaints related to personal and household goods, such as furniture, whitegoods and clothing, with more than 2700 related complaints.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath commended OFT on their work in helping Queenslanders get a fair deal.

“I’d encourage all Queenslanders to know their rights,” Mrs D’Ath said.

“If you’re buying online, make sure you read the terms and conditions carefully, including delivery timeframes and costs.

“If you choose an incorrect item the trader is not obliged to provide you with a refund or replacement, however, many will offer this option as they want to keep their customers happy.

“Queenslanders should also remember that if a product is faulty, they are entitled to a remedy such as a repair, exchange, or refund and if a product purchased online is faulty, the trader is responsible for shipping or postage costs, not the consumer.

“While most of the time traders are willing to do the right thing, if a consumer runs into a problem and the trader is unwilling to assist, the OFT is here to help.

“Last year 85 per cent of the consumer complaints conciliated by the OFT were satisfactorily resolved, with $5.4 million worth of repairs, replacements and remedies obtained.”

The most complained about industries in 2017 (Statewide)

Industry	Number of complaints
Personal and household goods	2718
Motor vehicle sales	1481
Motor vehicle services, parts, repairs	1093
Personal and household services	1060
Real estate agents (excluding rental letting agents)	963

The most complained about industries in 2017 (by region)

Location of complainant	Number of complaints finalised	Redress obtained through conciliation	Top five industries complaints related to and the number of complaints
Brisbane area	2827	$747,405	Personal and household goods – 694 Motor vehicle sales – 322 Real estate agents – 279 Personal and household services – 234 Electricity and gas supply - 209
Cairns area (4820, 4852-4895)	835	$635,828	Personal and household goods – 147 Motor vehicle sales – 87 Car services, repair etc – 62 Personal and household services – 61 Real estate agents - 47
Mackay area (4737 – 4805)	1365	$525,073	Personal and household goods – 278 Motor vehicle sales – 117 Car services, repairs etc – 110 Personal and household services – 102 Real estate agents - 86
Rockhampton area (4472-4478, 4481-4482, 4676-4736, 4829)	783	$236,110	Personal and household goods – 160 Car services, repairs etc – 69 Motor vehicle sales – 59 Personal and household services – 55 Real estate agents - 50
Gold Coast area (4208-4230, 4270-4275, 9726-9729)	2978	$950,841	Personal and household goods – 475 Motor vehicle sales – 424 Personal and household services – 238 Car services, repairs etc – 237 Real estate agents - 206
Sunshine Coast (4258, 4512-4514, 4515-4519, 4550-4581)	1692	$705,203	Personal and household goods – 346 Personal and household services – 136 Motor vehicle sales – 135 Car services, repairs etc – 129 Real estate agents - 121
Hervey Bay area (4600-4613, 4615-4674)	793	$676,523	Personal and household goods – 151 Motor vehicle sales – 81 Car services, repairs etc – 65 Personal and household services – 50 Real estate agents - 38
Toowoomba area (4342-4345, 4347-4358, 4359-4471, 4479-4480, 4486-4498, 4614)	1167	$398,886	Personal and household goods – 234 Car services, repairs etc – 124 Motor vehicle sales – 111 Personal and household services – 82 Real estate agents - 66
Townsville area (4806-4828, 4830-4850)	1372	$569,914	Personal and household goods – 233 Motor vehicle sales – 145 Car services, repairs etc – 138 Personal and household services – 102 Real estate agents - 65
Total	15,756	$5,445,783

Please note: Some complaints were lodged by people who do not reside in Queensland (1402) and some complainants did not provide an address (542).

Redress obtained for consumers in 2017 (Statewide)

Redress type	Redress obtained	Notes
Conciliating consumer complaints	$5,445,783	Most traders want to do the right thing. Through conciliation of individual consumer complaints, the OFT is also able to provide education and advice to traders about their responsibilities under fair trading laws.
Court ordered compensation	$452,012	This is compensation ordered to be returned to consumers following OFT court action.
Claims paid	$840,224	Consumers who suffer a financial loss as a result of some actions by a real estate agent, motor dealer or commercial agent can apply to the OFT claim fund
Total	$6,738,019	This includes monetary refunds, value of repairs, replacement or compensation.

Further information on consumer rights, including how to lodge a complaint is available at www.qld.gov.au/fairtrading or by calling 13 QGOV (13 74 68).

Attorney-General Media Contact: 0417 675 917

OFT Media Contact: 3247 5965