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Support tough fines for businesses that unfairly refuse consumers' right to a refund, repair or replacement

Together, we can show the government that thousands of people support strong penalties for businesses that refuse your consumer guarantee rights. Add your name to join the campaign.

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Join the call for tough fines for businesses that deny your refund, repair and replacement rights

Have you ever had to fight just to get a refund, repair or replacement when you were entitled to one? Or were you pushed into buying an extended warranty you knew you didn’t need? You’re not alone.

Right now, it's illegal for businesses to unfairly refuse a refund, repair and replacement for a faulty good or service for a reasonable period of time after purchase. These are your consumer guarantee rights. But did you know that there are no penalties when businesses break this law?

Last year, CHOICE conducted a mystery shop of 80 Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys stores across the country. We found:

  • 71% of stores provided misleading information on a consumer’s rights if their product broke beyond the warranty period. 
  • 91% tried to sell poor value extended warranties that often don’t provide much more cover than you already have under the Australian Consumer Law.
  • Stores misleadingly argued "If it's over two years, you have to pay for the repairs yourself”, “After the manufacturer's warranty there's nothing we can do, it's out of our hands” and “If something happened after one year unfortunately it's at your own cost.”

We’re calling on the government to introduce penalties that would ensure companies are fined for unfairly refusing your right to a repair, refund or replacement beyond the warranty period. Together, we have a crucial opportunity to stop companies flouting our hard-fought consumer protections.

Too many people are being treated unfairly by businesses without any consequences. Introducing strong penalties will create a strong disincentive for any businesses unfairly refusing your consumer rights.

Let’s show that there’s overwhelming public support to make these changes as soon as possible. Add your voice to the call for penalties when businesses refuse to honour consumers' rights to a refund, repair or replacement now.

Most extended warranties provide little to no extra protection that you are already entitled to under Australian Consumer Law. Here are some examples of crossovers within extended warranty policies and the law:

Add your name to call for stronger penalties for businesses that break consumer laws.

FAQ

Without penalties, too many businesses are getting away with denying consumers their right to a repair, refund or replacement when something goes wrong with a product or service beyond the warranty period.

The introduction of penalties will create a disincentive for businesses that circumvent consumer laws and unfairly deny people a refund, repair or replacement. This change will support businesses that are already doing the right thing and deter others from doing the wrong thing to consumers.

The Australian Consumer Law defines several statutory rights you are entitled to as a consumer. These consumer guarantees require goods and services to: 

  • Be of reasonable quality.

  • Last a reasonable period.

  • Fit any description provided to you (from the box, salespeople, ads etc).

  • Come with full title (you own the product outright).

  • Not come with any hidden debts or charges.

  • Have spare parts and repair facilities available for a reasonable time.

You may be entitled to a repair, replacement or refund if the good or service doesn't meet these standards. 

If your product is faulty, there are a few different ways you can seek a remedy: 

  • If your product has a major fault, you are entitled to a refund or replacement. 

  • If your product has a minor fault the business must provide you with a free repair. 

  • If your product has several minor faults, you may be entitled to a full replacement, as multiple minor faults can amount to a major fault. 

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