The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has successfully clawed back almost $1 million for Sunshine Coast consumers in 2022 following a statewide spike in consumer complaints since the pandemic.
The OFT investigated almost 1500 complaints in the Sunshine Coast region, resulting in the return of more than $930,000 to customers.
The top five most complained about industries in the region were personal and household goods, personal and household services, accommodation including hotels and motels, motor vehicle sales and travel agents.
Attorney-General and Justice Minister Shannon Fentiman said with more Queenslanders feeling the pressure from the rising cost of living, it was important that consumers were getting what they paid for and that they felt they were getting value for money. Statewide OFT retrieved more than $11.2 million for last year’s unhappy customers.
“Last year the OFT finalised more than 19,300 complaints from Queensland consumers,” Ms Fentiman said.
“And the highest number of consumer complaints continued to be for the personal and household goods industry – with the OFT finalising more than 6200 complaints.
“This category includes purchases of everyday items such as whitegoods, appliances, hardware, clothing and footwear – so it’s no surprise this continues to be at the top of the complaints’ list.
“However, since the pandemic, complaints have soared for these types of purchases, with more than a 50 per cent increase since 2019.
“There has also been an increase of more than 80 per cent in complaints for the personal and household services industry since the pandemic – this industry includes complaints about services such as whitegoods repairs, removalist services and cleaning companies.”
Increases are to be expected after pent-up demand and supply chain issues during Covid-19, and this is an issue the OFT is closely monitoring.
These issues encountered by consumers in these sectors are expected to return closer to trend as supply chain issues resolve.
In the meantime, consumers can protect themselves by doing their homework and asking questions. If consumers still encounter problems, they can lodge a complaint with the OFT.
In 2022 the OFT assisted thousands of Queenslanders to get refunds, including obtaining a full refund of $38,000 for a consumer who was sold a dodgy camper trailer and assisting a consumer to get their new vinyl flooring replaced after the freshly laid flooring started to lift and became uneven.
“The redress received for Queenslanders was seen across many industries including a $3,400 refund for cancelled airline flights,” the Attorney-General said.
“In another example, the OFT assisted a Queenslander in obtaining a full refund of $46,000 after purchasing a motor vehicle which was not what was advertised.”
Consumers who believe they have been treated poorly and are unable to reach an outcome with a trader can lodge a complaint with the OFT at qld.gov.au/law/fair-trading or by calling 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
