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Contacts for Consumer Affairs/Fair Trading/Consumer Protection departments and Tribunals and Small Claims courts

Matters covered vary a bit from from agency to agency, but generally
you can get help with complaints about:

• property and tenancy matters
• secondhand dealers
• false advertising
• a small business
• product safety - dangerous products
• home building, renovation, repairs
• fundraising groups
• trade measurement
• refunds and laybys
• door-to-door selling
• credit matters
• motor vehicle traders and salespersons
  
  

Consumer Affairs / Fair Trading / Consumer Protection departments

take complaints from private consumers about goods or services that

have been purchased, or are to be purchased in that state or territory.

They can negotiate on your behalf and maybe arrange mediation, but they do not have the power to force the person or business you are complaining about to fix the problem. They may take a complaint from a trader, under certain circumstances. The web sites of these agencies contain some very useful consumer information.

If the agency cannot sort it out, or if you are not satisfied with the
outcome, you can take your complaint to the appropriate Small Claims
Tribunal or Court in your state or territory. The Tribunal / Court has the
power to, for example, make a trader (or you) pay money or return
goods, repair faulty goods or rectify services, deliver goods or excuse
you from having to pay the full amount.

You may also have rights under the Trade Practices Act 1974.
(Click here for info on the Act and the ACCC.)

You can also lodge a complaint with the appropriate industry association
or you can engage a solicitor.

Click on your state or territory.

VIC	NSW	QLD	SA	WA	TAS	ACT	NT

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VICTORIA

(1) Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV)

121 Exhibition St Melbourne 3000
GPO Box 123A Melbourne 3000

Go to CAV website

Phone numbers - CONSUMERS

Renting, shopping and the conduct of Victorian traders
Consumer Helpline 1300 55 81 81

Advice & help to indigenous consumers

1300 66 15 11

Domestic building disputes, inc building insurance and standard of work

1300 55 75 59

Residential real estate matters, inc conduct of estate agents

1300 73 70 30

Lodgement, claims and transfer of bonds

1300 13 71 64

Accurate calculating and labelling of goods sold by measurement in Victoria

1300 36 55 00

How to complain

Have a look at this page on the CAV site first, for some direction about how to lodge your complaint, depending what it's about.
You will need to complete the CAV Complaint Form

(click here to go to it on the CAV site)

and send it in with any supporting documentation you may have.

You can ring for advice.

(2) Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal

Anyone can apply to the Tribunal to have a claim or dispute resolved.

There is no limit to the amount you may claim

(unless you are a trader claiming over $10, 000 because of an unjust contract).

There is a lodgement fee.
For further information -

If you are a private individual, ring your local consumer advisory service
or CAV (see numbers above).

If you are a business, contact your trade or employer association or
Small Business Victoria on 132 215 or for country Victoria Freecall™1800 136 034.

VCAT website
Useful info:

• Consumer Action Law Centre's fact sheet
  'Taking your dispute to VCAT'
  
  

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NEW SOUTH WALES

(1) Department of Fair Trading

1 Fitzwilliam Street Parramatta 2150

PO Box 972 Parramatta 2124

Phone - (02) 9895 0111

Fax - (02) 9895 0222

General consumer enquiries 133 220 Toll free

Fair Trading home page

How to complain

You can ring for advice, but your complaint must be in writing.

You can use the Fair Trading complaints form.

Go to the Fair Trading home page and then click on Problem Solver.

(2) Consumer, Trader & Tenancy Tribunal (CTTT)

Level 12 Stockland House

175 Castlereagh St Sydney 2000
Phone - (02) 9641 6477

Freecall - 1300 135 399

Fax - 1300 135 247

The Fair Trading Tribunal and the Residential Tribunal merged on 25 February 2002

to form the Consumer, Trader & Tenancy Tribunal (CTTT) - a specialist dispute resolution forum

for consumer, trader and tenancy based matters.

It deals with matters under the following 8 Divisions:

• home building
• residential parks
• motor vehicle
• retirement villages
• tenancy
• general
• strata and community schemes
• commercial
  

Further information from the CTTT website.

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QUEENSLAND

(1) Office of Fair Trading (OFT)

Level 21, 50 Ann St Brisbane 4000

GPO Box 3111 Brisbane 4001

Phone - 13 13 04

Fax - (07) 3246 1589

National Relay Service - 133 677 (hearing impaired)
OFT home page

Useful information

• OFT's information about making complaints
• OFT's online complaint form
• OFT's consumer information
• Legislation the OFT is responsible for

(2) Small Claims Tribunal

The limit on small claims is $7,500.

You will need to lodge a claim form and pay a small filing fee.

Address - Ground Floor, 363 George St Brisbane 4000

Phone - (07) 3247 4578

More info on the Small Claims Tribunal

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SOUTH AUSTRALIA

(1) Office of Consumer and Business Affairs

Can assist with complaints about goods or services

advertised and purchased in SA only.

Click here to go to the Office's consumer complaints procedure.

Chesser House 91-97 Grenfell Street Adelaide 5000

PO Box 965 Adelaide 5001

Phone (08) 8204 9777 (Adelaide metro)

Phone - 131 882 (SA Country)

Fax - (08) 8204 9768 or (08) 8204 9769

Residential tenancies

Phone - (08) 8204 9544 (advice)

Fax - (08) 8204 9570

Phone - (08) 8204 9555 (bonds)

Retail Tenancies

Phone - (08) 8204 9533 (advice and mediation)

Phone - (08) 8204 9570 (bonds)

Consumer Affairs home page

(2) Magistrates Court - Small Claims

Deals with disputes of up to $5,000.

You will need to fill out a claim form and pay a small fee.

260 - 280 Victoria Square Adelaide 5000
Phone - (08) 8204 2444
More info on the Magistrate's Court

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WESTERN AUSTRALIA

(1) Consumer Protection Division

Department of Consumer and Employment Protection

Consumer Protection administers the Fair Trading Act 1987.

Click to go to the Act (click on arrow beside Consumer Protection).

219 St Georges Terrace Perth 6000

Locked Bag 14 Cloisters Square WA 6850

Phone (Advice & complaints) - 1300 30 40 54 (cost of a local call)

TTY - (08) 9282 0800 (deaf and hearing impaired)

Administration - (08) 9282 0777

Fax - (08) 9282 0850

Email Consumer Protection

Consumer Protection's Consumer page

Complaint form

(2) Small Claims Tribunal

The amount in dispute must be less than $6,000.
There is a small cost to lodge a claim.

Address - Level 3 81 St Georges Tce Perth 6000
Phone - (08) 9425 2670
Fax - (08) 9426 8717

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TASMANIA

(1) Office of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading (CAFT)

GPO Box 1244 Hobart 7001

Phone - 1300 654 499 (cost of local call)

Fax - (03) 6233 4882

Email CAFT

CAFT's home page

Useful information

• CAFT advice on making a complaint
• CAFT's sample letter for a complaint about a good you've bought
• CAFT's sample letter for a complaint about unsatisfactory service
• CAFT's telephone advisory service
• Legislation CAFT is responsible for

(2) Magistrates Court - Minor Civil Claims Division
For:

• How to lodge a claim, the fees payable and how to prepare your case

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ACT

(1) ACT Office of Fair Trading

Level 2 GIO House City Walk Canberra City 2600
GPO Box 158 Canberra 2601
Phone - (02) 6207 0400

Fax - (02) 6207 0424

Fair Trading website

Email Fair Trading

Legislation that Fair Trading administers here.
The ACT Fair Trading site also gives you a number of

codes of practice on-line. Click and scroll down to Codes of Practice.

(2) Small Claims Court

There is no liability on you to pay the costs of the other party if

you lose your case, but you do need to pay your lodgement fee (see below).

Magistrates Court Building Knowles Place Canberra City 2600

Phone - (02) 6217 4272

How to complain

You will need to lodge an application and pay a fee based on how much

you are claiming.

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NORTHERN TERRITORY

(1) Consumer Affairs

Darwin location - Ist Floor Minerals House, 66 The Esplanade Darwin 0800
Postal address - GPO Box 1722 Darwin 0801

Alice Springs location - Peter Sitzler Building, 67 North Stuart Highway,

Alice Springs NT 0870

Phone: Consumer Affairs - (08) 8999 1999 (Darwin)

Toll free line 1800 019 319 (within NT only)

Fax - (08) 8999 62600

Email
Consumer Affairs website
Business Affairs - 8946 9530

Specific issues numbers:

Business Affairs: (08) 8946 9530

Property Agents Licensing: (08) 8999 6405

Product Safety: (08) 8999 5022

Tenancy: (08) 8999 5187

Useful info:

• Consumer Affairs' Complaints and Disputes fact sheet
• Legislation Consumer Affairs is responsible for
  
  

(2) Local Court (Small Claims Division)

Darwin - Phone - (08) 8999 6298
Alice Springs - Phone - (08) 8951 5698
Limit is $5,000 and claims must be lodged within 2 years of the event.

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