Consumer action has published the October edition of On the Wire, a quarterly publication featuring updates on national energy market reforms and regulatory processes. Edition 33 can be found here....
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to provide comments on the Draft Determination of the Australian Energy Market Commission in relation to the Economic Regulation of Network Service Providers R...
Use this fact sheet if you: have a contract with Motor Finance Wizard and want more information. More information can be found in our related factsheets: Action Sheet: Motor Finance Wiza...
Use this fact sheet if you: want to make a free complaint about Motor Finance Wizard to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) This factsheet should be read along with our relate...
Key Message: DTGV1 Pty Ltd, trading as V1 Leasing, is one of a number of companies which trade under the name of ‘Motor Finance Wizard’; in Walker v DTGV1 Pty Ltd, Motor Finance Wizard w...
[box type="note" icon="none"] Use this information sheet if You are having problems paying your water bill Your water business is demanding that you pay more than you can afford You want to kno...
Use this information sheet if: you are having trouble paying your electricity or gas bill; or you want information about payment arrangements and your rights. You do have rights under the E...
The Consumer Action Law Centre, Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre, Victorian Council of Social Services, Community Information and Support Victoria, Uniting Care Kildonan, National Seniors Australia,...
The Consumer Action Law Centre, the organisation behind the national ‘Do Not Knock campaign’, says a Federal Parliamentary committee's rejection of a private members bill designed to establish a do no...
This submission responds to the Third Consultation Paper of the Expert Panel reviewing the Limited Merits Review regime for energy regulatory decisions. Read our submission: submission to Limited mer...
The Consumer Action Law Centre has assisted consumers to lodge a bulk complaint against DTGV1 Pty Ltd (which trades as Motor Finance Wizard in Victoria). Gerard Brody, Director of Policy and Campaign...
Consumer Action's submission to this inquiry argues that door-to-door sales causes widespread consumer detriment, hinders market competition, and that greater consumer protections are desperately need...
Consumer Affairs Victoria says parents of school children should be wary about aggressive selling methods of maths tutorial software. Some of these programs cost nearly $8000 and are marketed by sale...
A new report from the Consumer Action Law Centre gives an insight into the experiences of a number of Victorian energy consumers who had their energy debts passed onto external debt collectors. The pu...
Home help has strings attached The Age, 25 July 2012, John Kavanagh Unpaid power bills going up The Age, 17 July 2012, Rachel Wells Avoid the stress zone on your home loan Sydney Morning Hera...
A new report from the Consumer Action Law Centre gives an insight into the experiences of a number of Victorian energy consumers who had their energy debts passed onto external debt collectors. The pu...
The Consumer Action Law Centre, tired of hearing stories of salespeople taking advantage of the vulnerable Australians, has launched a petition calling on Australia’s energy retailers to voluntarily e...
Common themes emerging in consumer complaints about some private colleges and training institutions has prompted the Consumer Action to publish a guide about common problems, how to avoid them and wh...
Consumer Action campaigns against unfair practices by car traders. We've received numerous consumer complaints about the practices of Motor Finance Wizard, including: Sales targeting towards low-inc...
Thrifty moves for plastic users The Age, 27 June2012, Clancy Yeates Warning as banks try hard-sell approach to credit card customers Herald Sun, 19 June 2012, Karina Barrymore Millions of Aust...
Energy market reform Our work brings the consumer voice to the national energy market. Our advocacy draws on real consumer concerns —expressed through our casework services (legal and financial counse...
Another 26 complaints about door-to-door salespeople have been lodged with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) as part of the Consumer Action Law Centre’s Do Not Knock Campaign....
Consumer Action’s response to the Review of Limited Merits Review Regime's Consultation Paper 2, Additional Statement of Issues and Questions. To read our submission please click here: Submission to...
The Consumer Action Law Centre has lodged a complaint with the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) against the National Australia Bank (NAB) and is seeking to have its client’s NAB student loan terminat...
This review is about 'enabling consumers to make informed choices about the way they use electricity can help achieve efficient investment'. Consumer Action agrees that there are opportunities to impr...
In a submission lodged today, the Consumer Action Law Centre called for the Australian Energy Market Commission to proceed with an energy rule change that would put downward pressure on household ener...
This submission responds to the Initial Discussion Paper of the Expert Panel reviewing the Limited Merits Review regime for energy regulatory decisions. Read our submission click: Initial submission...
The Consumer Action Law Centre says a case in which it is assisting an elderly retirement village resident with her dispute before the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) demonstrates t...
Consumer Action has challenged Australia's energy retailers to put an end to door-to-door energy sales. The Centre issued the challenge on the back of new research showing 77 per cent of Australians h...
A group comprising consumer advocates and welfare agencies has made an eleventh hour plea to members of the Victorian Upper House, urging them to amend a bill which would allow metropolitan water busi...
Consumer Action made a substantial submission to the Federal Government’s Energy White Paper consultation. The Draft White Paper is largely directed to industry development and investment, but is sile...
Consumer Action has released a policy position paper on water pricing. While recognising the difficulties of rising water prices, the paper argues that over-reliance on water pricing as a demand manag...
Victorian households are staring down the barrel of yet another electricity price hike after the Australian Competition Tribunal (ACT) overturned significant aspects of the ruling of the energy indust...
A new report showing three leading energy retailers control almost 75 percent of market share is bad news for Victorian households which are missing out on the financial benefits and service improveme...
A new report showing three leading energy retailers control almost 75 per cent of market share is bad news for Victorian households which are missing out on the financial benefits and service improvem...
Consumer groups from around Australia have joined the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) and some of the nation’s biggest businesses in calling for reform to the process that sets electricity network p...
Two prominent consumer advocacy groups are calling for the federal government to abolish the current process of appeal for electricity distribution pricing determinations. A new report released by the...
This submission responds to the Issues Paper released by the Australian Energy Market Commission on its demand side participation (stage 3) review, dubbed 'Power of Choice'. Read our submission click...
Energy retail contracts have been put under the microscope in a report just released by the Consumer Action Law Centre. And while the report found that most contracts largely met their regulatory requ...
In a move that has disappointed the Consumer Action Law Centre, ASIC has granted a consumer credit licence to a company whose conduct has been found to be misleading, deceptive and unconscionable. Th...
Consumer Action welcomes the new Government's attempt to understand and address some of the underlying consumer concerns with the mandated rollout of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) or smart me...
Motor car dealer and financier Motor Finance Wizard has been ordered to cancel a car lease contract with a vulnerable customer, refund her money and clear her credit report. The legal decision, made...
Consumer Action welcomes the Productivity Commission’s investigation into benchmarking as a means of achieving more efficient delivery of network services and electricity infrastructure. Benchmarking...
Consumer Action strongly supports the Draft Decision and the level of scrutiny the AER has applied to the Distribution Network Service Providers' regulatory proposals. We continue to have some concern...
Consumer Action welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Australian Energy Regulator's review of initial Distribution Network Service Providers' Proposals for the 2011 - 2015 Regulatory Pe...
Consumer Action remains strongly supportive of the Victorian wrongful disconnection payment legislative obligation. It continues to fulfill its role as an incentive on retailers to guard against non-c...
This submission is put forward by the Consumer Utilities Advocacy Centre Ltd and the Consumer Action Law Centre in response to the Draft Decision released by the Victorian Essential Services Commissio...
Consumer Action Law Centre has issued proceedings against Motor Finance Wizard (Melbourne Sales) Pty Ltd (‘Motor Finance Wizard’) and Kwik Finance (Melb) Pty Ltd (‘Kwik Finance’) in the Victorian Civi...
Since the introduction of full retail contestability in the Victorian energy market, Consumer Action Law Centre (Consumer Action) and the Financial & Consumer Rights Council (FCRC) have received n...
Consumer Action has commented on the Australian Energy Market Commission’s Review of the Effectiveness of Competition in Electricity and Gas Retail Markets – First Draft Report which was released for...