Sunny Side Up: Strengthening the consumer protection regime for solar panels in Victoria
Reliable, affordable, renewable energy has helped many Australians take back control of their power prices. Yet as the solar industry booms, consumer protection has not kept up. More needs to be done...
A tough nut to crack
Trialling new partnerships and campaign methods to reach tough audiences Consumer advocates have long been concerned about the impact of payday loans on Australians. The industry spends millions of d...
Lemon-Aid
It is not always easy for people to obtain a refund or replacement when they purchase a faulty ‘lemon’ product. The current Australian consumer guarantee regime is not well equipped to deal with the u...
Dirty Leads: consumer protection in online lead generation
Online marketing, lead generation and cold-calling have been scrutinised in a new report from Consumer Action Law Centre. The report, entitled Dirty Leads: consumer protection in online lead gener...
Denied – Levelling the playing field to make insurance fair
There is a big ‘fairness’ problem in insurance. People often make insurance claims when they are at a low ebb. They can face shocking outcomes and no appropriate recourse under current laws. This repo...
Knock it off
Download the full report here [PDF] https://youtu.be/j43zE3HBoFk...
People who help people
'People who help people' provides practical steps consumer advocates and financial counsellors can take to demonstrate their impact and better influence public debate. Consumer advocates and financ...
Fringe dwellings – the vendor finance and rent-to-buy housing black market: Report
Vendor finance and rent-to-buy schemes promise the Australian dream of owning your own home—without a bank loan. However, these deals typically do not result in successful home ownership and in som...
Power Transformed
The rapid development of new technology in electricity supply is disrupting the traditional means of delivery of this essential service. As in other sectors, the consumer is at the heart of these chan...
Junk merchants fleecing millions from unknowing Australians
Unknowing Australians could be paying millions of dollars for junk insurance according to a new report from Consumer Action Law Centre. The ‘Junk Merchants’ report says that Consumer Credit (CCI) a...
FIX IT! How to fix the energy market rule making process to improve competition and consumer outcomes
The National Energy Retail Rules (NERR) impose minimum requirements that apply to terms and conditions of energy retail contracts. For market retail contracts, energy retailers are required to notify...
FIX IT! How to fix the energy market rule making process – an evaluation
Since 2012, consumer advocates have been able to propose a ‘rule change’ to the National Energy Retail Rules (NERR), which regulates the sale and supply of electricity and gas to retail customers in s...
Evaluating Consumer Action’s consumer legal advice service
Consumer Action uses various strategies to improve the lives of Victorian consumers and advance fairness in the marketplace, including undertaking public interest litigation, publishing legal informat...
The real stories of Victorians forced to choose to heat, or eat
Victorians have shared their stories of energy disconnection as part of research by RMIT for Consumer Action Law Centre’s ‘Heat or Eat’ report released today. The report details six unique stories...
“Almost completely worthless” – used car warranties catching out countless Australians
Bought a second hand car? There’s a good chance you’ve been offered an extended warranty. A Consumer Action investigation has found that warranty providers can avoid paying many if not most claims pur...
Report: A quick fix? Credit repair in Australia Summary of findings
Consumer Action is pleased to be able to publish a summary of a Melbourne Law School report into credit repair, which involved a review of Consumer Action’s casework and interviews with Consumer Actio...
Report: Smart Moves for a Smart Market
Smart Moves for a Smart Market: Simple steps to ensure consumer protections keep pace with innovation in a hi-tech energy market takes an in-depth look at the emerging demand-side energy market, inclu...
Report: Problems with Payment
As winter energy bills begin landing in letterboxes, a new report from the Consumer Action has identified fundamental flaws in the way energy retailers identify and assist struggling customers. Proble...
Report: Barriers to Accessing Utility Relief Grants
Increasing electricity prices have had a significant impact on the consumers that contact Consumer Action for assistance—consumers experiencing debt issues and those with some of the lowest incomes in...
Policy report: Winners and Losers – the impact of energy concession caps on low-income Victorians
A new report from Consumer Action Law Centre and the Victorian Council of Social Service, Winners and Losers: the impact of energy concession caps on low-income Victorians, finds new restrictions on V...
Report: The Hidden Cost of ‘Rent to Own’
We’ve all seen adverts promoting ‘Rent to Buy’ or ‘Rent to Own’ arrangements, where customers rent a product for a number of years before being given the option to buy or keep that product, but our la...
Time to end the funeral insurance rip-off: a Consumer Strategy for a fairer deal
Consumers are increasingly keen to plan financially for all significant life events, including the first thing that happens when they die—their funeral. This means there is now a market for funeral pl...
Report: ‘Like juggling 27 chainsaws’: Understanding the experience of default judgment debtors in Victoria
A new report, prepared for the Consumer Action Law Centre by Dr Eve Bodsworth of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, explores the experiences of people who have received ‘default judgments’ for debt-relat...
