Consumer Protection WA helps to resolve disputes and enforce consumer laws in Western Australia. Consumer Protection takes complaints about how businesses, landlords, rental providers, property managers and some not-for-profit organisations in Western Australia act.
You can contact Consumer Protection if you have a problem with a rental property, a residential land lease, or a dispute with a business or service provider.
What types of complaints can you make?
You can complain to Consumer Protection about:
- Goods and services: Sold, hired, or supplied goods or services that were faulty, unsafe, unfinished, not as described, unusable for the described purpose, or undelivered.
- Motor vehicles:
- Buying a new or used motor vehicle from a dealer: Misleading information or undisclosed issues.
- Repairs & Maintenance: Services not meeting expectations, unauthorised work, or failing to fix the problem.
- Warranties: Issues with warranty terms or fulfilment including refusal to carry out warranty repairs.
- Renting a home: Problems with repairs, bond refunds, pets, safety issues, minor modification request, or the unreasonable conduct of a landlord, tenant, or property manager.
- Buying, selling, or managing residential property: Misleading price quotes, unexplained fees, providing incorrect information about a property, failure to mention major property issues, or unethical or unprofessional behaviour by agents.
- Retirement villages: Concerns about fees, maintenance, residents’ rights and obligations, leaving arrangements, or how the operator has handled a dispute.
- Long-stay Residential Parks: Issues with park rules, rent, termination, park management, liaison committees, selling a park home, or dispute handling.
- Incorporated Associations: Concerns about meetings, financial reporting, compliance with the association’s rules, or serious mismanagement by committee members.
- Co-operative Governance: A co-operative that appears to be breaching its legal obligations, such as issues around meetings, governance, member rights, reporting, and officer conduct.
- Charitable collections: Misuse of funds, misleading, poor record keeping, false advertising, or operating without proper authority.
- Debt collection: Harassment, threats, or misleading conduct by debt collectors.
- Scams: Online, phone, door-to-door including offering unlicensed services.
- Unsafe products: Products that pose a safety risk, recalled or banned products remaining on sale.
Consumer Protection cannot handle complaints about:
- Other government agencies
- Disputes already in court
- Issues between two or more traders
Location/Jurisdiction: Consumer Protection generally handles issues connected to Western Australia, including goods and services purchased in or from WA, property and tenancy matters involving WA property, and WA motor vehicles.
Time limits: There is no specified time limit for making a complaint, but you are encouraged to make complaints as soon as possible.
Discretion: At their discretion, Consumer Protection may decide not to investigate your complaint and that no further action is required.
Who can you make a complaint against?
You can submit a complaint against:
- Businesses or individuals that have sold, supplied, hired, or arranged goods or services including online sellers.
- Service Providers that carried out, quoted for, or agreed to carry out a service including repairs, maintenance and service work.
- Motor vehicle dealers involved in selling, repairing or servicing motor vehicles.
- Landlords and property managers including private landlords, real estate agents, property managers, strata and managers.
- Tenants involved in a landlord/tenant dispute.
- Incorporated associations and charities.
Are you eligible to make a complaint?
Anyone can make a complaint to Consumer Protection including consumers, businesses, landlords and tenants.
You may make a complaint on someone else's behalf. Consumer Protection will likely contact that person directly to resolve the issue.
Prerequisite steps: You should first attempt to resolve the issue directly with the person you are submitting a complaint against, unless you feel threatened or unsafe doing so.
What can this body do to help?
Consumer Protection can provide various remedies, including:
Early Intervention: Consumer Protection contacts the business or individual you are complaining about and asks them to contact you directly within seven days to try to resolve the issue.
Conciliation: A conciliator may work with you and the trader or landlord to find a fair solution based on the law. This is a voluntary dispute-resolution process, parties cannot be forced to participate.
Commissioner Determination: Consumer Protection may issue a written decision. This remedy is only available for specific residential tenancy matters.
Trader Intervention: Where there is a pattern of poor practices by a business or trader, Consumer Protection may work with them to improve their business practices.
Investigation and Regulatory Action: Consumer Protection may investigate serious conduct such as repeated non-supply, unsafe products, unroadworthy vehicle sales, or misuse of trust funds.
Court action: serious breaches with wider community impact may result in court action.
Consumer Protection cannot:
- Order a business to provide a refund or compensation
- Order a repair or replacement
- Award emotional-distress damages
- Give legal advice
How to prepare your complaint:
When making a complaint include as much clear information as possible.
Personal details: Include your name, address, phone number, and email address.
Details about the person or business you are complaining about: Name, address, business name, website, and ABN if known.
Relevant Facts: Describe the problem and explain your desired outcome.
- Consumer Complaints (goods and services, motor vehicles): Explain what was wrong with the product or service.
- Property and Renting Complaints: Describe the problem with the property, or the property agent. Explain what you have done to try and resolve the issue.
Evidence: include any relevant documentation including contracts, invoices, leases, property condition reports, photographs, and any correspondence between the parties.
What NOT to include: False or misleading statements.
Lodging your complaint and next steps:
You can lodge your complaint using the online forms below:
- Online Forms: Complaints - Consumer Protection - LGIRS
- Email: consumer@lgirs.wa.gov.au
- Phone: 1300 30 40 54
What happens next: Once you submit a complaint online, you will receive an automatic email with a reference number. After your complaint is assessed, Consumer Protection will email you setting out next steps.
More information:
Refer to the factsheet provided below for more information.
