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Commissioner warns of scams
NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe is urging Aboriginal consumers and communities to be scam smart and use the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) to get their rights in the marketplace. “Use the protections the ACL gives you as an Australian consumer,” he said. “All Australians are protected by the ACL and Aboriginal consumers can come to Fair Trading for access to specialist services and staff. “Fair Trading leads the National Indigenous Consumer Protection Strategy and has driven reform by lifting employment and creating dedicated jobs for Aboriginal employees in New South Wales. “Our Aboriginal customer service experts work closely with their local communities and they are there to help, so I urge Aboriginal consumers to call Fair Trading for help, advice and to lodge complaints.” Consumer problem? Don’t leave it, don’t grieve it, call Fair Trading and they’ll relieve it. Commissioner Stowe said doorknockers and telemarketers have historically deliberately targeted Indigenous communities with highpressure, misleading and confusing sales tactics. Door-knockers and telemarketers are subject to national laws governing unsolicited consumer agreements that give consumers a 10-day cooling off period in which the seller can’t demand payment and the consumer can change their mind. Door-to-door sellers must clearly explain upfront the purpose of their visit and provide identification. Sellers must leave or hang up immediately if that is the consumer’s wish and they are not allowed to contact the consumer again for at least 30 days. Rules about unconscionable
conduct also apply in these circumstances – when traders fail to properly disclose key contractual terms or use high-pressure tactics. To support improvement in Aboriginal financial literacy, Fair Trading developed Deadly Dollars, which featured two live plays, complemented by a financial literacy program and resource kit for Fair Trading Aboriginal Customer Service Officers to deliver to Aboriginal community workers. It also includes NSW Department of Education and Training developed written lesson plans for English and commerce teachers to support the theatre performances. The Deadly Dollars plays were developed by Fair Trading and Newcastle-based Aboriginal production company, Rod Smith Productions. Based on the Deadly Dollars plays, NSW Fair Trading produced an interactive Out of Credit DVD that presents real life situations and characters to educate Aboriginal consumers about managing money. You can find the Out of Credit videos on NSW Fair Trading’s YouTube channel at www. fairtrading.nsw.gov.au NSW Fair Trading, along with all other Australian consumer protection agencies, is promoting awareness of unfair trading to Indigenous consumers in regional and remote communities through a national radio advertising campaign and a reference kit for community workers. The reference kit includes fact sheets on door-to-door sales, mobile phones, book-up, unfair trading and buying goods and has been developed for Indigenous community workers and service providers as part of the national project.
NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe urges consumers to be scam smart. Image supplied
Contact Fair Trading Aboriginal Customer Service Officers on 1800 500 330 for copies of the reference kit. Some of the key messages of the project include: • Don’t be pressured into buying something you don’t want. • Make sure you don’t sign anything you don’t understand. • Get to know your cooling-off rights. • Let us know if you think someone is trading unfairly. To report unfair trading ring the National Indigenous Hotline on 1300 303 143 Check out the YouTube clip Don’t come knocking - written and performed by students from the AbMusic Corporation in WA for the launch of the national campaign during NAIDOC Week 2012. For more information about issues relating to telecommunications and other Indigenous consumer protection information visit www.nics. org.au or contact the nearest Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman at www.tio.com.au
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