Our senior consumer rights advisor @MeredithCridland will be available live on our Facebook page from 10-11am to answer your consumer rights questions. Normally, Meredith is fighting for consumer’s rights to refunds, replacements, repairs, contract cancellations and goodwill gestures when things go wrong with a product or service through our CHOICE Help service.
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This is a great service and I thank you for it but I don’t use or have face book and have no desire to use it; so what about the rest of us that just have computers? Regards Garry
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Hi @garryleicester,
Thanks for the kind words. We’re hoping to run some more information and advice sessions, including here on the forum, so stay tuned for more. If you have any pressing issues, you can also feel free to start a thread and we’ll do our best to assist.
We’re only in the planning stages, so if anyone has any requests or suggestions on the type of information or advice that would be useful - general consumer advice, insurance, related to a specific product or service - feel free to post them here in the comments section.
Thanks for offering this great service.
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- Why facebook? Isn’t there another platform?
- Can Meridith / choice please investigate the exterior / insulation / cladding that caused the inferno in Grenfell Tower London. Apparently it has also been used in Australia. Is this true? My question and concern is - how could it have been used without passing regulations / safety standards?
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One possible reason is that here in Australia there is a conflict in the building trade. The builders are out to make a dollar, the councils and states and federal have regulations, but the “policing” is usually left to commercial licensed “surveyors” who do the inspections and sign off. Any surveyor who does a top job risks their livelihood because the builders side of the equation would be reluctant to hire them.
Here is an example of how bad it got in my area. The residents are currently doing a class action against the Victoria Building Authority.
It is a long and sad saga for the homeowners that first hit the press here and some fines reported here.
But the crowning fail is a worry about ability to pay so the penalty was reduced!
Many of the ongoing reports are on TheAge and HeraldSun web sites, both firewalled but can be found via google.
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Hi @Wend, thanks for the feedback. As mentioned, we’ll look to do some similar advice sessions here on the forum, and we may consider other platforms as well if it’s appropriate.
The insulation issue may be a big one for Australians according to some commentators. It sounds like more information is needed, but in terms of the ‘how’ the latter article from the Guardian offer some answers.
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Am I the only one Very Tired of developers being able to buy their way via throwing money into legal battles to obtain approval for dodgy building designs? Then when there are problems plead poor and taxpayers / residents / governments have to bail out the victims.
I think we need a developer insurance - 10% of overall cost to go into a interest bearing fund to be used for future problems.
It’s also Very Telling that the media barons do not want to report these problems.
Hooray for Choice / GetUp! and other consumer forums and action sites.
The real problem is with governments’ relations with developers and builders, and hence the voters. Not much has changed in the 40-some years I have been paying attention. Australia - owned and operated by property developers.
All the forums and sites in the country will be hard pressed to counteract pure unadulterated ignorance at the voting booth.
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Hopefully these issues and perhaps a 4corners expose will help change ‘pure unadulterated ignorance at the voting booth.’ : ) we can hope…
