The Commissioner for Consumer Protection has said that while most tradies do the right thing, consumers often come to the Agency complaining about unscrupulous operators who do not.
The Commissioner, Gary Newcombe said issues could arise when consumers accepted tradespeople on face value and paid large amounts of money as a deposit — then the work was not completed or done to a poor standard.
“Problems can also occur when consumers agree to pay an inflated price after falling for a high-pressure sales pitch without getting other quotes,” Mr Newcombe said.
He said that under the Australian Consumer Law, consumers had 10 business days to reconsider and potentially cancel a contract without penalty.
“Get several quotes from tradies that are licensed or accredited by trusted industry bodies and undertake a general internet search for positive or negative reviews,” Mr Newcombe said.
“Verify claims by asking to see previous work and speaking to past clients.”
The Commissioner said consumer law also required services to be carried out with due care and skill and in a reasonable amount of time.
“We recommend getting the cost of the job and timeframe for completion in writing and only pay a minimal deposit of about 10 per cent or, for larger jobs, negotiate progress payments as stages of the work are completed,” he said.
“Ask if the business will take a credit card payment, because this could offer the possibility of getting a transaction reversal, known as a ‘chargeback’, if the work is not carried out,” Mr Newcombe said.
