Street sellers ripping off consumers

03/Jul/2009

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CONSUMER Protection has issued a warning to people not to deal with mobile salespeople after reports two men in a white van are roving Perth suburbs illegally selling electronic goods.

The men, who are travelling in a white Volkswagen van with ACT number plates, have approached consumers on streets in Victoria Park and Subiaco, offering plasma televisions and home theatre systems for cash.

Consumer Protection Commissioner Anne Driscoll said the two men were not genuine sellers.

“Our experience is that the goods being sold are almost always counterfeit and although they are touted as a bargain, this is far from the truth,” Ms Driscoll said.

“They also appear to be misleading consumers by exaggerating the qualities and features of the products, including the sale price, claiming the goods normally sell for $5000.

“We fear consumers’ safety may also be put at risk as these counterfeit products are generally of low quality and may not meet minimum Australian standards.”

Ms Driscoll said all consumer rights were disregarded in street sales.

“The vendors are breaking the law by not allowing the cooling off period under the Door to Door Trading Act and by accepting money before the cooling off period has expired,” she said.

Anyone who is approached by street vendors or door-to-door salespeople is asked to call the Consumer Protection Advice Line on 1300 304 054.

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