Contact us www.qld.gov.au/fairtrading

BrisbaneOFT@justice.qld.gov.au

13 QGOV (13 74 68)

For assistance with a hearing or speech impairment, call the National Relay Service on 13 36 77.

For interpreting and translation services, call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 13 14 50.

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Office of Fair TradingImproving safety and fairness for

Queensland businesses and consumers

Safer productsWe regulate and monitor consumer product safety and enforce consumer product standards in Queensland.

The products you buy should be safe. You have a responsibility to use products in their intended fashion and be aware of any warnings or instructions that come with them.

Visit our website for information about how to shop safely for babies and children. You will find information about popular products with safety factors to consider, and information about dangerous products that have been banned.

Visit www.productsafety.gov.au for more information on safety initiatives, product bans and recalls.

Consumer guaranteesConsumers are guaranteed the goods they buy are safe, durable, free from defects and fit for purpose. All services must be delivered with care and skill.

If these guarantees are not met, you have the right to a remedy. If a product or service falls significantly short of a consumer guarantee, you are entitled to your choice of a refund, replacement, repair or free repeat service. If the problem is less serious, the business still has to fix the problem, but it gets to decide how.

ServicesThe Office of Fair Trading serves Queensland consumers and businesses by:• providing information and advice about their rights

and responsibilities• helping resolve marketplace disputes• licensing a range of occupations• investigating unfair business practices• prosecuting unscrupulous businesses• registering incorporated associations, charities

and cooperatives• providing information about product safety.

Online servicesVisit www.qld.gov.au/fairtrading to:

• renew most types of occupational licence or certificate

• check an occupational licence

• check a charity or incorporated association

• lodge your association or charity annual return

• inform us of a scam

• lodge a complaint about a business

• lodge your trust account audit report

• make a payment or pay a fine

• provide feedback about our services.

We’re constantly increasing our service options, so you can make the most of your time.

To find out the locations of counters providing Office of Fair Trading services, visit www.qld.gov.au/fairtrading

Resolving complaints with businessesIf you have tried everything—calling the business, speaking with the manager and writing a letter or email—and still had no success, you can make a complaint to us. We may be able to assist with your dispute. Where there is evidence of a breach of fair trading legislation, we may investigate the situation and take enforcement action.

You can lodge a complaint on our website at www.qld.gov.au/fairtrading

Fair Trading newslettersSmart Business Bulletin If you’re involved in or running a business, keep up-to-date with the latest fair trading business news, informative feature articles and our latest business tips.

Safetyzone Get up-to-date safety information, current safety alerts, product bans and recalls and tips on product safety standards. Essential information for businesses, including the latest industry guidelines, to ensure products sold are safe.

Security Buzz The latest security industry information including legislation updates, tips to ensure compliance with the law and results from our compliance operations.

Subscribe to the newsletters at www.qld.gov.au/fairtrading Office of Fair Tradingwww.qld.gov.au/fairtrading

Incorporated associations, charities and cooperativesAny person or organisation fundraising for charitable purposes must be registered with us. We can also help your organisation or club become incorporated. Cooperatives must also register with us.

To check whether a charity or incorporated association is registered, apply for incorporation of an association or submit an annual return, visit our website.

Buying or selling a homeBuying or selling a home, or investing in real estate, is one of the biggest decisions and financial commitments you will make. Our website provides a host of information about researching the market, appointing a real estate agent, getting finance, making an offer, auctions and reaching settlement.

Licensing and registration servicesWe issue licences to:• real estate agents• motor dealers• security providers• debt collectors• inbound tour operators• introduction agents• tattoo operators and tattooists• second-hand dealers and pawnbrokers.

To check that a trader is properly licensed, or to renew your licence or certificate, visit our website.

Buying a vehicleBuying a vehicle can be a major expense. We recommend buying from a licensed dealer to help avoid potential problems. Visit our website for buying tips.

Consumer and business lawsThe Queensland Office of Fair Trading enforces consumer protection laws and regulates several industries to achieve a fair and safe marketplace. For more advice, or to transact with us online, visit www.qld.gov.au/fairtrading

Travelling con menBe wary of traders who travel from door-to-door seeking work or selling goods. Travelling con men:

• usually visit uninvited

• prefer cash payments and do not supply proper, quotes, contracts or receipts

• may have easily removable signs on their trucks or drive unmarked vans

• can’t show you a Queensland Building and Construction Commission licence

• may try to win your sympathy by telling you a hard luck story

• may try to convince you they are offering a good deal because they ‘are in the area’ or have products ‘left over from another job’.

If you employ these traders and are not satisfied with the work or goods, it will be difficult to track them down to have them return and fix the job or provide a refund.

Traders who approach you uninvited at home are bound by door-to-door sales laws. They must give you their contact details and a written contract. You have a 10 business day cooling-off period to cancel the contract without penalty, during which they can’t take any money from you or start work.

If you are approached by a travelling con man, simply turn down their offer. If they will not leave your property, call the police. If you need home maintenance work done, source three quotes yourself from reputable local traders before deciding which offer is best for you.

If you don’t want traders to visit you uninvited consider putting a ‘Do Not Knock’ sticker on your door. Traders who ignore these signs commit an offence. Visit our website for more information or to order a sticker.

ScamsSounds too good to be true? It probably is!

You can be targeted by a scam anytime, anywhere—at home, via email, over the telephone, via mail, via text, via social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, on the street, at a seminar or by an advertisement.

If you believe you have been targeted by a scam or if you know of one, contact us so we can warn others. For the latest on scams, or for more information about online safety, visit our website or www.scamwatch.gov.au

Office of Fair Trading—www.qld.gov.au/fairtrading