Consumer and Debt Issues – Rights

Consumer Rights

In Queensland, there are some basic rights covering the purchase of goods and services.

What is a consumer and trader dispute?

Consumer and trader disputes involve disputes against another person, trader or company arising out of a contract for the supply of goods and services, valued up to and including $25,000.

Goods include food, clothes, appliances and furniture.

Services include repairing a defect in a motor vehicle, car maintenance, meals served in restaurants and a haircut by a hairdresser.

However, your dispute may be a debt dispute, not a consumer and trader dispute, if it is about a fixed or agreed sum of money valued up to and including $25,000 e.g. a debt resulting from overhanging branches, an IOU or money lent and not repaid.

Reference: QCAT – Consumer and Trader Disputes
If you have a dispute with a trader over the purchase of goods or services, you can:

• try and resolve the dispute with them
• make a complaint to an industry body
• make a complaint to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT)
• make a complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
• make a consumer and trader dispute claim in the Qld Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT)

You should get legal advice.

Legal Aid Factsheets:

• Getting a refund
• Defective services or repairs
• Industry bodies
• Do I need legal advice?
• Get legal advice
• Who else can help?
• Related information
• External Links

Visit Australian Consumer Law to learn more about your rights when you have a debt.

More Information

Legal Aid – Consumer Rights

Qld Government – Consumer Rights and Scams

ACCC – Consumer Rights and Guarantees

MoneySmart

Qld Law Handbook – Rights to Information