Reebelo Australia has paid $59,400 in penalties for allegedly restricting customers from accessing their consumer guarantee rights.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) issued three infringement notices to Reebelo Australia for putting a 14-day limit on a consumer’s ability to receive a remedy for faulty, damaged goods, or when the goods received were not in a condition that matched the product description.
The limit also applied on receiving a remedy where customers had received a different model of a product than what they had bought.
These terms were posted on Reebelo Australia’s website.
“Given the products that Reebelo Australia sells are often refurbished high-end electronic products such as laptops or mobile phones, we are concerned that consumers may have faced financial harm from this conduct,” Catriona Lowe, ACCC Deputy Chair, said.
“Under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), consumers automatically have basic rights when buying products and services, known as consumer guarantees. These rights cannot be taken away by anything a business says or does.”
Lowe added that consumers have a right to remedy for products that do not comply with consumer guarantees within a reasonable period, which may extend beyond 14 days.
The ACCC noted that it received several complaints from customers who had difficulties in receiving a remedy from Reebelo Australia for faulty or wrong items.
Meanwhile, the company has agreed to several commitments as part of an administrative resolution, including changing the terms on its website, improving its online complaints handling process, as well as various training and awareness initiatives to ensure future compliance with the ACL.
”We encourage all businesses, including online marketplace retailers, to review their polices to ensure they are complying with the law,” Lowe said.