Trading fairly and consumer protection
If you work in the motor vehicle repair industry in Western Australia, you need to understand your legal obligations and the rights of your customers.
The Motor Vehicle Repairers Act 2003 and the Fair Trading Act 1987 reflect community expectations and reinforce legally the requirement for motor industry staff to treat all customers in a transaction fairly by acting professionally and with a high degree of accountability and skill.
Key consumer protection requirements under the Motor Vehicle Repairers Act 2003 particular to motor industry staff include:
- Repair businesses must be licensed which means they have the ability to carry out repair work safely and properly.
- Repair businesses should not do work they are not qualified (nor licensed) to do.
- People who supervise others in the industry are properly qualified and approved to do so.
- The Motor Vehicle Industry Board can take action to remove the licence of a business it considers no longer fit to hold a licence.
Key consumer protection requirements under the Fair Trading Act 1987 particular to motor industry staff include:
- all repairs must be carried out with all due care and skill and any materials used in the repair are reasonably fit for the purpose.
- disclose information properly and not engage in misleading or deceptive conduct when advertising or talking about your services.
We can provide you with some useful publications to assist you to trade fairly. Contact our customer service line on 1300 30 40 54.