It takes months for consumers to buy defective goods to get a refund or exchange, and Australia's Consumer Protection Act is a hypothetical one.
Choice, a consumer rights group, said some people had been forced to follow a ridiculous path, including paying for expert advice in exchange for compensation before the deadline for free return. Others have been forced to repair several times because businesses insist that the problem is a small problem, not a big one, and that they do not provide a return exchange.
Among the outrageous cases in a consumer protection opinion filed with the federal treasury was a woman who said she had bought Doc Marten boots that collapsed at the end of a week, but that she needed testimony from a shoemaker to trust her. One client said it took only two weeks for her coffee grinder to smell scorched, but it took several months to fix it, and she had to consult an electrician to confirm the failure. A consumer bought a Dell (Dell) computer that had been repaired three times in 16 months, but failed to fix it before the retailer was forced to change it.
"We have heard from hundreds of consumers who have spent a lot of time and effort persuading companies to provide remedies," said Godfrey (Tom Godfrey), a spokesman for Choice.
"there is an urgent need for government to amend the law to make it clear that if the product fails in a short period of time or there are multiple minor failures in a given period, consumers have the right to choose a remedy." "Choice was shocked by the fact that some consumers were forced to spend a long period of time trying to get a return for the goods. Many people even buy expert assessment results at their own expense. "
Australia's Consumer Protection Act allows consumers to choose remedies for major issues and businesses can choose to repair minor problems within a reasonable time. But both Choice and (Consumer Action Law Centre), the consumer action law center, want to adopt an American-style "lemon law" that allows consumers to refund or exchange goods within 30 days without having to prove any major glitches. They also believe that this period should be six months for high-priced goods such as cars. Choice also suggests that any two minor problems should be considered a major failure.