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Your consumer rights explained
If you are purchasing, leasing or hiring assistive technology (AT), or arranging for the repair or maintenance of your AT, it is important you are aware of your rights as a consumer.
Australian Consumer Law gives you rights if something is wrong with equipment or supporting services, even after equipment passes its manufacturer’s or supplier’s warranty period.
Not all of these laws are in place when you buying something privately, such as from a friend, garage sale or someone selling an item they’ve owned.
It is okay to speak up if you:
- feel unsafe with your provider
- are not happy with the quality of the services from your provider.
Speaking up can help to improve services for you and other people.
You may want to talk to your provider first to see if they can put things right.
You can also contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission:
- visit their website
- phone 1800 035 544.
Consumer resources
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has a range of resources to assist NDIS participants in understanding their consumer rights.
This includes a consumer guide to help participants understand and exercise their consumer rights, and an industry guide for providers regarding their obligations when supplying goods and/or services to consumers with disability.
You can visit the ACCC website to learn more about consumer rights and obligations.
Information published by the ACCC relevant to participants and providers includes:
- 'Your rights when you buy something'
- ‘Information for consumers with disability'
- 'Guide for businesses selling to and supplying consumers with disability'
- ‘Consumer rights & guarantees'
- ‘Warranties'
- ‘Repair, replace, refund'
Information about consumer rights and obligations is also available from local consumer protection agencies located in each state and territory.
Contact details for these agencies are available in ACCC’s publication, ‘Your consumer rights: a guide for consumers with disability' .
- your rights when you buy something – in Easy English and 8 languages
- fact sheet on where to go for advice or complaints
- video animation on smart shopping and your rights in Easy English
- Educational video animation on shop smart and use your rights .