Australian Consumer Law and locksmith work

Consumer guarantees on services

When you buy a service in Australia, it comes with automatic guarantees that cannot be excluded by any contract, disclaimer or sign. Services must be:

• Provided with due care and skill.
• Fit for the particular purpose you made known.
• Delivered within a reasonable time, where no time was agreed. For an emergency callout, a "reasonable time" is judged against what was promised on the phone.

Consumer guarantees on goods

Hardware we supply must be of acceptable quality, match its description, be fit for purpose and match any sample or demonstration. Locks that fail to lock, keys that will not turn and hardware that corrodes prematurely are all potential breaches.

Major versus minor failure

For a minor failure, the business may choose the remedy — usually repairing or redoing the work at no charge. For a major failure, you choose: cancel and get a refund for the unused portion, or keep the service and seek compensation for the drop in value. A failure is major if a reasonable consumer would not have gone ahead had they known about it, or if it is unsafe or cannot be fixed easily.

Pricing and misleading conduct

Businesses must not make false or misleading claims about price, and must not advertise a price that is not achievable. Compulsory fees must be included in any advertised single price. This is why we quote your total on the phone rather than advertise a headline "from" figure.

Unsolicited work and pressure selling

You should never feel pressured into extra work at your door. If a trade attends and recommends additional work, you are entitled to time to consider it, a written quote, and the option to get another opinion. If work was agreed away from business premises above the relevant threshold, cooling-off rights may apply.

Testimonials and reviews

Publishing fake or incentivised reviews is prohibited conduct under Australian Consumer Law. We have deliberately published none rather than invent them — the reasoning is on our about page.

What we commit to

• A total price before work commences, and a fresh quote if the job changes.
• No compulsory fee that was not disclosed beforehand.
• An itemised tax invoice for every job.
• No pressure to buy hardware you do not need.
• A clear path to complain, and a genuine response to it.

Where to get help

• Consumer Affairs Victoria — consumer.vic.gov.au, 1300 55 81 81. First stop for disputes with a Victorian trader.
• Australian Competition and Consumer Commission — accc.gov.au, for misleading conduct and national issues.
• Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) — vcat.vic.gov.au, for consumer claims that cannot be resolved directly.

Talk to us first

Most problems are resolved faster by a phone call than a formal process. Call +61 3 7067 9694 or email admin@urgentlocksmiththomastown.com, or read our complaints process.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Where our policies and the Australian Consumer Law differ, the law prevails.