Yahoo Finance DO NOT BUY from this online retailer, NSW govt warns
A government consumer affairs agency has warned the public to not deal with a Sydney online retailer after complaints of misleading claims, delayed deliveries and difficulties in getting refunds.
NSW Fair Trading commissioner Rose Webb issued a warning on Wednesday for consumers to not buy from True Filter Group Pty Ltd, which runs truwater.com.au, truwater.co.nz and budgetfridgefilters.com.
The company, which also has physical store in the northern Sydney suburb of Chatswood, sells products like filters for drinking water and boiling water taps.
“Complaints from consumers suggest the business is misleading their customers by selling generic products advertised as brand name goods,” said Webb.
The retailer has also attracted complaints from customers involving delays in providing ordered products, problems with cancelled orders and returns – including a 25 percent “restocking fee” – and recharging customers months later after storing their credit card information.
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“The information received from consumers suggests True Filter Group is breaching a number of sections of Australian Consumer Law, which applies to transactions online in the same way it does in-store,” Webb said.
A True Filter spokesperson told Yahoo Finance that he’s unable to comment as the Fair Trading’s warning is “an ongoing issue which is currently being dealt with our lawyers”.
More than 120 complaints about True Filter have been received by Fair Trading since the business’ launch in 2015. The company even made it into the agency’s monthly most complained-about list three times over 2018.
Webb said Fair Trading was putting the warning out to ensure no more people “lose money to this business”.
“When dealing with online companies, consumers are urged to do their research, including looking at the Fair Trading Complaints Register and researching online comments about the business, and carefully reviewing any applicable terms and conditions where available.”
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