Carbon tax causes unremarkable number of complaints

July 12th, 2012

Appliance News Appliance Talk

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has received 250 complaints from consumers who think their energy retailers may be taking the mickey.

This is due to the double digit percentage price hikes in electricity bills across Australia since the newly implemented Carbon Tax.

In total, the ACCC has received 630 Carbon Tax-related complaints; there were over 8350 general complaints in that period, relatively few, said Rod Sims, ACCC Chairman.

“Although complaint numbers are low, we know these are important issues for people and we are working with businesses to ensure consumers are not duped into accepting a price increase they may otherwise question,” said Sims.

“While the ACCC does not have a formal price monitoring role and is not responsible for calculating what the carbon price will be for business, we are reviewing the claims made to ensure that they are not misleading or deceptive, including those made by energy retailers.”

Appliances account for up to 30 per cent of a house’s energy use. Simply switching appliances off at the power point can save households around $125 a year and cut a household’s carbon pollution by 500 kilogrammes per year, according to John Winning, CEO of the Winning Group, including Appliances Online.

Are you ready for the Carbon Tax? Check out John Winning’s hot tips here.

 

Having once had to sit on the washing machine to stop it from bouncing into oblivion, Keri is today delighted with the new (smoother running) technologies that make housework easier every day. A self-confessed lazy-bones, Keri seeks out quirky inventions that ease the human workload, such as the robotic vacuum cleaner (wow). And as soon as someone figures out a Jetsons-like self-cleaning house, she will happily lay her pen to rest and retire from appliance journalism. Until then, her pick is a fridge that will tell her smartphone when it's time to pick up more beer on the way home. Magic.

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