WE NEED AN OMBUDSMAN

Our campaign for better protections for people who purchase faulty, or ‘lemon’ cars, ramped up this year as data from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on lemons revealed that the problem has negatively impacted hundreds of thousands of people in Victoria and throughout the country.

The ACCC data detailing actions, recalls and other court actions against manufacturers revealed the true extent of lemons on the road and that many of these vehicles are run ‘down the lane’ to second-hand dealerships for unsuspecting consumers to purchase.

ACCC’s data showed that during the period 2014-21, a minimum of 472,968 cars were sold to Australian consumers with defects.

“Motor vehicles are protected by consumer guarantees, but too often people cannot enforce their consumer rights when sold a lemon car because seeking justice through the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) is costly, time consuming, and inaccessible,” said Tania Clarke, Consumer Action’s Director of Policy and Campaigns.

In November, Consumer Action together with Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS), WEstjustice and Hume Riverina Community