Beware fake fax, says Yellow Pages

SMH.com.au

Australian businesses are being targeted by a fake fax disguised as a communication from Yellow Pages.

The fake fax seeks a payment to Yellow Pages to make each company's details available to online users of Google Maps.

Sensis, which runs various online directories including Yellow Pages, said on Tuesday that customers in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia had reported the fake fax.

Yellow Pages spokesman Stephen Ronchi said customers should contact the company directly if they received any unusual communication from sources claiming to represent Yellow Pages.

Websites masquerading as Yellow Pages were also part of the scam, South Australian Consumer Affairs Minister Gail Gago said in a statement.

"Sensis is taking steps to put an end to this scam as soon as possible so that customers do not mistakenly make payments to this company," she said.

Similar scams involving Yellow Pages have included bogus sales consultants requesting details and payments from businesses.

Australian News: Trade measurement goes national

Trade measurement goes national

After nearly 150 years of service to Queensland, Trade Measurement operations will become part of the National Measurement Institute.

At a function in Brisbane last night Minister for Fair Trading Peter Lawlor acknowledged the work of the Trade Measurement branch and thanked them for their contribution to Queensland.

"Today brings to an end almost 90 years of trade measurement administration by the State Government which followed over 60 years of administration by local government."

From the 1 July administration of trade measurement will transfer from Queensland's Office of Fair Trading to the Commonwealth's National Measurement Institute.

Mr Lawlor said this was part of a 2007 Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreement to establish a single regulatory national system of trade measurement.

"Traders can expect to benefit from reduced compliance costs and a strengthening of the trade measurement resources under one banner," he sa id.

"It is estimated that each year $400 billion worth of transactions rely one form of trade measurement.

"From big business on the global stage to the local corner shop, trade and commerce is so often based on measurement - weight, volume, length, quantity. Consumers and traders alike look to the system of trade measurement as fundamental to their confidence in the integrity of the marketplace."

"I am confident the new arrangement will maintain the same high-level of service," he said.

Mr Lawlor acknowledged the contribution of 21 Queensland trade measurement staff who accepted offers to work with the National Measurement Institute.

"I thank them for their continued contribution and wish them the best as they continue this important work with the Federal Government."

"Queensland has been a leading force in assisting the National Measurement Institute prepare for the transition.

"Three of Queensland's trade measurement staff provided specialist services to the National Measurement Institute leading developmental projects in preparation for the transition."

Mr Lawlor also congratulated Queensland's former Trade Measurement Manager Mr Malcolm Bartlett who led the legislation development project and earlier this year was appointed by the National Measurement Institute as Manager of Trade Measurement Services.

"This is a significant recognition for Mr Bartlett's commitment and dedication and I wish him well in his new role."

Minister for Tourism and Fair Trading
The Honourable Peter Lawlor
30/06/2010

Australian ticket scalping review could end ticket rip-offs

Metallica turns up the volume. Tickets for the band's shows in November should be $150 each.
The scalpers' price is $1500 for four.

DailyTelegraph.com.au

TICKET scalping could be legalised, replaced with special ballots or eliminated via a hi-tech mobile phone system under a range of options being considered to stamp out the trade.

The NSW Office of Fair Trading will today launch an online survey to find out for the first time how much scalpers are preying on sports lovers and diehard music fans, often teenagers.

It follows the successful call from NSW Fair Trading Minister Virginia Judge for a national review of scalping.

The practice's legality varies from state to state. In NSW it is illegal to sell tickets at key sporting grounds, while in Queensland police also monitor the internet for onsold tickets.

On eBay yesterday, tickets for the touring US supergroup the Eagles were being sold for $4000 a pair - three times the maximum "platinum" price of $669 a ticket.

Tickets for Metallica, which are officially $150 per ticket, were being sold for $1500 for  et of four.

An issues paper for the national review canvassed a number of options, including:

- Legalising ticket-scalping to create more competition;

- Regulated online auctions to onsell tickets;

- A lottery to distribute tickets;

- Sending ticket details to a mobile phone with a special barcode; and 

- Using only virtual tickets which are effectively impossible to transfer, as done for the first time in a major tour by teenage singer Miley Cyrus last year.

The issues paper noted that ticket onselling can sometimes be positive for consumers because it effectively lets the market decide what the right price is.

Prices may have to go up across the board to eliminate the practice if it is found that tickets are being sold too cheaply in the first place.

Illegal music downloads are contributing to this because performers are under pressure to have sell-out concerts. This leads to tickets being issued early and cheap.

No one knows the true impact of scalping on the economy - hence the review. However, box office sales in the performing arts industry alone amounted to $356 million in 2006-07.

The paper noted that scalping was legal in almost every state in the US after it was argued "an increase in the number of legal resellers would increase competition and prices would fall".

Ms Judge said Fair Trading received only 40 complaints in the past five years.

Minister Schwarten 'ballistic' in Rockhampton restaurant

CourierMail

Minister 'ballistic' in restaurant

From: CourierMail
July 02, 2010

WHERE'S Schwarto been - turns out he has been in a heated stoush with constituents at a Rockhampton restaurant.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/robert-schwarten-in-stoush-at-rockhampton-restaurant/story-e6freoof-1225887301828

Viewers snubbed: Channel 9 scraps late night news bulletin

CHANNEL 9 has axed its late news bulletin, Nightline and made host
Kellie Connolly redundant in a snap decision being blamed on
"beancounters now running the show"

Just weeks after Nine boss David Gyngell boasted the revival of his
network had rested on improving its news service, the program has been
pulled and its presenter given her marching orders, reported The Daily
Telegraph.

Staff have been left reeling after they were told of the axing
yesterday, despite being praised by management earlier in the week for
their role in last Thursday's Federal leadership spill.

The program has been at the mercy of an inconsistent timeslot since
its latest relaunch last November but regularly drew a Sydney audience
of about 100,000 people.

A saddened Connolly told The Daily Telegraph the small team had taken
pride in their efforts and the "drip effect" it had in improving
Nine's breakfast peformance.

"It was a total surprise and shock to the team and we're all very
sad...I am personally desperately sad to be leaving having been with
Nine after 13 years."

Nine's national director of news, Mark Calvert defended the move and
claimed the network was "investing more money in news and current
affairs'' despite having one less program.

"Nightline had a loyal audience, but a small one.

"The reality of our business is that we have to aim our firepower at
those times of the day when people are watching in significant
numbers. We're actually investing more money in news and current
affairs.

"We'll be spending more than we ever have on our federal election
coverage, we're opening a new London bureau to strengthen our coverage
across Europe and the Middle East, and we're hiring additional staff
across the department. All of this will mean better coverage for our
viewers, and help us get where we need to be: number one in the
ratings."

However, Sky News CEO Angelo Frangopoulos told the Diary that the
decision to axe the program, currently hosted by 20-year TV veteran
Kellie Connolly, was at odds with Nine's declared commitment to news
and current affairs.

"We're investing in news and current affairs," Mr Frangopoulos said.
"I thought Nine said they were, too. What happened to that
commitment?"

He said it was no excuse to say Nightline couldn't find an audience
because of the way it bounces around the schedule.

"That's always been the case for Nightline," he said.

CourierMail.com.au

Breaking News: Dr Jayant Patel gets 7 years jail

Disgraced Bundaberg surgeon Dr Jayant Patel has been sentenced to 7 years jail in the Queensland Supreme Court.

 

He was sentenced on three manslaughter charges and one charge of causing grievous bodliy harm this afternoon by Justice John Byrne.

 

 

Major water and sewerage changes from today will affect all local residents

For 150 years, Ipswich City Council has been responsible for supplying town water and sewering the city.

From today, all that changes as a result of a new system established by the State Government with responsibility moving to a new company QUU - Queensland Urban Utilities.

By law, QUU cannot have any council officers or councillors on its independent board of directors which makes the split from councils 100 percent complete.

If you see a broken water main or sewer main or experience a water supply problem, don't call Ipswich City Council, ring QUU on 13 23 64.

QUU services Brisbane, Ipswich, Scenic Rim, Somerset and Lockyer Valley local council areas.

Thanks to Peter Beattie's determination to emasculate local government, its traditional responsibility for water supply and sewerage has gone forever.

This is one of the worst government decisions in decades - one which will have massive repercussions for the community for many years to come.

Any problems - and there will be many - will be handled by a group of faceless QUU bureaucrats in Brisbane and not by elected members who are directly responsible to the local communities they represent.

Farewell Ipswich Water.

Feel ripped off at the Marriott Surfers Paradise - One hotel to avoid at all costs!

Feel ripped off at the Marriott Surfers Paradise?

One hotel to avoid at all costs!

Do you ever have the feeling of being ripped off and treated like an unwanted lump of lard?

Well, look no further than the Marriott Hotel at Surfers Paradise on Australia's prestigious Gold Coast where customer service ranks somewhere between zero and zilch.

Take the relatively straightforward case of one recent customer who was part of a group and was told at check-in, despite prior arrangements being made for a consolidated payment by the group organiser, that he had to pay the full accommodation costs for 2 nights.

This was quickly sorted out but not before his credit card was slugged with a pre-authorisation fee of $540!

Yes, $540 for 2 nights for just the mini-bar - to guarantee this respectable citizen didn't skip off without paying his bill.

The mini-bar had no spirits - just a few soft drinks and nuts - so it is difficult to justify a preposterous $540 pre-charge when no accommodation was involved.

Three days later, the pre-authorisation charge was still sitting on the guest's credit card, reducing the amount available under the card limit.

A phone call to the Marriott's Chris Jee from the Hotel's Accounts Department to find out why such an excessive amount was charged on the pre-authorisation and, more importantly, why it had not been removed, elicited nothing but confusing statements, self-justification, denials and finally, unfortunate condemnation of the check-in clerk for not sorting it out 5 days earlier.

Three times, Mr Jee tried to explain the justification for the charge and how it is routine at most hotels.

The customer fully understood the reason for the charge - something he has been routinely charged at the rate of about $100 per night around the world.  Mr Jee was simply insulting his intelligence and

Like a typical public service bureaucrat, Mr Jee was more intent on trying to justify the Marriott's failure to have the $540 pre-authorisation charge promptly removed, given that there was no accommodation component involved, rather than providing a meaningful response to the customer.

He danced around the issue like the winner of "Dancing with the Stars" firstly saying it would take 3 to 4 days to be removed, then 2 to 3 days, then back to 3 to 4 days and then offering to send a letter to the customer's bank which would take 2-3 days to have the charge removed - which was even longer than it would have taken if it were to be removed in the ordinary course of events following checkout.

When a customer rings a major hotel chains with a detailed enquiry, he or she deserves a better response than can be provided by a person with limited English.  Large hotels in particular should familiarise themselves with the debacle two years ago when Telstra outsourced its SMS answering service to the Philippines - which resulted in one of the swiftest negative customer reactions ever experienced by the Australian telco.

The Marriott has a lot to learn over this customer-unfriendly incident.

An apology would have been a good start but that was not forthcoming.

Not getting it wrong in the first place would have been ever better.

And fixing the mistake on the spot at the initial check-in would have been the second best outcome.  This would have avoided all of the subsequent hassles for the customer affected by this tawdry incident which was wholly of the Marriott's own making.

Despite the offer of a fax to the customer's bank to reverse the charge "immediately", nothing has happened and the Marriott has created one disgruntled customer for life.

If you want to have a happy holiday on the Gold Coast, the first step to take is to avoid the Marriott at Surfers Paradise.

MARRIOTT SURFERS PARADISE CUSTOMER SCORE:  2/10

Another Fu Kang Chinese Restaurant!

On the Gold Coast Highway at Labrador on Queensland's famous Gold Coast tourist strip, you will find the Fu Kang GC Chinese Restaurant.

This is not just another Fu Kang Chinese restaurant but - by all reports - a very good Fu Kang Chinese restaurant.