Lone Star Steakhouse at Mermaid Beach was a shocker!

PICS:

1. Lone Star Mermaid Beach

2. What is this disgusting thing served up at the Lone Star?

The decor was excellent, the free peanuts were great, the staff were friendly and the service was extra quick but that's where the Triple A rating ended at the Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon on the main highway at Mermaid Beach on the Gold Coast.

The Wild Fire Shrimps were on the cold side and their main meal size for the two entrees did not exactly whet the appetite for the much-anticipated steaks which came hot and well-appointed.
There was a disappointment for the birthday boy in the group when his pumpkin soup arrived as a luke warm, funny-coloured liquid which gave every appearance of having just been siphoned out of a plastic pail.

Now, take a close look at the concoction in the second picture above.

How can this be said delicately? In fact, it looks exactly like what confronts a professional gynecologist every day.

Well done means well done and when a gastronomic connoisseur orders a well done steak, he or she doesn't expect some oozing, dripping, blood-filled piece of offal.

The picture shows why the steak was left on the plate to be feed to the dogs scrounging in the rubbish bins after midnight.

Here's hoping those Gold Coast stray mutts survived their meal as well as the Lone Star patrons.

The Lone Star staff didn't bother asking how the meal was - probably because they were fully aware it looked disgusting sitting, half-eaten on the plate.

Now for the finale.

The bill was as easy to read as War and Peace for a blind man.

It was put together with acronyms and hieroglyphics which would make it impossible for even Barry Jones to decipher.

The Wild Fire Shrimps appeared to have been overcharged but what seemed to have been a $9.92 ripoff was credited back AFTER the Invoice Total as "LocalStoreMarketing".

What a bizarre way of presenting the bill which simply causes embarrassment for customers and staff.

The Lone Star - not much of a star last night, more a big, black hole!

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CR PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Internet scams just keep on coming! When will the Federal Government stop this blight on the people of Australia?

The scams just keep on coming.

The latest is an email purporting to be from the Commonwealth Bank, seeking personal details via a bogus website link.

Once these are given, the individual's account is stripped of all its money within hours.

Ask your Federal Member today for immediate action by the Rudd Government to stop these bogus emails which are destroying many people financially.

If they can stop pornography, they can stop this!

This is the latest overnight scam:

From: CommonwealthBank

Subject: CommonwealthBank Notification

Dear Valued Customer,

This email is your official notification from Commonwealth Bank.

Your online NetBank has expired on 01-06-2009 ,if you want to continue using our service you have to renew your acount if not your account will be deactivated and deleted

To continue please click the link below:

http://ssl-netbankcommau.com

Many Thanks and Kind Regards - Commonwealth Bank Customer Department

© Commonwealth Bank of Australia 2009 ABN 48 123 123 124


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CR PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Internet scams hitting Australia are getting worse - Be alert and alarmed!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Internet scams involving fake emails with offers of millions of dollars to unsuspecting recipients are now hitting Australia in an unprecedented blitz.

The latest comes overnight with a tear-jerking plea from a so-called cancer-ridden Mrs Dorothy Woodhall of London whose fabulously rich husband supposedly died in a plane crash in Salvador a year ago.

From her husband's diamond riches, Mrs Woodhall is now so generous she wants to give away £7.5 million GBP to anyone who applies.

Fair dinkum, you would wonder how these scammers keep going but unfortunately there are enough gullible and naïve citizens around the world to keep these scams alive.

The Australian Government has laws which it can invoke to stop these emails entering Australia. They can serve notices on ISP's which would eliminate almost all of this heinous activity at the stroke of a pen.

These bogus emails with offers of fabulous riches are hurting too many Australian families who cannot afford the money they fork out in these difficult economic times in the vain hope of securing a large pot of gold for their families.

This needs to be stopped.

The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd can stop it today.

Here is a copy of the scam email from Mrs Dorothy Woodhall supposely of 52 Oxford Street London which hit Australia overnight:

From: dorothywoodhall317@msn.com

Subject: DEAR BELOVE BRETHREN

From: Mrs. Dorothy Woodhall,52 Oxford Street,London, SW1Z1BV UK.

Dear Friend,

Here writes Mrs. Dorothy Woodhall suffering from cancerous ailment.

I am married to Mr. Sean Woodhall, an Englishman who died in plane crash, he died in a plane crash when he was going for his business proposal in Ilhéus flew through Salvador on Friday 2nd of May 2008.

Please copy and paste this Internet link for more information on the incident:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/05/britons.missing.after.brazil.plane.crash

My late dear husband was into Diamond Business Practice all his life before his death.

Our life together as a man and wife lasted for three decades without child.

My husband and I made a vow to uplift the down-trodden and the less-privileged individuals as he had passion for persons who can not help themselves due to physical disability or financial predicament.

I can adduce this to the fact that he needed a Child from this relationship, which never came.

When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of 7.5 Million(Seven Million, Five hundred thousand Great Britain Pounds) Sterling which were derived from his vast diamond business, real  estates and investment in capital market with his bank here in UK.

Presently, this money is still with the Bank.

Before his death, my Doctor told me that I have limited days to live due to the cancerous problems I am suffering from.

Though what bothers me most is the stroke that I have in addition to the cancer. With this hard eality that has befallen my family, and me I have decided to donate this fund to you and want you to use this gift which comes from my husbands effort to fund the upkeep of less previlege, and the destitutes.

Please contact me to enable me instruct you on how you are to go about distributing these funds on my behalf.

May God Almighty bless you as well as the nurse (Miss Whitney Merck) who helped me to typed this message.

reply to this email,

dorothy.woodhall008@gmail.com

Hope to hear from you soon.

Warmest Regards,

Mrs. Dorothy Woodhall

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CR PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Consumer warning as another internet scam hits Australia

Beware of the latest scam email targetting Australia with the promise of a £1,000,000,00 - an amount which will never be paid by these scammers.

This is a copy of this latest scam:

From: PREMIER LEAGUE GRANT, BARCLAYS

Attention Dear Beneficiary contact(barclaysgrantdpt01@live.com)

BPL:MLC/A12/09
TICKET:DV/01109

We are delighted to inform you of your grant award release on the 22th May
2009 from the Barclays Premier League Grant programme.
You hereby have been approved a sum of £1,000,000,00.GBP in cash credit
for more info contact Mr Alex Gabriel.at Email:barclaysgrantdpt01@live.com
with Your
TICKET Number.
BPL Number.
Your Name.
Telephone Number..
Country.

Sincerely,
Mrs.Elizabeth Martin.

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CR PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Give Mars the Ars with their healthy claptrap!

PIC: Mars Bars go up in unit price as the company declares concerns for Australians' health.


Full page ads by the Mars Snackfood Company in Sunday papers around Australia would almost reduce a sceptic to tears.

Crocodile tears that is!

The ads say that the 60g Mars Bar will be reduced in size by 11.6% to 53g to tackle the problems of big food for Australians "by reducing portion size".

Just when you thought the Mars Bar Company had become a loving, caring, sharing multi-national corporation, the company has been forced to admit there will be no reduction in the $1.70 price tag of a Mars Bar.

With national sales of 30 million a year, that represents more than a $5.9 million annual boost to the company's profits, just from the sales of the iconic Mars Bar.

With their other lines set to go the same way, the magnitude of this corporate greed - wrapped up as concerns for our health - soon becomes apparent.

The Company's General Manager Peter West couldn't help himself with his cherubic image splashed across the company's full-page ads in today's Sunday papers across Australia.

It's a pity he couldn't admit that the current tough economic times demanded innovative ways to improve his company's profits.

Claiming that the Mars Bar Company is genuinely interested in our health and well-being is much smarter marketing, even though they are loaded with fat and sugar.

Quick, Peter. Look out the window and snap a picture of those pigs flying across the sky. Maybe, you should even get an Order of Australia out of all of this for being such a decent chap.

Australian consumers are not dills, despite what Peter West and his merry band of Mars purveyors might believe.

The company's latest anti-consumer move will induce sensible Aussies to simply give Mars the Ars!

.......................................................................................
CR PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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McDonald's back to its old advertising tricks

PICS: Have a close look at these two pics. Can you decipher the fine print on the bottom? One is on offer only until 10.30am while the other is available only after 10.30am. Unfortunately, McDonald's doesn't offer its customers binoculars to read the teeny, weeny wording on its store signage.


McDonald's currently has a snazzy, American-style promotion on its Value Picks offerings.

In a new twist on the old "bait and switch" technique, McDonald's has put the Value Picks conditions in the fine print at the bottom of the promo signs.

By sucking people into queuing for 10 minutes for lunch at their Mt Ommaney Centre store in Brisbane's southwest, only to tell them that the great-looking Bacon and Cheese burger is available only until 10.30am, gives McDonald's an even money chance of snaring a different order from hapless customers.

Instead of a prominent "Breakfast Only" sign, the Yanks have gone out of their way to engage in some old-fashioned deceptive advertising trickery.

And to add insult to injury, McDonald's customers at Mt Ommaney who query the style and positioning of their misleading signage, are told that it all determined by Centre Management and has nothing to do with McDonald's.

That is nothing but a deliberate lie and a pretty dumb thing to say to a consumer advocate who has dedicated 30 years of his life to exposing these sorts of ripoffs and corporate scams.

It seems that McDonald's Big Lies are now overshadowing their discredited Big Macs!

Maybe consumers should vote with their feet to stop this Yankee skullduggery.

Everyone knows the burgers are better at Hungry Jacks!

It really is bloody hopeless that these subtle advertising tricks are being played by McDonald's just to ship their greedy profits out of Australia back home to the USA.

.......................................................................................
CR PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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AGIC Insurance is a national disgrace!

Floods tend to bring out the best in people - and the worst in insurance companies.

The recent torrential downpours at Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales Central Coast once again prove the horror of being insured with a company which will do anything and everything to refuse a claim.

Take the case of the two neighbours near Coffs Creek at Coffs Harbour.

NRMA Insurance quickly and happily paid a $6000 "storm water" damage claim to one couple.

Their neighbours - insured with the Auto and General Insurance Company - were denied their $7000 claim on the basis that their damage was caused by "flood waters".

This was the same day, same storm, same creek and same inundation!

Yet, Auto and General Insurance Company used its own powerful and shrewd policy interpretation to deny what were considered as legitimate claims by their competitors.

Consumer Watch spokesman Paul Tully says AGIC is a national disgrace.

"Consumers should dump AGIC and get on board with a company that is motivated by factors other than sheer greed.

"AGIC seems to have only two corporate aims - taking people's money and denying people's claims."

He said all Australian insurance companies should follow the lead of Suncorp in Queensland and provide automatic flood insurance cover on all of its household policies.

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CR PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Warning over Commonwealth Bank email scam

The following bogus email, purporting to be from the Commonwealth Bank, has hit Australia.

Ignore such emails and warn others of these malicious attempts to gain your financial information and hack your account.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Dear Client,

As a security measure, we regularly screen Commonwealth Bank activity. Recently, we
noticed a problem with your account.

We have reason to believe that your account was accessed by a third party.

We have limited access to sensitive Commonwealth Bank account features in case your account has been accessed by an unauthorized third party.

We understand that having limited access can be an inconvenience, but protecting your account is our primary concern.

We've limited access to your account temporarily. We'll review the limitation once you respond with the information we've requested.

To respond and remove the limitation, click the link below and follow the instructions:

http://www.commabwealthbank-au.com

Thank you for helping to resolve this problem.

Sincerely,
Commonwealth Bank Account Review Department

Please do not reply to this email. This mailbox is not monitored and you
will not receive a response.
For assistance, log in to your Commonwealth Bank account and click the Help link in the top right corner of any Commonwealth Bank page.

Commonwealth Bank Email ID CC522

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CR PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Gambling control trial is a sensible move by Queensland Government

The Queensland Government has moved to impose limits of gamblers in a trial in southeast Queensland.

This cashless gaming initiative is an excellent means of minimising some of the heartbreak caused to some families because of the ready availability of gambling venues.

The following is a media release issued today by the
Minister for Tourism and Fair Trading The Honourable Peter Lawlor:

28/05/2009

- Bligh Government moves to reduce problem gambling with new technology -

The Queensland Government is leading the way in the prevention of problem gambling in Queensland by completing further trials of 'cashless gaming' technology in two Brisbane venues.

Minister responsible for gaming, Peter Lawlor said the new card-based gaming technology allowed patrons to set limits on the money or time they spend on the pokies.

"This harm minimisation concept offers gaming patrons more control over their spending and could potentially be rolled out throughout the state.

"While less than half a percent of the Queensland population can be identified as a problem gambler, one problem gambler is a one problem gambler too many for the Bligh Government.

"The impact problem gambling has on families and communities makes it an important area for the Government to address," Minister Lawlor said.

The trials provided the Queensland Government with the opportunity to investigate pre-commitment card-based machine gaming using two different systems.

In March 2008 the Sandgate RSL Memorial Club became the hub for one of two trials into this important harm minimisation measure.

A second trial was conducted at Redcliffe RSL Club.

"The trials showed promising results, with some patrons reporting a spend reduction of up to $25 per day," said Minister Lawlor.

The wider investigation into card-based gaming is one of a many harm minimisation initiatives announced by Premier Anna Bligh last year, which forms a part of the Queensland Government's Responsible Gambling Strategy.

Member for Sandgate Vicky Darling said the Queensland Government recognises raising awareness of gambling harm is a collaborative effort involving community, industry and government.

"I am happy to report the evaluation of the card-based gaming trials demonstrated an overall support from both players and industry alike," said Ms Darling.

"The Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing has approved both systems for implementation in gaming venues on a voluntary basis.

"The Queensland Government intends to continue to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the card-based gaming systems as a larger number of venues take up the technology.

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CR PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Telstra hopes to fix major line break at Redbank today

Telstra is likely to fix a major 600 pair phone cable break at Brisbane Road Redbank today.

Services have been out since last week.

Most of the township of Redbank including commercial services to the local newsagent and the pawnbroker lost their phone and data connections during last week's local flash flooding.

Nigel Beaman, Telstra's General Manager South East Queensland, has now pulled out all stops to fix this problem.

Telstra advises that the planned completion date is today.

.......................................................................................
CR PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Warning against fraudulent ANZ internet banking scam

The following email is circulating on the internet.

Don't be fooled.

If you have received an email of this nature, delete it immediately.

.........................................
From: online_service@anz.com.au

Subject: Verify Your Account Details

Our Valued Customer,

For your security, ANZ Bank Help desk has safeguard your account when there is a possibility that someone other than you is attempting to sign on.

You now need to verify your Identity.

To verify your identity, kindly follow reference below and take the directions to instant activation.

https://www.anz.com/INETBANK/update.asp

Thank you for helping us to protect you.

Security Advisor
ANZ Bank Online Help desk

.......................................................................................
CR PAUL TULLY: paul@tully.org.au

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Crazy Royal Australian Royal Mint plans to scrap our 5 cent coin

The intellectuals running the Royal Australian Mint are at it again with a secret plan to scrap our 5 cent coin.

This will lead to a consumer rip-off of unimaginable proportions with retailers reluctant to round bills DOWN to the nearest 10 cents.

You can be sure that prices ending in 5c will be bumped up by another 5c.

In the middle of a recession when every cent counts for Australia's battlers, only the fuzzy-headed bureaucrats at the Australian Mint could have dreamed up this idiotic plan at this most-inopportune time.

One and two cent coins were scrapped almost 20 years ago, when they had become an almost valueless nuisance.

But a few 5c pieces today can add up to a tidy amount.

Now is not the right time to scrap our little echidna.

If the Australian Mint wants to win any public praise, it should scrap the antiquated "Royal" from its official title.

Imagine having the portrait of King Charles of Australia on our coins in the future.

Perish the thought!


PAUL TULLY - paul@tully.org.au

Queensland Government's wise move to publish school results

Despite the bizarre opposition of the Queensland Teachers Union (QTU), today's publication for the first time of a comparative report card across all Queensland schools is a sensible and long-overdue move.

These figures enable parents to properly judge and compare the performance of schools across the state.

Why the QTU President Steve Ryan would be opposed to the honest and transparent publication of these results is simply beyond the comprehension of a parent of schoolboys in Grade 2 and 5 - like me, who values today's important milestone in Queensland education.

SEQ impure water explanation leaves us gobsmacked!

The official dismissal of public concerns after E.coli bacteria were detected in a SEQ water reservoir in March must be disturbing to the community.

Residents were not informed at the time which makes the claim by acting Water Grid Manager Barry Dennien that all communications were done in "an honest and transparent way" look absurd.

How can they be honest and transparent if there is no communication at all?

The spin doctors have taken over the SEQ Water Grid!

Barry Dennien is also quoted as saying the March incident was "not unusual" compared with other metropolitan water authorities around Australia.

Which is like saying Jack the Ripper wasn't such a bad chap compared with Osama bin Laden!

The State Government has acquired an on-going hot potato since taking over water management and distribution in SEQ last July.

By all reports, Barry Dennien is a decent and professional guy but he has a duty to keep the public informed of all health scares and to stop the spin-doctoring of media statements which fool only some of the public some of the time.

Attorney-General moves against idiot rock throwers

New legislation to target rock throwers was passed in State Parliament tonight.

For years, the Ipswich Motorway has been the scene of idiots lobbing rocks onto cars and trucks from pedestrian bridges.

Maybe these clowns can now be controlled and jailed if necessary.

The Attorney-General and the State Government should be congratulated for this tough stand.

Below is the full text of the Attorney-General's media statement issued this evening.

Attorney-General and Minister for Industrial Relations

The Honourable Cameron Dick

21/05/2009

New laws passed to target rock throwers

Any person who throws a rock at a vehicle on a Queensland road can now be sent to jail, under new laws passed in the State Parliament tonight.

Attorney-General Cameron Dick said Queensland authorities now have access to the most comprehensive range of rock throwing laws in the country.

"Throwing rocks at vehicles is dangerous and deadly behaviour, that puts the lives of innocent Queenslanders at risk," Mr Dick said.

"People driving on Queensland roads should not have to fear rocks being thrown at their vehicle.

"Under the laws passed tonight, people who engage in this reckless behaviour can be sent to jail, whether someone was hurt as a result of their actions or not."

Mr Dick said the new laws create a specific offence under the Summary Offences Act 2005, to target rock throwing, laser pointing and other specified conduct which endangers or is likely to endanger the safe use of vehicles.

"In Queensland we already have tough law s targeting offenders who throw rocks at vehicles, with the intention of injuring or killing someone," Mr Dick said. 

"These people can be charged with a range of offences including manslaughter, murder, wilful damage, or endangering the safe use of a vehicle with intent.

"But the new laws passed by the Parliament tonight will allow police to charge offenders even if they can not prove intent, and no one is injured.

"These laws send a strong message - throwing rocks at vehicles is never a joke. It is a serious offence which can now result in up to two years in jail.

"The Crime and Misconduct and Summary Offences Amendment Bill 2009 also provided for amendments to the Crime and Misconduct Act 2001, to ensure the CMC can continue to crack down on serious and organised crime.

"The amendments passed have rectified the effects of a recent Supreme Court decision in the case of Scott v Witness C (2009) QSC 35, which limited the major crime investigation and intelligence activities of the CMC and its outcomes in specific matters referred to it by the Crime Reference Committee.

"The amendment ensures that major crime referrals, used by the CMC to investigate and punish serious criminal activity, including networked criminal paedophilia, terrorism and criminal activity by established criminal networks or outlaw bikie gangs and their associates, can continue to be used.

"The passing of these laws, together with the new rock throwing laws, demonstrates the Bligh Government's commitment to safeguarding the community against the full spectrum of criminal activity.

"We are ensuring our law enforcement officers have the power to investigate and prosecute both the most serious criminal activities and also the smaller, yet potentially deadly activities of people who act with complete disregard for others."

Brisbane dams reach 72% - It's time to ease restrictions!

Surely we should not have to wait until December for easing of the current, drastic water restrictions.

That would be outrageous and unfair.

SEQ residents have pulled together to minimise water use over the past 3 years.

There is no reason to have to wait another 7 months to ease the current restrictions which were implemented when Queensland was gripped by the worst drought in the state's history.

We were promised an easing of restrictions at 60% but now that it's 70%, there is no justification for any further delay.

LinkWater can't even apologise for today's water main debacle in Brisbane

PIC: LinkWater's General Manager Andrew Moir

It might not have been Link Water's fault, but as owner of the pipeline, the least the company's General Manager Andrew Moir could have done was to apologise for today's shambles which caused water loss for thousands of households and damage to at least one Anstead property estimated at tens of thousands of dollars.

If LinkWater's General Manager cannot do the honourable thing and apologise, the Company should give him the Royal Order of the Boot and engage someone in his place who possesses at least one ounce of compassion and humility - two characteristics sadly lacking with Andrew Moir today.

Woolworths bites the bullet over trolley problem

WOOLWORTHS has bitten the bullet on trolley pollution, installing coin-operated trolley stations at centres including Sandgate, Moorooka, Buranda, Toowong and Bulimba.

The Urban Local Government Association of Queensland last week moved to ensure other shopping centres follow Woolies' lead after reports that up to 500 trolleys recently were collected in a six-month roundup across Logan City.

The association, representing 70 per cent of local government voters, approved a plan which could allow councils to force supermarkets to install coin operated trolley docks.

Ipswich councillor Paul Tully says ALDI supermarkets already had a $2 refundable trolley scheme.

"You rarely see an ALDI shopping trolley in a park or local creek," he said.

The association also wants brakes installed on trolleys to stop them rolling off and hitting vehicles.

"The days of getting back to your car in a shopping centre car park and finding a dent in the side of the vehicle will hopefully soon be over," Cr Tully said.

A Woolworths spokeswoman said the company was aware certain suburbs had particular  issues with stolen trolleys.

"That is why we have taken the step to introduce coin-operated trolleys," she said.

"Seven Woolworths stores in the Brisbane area have already been fitted with coin locks and a further three will roll out in the next few weeks."  

ALDI says the system works. 

"We have found the coin-in-slot system to be a key preventative measure in the dumping of trolleys," the spokeswoman said.

Woolworths bites the bullet over trolleys

Woolworths has bitten the bullet on trolley pollution, installing coin-operated trolley stations at centres including Sandgate, Moorooka, Buranda, Toowong and Bulimba.

The Urban Local Government Association of Queensland last week moved to ensure other shopping centres follow Woolies' lead after reports that up to 500 trolleys recently were collected in a six-month roundup across Logan City.

The association, representing 70 per cent of local government voters, approved a plan which could allow councils to force supermarkets to install coin operated trolley docks.

Ipswich councillor Paul Tully says ALDI supermarkets already had a $2 refundable trolley scheme.

"You rarely see an ALDI shopping trolley in a park or local creek," he said.

The association also wants brakes installed on trolleys to stop them rolling off and hitting vehicles.

"The days of getting back to your car in a shopping centre car park and finding a dent in the side of the vehicle will hopefully soon be over," Cr Tully said.

A Woolworths spokeswoman said the company was aware certain suburbs had particular  issues with stolen trolleys.

"That is why we have taken the step to introduce coin-operated trolleys," she said

"Seven Woolworths stores in the Brisbane area have already been fitted with coin locks and a further three will roll out in the next few weeks." 

ALDI says the system works. 

"We have found the coin-in-slot system to be a key preventative measure in the dumping of trolleys," the spokeswoman said.

KFC - Saving a buck at customers' expense in Australia

PIC: Colonel Sanders
would turn in his grave

BUNDABERG CONSUMER WATCH: Things must be tough financially for Kentucky Fried Chicken as a result of the world economic crisis.

Their Bundaberg store at 263 Bourbong Street must be close to going into liquidation given their latest, drastic cost-cutting methods.
Or maybe they are just an offshoot of a Scottish franchise.

Either way, they are now saving bundles of money by no longer giving out eating utensils such as spoons, or paper serviettes or refresher tissues.

One KFC customer told Consumer Watch that eating potato and gravy or a tub of coleslaw without a spoon was like trying to ride a bicycle without handle bars - next to bloody impossible!

Colonel Harland Sanders would turn in his grave over this second-rate service now being offered by his stores in Australia.

AAMI's gap in service hurts The Gap

Six months ago, a devastating storm across Ipswich's eastern suburbs and Brisbane's inner west caused havoc and massive destruction of homes.

Yet, six slow months later, some residents of The Gap are waiting on the insurance giant AAMI to approve quotes for their roof restoration.

AAMI has pretty slick advertising campaigns and is quick to promise all the service in the world - and take your money quicker than a Penn and Teller disappearing trick.

But when it comes to actually paying claims, AAMI seems to be slower in coming through than an Andrew Johns' apology.

AAMI has tarnished its reputation over its handling of storm payouts at The Gap.

Maybe it should stick to motor vehicle insurance.

Queensland Councils move to control abandoned and runaway shopping trolleys

CR PAUL TULLY


Media Release from Ipswich City Councillor Paul Tully

Queensland councils will have the power to force supermarkets to have coin-operated shopping trolleys under a plan approved by the Urban Local Government Association.

The association which represents 70 percent of Queensland voted to seek greater controls over abandoned trolleys.

Ipswich delegate Cr Paul Tully told the conference Aldi was the only supermarket chain in Queensland which imposed a refundable $2 fee to use its trolleys.

"You rarely see an Aldi shopping trolley in a park or local creek."

Cr Tully singled out Coles and Woolworths saying their corporate responsibility for reducing the visual pollution of abandoned shopping trolleys around Australia was "next to zero".

Cr Tully said Ipswich Council was looking at a proposal to control runaway trolleys in shopping centre carparks.

He said too many cars were being damaged every day by out-of-control shopping trolleys.

"We are looking at requiring a small push bar on each trolley which would automatically activate a brake, similar to the trolleys at airports.

"The days of getting back to your car in a shopping centre and finding a huge dent in the side of the vehicle will hopefully soon be over," Cr Tully said.

Slugs on Gateway and Logan Motorways

Free-flow tolling starts on the Gateway and Logan Motorways on 1 July.

And free-flow charging is also about to begin.

From 1 July, Queensland Motorways is introducing a new suite of charges for unsuspecting motorists.

Manual top-ups of accounts will incur a $1 penalty in the future.

Mailed statements will incur an extra slug of $3 and a 40 cent per use fee will apply to users who accidentally forget their electronic tag.

This 40c charge would apply even if the tag is in the vehicle but does not register for some reason.

Free-flow tolling from 1 July will be great for everyone except for the toll collectors who will be out of a job, people who like to carefully control their finances, drivers who like written financial statements and those who accidentally leave their electronic tag at home.

The good news is that there will be no minimum usage fee.

The bad news is that this has NOT been ruled out as a future option.

NEW SOPHISTICATED INTERNET SCAM HITS QUEENSLAND

WARNING AGAINST AFRICAN INTERNET BANK SCAM
  
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD MOVE TO BLOCK INTERNATIONAL SCAMS
 
A sophisticated internet scam offering Queensland residents $US10 million ($AU13 million) has hit Australia with demands for $US650 ($AU845) to verify recipients' entitlements.
 
Unsuspecting internet users are receiving copies of what appear to be genuine bank cheques verifying their supposed entitlement.
 
The cheques are in the name of the African Development Bank and drawn on the World Bank with the name of person scammed being shown as the legal payee.
 
Supporting documents being sent with the emails include fake United Nations and Nigerian Government certificates certifying the transaction does not contravene anti-terrorism, drug or money laundering laws.
 
A woman from Gailes contacted Queensland Consumer Watch asking if the offer was genuine.
 
After inspecting the documents, Consumer Watch spokesman Ipswich Councillor Paul warned her of the scam and told her to destroy the emails she had received.
 
Cr Tully said it a new twist on the Nigerian scam which has been around for almost a decade.
 
"These documents look genuine and people who have just signed up to the internet could easily be duped by this multi-million dollar easy offer."
 
Cr Tully said this sort of internet scam had reached epidemic proportions in Australia with hundreds of people being conned every year.
 
"The Federal government should require all Australian-based ISPs to block these sorts of emails.
 
"Too many people are hurting, especially in lower socio-economic suburbs around Australia, who don't realise they are being scammed as they jump at the chance to become instant millionaires for $845.
 
 "They cannot afford to fork out this amount on their pensions or other welfare benefits but the ten million dollars being offered is very tempting.
 
"If it's good enough for the Federal Government to stop internet pornography, it should stop criminally-fraudulent emails as well.
The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd would give the people of Australia a tremendous outcome if we became the first country in the world to officially block these sorts of scams on the internet."

 
QUEENSLAND CONSUMER WATCH
COORDINATOR
CR PAUL TULLY
PO BOX 1
GOODNA QLD 4300
 
EMAIL: QueenslandConsumerWatch@gmail.com
 
"Queensland Consumer Watch - Local Members helping consumers across Queensland."

Is the selling of possum legal in Queensland?

The picture tells it all.

Saville's Meats - the Game Meat Specialists - of Harbour Town on the Gold Coast is into unusual meats in a big way.

Besides the usual fare of crocodile, roo and venison, this upmarket butchery offers goat, camel and even possum.

Possum?

Queensland Consumer Watch is not sure of the origin of the possum delicacy on offer by Saville's but it would no doubt be an absolute turn on for the Beverly Hillbillies.

Old Jed would be lickin' his lips at the thought!

Maybe the possums come from New Zealand where they are regarded as a pest.

What do you think about a eating a pot of possum stew tonight?

Human hair found in Toowoomba Pizza Hut meal sparks Health Department investigation

The number of reported instances of restaurant food contamination is on the increase around Australia.

The latest incident comes from the picturesque City of Toowoomba, famous for its Carnival of Flowers.

Toowomba is situated 130km west of Brisbane.

Now, one national food chain has blotted its copybook with a disgusting incident in which a 6cm length of human hair was discovered in a piece of salami pizza being eaten by a 9-year old Ipswich boy.

"Revolting" is the word used by the boy to describe this foul offering.

A family visiting a popular Toowoomba restaurant at the weekend literally got the works when they discovered a 6cm length of human hair in one of their meals.

The hair was found embedded in the base of a pizza served during a lunchtime special Works meal deal on Saturday at the Pizza Hut at the corner of Ruthven and Stenner Streets.

It was found by John Paul Tully, the 9-year old son of long-serving Ipswich City Councillor Paul Tully who was dining at the restaurant with his wife Liza and younger son James.

Cr Tully said John Paul nearly threw up when he got half way through the slice of pizza and saw the piece of black hair hanging from the crust.

John Paul said it was "sickening to be served such a revolting pizza".

"It was absolutely disgusting and I couldn't finish the rest of my meal," he said.

Restaurant staff were quickly on the scene and eventually offered a full $48 refund of the family's meal.

Cr Tully said the restaurant manager initially dismissed the problem saying she had witnessed the same thing at other restaurants, suggesting there was not much to worry about.

He said she then claimed it could not have come from the restaurant's dough maker because he was "almost bald" and wore a net when he prepared the pizza bases on Saturday morning.

After ringing the owner, the manager said there would be a full audit of their practices to prevent a repetition of the incident.

The offending Pizza Hut meal from
Toowoomba with the 6cm length of
human hair clearly visible at the bottom
right hand side of the pizza.

Cr Tully said it was disappointing a national restaurant chain could have such unhygienic practices which allowed human hair to be cooked with other pizza ingredients.

"There is simply no excuse for such a sickening health risk being created by this restaurant."

He said the offending pizza slice would be handed over to the State Health Department this week for a full investigation of this incident.

"Companies which cannot meet basic health standards deserve to have the full force of the law thrown at them," Cr Tully said.




9-year old John Paul Tully with the pizza which had a piece of human hair embedded in the base. "Yucky" is the word he used to describe his Works Meal Deal from Pizza Hut in which he really got "The Works".



CLICK HERE TO READ ALL ITEMS ON THIS WEBSITE.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR DINING EXPERIENCE.

Have you found hair or some other abomination
as part of your dining experience?

Email Queensland Consumer Watch with full
details for the whole world to read.

Grand Plaza Browns Plains - the Most-Unfriendly Shopping Centre in Australia!

In the very week Logan City was voted the most-unfriendly city in Queensland, a major Logan shopping centre has confirmed that it will do everything it can to help win the title again next year.

A new policy introduced this week by Centre Management at Grand Plaza at Browns Plains has seen the Centre's security guards turned into neo-Nazi Food Police, scouring the tables searching for offenders who breach the new "NO EATING NO SITTING RULE".

Spare a thought for a struggling pensioner grabbing a spare seat for a couple of minutes for a well-earned break. They are now liable to be booted out the front door for not eating a meal while they rest their weary legs.

New warning signs placed on EVERY table in the food court this week warn customers: "Food Court tables are reserved for customers enjoying a meal".

Queensland Consumer Watch witnessed outrageous incidents at the Centre this week when two members of a group of four people thoroughly enjoying themselves were warned to leave because they were not consuming food along with their friends.

Another group was told to leave immediately after consuming their food, depriving them of a few moments to collect their thoughts, gather their rubbish and move on.

The second most-outrageous intimidation by the Grand Plaza Food Police was when two women were told that they could not stand and talk to their friends for a few moments who were sitting down enjoying a meal.

But the worst case was when one of the Food Police - who seemed to enjoy his daily fix of power - lent over the back of a two-year old girl sitting with her mother, to make sure the toddler was also consuming a meal. This is bloody outrageous. Fortunately, the little girl was nibbling on something, otherwise she would have been liable to be summarily ejected from the centre.

There is a Police Beat only 50 metres away to enforce the removal of any person from Grand Plaza, with or without reason - a right guaranteed all private property owners in Queensland under section 277 of the Criminal Code.

The clear warning to customers at Grand Plaza's Food Court is not to stop and talk with friends if you happen to see them dining in the Food Court - otherwise you will be subject to Gestapo-like move-on powers by trumped-up security guards in white shirts masquerading as defenders of the new food eating regime.

Whoever is running the Centre Management at the Grand Plaza at Browns Plains is proving that they are the greatest dills ever let loose on the Australian public.

By employing their own Food Police to control the dining habits of ordinary customers shows the depths of stupidity to which Australian retailing has sunk.

Why aren't the Grand Plaza Food Police used for something more serious such as dissipating the nicotine addicts who crowd the main entrance blowing more smoke than an Australian bushfire and making customers' arrivals and departures at the Centre a painfully, unhealthy experience.

No doubt, Centre Management at Grand Plaza will defend their new policy on the grounds that it frees up valuable tables and chairs for those wanting to eat there. But this ignores the fact that food courts and private malls are the new meeting places for tens of thousands of Australians each week.

Instead of meeting and greeting on public footpaths in old-style suburban shopping centres such as Moorooka or Stones Corner, major shopping centres are now a key means of bringing the community back together as they catch up with friends and acquaintances.

This is a valuable social phenomenon which is being increasingly recognised by retailers around the world.

Unfortunately, the notable international exception is the Grand Plaza at Browns Plains where their motto should be changed from "we're big on living" to "we're big on controlling everything you do in our centre of intimidation".

For a pleasant shopping experience at the Grand Plaza at Browns Plains, avoid the Food Court and never, ever stop to talk to friends who are consuming a meal - otherwise you could be thrown out the door before you've even had a chance to step inside your first shop.

To view all items on this website: Click here.

HAVE YOU HAD AN UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCE AT GRAND PLAZA?

Email Queensland Consumer Watch for the whole world to read.

Forced strip searches in shops - what are your rights?

Where will the lunacy of some stores end?

The detention of an eight and a half months pregnant 40-year old woman in a liquor store in the Ipswich suburb of Springfield Lakes - who was forced to expose her belly in front of a store full of male shoppers - highlights the need for urgent legislation to outlaw this reprehensible practice.

The woman went to the 1st Choice Liquor store at Springfield Lakes on Monday evening and was told to lift her top to prove that she wasn't slipping stolen liquor down her pants next to her bulging belly.

The woman was mortified especially when she was told that if she didn't comply, the police would be called.

How could a heavily pregnant woman, who was totally humiliated by the experience, stand around for half an hour or waiting for the police to prove her innocence?

She was stripped of her dignity by staff who far exceeded their legal rights.

Queensland Consumer Watch is calling for the State Government to ban private strip searches of customers in shops throughout Queensland.

Strip searches are not the responsibility of untrained staff conducting random body and clothing checks in stores across Australia.

It is a degrading thing to happen to any person, let alone a 40-year old woman who is eight and half months pregnant.

Queensland Consumer Watch spokesman, Ipswich Councillor Paul Tully, described the incident as totally appalling and an invasion of individual rights.

Cr Tully said it was disgraceful that an eight and a half month pregnant woman had been humiliated in public for such a minor matter.

"The liquor store should be forced to apologise and pay compensation to this woman for the degrading way she was treated.

"The State Government should make it illegal for store owners to require shoppers to submit to strip searches in public.

"This is a matter for the police - not voyeurs working in liquor stores forcing pregnant women to undertake partial strip searches in front of other beady-eyed customers.

"The government needs to move quickly to ban this sort of unacceptable practice.

"Here we have a totally innocent woman being forced to parade her naked midriff inside a busy liquor store after being falsely accused of shoplifting," Cr Tully said.

WHAT ARE YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS?

1. A customer can refuse a body search, frisking and can legally ignore a demand to remove any clothing.

2. Store employees have no right to touch a customer or delay or impede the customer leaving a store.

3. Customers cannot be detained by staff.

4. Customers have the right to leave of their own free will and do not have to wait until police arrive.

5. Stores have the right to ban customers without giving a reason.

HAVE YOU HAD AN UNTOWARD EXPERIENCE LIKE THIS IN A STORE?
Email Queensland Consumer Watch with your story.

Is it time to stop the practice of tying up mudcrabs?

Charis Seafood Kiosk and Market at 6 Marine Parade Labrador on the northern end of the Gold Coast is one of the best and most well-known award-winning seafood establishments in Queensland.

Their business has grown into a tremendous facility serving thousands of satisfied customers every week.

They have even branched out into the entertainment industry with the feeding of the wild pelicans every day at 1.30pm - to the absolute delight of hundreds of locals and tourists.

Charis' commitment to the preservation of the local wildlife - with the pelicans flying in each day for a free feed of filleted fish frames - is widely applauded by the community.

But step inside the store and there is another issue which must be faced up to sooner or later.

And that is whether or not it is appropriate in today's enlightened environment for mudcrabs to be tied up in a large tank in the corner of a seafood shop or restaurant.

It is standard industry practice to do what Charis Seafoods is doing and no aspersions are being cast against this well-respected company.

Right across Queensland, crabs are routinely tied up with thin rope in such a way as to prevent all but slight movement by the crustacean.

Imagine a cow or a dog being hog-tied for days on end, unable to effectively move - the RSPCA would be very quick to act against such cruelty.

Now is an appropriate time for a mature public discussion about whether or not it is right for mudcrabs to be tied up for long periods, as they await their fate as a gastronomic delight for some salivating seafood lover.

Should mudcrabs be permitted to move around freely in their dying hours or should they be allowed to be hog-tied like a wild animal - living in torment as they await their final fate of being cooked alive in a pot of boiling hot water?

The restaurant industry is sure to have strong views over this issue and will undoubtedly justify the current arrangements which sees thousands of mudcrabs tied up in large waterless tanks around Queensland every week.

The Queensland Government and the RSPCA need to address this issue as a matter of priority.

The following link to Fishing Hurts clearly makes the case that crabs feel pain.

Should the current practice be allowed to continue in Queensland or should mudcrabs be able to move about freely in the last few days of their relatively short lives?

Tying the crabs' claws together might be a safety issue when they are first caught.

But can we sit back and allow the keeping of these crustaceans - hog-tied for days on end in crowded tanks - awaiting some cashed-up customer to buy 'em, boil 'em and make a banquet of 'em?

The sooner this practice stops, the better.


To view all items on this website: Click here.

What do you think of the practice of hog-tying mudcrabs
in restaurants as they await their final fate?

Do you have a contribution about a Queensland consumer
issue involving commercial exploitation, customer ripoffs
or unacceptable business practices?

Email QueenslandConsumerWatch@gmail.com with full
details for the whole world to read.

B&W Cabs fail the people of Brisbane again!

The following email - published below - has been received from Trevor Michie.

The attitude of B&W cab drivers and their standard of service must be the worst in Australia.

Aren't taxi drivers supposed to complete a course before being let loose on the public with sub-standard knowledge of Brisbane suburbs and landmarks?

But the worst of all about the complaints received by Queensland Consumer Watch against B&W Cabs is that they NEVER respond adequately - or at all - and treat their customers as a joke.

No wonder B&W has been languishing as Brisbane's second-rate taxi service since 1936.

From: Trevor Michie
Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 19:28
To: QueenslandConsumerWatch@gmail.com
Subject: Taxi from Brisbane Domestic to Marque Hotel

To: shift.manager@blackandwhitecabs.com.au
info@blackandwhitecabs.com.au;
complaints@blackandwhitecabs.com.au
Subject: Taxi from Brisbane Domestic to Marque Hotel
Date: Sat, 3 Jan 2009 19:02

My wife has had an experience that has sent shivers down my spine.

My wife arrived from Melbourne and caught a Black and White cab from Brisbane Airport to Marque Hotel around 5pm on Saturday the 3rd of January EXCEPT the cab driver, decided that it should have been Mecure Hotel DESPITE my wife showing the driver the Name of the hotel and address of George Street on the hotel reservation confirmation sheet.

This is not acceptable. My wife was intimidated and hopped out of the cab at Mecure as she felt the attitude of the driver was not amenable to her continuing her journey.

The Turkish driver would not accept the fact that she was staying at the Marque. I am sure this does not meet your usually high quality standards and I am confident you will address the situation immediately.

I await your reply.

Trevor Michie


Dear Trevor

Queensland Consumer Watch sympathises with the shabby way in which your wife has been treated. I recall a possibly more-exasperating experience 15 years ago when a group of punters from Goodna, including myself, led by "Colonel" Keiron Butler flew to Melbourne for the Melbourne Cup. With four hours to kill, we asked the taxi driver to take us to Parliament House. Twenty minutes later, we arrived in the heart of Melbourne outside a place with flashing lights, discreet signage and concealed entrances. "Is this Parliament House," we asked. "Yah, yah - diss is Parla Massage". "No" the Colonel protested, we want "Parliament House." "Youa no pay, I calla da police," the cabbie screamed in some foreign language. The Colonel quickly forked out the fare and spent the next hour trudging across town on a hot November morning whingeing all the way to Parliament House - which was bloody well closed because it was public holiday in Melbourne!


HAVE YOU HAD A BAD EXPERIENCE WITH A TAXI DRIVER?
Do you have a contribution about a Queensland consumer issue involving
commercial exploitation, customer ripoffs or unacceptable business practices?
Email QueenslandConsumerWatch@gmail.com with full details for the whole world to read.

Warning to all Queenslanders over water filters

The following warning has been received by Queensland Consumer Watch:

From: Dezmondo Snitchwatch
Email: niemtel@gmail.com
Date: Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:21


Queenslanders being ripped off.

Warning to all Queenslanders


I would like to bring to the notice of all Queenslanders, that are purchasing filters and particularly Revers Osmosis filters, after the fluoridation of our drinking water.

Beware of who you purchase from: Really shop around.

Since this forced medication, there are a number of business, that are raising there prices well above there normal retail mark, particularly one that has doubled the price.

Though there is possibly more.

This is a blatant commercial exploitation, and customer rip-off.

The business that I wish to report is Filter Wizard.

http://www.filterwizard.com.au/

This company only a few days ago was selling a unit on Ebay buy it now at $280 plus $55 postage. Had quite a few for sale some with a week to go.

However within the last two days, on his web site he is selling the same unit for $650 Free delivery and free, install (which any person can do).

However when I asked how much for the unit if I picked it up and installed myself, I was quoted $580.

I went back to his site on Ebay, and noted he had removed all his listings.

So Queenslanders Beware: shop around, there are a multitude of sharks out there, now preying on people that do not wish to participate in the fluoride medication.

Deal with a reputable business, you can still get the same quality this shark is selling for around $245 to $320, in the southern states.

And of course there is Oztion and Ebay.

Don't fall prey to a shark.

People like this should be reported to the ACCC.

Des.


Do you have a contribution about a Queensland consumer issue involving
commercial exploitation, customer ripoffs or unacceptable business practices?
Email QueenslandConsumerWatch@gmail.com with full details for the whole world to read.

B&W Cabs lets down Brisbane taxi users again

Queensland Consumer Watch has received the following email from a distraught Brisbane cab user.

When will the authorities take serious action against these recalcitrant drivers?

Dear Sir/Madam

I wish to lodge a complaint about....

1. One driver in particular and several other drivers of Indian appearance refusing to take me from the cab rank opposite Brisbane casino up the hill to Wickham Terrace because the journey was too short and they only made seven dollars out of it.

2. Two other occasions 24 to 27 December where I got in with Indian cab drivers of varied cab companies. They couldn't speak proper English and they didn't know where Wickham Terrace was let alone the Metro Tower Mill Hotel.

My name is Charles Rablin I am the holder of disability pension card CRN 000-000-000T for the disability of chronic pain polyarthritis rhumatica. At approximately 9.30pm 26 December 2008 I went to the cab rank opposite Brisbane casino.

I was wearing an Akubra hat and vest. I am a non drinker. I asked the first driver on the rank of Indian appearance to take me to Wickham Terrace and he said "no see one of the drivers further down."

I walked to the end of the rank asking drivers for the destination of Wickham Terrace and they shook their heads indicating no. There were a dozen empty cabs on the rank.

At the end of the rank the driver said I had to take the first cab off the rank. I went to the front of the rank and asked a different driver to before and I said he had to take Metro Wickham Terrace because he was first on the rank. He said that he would take me but he had to charge me $20.

When I told him he should charge me what is on the meter he then refused to take me. He was driving black and white cab T99 734.

I rang Black and White cabs to send someone to pick me up and they said they were under instructions to direct all cabs to the rank and to try again what I had already done or try to find the rank supervisor.

It then began to rain a I started to walk towards my hotel. I was able to hail a Black and White cab off the streets. A kindly man of European appearance took me to my destination and charged me seven dollars.

It is fairly clear that Black and White cabs is not providing the level of service to the public that it should be providing and I intend to take this matter up with the appropriate government regulatory body.

Regards

Charles Rablin

The cowboys in the taxi industry should be given the Royal Order of the Boot for their treatment of disability pensioner Charles Rablin.

It is clear that Black and White Cabs has no interest in serving the public or resolving complaints made by the public.

A complaint was made to Black and White Cabs on 29 June 2008 by a member of the public about the actions of one of their cab drivers.

The complainant is still waiting for Black and White cabs to call him back.

So much for professional service and a proper complaint handling procedure by Black and White Cabs. You would think that the dwarf of the taxi industry in Brisbane would be at least trying to better its performance and image.


Do you have a contribution about a Queensland consumer issue involving
commercial exploitation, customer ripoffs or unacceptable business practices?
Email QueenslandConsumerWatch@gmail.com with full details for the whole
world to read.

NAB lets down The Good Guys at Oxley and the Public

THE GOOD GUYS AT OXLEY OFFER SECOND-RATE SERVICE THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN.



The NAB has made record profits in recent years but has failed to keep up with modern technology in servicing its corporate customers.

Tate Mason's Good Guys store at Oxley has been waiting for over 6 months since 4 June 2008 to have its equipment updated to enable the use of the new "Pen or Pin" technology which became operational on that date.

That is according to a Good Guys salesperson "K Stratos" who served a customer last week and explained that they were still waiting for an "equipment upgrade from the NAB" to enable purchasers to use the much more secure PIN for credit transactions than an easily-forgeable signature.

The customer was politely told that the PIN facility was not yet available essentially because of the corporate recalcitrance of the NAB.

The Good Guys should be jumping up and down over their own bank's absolutely third-rate performance on this issue.

This alternative method of finalising a credit transaction has been operational across Australia for over six months, yet large companies such as The Good Guys at Oxley are still being forced to provide second rate service to their customers because of their bank's failure to move with the times.

The secure PIN service has been available across Australia

since 4 June 2008 but not at The Good Guys Oxley - because
of the commercial recalcitrance of the NAB.

With 2009 looming, maybe its time that The Good Guys dump the NAB and look for a bank which can keep up with modern technology.

According to "K Stratos", she cannot give any indication when the problem will be fixed because she doesn't work for the bank - proving that The Good Guys should quickly move to another bank which suits the needs of both The Good Guys and their thousands of disappointed and angry customers.

Do you have a contribution about a commercial outlet
whose bank has failed to upgrade their equipment to

cater for the new PIN facility or some other Queensland
consumer issue involving commercial exploitation, customer
ripoffs or unacceptable business practices?

Email QueenslandConsumerWatch@gmail.com with full
details for the whole world to read.

Upside down billboards should be banned from our highways

It might be a catchy way of drawing attention attention to the product but the spate of those idiotic, upside down advertisements sponsored by Personalised Plates Queensland (PPQ) beggars belief.

PPQ's latest upside down advertising sign is in a 90kph zone adjacent to the Ipswich Motorway at Redbank - 25km west of Brisbane - where 100,000 drivers a day have to twist their heads like rubber-necking professional contortionists to read the inverted advertisement for personalised number plates.

Even if drivers try to decipher the upside down wording from their normal driving position, they can be unduly distracted by a such a sign.

In an area notorious for its high accident rate, it is incomprehensible that PPQ Queensland would claim on its website http://www.ppq.com.au/ to be "Proudly Supporting Queensland Road Safety" when the upside down advertising signs simply induce drivers to strain their necks upside down or back to front - just to read a sign featuring the official drunken, no-hoper of Springfield - Homer Simpson.

This section of the Ipswich Motorway is soon to be upgraded to six lanes by the State Government and will become even more dangerous when it is a construction zone.

PPQ should set a real road safety lead and immediately ban these unsafe, upside down billboards. At a time when we should be encouraging drivers to keep their eyes on the road, why has PPQ embarked on an advertising campaign which is nothing but an extraordinary distraction for drivers.

What a furore there would be if someone caused a serious accident and claimed they were distracted by this upside down billboard.

Heads would roll and changes would be made within 24 hours.

PPQ should not wait for a tragedy to happen. They should get on the front foot by scrapping these woeful and potentially accident-causing, upside down billboards.

They should then sack their advertising agency for creating such a monumental stuff up.

Have they considered the possible consequences of this type of signage?

Alternatively, they could follow the Tasmanian model where the State Government has banned all billboards from the State's highways, allowing only directional and information signage - resulting in a safer and less-cluttered environment with drivers no longer constantly bombarded with advertising trivia.


Do you have a contribution about a Queensland consumer issue involving
commercial exploitation, customer ripoffs or unacceptable business practices?
Email QueenslandConsumerWatch@gmail.com with full details for the whole world to read.