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The Pink Bat Rip-off

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Timmy,

I understand what you are saying. My problem is that the people accepting the spiel of these scammers are my friends and neighbours. I have already made my views known to many of them.

You probably think I should put my money where my mouth is. However our society doesn't treat whistleblowers kindly.
 
Calliope said:
You probably think I should put my money where my mouth is.
Click to expand...

Yes, I do, but I can understand your concern with your friends and neighbours - fair enough. I don't know what the repercussions for them would be? Probably not good if they already have insulation like you have said. Maybe the government has dropped to number 3 in the priority list of villains here LOL.
 
If they are approved installers and are acting unscrupulously they will be caught through the government checks.



Else if they are scammers asking for cash upfront ?





"The Honourable Peter Lawlor

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Residents warned to be on the look out for dodgy insulation installers

Queensland residents are once again being warned to be on the lookout for rogue insulation installers trying to swindle the new government rebate out of unsuspecting consumers.

Minister for Fair Trading Peter Lawlor said the Office of Fair Trading had already received reports from Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast of rogue traders approaching consumers offering to install cheap insulation under the Federal Government's rebate scheme which came into full affect today.

"While it is reasonable to expect an increase in legitimate marketing activity in this industry as a result of the rebate, I am concerned about reports of dodgy operators trying to scam unsuspecting consumers," Mr Lawlor said.

"We have had reports of itinerant traders approaching consumers offering on-the-spot insulation and assuring them they can claim the money back under the rebate scheme.

"To be eligible for the rebate, insulation must be installed by a registered business with an Australian Business Number operating in the insulation installation industry."

Mr Lawlor said information received by the Office of Fair Trading indicated the scam was similar to recent roof painting and bitumen laying scams.

"These fly-by-night operators turn up unannounced and offer to do the work for a song, then once they complete the job demand more money to cover 'unforseen' expenses.

"This is typical behaviour from rogue traders, cruising from town to town claiming to be qualified tradesman and charging exorbitant rates for shoddy work.

"Not only could you find yourself out of pocket, but when insulation is installed incorrectly it can be a major fire hazard."

Mr Lawlor said there had been incidents where cellulose fibre insulation placed too close to ceiling down lights had caught fire.

"Make sure your installer adheres to the voluntary Australian standards for the manufacture and installation of insulation - seek this confirmation in writing as a verbal guarantee is worthless," he said.

"The Federal Government's economic package is designed to stimulate the economy, not go into the pockets of scammers.

"You should check your eligibility for the rebate before you agree to insulation being installed - don’t just take the trader's word for it."

Mr Lawlor urged all Queenslanders to be cautious of anyone selling insulation door-to-door and to be wary of offers which appeared too good to be true.

If approached by traders at home:
o don't pay cash,
o don't let the tradesperson take you to the bank,
o don't pay for anything upfront, not even for materials,
o demand a receipt with a name and address on it, and
o ask for a written warranty.

Mr Lawlor said there were laws to protect people against intimidating tactics and unsolicited approaches employed by some roving door-to-door tradespeople.

Under the Fair Trading Act 1989, door-to-door salespeople must:
o only call on customers between 9 am and 6 pm from Monday to Friday, and 9 am and 5 pm on Saturdays. Calls on Sundays or public holidays are prohibited,
o wear clear identification,
o provide a written contract clearly stating the breakdown of costs, including GST and the total price with the sale of goods or services valued at more than $75, and
o offer a 10-day cooling-off period in the sale of goods and services valued at more than $75. During this time no payment, including deposits, can be accepted or work commenced.

"Traders caught breaching the Act face fines of up to $54,000 for individuals and $270,000 for companies" Mr Lawlor said.

If you have any information about these types of scams please contact the Office of Fair Trading on 13 13 04.

For more information about your rights as a consumer and protecting yourself from scams visit www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au.

For more information about the federal governments insulation rebate scheme visit http://www.environment.gov.au/rebates/index.html.


Ends

1 July 2009

Media contact: Marcus Taylor 3225 1005/0419 025 326 or Zoe Russell 3224 2002/0437 436 914
2009 "
 
Calliope, you don't need to tell your friends and neighbours that you are making any comment to Fair Trading. The report could have come from anyone who has just been approached by these scammers.
 

I would love to know how many of JWH's more outlandish knee jerk reactions/decisions like sending the Army to the Northern Territory at enormous expense to combat domestic violence in the Aboriginal Community for instance, that you have applauded. A decision by the way that has been lambasted by:

1. The Aboriginal Community
2. Both sides of government
3. The Scientific Community
4. The Social Justice Community, and
5. The International Community.

Just to name a few.

Why not stop your continual carping about every single decision/implementation made by this government and finally realise as I have been trying to say all along, that BOTH flavours of government in this country stink at one time or another and if you've got a genuine bitch about something, supply an alternative strategy not continual skirt talk!
 
Really? Both sides of government have lambasted this decision?
Could you provide some evidence of that? It's contrary to everything I have heard with the exception of a very few aboriginal communities where the desire for grog and violence is greater than their respect for the welfare of the community.

If the current government 'lambasted' this decision by the Howard government, why have they publicly endorsed it and continued to fund it?

What is 'the scientific community' in this context and what actually have they had to say about preventing violence in aboriginal communities?

Ditto the 'social justice' and 'international' communities.

Seems like some pretty broad assertions here, Queenslander.
 
haha this is a complete waste of tax money

I know someone who started up an insulation company just to take advantage of the 1600 rebate for how ever long it will last for.

They only do insulation for friends houses, equipment cost #$# all, charges $1600, friends pay nothing govt coughs it all up and yes society is so much better off cough cough
 

No one has said that the intervention was wrong...just the decision to mobilize the Army to carry out the job. That HAS been lambasted.

...and Julia, about the nexus of my post? That poor decisions are not the domain of one side over the other....silence.
 
queenslander55 said:
...and Julia, about the nexus of my post? That poor decisions are not the domain of one side over the other....silence.
Click to expand...
It's not up to me to answer for Calliope. FWIW I completely agree that both sides have at various times made poor decision making an art form.
(viz in particular Turnbull & Co over Utegate).
 
queenslander55 said:
...and Julia, about the nexus of my post? That poor decisions are not the domain of one side over the other....silence.
Click to expand...

You are a newbie to this forum and maybe you havent had a chance to flick through the archives but why assume that we only criticise Rudd? We have all (well, many of us, over the years) criticised the Liberal Government for things that we did not agree with - eg the Iraq invasion and its attitude to the Bush Presidency. A quick search will see the criticism of the Liberal Government. But it just so happens that it is Rudd in the Prime seat now making these decisions and not the Liberals. So what is the point in commenting on the Liberal opposition when they are not the power brokers anymore?

Ok, this utegate thing. We had a similar email issue happen in SA this year, just before utegate. It caused the Liberal Opposition leader to resign. Within a couple of months, the Federal opposition has fallen to the same scam. Plenty of rumours abound about the 'origins' of the email floating in SA, I just wont say them publically. And it surely cannot be co-incidence that history has now repeated itself.

I fail to see though why either of them should be forced to resign. Poor judgement yes, but as it can be proven that neither of them were the ones to forge the email, then why do they bear the guilt?

Calliope, at the very least I think you should send the name of the rip-off contractor into the address given earlier. An anon letter.
 
I've today received paperwork from one of the insulation installers who provided a quote, declaring that the work was carried out on 3 September 2009.
Bill is $1239.00, the $39.00 payable by me, the rest kindly paid by the government (read taxpayer).

Only problem is I didn't have the insulation installed. I did accept the quote, then changed my mind and advised them accordingly.

The paperwork clearly states that the work has been carried out and is signed and dated.

Phoned the government Hotline and spoke to someone with such heavily accented English I had difficulty understanding him, and he advised that it wasn't a problem that I'd been sent this because payment would only be made if I signed and returned it.

I guess that's fair enough, but wouldn't it be pretty easy to write my name in the signature panel if you're going to be declaring that you did work which you didn't do?

Am I being unreasonable in feeling annoyed that this has happened?
 


And how hard would be for anybody to sign that paper with Julia Lovely Lady's signature and submit it for Government Assistance payment?

Honestly I would take it further, until I received confirmation from Government body, that such and such address was not reimbursed for alleged work carried out.

Probably good exercise for local Government Opposition representative or local Fraud Squad.
 
Agree, Happy, and on that basis I've sent a response on the "Complaints" form on the government website in which I've also expressed my surprise that their call centre operator considered it wasn't a problem.
 
Glad you could be bothered to look after our money.

Pink Bat Fraud is of some proportions.

Number of operators were unregistered because of >irregularities<,
Some of the smart bat moves include: vacant blocks to have pink bats installed even before building is built there, or houses that have had insulation installed already.

Not to mention appalling workmanship causing on average one house a week to burn down because of hot running halogen downlights covered with cellulose type insulation blown into roof cavity.
 

I don't want to say too much... but the school building going on is probably ten times worse. Currently doing works on one, and am shocked at what is going on and the stories I am hearing from other trades
 
moXJO said:
I don't want to say too much... but the school building going on is probably ten times worse. Currently doing works on one, and am shocked at what is going on and the stories I am hearing from other trades
Click to expand...


Any chance to push some buttons to get somebody involved to stop it before it becomes a norm?

Suppose biggest problem is personal safety after rocking the boat.
 
Happy said:
Any chance to push some buttons to get somebody involved to stop it before it becomes a norm?

Suppose biggest problem is personal safety after rocking the boat.
Click to expand...

NSW Construction suggested guidelines for any concerns regarding large scale problems on Government sites as follows:

 
Happy said:
Not to mention appalling workmanship causing on average one house a week to burn down because of hot running halogen downlights covered with cellulose type insulation blown into roof cavity.
Click to expand...
If you have these type of lights then I very strongly recommend checking in the roof space to ensure they are well clear of anything flammable.

These lights run hot and are designed to pass radiant heat through their back and into the roof space. It's a disaster waiting to happen if there is wiring, insulation, timber framing or anything else in close proximity to the lights.

Ideally go into the roof to check but you can get a pretty good idea of what's up there by simply removing the lamp (bulb) in the normal manner and poking your fingers up there (I recommend switching power off at the switchboard before doing this, just in case).

If you decide to remove the entire fitting to check, then be aware that whilst they seem to pull out of the ceiling quite easily, they are held in by a spring and once you get it all the way out it snaps back like a rat trap and this is quite painful if your fingers are in the way. Be careful where you put your fingers...
 
Why on earth would you want loose cellulose in your roof cavity anyway? I've read the brochure. It didn't satisfy my concerns.

Rebate or not, I wouldn't want the stuff in my roof.
 
That's pretty much what I decided, logique. Plus the fact that so many people said their houses retained the heat more on summer nights.

I don't know, but I'd guess that a lot of people had it installed simply because they didn't have to pay for it.
 
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