What actually does the Commerce Commission do in protecting the general public?

A further complaint laid with the Commerce Commission has been rejected. A complaint laid against the Whangarei branch of “Wealth Buy Property LTD” for alleged misleading practices has been put through the ‘auto refusal section’ of the Commerce Commission.

 

EUFA have no evidence of individual’s complaints being investigated by the Commission and question its ability to provide New Zealanders with the protections it is empowered and duty bound to do.

Like many distraught investors of Wealth Buy Property LTD, Whangarei man, Mr Terry Adams, took legal advice before entering into the investment. The Commission still didn’t follow up on his complaint.

 

The complaint has been serious enough for Mr Adams’ local MP, Hon Phil Heatley to write to the Minister of Commerce. In the conclusions in his letter to the Minister he wrote “ Minister, I would appreciate your advising me on a way forward for Mr Adams and other affected parties” The MP has real concerns regarding his constituents situation but has failed to follow up.

 

The Ministers office referred Mr Adams back to the Commission after suggesting in the response that Mr Adams didn’t investigate the investment thoroughly. As Mr Adams took legal advice prior to investing he fails to understand what more could he have done?

 

Coordinator of EUFA Suzanne Edmonds said today “The Politicians continued stance of putting the responsibility back on the victims of mal practice, is like saying a woman asked to be raped. Our members are tired of this attitude from Members of Parliament, their advisor and their officials.”

 

The New Zealand public hold a reasonable belief that the Commissions role is to work for the tax payer and New Zealand’s interest, in investigating and taking action over misleading business practices. It appears the Commission fails to show any interest in complaints from the general public.

 

The EUFA organisation members are now publicly asking the Minister, “What does the Commission actually do?”. The organisation is also publicly asking MP’s why they refer their constituents to the Commission when they know the commission does not act?

 

When EUFA administration put member rejected complaints together, the patter is similar in each case, with a template type response letter to the individuals, which demonstrates a firm policy to decline complaints from individual members of the public.

 

Nearing November no action is being taken to investigate Mr Adams complaint, even with the Ministers recommendation to make a complaint. Meanwhile ‘Wealth Buy Property LTD’ continues trading without investigation.

 

Terry Adams said from Whangarei this morning “It is over 2 years since we paid a substantial deposit for a property which has not been provided. We want the Commission to do its job to ensure others do not become victim to this company’s failure to provide us what they promised.....they mislead us......they have taken our money and taken us and many others for fools.”

 

END