ACCC Slams MSY Over Dodgy Warranties, Issues $203,500 Fine

Warranties are expected on new goods (and even some second-hand and refurbished gear), so being told that such standard protection will cost you extra, or isn’t present at all, should have one of your eyebrows arching in a questioning manner. Tech retailer MSY recently ran afoul of the ACCC after it attracted more than its fair share of inquisitive eyebrows, the end result being a number of fines, totalling in excess of $200,000.

According to ZDNet, the company, which has been tussling with the ACCC over the matter since November 2010, was found to be in breach of the Trade Practices Act by the Federal Court. Along with being required to clean up its warranty-related shenanigans and advertising, MSY’s stores in Queensland, NSW, Western Australia and South Australia were hit with fines ranging from $18,500 to $55,000.

Two years ago, Angus posted about the ACCC’s intentions of chasing down retailers with little interest in providing proper warranties. It’s good to finally see a positive result from the watchdog.

While I know some swear by them, MSY has never been a favourite of mine when it comes to hardware. Thanks to dedicated search engines like Static Ice, locating stores with competitive pricing is quick and simple. I personally don’t mind paying a few dollars more for better service and peace of mind — these days the margins are so cut-throat, the savings don’t justify immediately going with the cheapest option.

MSY Technology hit by $200K ACCC fine [ZDNet]


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