Mobile Rip-offs Targeted
Illawarra Mercury
Friday December 14, 2001
Pushy mobile phone retailers who ripped off young people had better beware, NSW Fair Trading Minister John Aquilina has warned.
Mr Aquilina said yesterday retailers were signing young people on to mobile phone contracts that proved beyond their means and were difficult and expensive to break.
``My advice to those pushy sales people is: Beware," he said.
``If you're about ripping off young people then I'm going to be after you."
He said more than one in three young people aged 16 to 24 had mobile phones, and most of them were under contract.
The monthly phone bill for 10 per cent of young mobile users exceeded $100, and one in four young mobile owners reported having difficulty paying their bills.
Alternative means of getting a phone, such as pre-paid cards, should be examined by young people and adults who might be signing up on behalf of others aged under 18 who couldn't legally enter into a contract, the minister said.
© 2001 Illawarra Mercury
