CHARGING FOR ESSENTIAL SERVICES DURING LOCKDOWN
I had to contact a plumbing/gasfitting co. as my gas cooktop stopped functioning, it seemed that the gas was not getting through to the burners to enable them to ignite.
I contacted a company that stated that a $250.00 "DEPOSIT" had to be in their bank account prior to them sending out a technician. This I complied with and the technician duly arrived and sorted the problem in minutes, he didn't use any tools and no parts were needed.
It seemed fair to me that a "DEPOSIT" which I prefer to call a "BOND" was asked for as security, as it is obvious that until the technician arrives on the job and diagnosis the problem it is unknown as to what the actual problem is, therefore what is involved in rectifying the situation. It could be a large, time-consuming job needing a lot of parts, etc which obviously would incur extra cost above the $250.00 "DEPOSIT", but in other cases such as mine to charge $250.00 "DEPOSIT" is in my mind excessive. The online invoice had no details just a sum plus GST to arrive at the $250.00 total.
It was not explained to me on the phone or subsequent emails what the $250.00 "DEPOSIT" covered or what it actually was. There was no mention of this on any of their correspondence. If this was a minimum charge regardless, during this lockdown it should have been clearly spelled out and if not I see it as a breach of The Fair Trading Act or the Consumer Act or some other consumer protection act.
I will be interested to know other opinions or in fact anyone who has actual legal knowledge of this situation.
Thank you.
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.8% Summer
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36.7% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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