A Brunswick-based company that supplied banned miniature motorbikes has been ordered to pay a penalty of $10,000 for failing to meet the product safety provisions of the Australian Consumer Law (Victoria).
Consumer Affairs Victoria took action in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court against Big Aussie Deals Pty Ltd (ACN: 159 661 44) and its director, Steven Petrovski, 36, of Epping, after our investigations revealed that the company had supplied banned miniature motorbikes (also known as ‘monkey bikes’).
Between May 2013 and May 2014, Big Aussie Deals supplied miniature motorbikes that have been permanently banned for not complying with the braking requirements set out in the ban on ‘Miniature motorbikes with unsafe design features’.
Big Aussie Deals also gave a number of undertakings to the court, including that it will:
- send a product safety recall notice to every person who bought a miniature motorbike between May 2013 and 2014, and who has not previously returned the miniature motorbike
- pay a full refund to anybody who, as a result of the product safety recall notice, returns the miniature motorbike to the company
- destroy all returned miniature motorbikes, at its own expense
- maintain a product safety compliance program, and report on the program’s outcomes annually to Consumer Affairs Victoria, for a three-year period.
Mr Petrovski has given an undertaking to the court to not be involved in the supply of goods that are subject to mandatory standards and/or permanent bans (including aquatic toys, luggage straps, swimming and flotation aids, cots, novelty cigarettes, and many others), unless the person or company supplying the goods maintains a product safety compliance program.
For more information on the ‘Miniature motorbikes with unsafe design features’ ban, visit the Product Safety Australia website.