Company admits it misled over gas price rise

Date
    July 26, 2012


Adam Morton
Environment editor of The Age.


A COMPANY that makes gas for fridges has been forced to admit it misled its customers by blaming a 300 per cent price rise on the carbon tax.    :(   

South Australian company Equipserve Solutions told its customers the price of the carbon-intensive refrigerant gas known as R404A had risen from $98 a kilogram to $395 a kilogram due to the carbon price.    :o

The consumer watchdog found the justified increase that could be blamed on the new laws was $74.98 a kilogram. 

The government leapt on the admission to accuse the opposition of deceiving the public on price rises and encouraging businesses to price-gouge.    :(   


On her website, Coalition industry spokeswoman Sophie Mirabella claimed that the cost of refrigerants would increase by up to 400 per cent under the carbon tax, pushing up the price of food.    >:(

She said the scheme would increase the price of refrigerant R404A to $377.71 a kilogram.   

In a statement, government ministers said: ''It is grossly irresponsible for Coalition MPs to be making such false claims themselves and encouraging businesses to break the law in this way.''    :(

Coalition climate spokesman Greg Hunt said he supported the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's role enforcing the carbon tax, but said the government was in denial about the scheme's impact on refrigerants.

''The real apology should be from Labor for saying there would be no carbon tax, and in particular to the refrigerant industry, which was left in the dark …'' he said.    ::)


Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/company-admits-it-misled-over-gas-price-rise-20120725-22r1m.html#ixzz21fSp6bQ2

ACCC slams fib over gas price hike



Julian Drape


A South Australian refrigeration company falsely blamed the federal government's controversial carbon tax for recent price rises, the consumer watchdog has found.   :(

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says Equipserve Solutions has agreed to send a "corrective notice" to customers after it claimed a price increase for refrigerant gas was due entirely to the pollution price.

The company will also post an explanation on its website and has promised not to engage in similar conduct in the future.

"Equipserve has co-operated fully with the ACCC and promptly offered a court-enforceable undertaking to resolve the matter," watchdog chairman Rod Sims said in a statement on Wednesday.


Earlier this month Climate Change Minister Greg Combet said some businesses that supplied gas for refrigerators and air-conditioners were engaged in "evil price gouging" following the introduction of the $23-a-tonne carbon tax on July 1.    :(   

Mr Combet said on Wednesday the Equipserve case was important given the "unscrupulous scare campaign" that had been run by Opposition Leader Tony Abbott regarding the impact of the carbon price on refrigerants.    >:(

"It shows that exaggerated claims being made about the size of price rises for refrigerants which are due to the carbon price are factually wrong," Mr Combet said in a statement.   

"It also demonstrates that Mr Abbott has been deceiving the public and encouraging businesses to price gouge."    ;)

Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury called on the opposition to apologise "for deceiving the public and for encouraging businesses to price-gouge their customers".

The Equipserve case was also a reminder to other businesses not to make false and misleading claims about the carbon price, he said in a statement.

Businesses that incorrectly attribute price rises to the carbon price can face fines of up to $1.1 million.   

© 2012 AAP

the libs embarrassment has a full year to go!!

and you call them evil.. what about gillard and the infamous

THERE WILL NEVER BE A CARBON TAX UNDER A GOVT I LEAD..

my god if anything was evil that was.


what did anyone expect I asl you..after the debacle of pinkbatts BER.. green loans you would think this lot would learn something oops dont forget blackboxes.  this lot made millionaires out of shonky dealers.

cods wrote on Jul 27^th, 2012 at 6:02pm:

and you call them evil.. what about gillard and the infamous THERE WILL NEVER BE A CARBON TAX UNDER A GOVT I LEAD.. my god if anything was evil that was. what did anyone expect I asl you..after the debacle of pinkbatts BER.. green loans you would think this lot would learn something oops dont forget blackboxes.  this lot made millionaires out of shonky dealers.

just as bad as the never-ever GST !!