March 27, 2010

LIMO: Is this so-called hair restorer fair dinkum?

Is Leimo hair dinkum or
just another consumer con?


It's being blasted across our television screens around Australia.

It's guaranteed by the promoter to restore your hair in the privacy of your home.

Use the magic wand and relax while your hair grows back!

But is it fair dinkum?

Does it really work or is it something the ACCC and the Office of Fair Trading should be looking at?

Always remember the old legal maxim: Caveat Emptor - Let the Buyer Beware!

.........................................................
PAUL TULLY: PaulGTully@gmail.com

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March 26, 2010

Elwyn Denman has a lot to answer for and owes a big apology to his Ipswich tenants

Elwyn Denman tries to defend the indefensible
on Channel 10

Elwyn Denman is a former real estate agent and Ipswich City Council alderman.

He was well-versed in property and town planning law from both professions, or he should have been.

He recently set up a series of homes around Ipswich for the poor and needy.


Unfortunately, Elwyn made one little mistake - he couldn't be bothered getting State Government or Council approval for his grand plan.

Now, he has been caught with his pants down and he is crying poor on television that he has been badly done by.

Well Elwyn, if you hadn't thumbed your nose at the law, you wouldn't be in this dilemma.

You are personally responsible for the effects of your recalcitrance on your tenants.

Elwyn, you owe them all one big apology.

Clearly, your abilities as a landlord are equally matched by your competence as a council alderman.

PPQ upsets more punters over failed Queensland Personalised Plates auction

By Shawki Kaddour

Thanks for your blog on the PPQ auction from last night.

I totally agree with your blog about PPQ, that they have become a rip off.

I entered both my plates for last night's auction but they did't let me enter them, one of them being I PRINT and MACHINE - one 6 and one 7 letter.

I couldn't believe the plates that they did pick:

CAMERON!
TOOWONG!
ANTHONY!

Plus many others.

I could already see the auction would be a disaster. 

Cheers

Shake

....................................................
Have you had a bad
experience with PPQ or
feel ripped off by PPQ,
send an email with full
details to PaulGTully@gmail.com
....................................................

Councils buck State Government on new voting system

The Courier-Mail

QUEENSLAND councils are bracing themselves for another fight after the State Government yesterday directed a parliamentary committee to investigate introducing a Senate-style voting system into local government.

Under the proportional representation system, the number of formal votes is divided by the number of available seats plus one vote.

Political scientist Dr Paul Williams said if this system was introduced into local government, it could spell the end of popular mayors unless a separate voting system was used to elect them.

Yesterday Leader of the House Judy Spence moved a motion in State Parliament directing the Law, Justice and Safety Committee to review the local government electoral process, including investigating the feasibility of proportional representation.

Sources say the State Government is pursuing the move because of pressure from the Greens, who stand to benefit from its introduction.

It has outraged southeast Queensland councils, who have called on the State Government to scrap the review.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale yesterday led a chorus of unrest over the decision to investigate the option, which he said would fragment councils and leave communities exposed to councillors who were interested only in furthering their political careers.

"It's absolutely rubbish. I would fight to my last ounce of breath if they try to change a fantastic model," he said.

Fellow Ipswich councillor Paul Tully said the proportional voting system would allow "River" community groups to gain a seat on council based on a single issue rather than on their ability to represent their community as a whole.

"It would be the worst thing to happen to local government in Queensland," Cr Tully said.

Logan Mayor Cr Pam Parker said she would be making a submission against the proposal as it would open the door to party politics.

Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Allan Sutherland said his council also opposed the PR system.

Currently about 30 per cent of councillors in Queensland are politically aligned.

Local Government Association of Queensland executive director Greg Hallam said proportional representation was considered the most democratic system but he was concerned that it could lead to instability within councils. 

Mr Hallam said currently there were no other councils that used the system in Australia.

March 24, 2010

Queensland Personalised Number Plates auction falls flat - Buyers wary of so-called bargains




PIC 1:
"Toowong"
Number Plates
bring just $1750
- much less than the
across-the-counter
price from PPQ

PIC 2:
A number plate not
auctioned tonight but
showing on the PPQ
website as available
for purchase for $2295 -
a combination fit for the
bosses of PPQ!

PPQ (Personalised Plates Queensland) officials would not have been happy with the prices brought for the majority of personalised Queensland number plates at tonight's annual auction at the Victoria Park Golf Club.

The halcyon days of personalised number plates in the Sunshine State which saw plates sell for $100,000 only 25 years ago appear to be gone forever - and that was with Russ Hinze as the auctioneer!

Most of tonight's plates brought very poor results with TOOWONG selling for $1750 which is $2000 below the normal PPQ across-the-counter price!

NEW FARM was not much better bringing in just $3500.

350 CHEV was passed in at $2500 when it failed to reach the undisclosed reserve price with a similar fate falling on PAINTER, Q31 and V.

There were a few notable exceptions to the less-than-spectacular auction with Q70 selling for $80,000 with SOLD going for $25,000.

You only have to go onto eBay to see that the bottom has completely fallen out of the personalised plates market in Queensland.

People are seeking crackerjack prices on eBay with most auctions attracting not a single bid.

It seems that PPQ may have almost reached saturation point in Queensland with almost all of the top alphabetical and numerical combinations and sequences gone forever!

Some of PPQ's prices are outrageous, with the cost of simply changing the plate registration from a large trailer to a sedan almost $140.

$137.80 for a junior PPQ officer to tick one box on the computer - a complete and utter consumer ripoff!

If you switch from personalised plates on a sedan to a large trailer, you have to forfeit one of the plates.

What they don't tell you is that you will be slugged almost $140 plus a remake fee to change back.

"Tough luck" is basically what customers are being told who query the ripoff.

How can PPQ justify charging $57.20 for an identical re-make of 2 plates and $195 to re-make 1 plate plus a simple computer change from "large trailer" to sedan.

Same owner in both cases, same plate design, no other changes - just a 10 second computer entry changing from "large trailer" to a sedan - and they want almost $140 for the privilege.

They charge only $76.60 to change the name of the owner of a set of personalised plates but almost double that for a simple computer change - with the SAME owner - from large trailer to sedan.


PPQ are legalised ripoff merchants with their customer skills almost non-existent.

If you are planning to buy personalised number plates in Queensland, expect to be ripped off by PPQ and don't expect your purchase to be a good, long-term investment.

You would be better off buying Penny Black stamps or 1930 pennies than placing your hard earned cash on a couple of bits of metal from PPQ.

The full list of auction results from tonight's auction:

BNE 01 - $3000
COOPER S - $4500
V8S RULE - $3750
CAYENNE - $4500
ANTHONY - $2500
CAMERON - $3000
NEWFARM - $3500
TOOWONG - $1750
SURFERS - $10,500
SOLD - $25,000
BUILDER - $13,000
FINANCE - $6000
PLUMBER - $7000
DENTIST - $9500
Q70 - $80,000
YY - $4750
Q387 - $11,000
Q410 - $10,000
Q425 - $6500
Q625 - $10,500
Q2010 - $4500
Q4011 - $2750
Q4007 - $3750
Q4101 - $3500
Q4006 - $3250
Q8808 - $4500

One Lot:
Q1012
Q1013
Q1014
Q1015 - $16,000 (a real bargain)

Q88880 - $50,000

4 other lots were passed in after failing to reach the reserve price.

Till next year!

Media Release: Gold Coast White Shoe brigade welcome in Ipswich

The white shoes and gold chains of Gold Coast property developers would be welcome in Ipswich with open arms, according to Queensland's longest-serving city councillor.

Gold Coast developers are reported today (Courier-Mail page 11) planning to abandon the Glitter Strip in favour of Ipswich because Gold Coast Council infrastructure charges have doubled, making projects unviable.
Veteran Gold Coast developer Norm Rix described councils such as Ipswich and Logan "welcoming".

Ipswich Planning and Development spokesman Paul Tully said the white shoes and gold chains of the "Gold Coast chardonnay set" would be welcome in Queensland's most-famous blue collar city.

"We already have major developers such as Lang Walker, Maha Sinnathamby and Bob Ell investing in the city.

"Ipswich's land prices and infrastructure charges are quite modest compared with the Gold Coast which seems to be chasing developers away.

"If duty calls and it means donning white shoes and gold chains to attract developers from the Gold Coast to Ipswich, then I am prepared to accept my sartorial responsibility to get these developers to our city," Cr Tully said.

March 21, 2010

Warning on latest email scam to hit Australia

This is the latest email scam to hit Australia overnight:


National Lottery, UK
pg_ap_gmbd@bsnl.co.in

Your email id has won £1,532.720.00GBP in the UK Electronics Award


The Commonwealth Government has forced Internet Service Providers (ISP's) to block porn sites coming into Australia.

ISP's should be forced to stop these fraudulent emails over million of dollars to unsuspecting internet users.

And the sooner the better.