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Before you apply - Goods and services disputes
Consumer disputes and small claims about products and services you bought or sold.
Register for myVCAT to manage your goods and services case online 24/7
With a myVCAT account, you can submit or respond to an application online. It's free to use for all applicants and respondents who are parties to a goods and services application lodged on or after 6 December 2023.
Find out if you're in the right place
What we can help with
- Faulty or poor quality products or services
- Repairs, refunds, returns or exchanges
- Breach of contract
- Haven't been paid for a service
- Unpaid money
- Unfair contracts
- Loans, franchises and leasing agreements
- Uncollected vehicles or goods
- Product sold with a debt or money owing
- Not as advertised
- Not fit for purpose
- Misleading or deceptive conduct
- Cancel the sale of a car I bought for less than $40,000
- Other breaches of Australian Consumer Law
What’s 'Uncollected vehicles or goods'?
These are things that someone temporarily left with a business but did not claim or collect. They did not tell the business what to do with the goods or could not be contacted.
For example:
- uncollected dry-cleaning
- a car left at a mechanic.
What's 'Sold with a debt or money owing'?
When you buy something by auction or private sale, it must not have been used to guarantee a debt or have any money owing on it. If it does, it's 'sold with undisclosed securities'. When you buy a product it should be clear of any previous debts or ties.
What's 'Not as advertised'?
This means that a business must not make false or misleading claims about their product or service in their advertising.
Most often this can be seen in:
- key details only being explained in the fine print and disclaimers
- pricing mistakes
- products that don't match their description
- not giving appropriate information to the consumer about the product or service.
What’s 'Not fit for purpose'?
Something that is not fit for purpose is not good enough to do the job you said it was for – and what the seller agreed to – at the time of buying.
What’s ‘Misleading or deceptive conduct’?
Misleading and deceptive conduct covers any actions or statements made by a business that create an overall misleading impression.
This can be about the price, value or quality of consumer products or services and can appear in:
- advertisements
- promotions
- quotes
- statements
- any other representations
What's Cancel the sale of a car I bought for less than $40,000?
You can only choose this option if:
- you are applying within 3 months of the purchase date
- the outcome you want is to cancel/revoke the sale of the car
- the purchase price of the car is under $40,000.
This is under the Motor Car Traders Act 1986.
What we can't help with
- Some cases where one party lives in another state or is a Commonwealth government organisation
- Cases heard under federal law instead of Victorian law
- Disputes between neighbours about fences
- Car accidents
- Disputes already decided by a court or tribunal
- Companies that are deregistered or in liquidation
- Disputes with no connection to Victoria
- Some international travel disputes, such as loss of luggage
Can't see what you're looking for?
- Disputes about a lawyer’s services or costs - see legal practice disputes.
Get help and advice before you apply
We can help you understand how to apply. We can’t give you legal advice or tell you what to write in your application. These organisations may be able to help you.
Application time limits
Generally you must apply within six years of the dispute. If the dispute was more than six years ago, you may still apply but the other party may successfully argue that we should dismiss the case.
If your claim is to revoke the sale of a car bought for less than $40,000, you must make the claim within 3 months of the purchase date.
Estimated time to VCAT
Different timeframes apply depending on the type of mediation or hearing your case needs. In general, expect to wait 52 weeks from the time you apply to the date of your mediation or hearing.
About 16 weeks after we accept an application in the Civil Claims List, we send a VCAT order that sets a timetable for when you need to send us supporting documents about your case. It takes about 9-12 weeks for all the steps to be completed. This helps parties prepare for their case and ensure everyone is ready before we schedule a hearing. At the end of the timetable, we will decide whether your case will be scheduled for a hearing, mediation, or fast-track mediation and hearing.
Directions hearings
A directions hearing is a hearing where a VCAT member decides how a case should be managed and how much time it will take.
At the directions hearing, the VCAT member may:
- clarify and explore ways to resolve any issues that are raised
- decide whether the case should go to mediation, compulsory conference or hearing
- set dates for parties to send documents to VCAT and to each other
- order physical evidence to be inspected by an expert witness – for example, requiring a car to be inspected by a mechanic
- make a final order to confirm an agreement between the parties or decide any legal issues raised.
Application fee
Find out about eligibility for standard, corporate or Health Care Card fees.
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Claim or payment amount Standard fee Up to and including $3,000 $72.00 $3,001 - $15,000 $240.00 $15,001 - $100,000 $537.30 $100,001 - $500,000 $880.20 $500,001 - $1,000,000 $1200.30 $1,000,001 - $5,000,000 $1520.30 $5,000,001 and over $1840.40 Claims with no dollar value Standard fee Claims when you don’t ask for money (eg repairs) $537.30 Claims with no specific dollar value Standard fee Claims when you want money but don’t say how much $537.30 Specific dispute types Standard fee Disputes about retirement village management contracts $537.30 Cancel the sale of a car you bought for $40,000 or less $72.00 Neighbourhood disputes that affect company title corporations and service companies for building subdivisions $537.30 Contractor and hirer disputes about the transport of goods in a vehicle or motorised harvesting of forest products $537.30 Injunctions (an order for a party to do or stop doing something immediately) Standard fee You must pay this fee plus your application fee $240.00 -
Claim or payment amount Corporate fee Up to and including $3,000 $102.90 $3,001 - $15,000 $342.90 $15,001 - $100,000 $767.50 $100,001 - $500,000 $1257.40 $500,001 - $1,000,000 $1714.70 $1,000,001 - $5,000,000 $2171.90 $5,000,001 and over $2629.10 Claims with no dollar value Corporate fee Claims when you don’t ask for money (eg repairs) $767.50 Claims with no specific dollar value Corporate fee Claims when you want money but don’t say how much $767.50 Specific dispute types Corporate fee Disputes about retirement village management contracts $767.50 Cancel the sale of a car you bought for $40,000 or less $102.90 Neighbourhood disputes that affect company title corporations and service companies for building subdivisions $767.50 Contractor and hirer disputes about the transport of goods in a vehicle or motorised harvesting of forest products $767.50 Injunctions (an order for a party to do or stop doing something immediately) Corporate fee You must pay this fee plus your application fee $342.90 -
Claim or payment amount Health care card fee Up to and including $3,000 No fee $3,001 - $15,000 No fee $15,001 - $100,000 $179.60 $100,001 - $500,000 $179.60 $500,001 - $1,000,000 $179.60 $1,000,001 - $5,000,000 $179.60 $5,000,001 and over $179.60 Claims with no dollar value Health care card fee Claims when you don’t ask for money (eg repairs) $179.60 Claims with no specific dollar value Health care card fee Claims when you want money but don’t say how much $179.60 Specific dispute types Health care card fee Disputes about retirement village management contracts $179.60 if the claim is over $15000. No fee for other claims. Cancel the sale of a car you bought for $40,000 or less $36.00 if the claim is over $15000. No fee for other claims. Neighbourhood disputes that affect company title corporations and service companies for building subdivisions $179.60 if the claim is over $15000. No fee for other claims. Contractor and hirer disputes about the transport of goods in a vehicle or motorised harvesting of forest products $179.60 if the claim is over $15000. No fee for other claims. Injunctions (an order for a party to do or stop doing something immediately) Health care card fee You must pay this fee plus your application fee $120.00 if the claim is over $15000 non-monetary or for an unspecified amount. No fee for other claims.
Daily hearing fees and other additional costs may also apply. See fees or apply for fee relief.
You need to pay when you submit your application. We accept VISA or Mastercard only online.
Civil case examples
Case 1: Product not fit for purpose
You went to buy a car stereo. The salesperson told you what model would fit your car so you bought it. But when you went to install it, the stereo doesn’t fit. The store won’t let you return the stereo for a suitable model. You apply to VCAT to make an order for the store to refund your money.
Case 2: Service not paid for
You’ve installed an air conditioner for a customer. Your customer paid a deposit when they booked the service, and the rest of the money was due on the day of installation. On the day they didn’t pay the rest and you’ve called them, sent emails and sent the invoice to the address but they haven’t paid. You can apply to VCAT for an order for them to pay.
Case 3: Poor quality product and service
A car mechanic buys parts and installs them in your car as part of a service. Within a week, your car makes the same noises it made before you had the service done. The mechanic insists the car is fine. You get another mechanic to look at your car, and they tell you the newly-installed part is faulty and that one of the bolts had not been tightened properly. You apply to VCAT to make an order for the original mechanic to compensate you for the extra costs you had to pay to have your car working properly.