Australians have been warned against dealing with online retailer Lux International Sales ApS, a Danish company that trades under the name LuxStyle.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said today it had received 127 complaints about the company since January and had, therefore, issued a Public Warning Notice.
LuxStyle advertised its products on social media, sending potential customers to a website that gave no indication of prices unless a mailing address and an email address were provided.
But those who visited the website had complained of being mailed goods, even though they had not placed an order, followed by one invoice after another demanding payment.
{loadposition sam08}In some cases, Australian debt collectors were given the task of collecting the payment.
ACCC deputy chair Delia Rickard said it was concerned that consumers were reporting that, in response to demands from LuxStyle, they had paid for goods that they did not order and did not want.
"The Australian Consumer Law provides specific protection to Australian consumers. If a business sends unsolicited goods to an Australian consumer, the consumer is not required to pay for the goods, nor is the consumer required to pay to return the goods," she said.
“Consumers who have received goods from LuxStyle, or have been contacted by a debt collector about goods from LuxStyle, should lodge a report via the ACCC’s website at accc.gov.au."
The ACCC said the Danish Consumer Ombudsman was conducting its own investigation into LuxStyle’s conduct, and had published information about reports from European consumers as well as those in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.