Noel Leeming charged by ComCom over misleading consumers

The Commerce Commission has laid nine charges against Noel Leeming. Photo / Doug Sherring

The Commerce Commission has filed charges against Noel Leeming for allegedly misrepresenting consumers' rights.

Nine charges were laid against the retailer under the Consumer Guarantees Act.

"We're disappointed by the Commission's enforcement decision which came without the opportunity to investigate or discuss the complaints," a spokesperson for Noel Leeming said.

"We take our compliance responsibilities seriously and we want to do the right thing by our customers.

"As the matter is before the Court, we won't be making further comments."

The charges follow an investigation into customer complaints which relate to; the right to seek remedies for faulty goods from Noel Leeming and not the manufacturer, the right to a refund for faulty products and the right to a replacement for a faulty product.

Each of the nine charges relates to a different complainant at eight Noel Leeming stores between September 2015 and January 2017.

The complainants purchased or considered purchasing consumer goods such as mobile phones, laptops and household appliances when the breaches occurred.

Noel Leeming supplies consumer electronics from 77 stores nationwide and via online sales. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Warehouse Group Limited.

The Commission said since 2007 it had issued warnings or compliance advice letters to Noel Leeming on three occasions.

The case would be heard in the Auckland District Court on May 29 and the Commission said it could not comment further until then.