Profiteering

[jjjnettie]

The local pubs and motels in Kilcoy have increased their room rates. Getting as much money as they can while they can.
Disgusting.

[TrevorW]

This is not on, and defintely un Australian, especially when a natural disaster has occurred and I think you'll find it may also be illegal, I'd complain to the Mayor

[jjjnettie]

Oh, it was the talk of the evacuation centre.
There'll be consequences.

[erick]

What level of increase, Jeanette?

[jjjnettie]

From $120 to $150
Doesn't sound much, but not everyone is made of money.
And what happens when they run out of money??
We don't know how long we'll be isolated here.
Do they just toss em out on the street when they max out their credit card?

[Esseth]

Not cool, similar to Event Cinemas - Chermside's Facebook status update advising people "sick of the floods getting you down, come and enjoy a movie".. they also took it down after a number of people gave the bad call response.

[DavidTrap]

Make sure the local member knows. There may be legal action that the government can take (if there isn't, there should be!)

DT

[Rodstar]

The old nugget of supply and demand doesn't always work, eh!?

I agree Jeanette, that is appalling.

[hotspur]

That's very low and un-Australian,hope they ate forced to donate the extra they have already charged to flood appeal.

Chris

[Jeffkop]

Well if this piece of news doesnt quantify and make tangible just how far we have departed from Australianism ... nothing does.
That is appaulling and probably up there amongst the worst Ive heard off.
Honestly ... those involved should be run out of town.
I would never give one of those publicans another cent of my custom and Id'e openly bag them every chance I got.

[koputai]

It happens every day in Canberra. I've been spending about 50% of the last 18 months in hotels in Canberra, and rooms that are around $160 per night can go up to over $900 per night depending on how busy the town is. Every hotel in town is party to it.

Cheers,
Jason.

[Davros]

Weve got $2 sandbags now selling for $12 at the local landscaping shops. Seem they like to have a bit of a gouge as well.

[h0ughy]

not leaping to their defence most pubs now are owned by shelf companies or consortiums who may own multiple pubs and licenses in several towns - "the owner" may have instructed the manager/publican to raise the price....but that is not on. bad form

[DavidU]

VERY un-Australian:mad2:

[DavidTrap]

Was just looking at a photo album in another thread and saw an example of profiteering at Astrofest - hot water bottles $12 during daytime and $24 at night!!!!!

DT

[jjjnettie]

I know that to be a fact with one of the pubs.

[AstroJunk]

http://www.fairtrading.qld.gov.au/complaint-general.htm

[AdrianF]

I only paid $85 for a night at a motel in Kilcoy, the one with the with the cows on the roof, a couple of weeks ago. You know the one JJJ?


Adrian

[OICURMT]

I'd suggest you rephrase this post.... :lol:

[Ric]

A low act indeed, these type of people have you by the short and curlys and they know it.

I would be boycotting them in the future.

[h0ughy]

LOL i argued that it was almost daylight when i got mine ;)

[casstony]

I dare say it would take very little public protest to get those rates back to normal. A few locals with placards and a TV camera crew?

[asimov]

Yeah, thats bloody terrible. I have no doubt there are others pulling the same stunt elsewhere in the country. Karma will get them..

[astronut]

These type of disasters bring out the BEST & WORST in humanity.
Thank goodness that the worst is in a minority.
Thank God for all the volunteers!!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:: thumbsup::thumbsup:

[jjjnettie]

I certainly do know that motel. I have their old phone number and am constantly getting calls from people looking for accomodation. I've often thought of starting a B&B using their client base.
But wouldn't because THAT would be unethical.

[GeoffW1]

Hi,

I feel it is a form of looting really.

(Not so much as usual) cheers

[GeoffW1]

:lol: Know the feeling. We had the old number of a hairdressers', and were one digit different to a doctor's surgery.

After getting calls for both for a while, I complained politely, and was abruptly told to change our number.

So I started taking bookings.

"Perm and colour at 10am? That'll be fine madam."

"Yes, Doctor can fit you all in. Come at lunchtime."

The calls stopped !!

Cheers

[thunderchildobs]

There have been reports of some looters being caught by police in Ipswich. The mayor has suggested tying them to a pole and using them as flood indicators.

Brendan

[h0ughy]

I am not exactly sure where you are in ipswitch , is the observatory dry?

[renormalised]

Easy way to stop this profiteering...enact a law...$250000 fine, have your business published in the papers and on radio/TV as being a bunch of thieves and/or 6-12 months in the slammer for your troubles.

Or worse still....same fines and jail time, plus also banned from owning and/or running a business for a period of 20 years.

[AdrianF]

One phone number I was given when I moved to rockhampton was a bit suss. 2-3 o'clock in the morning would have calls looking for Debbie, Susan, Denise etc etc and the caller would get very upset and ask if I had their new number.

Adrian

[AndrewJ]

Gotta say i find this thread interesting when read in parallel to the currently running "GST on internet purchases" thread.
When its a buyers market, its OK to go for the lowest price and screw the sellers.
When its a sellers market, its not OK for the seller to go for the best profit and screw the buyers???
Before anyone gets all narky, i disagree with profiteering in a case like this, but i also see the other side of the argument.
I guess thats what blind devotion to capitalism does for us.

Andrew

[erick]

I wonder whether the costs of providing accommodation have increased? I cannot see where, but maybe?

I paid $15 more for the exact same motel room and identical service on my way north compared to my way south, some 10 days apart. (On the way up it was Christmas Day).

[casstony]

I'm not sure the analogy is accurate Andrew due to the disaster accompanying these price rises - there are occasions when a sense of community should prevail.

However I think the hotel owners are within their rights to charge whatever they like - just as the people are within their rights to run a picket line out front of the establishment and to deny the hotel any local patronage after the disaster is over.

Our tax payer dollars will be funding a lot of accommadation for homeless people for months to come - I hope our govt's are a little choosy and avoid being gouged by ruthless business operators.

[joe_smith]

I agree John !!!
and as usual we can all learn a lesson from nature (http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8195243/frog-hitches-ride-with-snake-to-flee-floods) on how to help each other in times of need

[astroron]

It's been happening for a long time , I was in Darwin in 1977 when the Air Traffic Controllers strike was on , and had to leave my Hotel room as the owners wanted to put the price up as the city was filling up and they could charge more or less as much as they liked for the room:mad2:
Finished up sleeping on the beach:help:
Cheers

[thunderchildobs]

h0ughy

The observatory is completely safe from the floods. Just a little bit of run off from the garden got under the walls.

Brendan

[AndrewJ]

Gday Tony



Dunno there.
Its just basic supply and demand.
Local Disaster gives local bricks and mortar enterprises the edge,
high dollar gives overseas low cost internet sellers the edge.

I guess my post was more to highlight some of the vitriol posted on the other thread against local bricks n mortar people trying to earn a "first world" wage ( read large markups relative to overseas suppliers ) retailing "goods".
Now, when people need "local" bricks n mortar and it costs more because of the conditions, more vitriol flows.

I just reckon Community flows both ways .

Maybe those needing accomodation should buy it on the net?????
( wonder how much the postage is for a hotel :shrug:)

Andrew

[GeoffW1]

:) You can of course, and do much better, ordinarily.

See what you are saying though.

However it will be hard to defend raising prices at a time when locals have been flooded out.

Cheers

[casstony]

You might feel differently if you had been part of a large disaster experience Andrew - imagine the people in your community in fear of their lives, friends recounting how they soaked a blanket in the toilet in order to run through the flames engulfing their house (and losing track of loved ones in the smoke), burned or drowned pets and livestock (or children), whole communities in shock, etc.

The local businesses know how desperate and vulnerable affected people are and should restrain their pursuit of profit. Many in the community do put the $ in second place at times like this.

[koputai]

And you think the local builders, tradies, suppliers etc aren't going to jack their prices up to blazes when the insurance companies are paying for the rebuilding? Of course they are. I guess it's the same thing.

Cheers,
Jason.

[jjjnettie]

I understand when they go for as much profit as you can when there is an event in town. eg the Formula 1 on the Gold Coast or it's the high season.
Go for it I say, grab the dollars while you can.
But not now. This isn't the time for it.

[casstony]

I don't think that's a good analogy; an insurance company and a person in shock (who's lost everything) have vastly differring abilities to care for their own interests.

The laws of supply and demand are part of everyday life, but disastrous fires or floods are far from everyday and I expect S.E. QLD communities will rally together and help each other through these tough times.

[jjjnettie]

That's right Tony.
In the evac centre yesterday, locals were doing their best to keep moral as high as possible. The guitars were out .....kids sitting in a circle on the stage, singing. Someone was pumping up an air bed with a foot pump, and another guitarist came up and was playing music in time to his foot beat. LOLOL
A local lad was walking around with a box of chuppa chups handing them out. Someone was making balloon animals for the little little kids.
The spirit of the place gave me goose bumps.

[casstony]

Sounds nice jjj. The Victorian bushfires brought out the best and the worst in people, but mostly the best, and I guess it'll be the same in QLD.

[ballaratdragons]

Yes, the looters were aged 19, 20 and . . . . 67!!!!!! :mad2:

I think it is still legal to shoot looters! ;)

[jjjnettie]

I heard this morning that one Motel, is charging $250 a night. Usual rate is $85.

[ballaratdragons]

That Sucks!!!!

I hope no-one stays there and the motel makes no money.

It may be legal for them to charge however much they like, but there are principles and morals too, which they seem to have none! :mad2:

[Shano592]

$250 / night! The crapper had better be gold-plated for that price!

The other (first) increase may be resource related, eg staffing issues in a crisis situation.

Anyway, bad press after the event can more than shatter any profit made.

[iceman]

No doubt when the government gives money (like they are to affected people), others try and cash in on it by charging more than usual!

[AdrianF]

Well I wont stay at that Motel again. I have to be up that way in a couple of weeks I will bring the tent and blow up mattress instead and stay on my building block instead.

Adrian

[TrevorW]

JJ did you contact the K Motel,



to be fair I did, hearsay can be a bad thing and a lady there quoted me $90 for a studio room single bed

also the Shire can't do anything unless someone has in fact been charged and can produce evidence

[jjjnettie]

Adrian, plenty of room to set up in my dining room. Just pm me.

[Terry B]

On a more positive note, I was going to go to Yamba tomorrow for the weekend with my family. We had prepaid our accommodation months ago for a resort in Yamba. Yamba is currently cut off by flood water although the town is unaffected. The resort has contacted us and given us a voucher for the accommodation valid for the next 12 months as we and any other guest cant get there.
They could just say it was tough and keep the money but haven't done so. This is good service rather than the gouging that has been described in this thread. :thumbsup:

[GeoffW1]

Look out he does not hammer in tent pegs ;)

[erick]

Many roads are cut in Western Victoria. Interview with a motel owner in Halls Gap. He said he expects many cancellations this weekend. When asked about refunding, he said yes, that's the way it goes and he wishes them well and expresses the hope that they come, when they can, in future.

[jjjnettie]

I shall say no more on the subject then.
It didn't happen to me personally.
I passed on the information to those who voiced their complaints. It's up to them now to take it further.
I'll remove the name of the motel from my posts.

[TrevorW]

Cheers JJ just thought I'd check to keep them honest so to speak

[jjjnettie]

Good O Trevor , thanks.

[AdrianF]

The tent pegs are 18" long railway spikes.

Adrian

[DavidTrap]

Queensland Police Facebook page suggest you contact the Office of Fair Trading if you think profiteering is occuring.

DT