r/AusLegal

I am an ex gambling addict and have struggled with being shown gambling adverts constantly. I report them each time but it doesn't reduce the amount of advertising. I have spoken to customer support 3 times and they've told me each time to keep reporting them.

I then spoke on the phone to customer support and they admitted the adverts are random and reporting them does nothing. I feel uncomfortable paying more money just to not be shown them and from what I understand the ACMA legally requires companies to allow customers to opt-out of gambling advertising.

Does anyone know if they are actually legally obligated to protect their customers in this way or if they're so big they get away with it?

I'm so fed up and frustrated

My son (15 yo) recently started his first job working part time casual at a small takeaway place.

It's a small business that serves pre-cooked food, the ones where you select a few stew/casserole dishes from heated trays. As the food is pre-prepared the owner usually comes in in the mornings, cooks the food and then disappears until its time to close up in the evening.

This leaves my son by himself for about 80% of the day. The shop is never super busy so my son has no issues handling serving and receiving money himself.

My question is pertaining to breaks. As there is no lunchtime cover, my son generally eats or goes on bathroom breaks when there are no customers around. He can't go far and generally goes to the back for a few mouthfuls until the next customer comes in.

Surprisingly, the boss still deducts 60 mins from his timesheet per shift as a 'lunch break'.

I questioned the owner on this and his response was that my son is actually lucky because he is 'on break' whenever there are no customers around and the total of his 'breaks' ads up to way more than an hour.

That doesn't sound right, I always figured a break has to be continuous and my son technically is still working because he is required to come back anytime a customer walks in.

It's my son's first job so he is inclined to leave it but I just wanted to check if anyone else has any experience and or suggestions?

Earlier this year, I hired a couch cleaning company to clean my custom-made couch. The company subcontracted the job to an independent contractor.

Unfortunately, the cleaning completely ruined the couch. The fabric across the entire couch has been damaged and changed colour to an orange/white shade. It isn't a small stain or isolated patch - the whole couch is affected.

When I complained, the cleaning company directed me to deal with the contractor. The contractor attempted to fix the damage, but the repairs were unsuccessful. He then provided his insurance details and told me to make a claim. When I contacted the insurer, they advised that he needed to lodge the claim himself. Later, he informed me that he was not actually covered at the time of the incident.

The couch was custom-made to order, is only about two years old, and the original model is no longer manufactured.

The contractor has now said he will have to pay for the damage himself and has offered to pay in $500 instalments. However, I don't want a payment arrangement that drags on indefinitely. I want to be compensated for the full loss of the couch.

My questions are:

1. Can I pursue the cleaning company as well as the contractor, given that my original booking was with the cleaning company?

2. Is it reasonable to reject the contractor's offer of $500 instalments and instead seek the full value of the loss?

3. Since the couch was custom-made and the model has been discontinued, how is compensation usually assessed in a situation like this?

I still have the original purchase invoice, photos of the damage, and written communications regarding the repair attempts and insurance issues.

Any advice would be appreciated.