# VCAT Consumer Dispute Lawyers in Melbourne Source: https://mklawgroup.com.au/vcat-lawyers/vcat-consumer-disputes/ Last updated: 2026-08-10 A car that keeps breaking down, a trade job done badly, a refund the store keeps refusing. The Civil Claims List exists for exactly this sort of thing, and the consumer guarantees are a good deal stronger than most traders let on. One free call and we will tell you whether your claim is worth running. ## When the trader stops answering, this is the next room You bought it, it failed, and the store has moved from excuses to silence. The Civil Claims List at VCAT is where Victorian consumers force the issue. It hears disputes between consumers and traders over goods and services under the Australian Consumer Law, from a $900 fridge to a $90,000 car, and traders who have ignored six of your emails tend to rediscover their manners when a tribunal application lands. You do not have to guess whether your claim is worth running. Call [1800 130 120](tel:1800130120), tell us what you paid and what went wrong, and we will tell you on that free call what the guarantees give you and whether VCAT is the right move. ## The guarantees the seller hoped you would not read Under the Australian Consumer Law, almost everything sold to you comes with automatic guarantees: goods must be of acceptable quality, fit for purpose and true to their description; services must be done with due care and skill in a reasonable time. They apply where the price was $100,000 or less, or where the goods are the ordinary household kind at any price. No contract term, store policy or "no refunds" sign can remove them. What each guarantee actually promises, and when a trader has broken one, is unpacked under [consumer guarantees](https://mklawgroup.com.au/consumer-law-lawyers/consumer-guarantees/). Which remedy you get depends on how badly things failed. A major failure, the kind that would have stopped you buying had you known, puts the choice in your hands: a refund or a replacement, plus consequential losses such as the hire car you needed while the new one sat at the mechanic. Where the failure is minor, the trader gets a chance to repair it first. Traders routinely get this backwards and offer a repair where you are entitled to your money. Our [consumer law](https://mklawgroup.com.au/consumer-law-lawyers/) team applies the guarantees to your facts on the first call and tells you which remedy you are entitled to insist on. ## How a Civil Claims List matter actually runs You apply online, pay a filing fee scaled to your claim and your circumstances, and most matters are listed within months, with many resolving in three to six. Speed varies sharply between lists and this is not the quickest one: renters and rental providers in [VCAT tenancy disputes](https://mklawgroup.com.au/vcat-lawyers/vcat-tenancy-disputes/) are often in front of a member within weeks. Claims under $15,000 run as small claims: informal, quick, and usually without lawyers appearing, because VCAT rarely grants leave at that level. Bigger claims look more like litigation, with directions and sometimes expert evidence, and representation is granted more readily. Costs shape everything at this level. Each side normally wears its own, win or lose, so a $4,000 claim has to be kept lean or the exercise stops being worth it. The other thing worth knowing is that the member decides on the documents in front of them, so most of the case is won or lost before the hearing even starts. ### A letter of demand settles more disputes than any hearing Most traders fold well before VCAT, usually at the point a one-page letter lands citing the exact guarantee they breached, the remedy the law gives you, and the date a tribunal application will be filed. We draft those letters, and for claims too small to justify a lawyer at the hearing we put together your evidence bundle and submissions so you walk in organised. It is usually the difference between a member who follows your case easily and one who starts asking questions you cannot answer. Running against a trader who has lawyered up, or defending a claim against your own business? Representation rules, evidence and costs all shift. See our [VCAT lawyers](https://mklawgroup.com.au/vcat-lawyers/) page for how the tribunal works across every list, or start with [what is VCAT](https://mklawgroup.com.au/vcat-lawyers/what-is-vcat/) if this is your first time near it. Businesses on the defending side should read their own standard form before the hearing, since a clause knocked out as one of the [unfair contract terms](https://mklawgroup.com.au/consumer-law-lawyers/unfair-contract-terms/) cannot then be relied on to answer the claim. **Sitting on a faulty purchase and a trader who thinks you will give up?** Most people do give up, and traders bank on it. One free call tells you what the consumer guarantees fix, what your claim is worth, and the cheapest way to get it. Call 1800 130 120. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does VCAT's Civil Claims List cover? Consumer and trader disputes under the Australian Consumer Law: faulty goods, services done badly or not at all, refund refusals, deposit disputes, and problems with tradespeople below the domestic building threshold. There is no monetary cap on the list's jurisdiction, although claims under $15,000 are treated as small claims and run more informally. Motor vehicle purchases from dealers are one of the most common claims we see here. ### Can I have a lawyer at the Civil Claims List? For small claims under $15,000 VCAT generally will not give leave for a lawyer to appear, because the list is designed for parties to run themselves. You are entitled to representation where the other side is a lawyer or brings one, and leave is more readily granted in larger or legally complex claims. Even where you appear alone, we can prepare your evidence and submissions behind the scenes, which is often the best value at this level. ### What am I entitled to when goods are faulty? The consumer guarantees say goods must be of acceptable quality, fit for purpose and match their description, and a seller cannot contract out of them. For a major failure you choose the remedy: a refund or a replacement, plus compensation for consequential loss. For a minor failure the trader can choose to repair. The words 'no refunds' on a receipt have no legal effect against these rights, and an expired manufacturer warranty does not end them. ### Do I have to go through Consumer Affairs Victoria first? No, it is not compulsory. CAV runs free conciliation for many disputes and it is often worth a try, because it costs nothing and a trader who ignores you will sometimes engage once a regulator is copied in. In our experience a precise letter of demand citing the exact guarantee breached resolves a large share of disputes before anyone files. We draft those, and the free first call tells you whether one will do it. ### How much does a VCAT consumer claim cost, and how long does it take? Application fees scale with the size of your claim and with who you are: individuals and small businesses pay a heavily discounted rate, and concession card holders pay a small fraction of the full fee. Civil Claims matters often resolve within three to six months. Each side normally bears its own legal costs at VCAT, win or lose, which is why we size the legal work to the claim on the free first call, before you spend a dollar. ### I won at VCAT but the trader still will not pay. Now what? A VCAT money order does not enforce itself. You file it in the Magistrates Court, or a higher court for large amounts, and enforce it like a judgment debt, including through warrants directed at the trader's assets. If the trader is a company in real financial trouble, other options such as a statutory demand may bite harder. Call us before you spend more chasing a defendant who cannot pay. ## Contact MK Law Group - Phone: 1800 130 120 (24/7) - Email: marcus@mklawfirm.com.au - Office: 2/212 Barkly Street, St Kilda VIC 3182 - Enquiry form: https://mklawgroup.com.au/contact/ - The first call is free.