Educational Software company allegedly picks on pensioner

The Consumer Action Law Centre has taken legal action against A.I.M PTY LTD (now National Dealer Network PTY LTD) on behalf of a pensioner alleging high pressure in purchasing maths and English software.

The Consumer Action Law Centre is a litigation and policy organisation and was formed through the merger of the Consumer Law Centre Victoria and the Consumer Credit Legal Service.

According to Jillian Williams, consumer action solicitor, Consumer Action has received numerous complaints about the selling tactics of A.I.M and other educational software providers.

Consumers complain about hard-sell tactics in their homes and signing parents up for loan contracts of several thousand dollars to pay for their software.

“We alleged that in this particular case, the salesperson came to our client’s (Assam Shihata) home and did not explain to him that he was entering into a loan contract for almost $6000 with Lombard finance to pay for the software,” said Williams.

“Mr Shihata is a disability pensioner with limited English skills and his wife relies on a carer’s pension. We are arguing that the company should have known he would not be able to pay the loan without financial hardship.”

Williams alleges A.I.M breached the law by not providing notice about her client’s cooling-off rights, which apply to sales made at home.