Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2023 - Tonight ` shut out. - He said, 'If you not get off now, I will call police and I will get you removed.' - I've been told to leave cafes... I've been told to leave shops... - Why are some people being denied their basic rights? - Plus, charged for a service they didn't want, and didn't know they'd signed up for. - I was upset because, like, it's $149; it's a lot of money. - And washed out ` what can you expect from supermarket hair dye? - As soon as she had a bath, turned the bath green ` much to her brother's disgust. - Tena koutou katoa, welcome to the show. Fair Go ` we are here to fight for your consumer rights... And this week, well, it's consumer's human rights. - Imagine wanting to shop, eat out or catch public transport and being told you can't. Gill has the story - GILL: Spend, spend, spend ` everywhere, places that are happy to take your money. Unless you're someone like Linda. - I've been told to leave cafes. I've been told to leave shops. I've even been denied access to public hot pools. - The problem's not her, it's the company she keeps. - This is Maisie, my hearing dog. - OK, so not a pet dog. - She's definitely not a pet dog. She's a working dog. My rights are to be able to take a service dog to any premises ` cafes, shops... - So when was the last time you were here? 'We're at the spa that said Linda wasn't welcome.' Beautiful place. 'Where she's provoked a change of heart.' - So now we're, you know, welcoming people with disabilities. - Before we get to how, a little more about Linda. She has a genetic disorder, a gradual hearing loss. So early on she learnt to speak clearly and can lip read, but... - If I haven't got my hearing devices in I pretty much don't hear anything. - Maisie's ears, they're good? - Maisie's... what? - Maisie's ears, they're good? - Oh... Yeah. Yeah. She's` Yeah, her ears are fine. She's got them pricked up now. It's helpful having Maisie to alert me to... people knocking at the door, ringing the doorbell, fire alarms. - Maisie is an accredited service dog. Her main job is safety in the home, but she also gives extra confidence out and about. - They're trained to be with you 24/7; you're their person. - So what happened when she first tried to bring Maisie here? As always, she'd asked to bring her service dog prior to arriving. - Email was my preferred way of communicating, um, because of my hearing loss. - The answer... - No, you can't come. That's it ` end of story. And regardless, for me having explained a little bit about our situation. - But Linda can be like a dog with a bone. She kept outlining her rights, and credit to the spa ` it's now on board. So did it help that Linda kind of explained her rights and the situation? - We didn't have many people with service dogs and that before. If we didn't allow it, then it'll be sort of illegal. - So that's not good. - No. - At another hot pool, it was a flat refusal and she was challenged about her disability. - That was one of the most upsetting times for me. Because you can't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. - But it's not just a spa thing. In just a year with Maisie, she's had problems at cafes, bars and with a supermarket security guard. - He was actually screaming at me, telling me to 'get out! Get out!' - Let's be clear ` most places are great. So some people might say it's not happening that often. - Yeah, so what's the big deal? - Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Well, it is a big deal. It happens often enough for it to impact on me personally. - And there's no need ` Service Dogs are intensively trained from a very young age, right up till they're two years old. - Our dogs are taught to ignore distractions and they're calm. They won't jump up at people. - So I guess in restaurants, accommodation, they'll worry about barking, biting... - Oh, no, no, no. Our dogs have to be great with children. - Here at Assistance Dogs NZ, they train for everything, from picking up keys, to picking up on cues. - So they're toileted on a command, and toileted and only when the client wants them to toilet. - And in your view, with these dogs, is it necessary for them to wear muzzles on public transport? - Our dogs are trained and given a lot of opportunity to learn the appropriate behaviour to be on public transport. - So that's good for Yuchen Zheng. With social anxiety and a life-threatening condition, she relies on her service dog Echo when she gets on board. She knew he didn't need a muzzle, but this Auckland bus driver didn't. - He said, like, 'If you not get off now, I will call the police.' - She started filming after hearing him tell police there was a big scary dog. - I don't really understand why he thinks he can say that, but yeah. - Yuchen had a lot to be upset about. But Echo helped to keep her calm... - Good boy. ...even when the police agreed with the driver. - So who was right? We went to Auckland Transport. - For service dogs, they've always been allowed onboard public transport. They've never had to wear muzzles. - Yet their own driver didn't know, nor did the police or the public. - People... they don't really know about service dogs and they're, like, not supporting me. I was really sad about that. - Auckland Transport blames the confusion on a recent new policy, allowing pet dogs on buses, but only if they're muzzled. - We only trialled it this year, because we're sort of making that more permanent in terms of, we'll be updating our website, and we'll be updating those communications to all the bus depots. - And update done ` it's now in black and white on the website for all to see. Still... So understanding the rules is really important. - Absolutely. - But also attitude. Has that been addressed? - Absolutely. My understanding is, yes, that has been done. Their operator has had conversations. She shouldn't have had that experience. And so, you know, we're very sorry to hear about that. - People need to realise how important these dogs are; Echo could literally save Yuchen's life. - I have kind of like low blood sugar ` a sudden thing that my blood sugar could drop into like a dangerous level, and I could, like, just lose conscious. I think he detects a smell, my sweat or like, the smell from my mouth. He can, like, alert me. - Wow. That's crazy, they're so clever. - Yeah, dogs can do everything, - Except maybe stop discrimination. Yuchen had another problem when viewing these Waterview campus student flats. She says the manager told her... - 'No dogs means no dog'. Complains about there would be` Like, there'll be, like, dog poop. Then she asked about my disability. She said, like, 'my kind of people' is just not good with their like accommodation. - The manager told us she questioned this account, but Yuchen says she was so affected, she sought mediation through the Human Rights Commission, but there was a lack of engagement from the manager. Now when we made contact, the manager denied saying no service dogs, but finally offered an apology... Kind of. - If there has been a misunderstanding, we are sorry. Our student accommodation comprises shared living spaces and we have to balance the interests of potential new residents with existing residents. Only one apartment was suitable for an animal and unfortunately, it was already occupied. - Worried she'd have nowhere to live, Yuchen tried private rentals. - I sent out, I think, around 20 to 30 message on Facebook or Trademe. But they just` they all say no. if it's only one, I maybe like would try to communicate with them, and try to say like, what the law is, what the policy is, and try to do that. But like there's too many. - Yuchen reached out to her local MP. Ricardo Menendez March had helped push through an amendment to the human rights bill. - And the goal of that bill was to make it really clear that people with disability assistance should not be denied services, such as transport, housing. It's deeply discouraging to hear that people are still facing barriers and this is why we need to take more action. - But a request to the Minister of Justice led to a discouraging response. - There is no work underway on an education campaign. - Instead, it suggests complaints go to the Human Rights Commission. Well, that proved nothing but frustrating for Yuchen. So she backs the idea of an awareness campaign, and it would help for having Echo with her when eating out too. - I think, like, for restaurants it's half-half. - Businesses could be more proactive, but government also has the responsibility to run a communications campaign. - But who'll be top dog next year? We sniffed out a response from all the parties who voted on the bill to see if they'd commit to a campaign. They all thought it was a great idea, but no one has yet said they'd actually run it. So we'll be watching and service dog users will be waiting, because with more awareness... - Means they can actually go out and get on with their lives and carry on as normal. - Someone should really do one of those social media campaigns, a lot like that story ` go a long way to maybe educating people about what the rules actually are. - Raise a bit of awareness. E haere ake nei, coming up ` careful what you sign up for. We speak to accidental consumers of a product they never wanted. - It's made me very wary about shopping online now. I'm not using my credit card much, it's just made me very wary. - And supermarket hair dyes ` are they a wash out? - So, it's not as easy as just slapping on some hair dye; there are factors to consider when choosing the right hair colour that will suit your hair type... Yep, I think this is the one. - Kia ora, nau mai, hoki mai, welcome back. Now, cost of living ` we all know about it, we're all hating it, it's biting ` the last thing anyone needs is an unexpected charge on the old zip-zap. Remember that? - Oh, yes. - That makes me sound old. Move on. - Particularly, if it's for something you didn't think you'd asked for in the first place. I spoke to some surprised and very unhappy customers. Butter wouldn't melt, but don't believe it ` this Fair Go story starts with a rascally rabbit. - Ralph, my rabbit, was in my room and he was hopping around and I heard him chewing on something, and I looked down and it was my Apple Watch charger ` in half. - Yep, Molly Brady was suddenly in the market for some new electronics. - Yeah, I just googled Apple Watch chargers and just chose basically the cheapest one, and that was Dick Smith. - A simple $24 charger, but it was a purchase that cost 19-year-old Molly a lot more when an extra $149 was charged to her credit card a fortnight later. - I either thought that I'd accidentally bought something, but nothing had shown up. So then I thought it was a scam and I rung the bank. - It wasn't a scam; Molly had inadvertently become a member of First ` online retailer Dick Smith's reward program. First, says Dick Smith, gives great value benefits like free delivery, exclusive pricing and customers can earn credits. Since it launched, thousands of customers have enjoyed over $50,000 in benefits. There may be lots of happy members ` Molly is not one of them. Neither was Lynley, who also bought a watch charger from Dick Smith. - So what I think happened was when I signed in, obviously I've agreed to something. - Yes ` what caught Molly and Lynley out is this pre-ticked box, often connected to free shipping, which signed them up to a 14-day free trial of First. At the end of that fortnight, they were charged the $149 annual membership fee. - I was upset because, like, it's $149, it's a lot of money. - And others feel the same ` a quick look online and there are a heap of unhappy new members of First; we have had nearly 20 complaints and none of them realised they were signing up for it. And they had some strong opinions on that... - The Commerce Commission's also had 182 inquiries about Dick Smith's First membership, and had this to say ` 'Given the volume of inquiries we've received, 'we've made initial contact with Dick Smith to make them aware 'of the nature of the inquiries. 'We are currently assessing these inquiries 'and considering whether to open an investigation.' But it has spoken out about pre-ticked boxes before ` in 2015, the Commerce Commission put the hard word on several companies to scrap the use of opt-out pricing. - I think it is misleading because you shouldn't have to actually unselect them. - That led to the likes of Air New Zealand, House of Travel and Jetstar changing the way items were pre-selected on their websites. The problem then, the Commerce Commission said, was that companies may be misleading consumers into purchasing something they didn't intend to. Sound familiar? Was it sort of enticing when you found out about it? - No. It's not something I would` like, I was just buying a charger. Like, there wasn't anything else I needed to order or ever do order off websites like that. So, no. - I wouldn't have chosen that. Not at all. Not for $149. - Dick Smith says the first membership is a choice for customers and they are informed about the benefits and costs on the website during the checkout process. Before purchase, the customer can choose how they'd like to proceed ` if they select to pay for shipping or the non-First exclusive price, they will be opted out of the First membership trial, and that if they do proceed with the 14-day free trial, they can cancel their membership any time during the trial period. Dick Smith also emails reminders to customers at the start of the trial and three days before the trial ending. - There was an email that came in straight after I put my order through, and it said something about joining up for a subscription for $149, which I did see, but I just ignored it, thinking 'I don't want to join up to that.' But I didn't realise I had joined up to it. Very confusing. - One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Molly got the email too, amongst other marketing and shipping emails. So in two days... you got seven emails from Dick Smith, which you clearly haven't been reading. You haven't actually opened a lot of these emails that have come through. - No, that's because this is the email account I just don't. Like, I just use it for like online stuff because you get so many emails from places. - One email came from Dick Smith's Australian parent company, massive online retailer, Kogan. K-O-G-A-N. - That one? - Yeah, see. - First membership. What even is that? - Have you ever heard of Kogan? No ` you'd probably just think it was a scam. I would if I saw that. - It's made me very wary about shopping online now. I'm not using my credit card very much. I'm` Yeah, it's just made me very wary. - But there is good news ` after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, Lynley's been refunded her membership fee, as have several other viewers who got in touch. - Thanks, Dick Smith, for refunding my credit card. I really do appreciate it, and I hope that they refund everybody else's. - More good news ` Dick Smith says it will. And its statement to us, it says customers can cancel their remaining first membership at any point and secure a refund. So credit to them. But we would say go a step further, ditch the pre-ticked box altogether because it is clearly catching people out. So lessons have been learned. - I'll be very careful when I come to do any online shopping. - And a positive update for Molly ` she's also received her refund. And Ralph, he looks like he's back in the good books too. - Phwoar. - Ralph. Look, one of the interesting things about this story, was that people ` even after they'd received their refunds ` they were still miffed. They still want a change. - Oh, they should be. Anyway, now ` Dick Smith, they say they have spoken to the Commerce Commission, and are assisting them with their enquiries. - E haere ake nei, coming up ` home hair dye ` are there any guarantees? - ...barely notice the pink. I mean, I couldn't even really see it at all. - Kia ora, nau mai, hoki mai, welcome back. It's officially spring ` time to dust off the cobwebs and emerge from a long, wet winter. Perhaps a new do is in order? - Yes, and you are rocking that, Haydo. - Thank you, I'm very proud of it. But if wigs aren't your thing, you could pop to the supermarket and pick up a DIY hair dye. - Just like I did. Now, what can you expect from a supermarket dye and will you get the colour you want? Star went to find out. - STAR: These days with hair colour, anything goes. If you want your hair to glow in the dark, it can. Or if rainbow is your thing, there's endless options. And if the salon is too pricey, there's the DIY option. That's the route 9-year-old Sophia and her mum, Jo Purcell, took. - People on the TV shows, when they were, like, in a big, busy place, you could really notice them from afar. So I wanted to do that for... to get my hair coloured for fun. - Her colour of choice ` hot pink. - Yeah, I wasn't too excited about it, that's for sure. - The method of choice ` this Schwarzkopf product, a semi-permanent colour. - It would wash out in 10 washes, it'll give you that bit of fun with a bright colour that she can try. - I was really excited too. - They tried the shocking pink. The results ` pretty shocking all right. - I barely noticed the pink. I mean, I couldn't really even see it at all. - They tried again ` the same brand, this time with a green colour. - This time I tried really hard not to rinse it so thoroughly. As soon as she had a bath, turned the bath green, much to her brother's disgust. - Sophie's hair, however... - The green ` I could just barely see it. Mum checked the box twice, and we did do the instructions right. - But there's more to hair colouring than one might think. It's a science. - Gonna do a full head today? You want down the bottom done as well? - Yes, please. - Kirsty Ryan has more than 25 years experience in hairdressing, colouring and now teaching. - Ever-changing. There's never a dull moment. - Especially with hair colour. - The hair's actually got three layers ` so it's got the cuticle on the outside layer, that's where our semi-permanent sit; then it's got the cortex, and that's where the permanent colour goes into, and that gets trapped into there. - Remember Sophia's product, that was semi-permanent. - A permanent colour has smaller molecules than a semi-permanent. The semi-permanent ` because the molecules are larger and there's no ammonia in there, that is why the molecules just sit on the outside, and every time you wash it, some of those molecules come out. - So it's not as easy as just slapping on some hair dye; there are factors to consider when choosing the right hair colour that will suit your hair type. Yeah, I think this is the one. - We've got porosity ` so that's how much the hair can absorb and soak up a product. We've got texture ` so if the hair is fine and you're going a darker colour, it can appear darker on fine hair, whereas on coarse hair, that same colour might look a little bit lighter. - Things you might not be aware of unless you go to a professional. - Henkel, Schwarzkopf's parent company ` says that its product does provide a lot of information on what to do to get the best results. There's a colour table guide on the box, showing which natural hair colour is best suited to the box colour. It also says the table is a guide only and a strand test is recommended. The darker your natural hair colour, the less vibrant the result. And Henkel recommends those who have long, thick hair to use two packs. And inside the Box, a more detailed leaflet showing the level of vibrancy consumers can expect ` for 'shocking pink' and the green 'sea mermaid' colours, they'll show on these natural hair colours. These are the only two that show on dark blonde hair. It does make sense that the lighter your hair colour, the more the box colour will show, and the instructions suggest to pre-bleach your hair for optimal results. Jo had read through those instructions before applying, but... - I really didn't want to bleach her hair; I didn't want to do something permanent to her hair. - Fair enough. Sofia's natural hair colour isn't blonde, but it's not dark either. So shouldn't some colour have shown up? - I didn't expect it to look like the box, but I did expect to get some sort of result. And it doesn't say you have to bleach the hair, it just says 'best results'. - Henkel says its product is not recommended for children under 12, because the cuticle layer of young people's hair sits very flat or is closed, meaning the colour doesn't permeate and washes off. That's quite helpful information in Jo's case, but we couldn't find the age recommendation anywhere on the product. Henkel is also encouraging Jo to get in touch and says refunds and product replacement is on a case-by-case basis. Kirsty says to prevent disappointment, head to a salon. It's going to cost more than a DIY job, but the investment is worth it. - Because we're a professional hairdresser also, we'll come in and advise you on whether you can achieve that result on your type of hair, and what you need to do to get there. - As for Sophia and Jo, it's back to the drawing board. - Guess I probably need to go on a bit more of a hunt. - And hopefully find something that works for Sophie. - I'm quite liking the fringe, I'm not gonna lie. - I can't hear a thing in this. - Right that's it from us, but if you only caught part of the show, you can catch all of it ` plus past episodes ` on the Fair Go page on TVNZ+, whenever you want, because we are always here to help. ` I feel like Garth from Wayne's World. - Yes! - Is it Garth? - LAUGHS: Yes! - Our programme is all about you and your consumer aches and pains, huge, teeny tiny ` get in touch. - Yes, we're on Facebook and Instagram and TikTok. You can go to our website ` Email us ` Or write to us ` - Thank you for watching. We'll see you next week in normal colour. Until then... - BOTH: Po Marie. - Oh!