Stephen James Douglas, owner of a large Australian furniture retailer, has been fined a total of $59,000 following six breaches of Australian Consumer Law, with his company S Douglas Enterprises fined an additional $31,000. A court also ordered him to repay over $42,000 to customers who had paid for furniture and bedding items that were never delivered.
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The breaches for Jimboomba Bedding and Furniture occurred between December 2024 and July 2025, with some items sold twice and customer payments redirected to Douglas' personal accounts. Investigators found that some goods had never even been ordered from suppliers, and Douglas had been evicted from his shop during this period.
Douglas claimed the issues arose after falling behind on rent, leading to financial strain that forced him to sell personal belongings and sleep in his truck. Despite these challenges, he reduced customer backlogs from $600,000 to $16,000 over nine months. He has vowed to repay affected customers and restore trust, citing long hours and personal sacrifices to rectify the situation.
Acting Commissioner for Fair Trading Allannah Traill condemned the conduct as "disgraceful" and emphasised that traders breaching consumer law will face enforcement action.
Source: www.couriermail.com.au
