A dog registration renewal notice seemed to promote a discount for early payment, but the wording was misleading. File photo Photo: Unsplash
Some Waikato residents are barking mad at the way the local council has promoted a "discount" on dog registration fees.
But the district council says while it accepts it could have been clearer, no one is getting an extra discount.
RNZ was made aware of the issue by a local resident who asked to remain anonymous. He provided a copy of an emailed dog registration renewal notice sent to him by the council, which seemed to promote a discount for early payment.
"Pay on or before Thursday 31 July to receive a $20.00 discount per dog," it said, stating $95 was due.
The resident said he had been registering his dog in Waikato for about eight years and this was the first time the council offered him a discount to register his dog early.
"When I paid it I thought the web [system] would let me enter a discount amount but it didn't," he said.
So he reached out to the council to enquire why a $20 discount had not occurred, only to be told he had already received the discount.
He could not understand how.
The council's response was that the fee due would have gone up to $115 if paid after 31 July.
"But I said, your promotion doesn't state it like that," he said.
The Waikato District Council's Fees and Charges document (2025-2027) listed the basic full registration fee (after 31 July) as $115 with a discounted rate of $95 for payments before 31 July.
But $115 is not mentioned anywhere on the email, or on the attached request for payment form, which the council said is the official document, not the email.
Instead, the attached form states the offer slightly differently as "$20 will be added to the amount if not paid on or before 31 July 2025".
"We accept that the wording in the email could have been clearer, and we are rectifying this," a council spokesperson said.
Consumer NZ communications and campaigns adviser Abby Damen said although the wording of the email does appeared to be misleading, the Fair Trading Act provides a defence of 'reasonable mistake'.
"This means, if a business makes a reasonable mistake when advertising or notifying the price of goods or services, it doesn't have to provide the product or service at the advertised price," she said.
Instead, Consumer NZ would expect the council to reach out to dog owners, clarifying the cost of registration.
However, the local resident spoken to by RNZ said he still thought he should get a $20 discount.
"It's a matter of principle," he said.
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