“It’s alarming that the number of complaints against Home Appliances Plus and the amount of money they owe to their customers continue to mount while there are obvious difficulties in filling orders,” he said.

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Newcombe said the operators of the retail website had failed to fully co-operate with regulators to resolve complaints and to stop taking orders while a backlog existed and complaints were unresolved.

A NSW Fair Trading spokeswoman said the public warning issued in WA was being shared on social media with NSW consumers.

She said consumers experiencing problems with delivery should seek a chargeback from their credit card provider: “If a chargeback is not available or provided, NSW consumers should lodge a complaint with NSW Fair Trading.”

In contrast to the glowing customer reviews on its website, Home Appliances Plus has taken out the top spot on the NSW Fair Trading’s Complaints Register for the past five months, with the regulator receiving more than 380 complaints.

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The majority of complaints relate to the supply of goods and timeliness of delivery.

Angry customers have also posted thousands of negative online reviews accusing Home Appliances Plus of failing to deliver items purchased on its website and calling for the website to be shut down.

Home Appliances Plus is linked to Steel and Water Pty Ltd, a company registered in Tasmania in 2021. The retail website offered discounted household items, outdoors and sporting equipment, children’s toys and clothing and pet accessories.

The business did not respond to questions from The Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age.

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The Sun-Herald in July revealed the online retailer was being probed by consumer protection agencies after a deluge of complaints from disgruntled customers. such as Inderjeet Singh who said: “I will never ever purchase from this company again, nor I will suggest anyone to purchase.”

Victoria’s shadow consumer affairs spokeswoman Roma Britnell said the state’s consumer protection agency was underfunded and “should have been on the front foot” warning the public about Home Appliances Plus.

“CAV have a role to play in educating Victorians about concerning practices from companies,” she said. “If things are serious enough for them to be investigating, why are they not warning consumers about these organisations?”

Consumer Action Law Centre chief executive Gerard Brody said a lack of resources limited the compliance and enforcement work undertaken by consumer protection agencies, “which is a core requirement for effective consumer protection and a fair marketplace”.

“Our experience is that investigations by consumer affairs regulators can take some time, but we’d like to see them happen more quickly,” he said.