CHOICE says global companies need to stop pushing consumers into signing off on long, unreadable online contracts Consumers' Federation of Australia member CHOICE is calling on the Federal Government to stop companies from forcing consumers to accept tens-of-thousands of words of complex requirements, just to use a product, after a review of e-reader terms and [...]
CHOICE says consumers have lost $3.49 billion because credit card interest rates haven’t moved in line with the cash rate As the banks front a Parliamentary Inquriy this week to explain their poor practices, new research from CHOICE reveals their failure to pass on the official interest rate cuts to their credit card customers has [...]
The Chairman of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Rod Sims says 2017 will see its enforcement teams hone in on misleading and deceptive practices, anti-competitive conduct and unfair contract terms affecting small businesses. Speaking at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) event in Sydney today, Mr Sims launched the ACCC’s 2017 Compliance [...]
Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation Matt Kean has today paid tribute to NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe for his 40 years of service to the people of NSW, including 28 years in the consumer affairs portfolio. Mr Stowe’s love of public service began appropriately on Valentine’s Day in 1977, when he was appointed [...]
Consumers’ Federation of Australia has published its submission to the Commission’s Consumer Law Enforcement and Administration Draft Report. The submission calls for additional public funding for consumer advocacy. Furthermore, CFA encourages the Productivity Commission to develop mechanisms which found fund the necessary consumer advocacy and input, aside from a call on the Federal Budget. The [...]
Australian Energy Regulator (AER) is seeking expressions of interest for membership to their Consumer Consultative Group (CCG). The CCG works to advise and assist the AER on problems that can impact small energy consumers, such as residential and business customers who consume under the relevant usage threshold set by the National Energy Retail Law jurisdiction. The CCG's [...]
Veda Advantage Information Services and Solutions Ltd (Veda) is being forced to refund thousands of consumers who paid to obtain credit reports under Veda’s expedited delivery deal, according to a decision handed down today by the Australian Privacy Commissioner. The Commissioner found that Veda breached a series of privacy rules when they: charged for “expedited [...]
Consumers' Federation of Australia is seeking a volunteer consumer representative for the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) Consumer Advisory Panel. CAP was established in 1999. CAP advises ASIC on current issues faced by retail investors and consumers in the financial services and credit industries. CAP also informs ASIC's surveillance, enforcement, policy and financial education [...]
In October this year, the Australian Senate created the Select Committee into the Resilience of Electricity Infrastructure in a Warming World. The purpose of the committee is to examine the current role of various storage technologies and localised distributed generation to provide Australia’s electricity networks, and assessing their resilience in withstanding the growing intensity and frequency [...]
Car buyers are being advised to exercise caution before agreeing to purchase ‘after sale add-ons’ and to get multiple quotes before accepting any finance offered by motor vehicle dealers. The advice follows a recent increase in complaints to Consumer Protection about the ‘extras’ sold at the point of sale of a vehicle which can include [...]
Following the slew of financial scandals Australians have faced in recent years, consumer advocates say that Australians need simple and accessible justice with reformed Ombudsman services. The Review of the Financial System External Dispute Resolution and Complaints Framework (Ramsay Review), led by Professor Ian Ramsay, today released its interim report. In response to the review, [...]
Consumer advocacy group CHOICE has welcomed the establishment of a Senate Inquiry that will examine cases of wrongdoing in the banking and financial services sector. “Sunlight is the best disinfectant. This inquiry gives us a chance to shine a light on the anti-consumer practices that are riddled throughout the banking system,” says CHOICE Head of [...]
