Consumer news stories that caught our eye this week:
- The Herald Sun reports thousands of consumers falsely over-billed by the Energy Australia have been refunded after the Essential Services Commission was informed that the recent energy meter upgrade caused some errors, including a delay on issuing a discounted rate bill to consumers.
- The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is seeking to regulate the wholesale cost of text messages, according to The Age. The regulatory watchdog is adamant that Australians are paying too much for text messages compared to the cost of voice calls.
- The Australian reports that Eftpos will finally launch contactless payments using a smartphone app. Trials for contactless payments will run until June 2014.
- Energy suppliers AGL and Origin have reportedly been double billing customers in Queensland by entering into a secret supply switching arrangement between them without the consumers’ consent, says the Australian.
- Nearly half of Australian training providers engage in misleading online marketing and make empty promises that they can not deliver. This has raised concerns over the low quality of training offered by some providers. Some have failed to equip students with adequate skills and job placement. Full story
by The Age.