Communications Archives - Page 12 of 40 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

14 February , 2022

Learn how to spot a romance scammer this Valentine’s Day

Scamwatch is urging people to watch out for dating and romance scams after Australians reported losing a record $56 million last year, an increase of 44 per cent. This is a media release from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). It was originally published on 14th February, 2022. Over 3,400 reports were received about dating and romance…

10 February , 2022

Phone and internet complaints decline for fifth consecutive period

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s Quarter Two Complaints Report shows phone and internet complaints declined for the fifth consecutive period. This is a media release from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. It was originally published on 9th February, 2022. Residential consumers and small businesses made 18,386 complaints, a decrease of 14.2 per cent compared to the previous quarter, and 39.7…

10 February , 2022

New research finds Tinder Plus price discrimination is a worldwide issue: CHOICE releases open “love letter” asking Tinder Australia to stop unethical data use

Following CHOICE’s 2020 investigation into Tinder’s discriminatory pricing practices in Australia, new research by Consumers International and the Mozilla Foundation has found that Tinder Plus users in several other countries are being unknowingly charged more based on their personal information. This is a media release from CHOICE. It was originally published on 9th February, 2022. The research found that Tinder…

31 January , 2022

Average Australian must consent to 467,000 words worth of privacy policies: CHOICE calls for Privacy Act reform to make businesses responsible for using data safely and fairly

Consumer advocacy group CHOICE is marking Data Protection Day with results from a new survey, which has found Australians must typically consent to an average of 116 privacy policies at any one time, amounting to a hefty 467,000 words. This is a media release from CHOICE. It was originally published on 28th January, 2022 “It’s completely unacceptable that…

27 January , 2022

More power to compare and switch telco providers and share finance data

The Morrison Government is giving consumers more power to lower their internet and phone bills by expanding the Consumer Data Right to the telecommunications sector. This is a joint media release from The Hon Josh Frydenberg MP: Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia & The Hon Paul Fletcher MP: Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts &…

6 January , 2022

Mayfair 101 Group to pay $30 million penalty for misleading advertising

The Federal Court has ordered four companies in the Mayfair 101 Group to pay a combined penalty of $30 million for misleading advertising. This is a media release from the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC). It was originally published on 22nd December, 2021. In March 2021, the Court found Mayfair Wealth Partners Pty Ltd and Online Investments Pty…

17 December , 2021

Productivity Commission’s Final Report on “Right To Repair” Released

Prepared by CFA Executive Member Ian Jarratt, of Queensland Consumers Association. He can be reached at ijarratt@australiamail.com. The final report was handed to the Australian Government on 29 October 2021 and publicly released on 1 December 2021. The Government has not yet announced its response to the report. CFA and several member organisations participated in the…

29 November , 2021

New research finds nearly three-quarters of Australians want better complaints handling from digital platforms

New research from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has revealed that almost three in four Australians agree that it needs to be easier to make a complaint and to get their issues resolved when dealing with digital platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, eBay, and Service NSW. This is a media release from the Australian Communications Consumer…

25 November , 2021

“Defending phone and internet accounts from fraudsters” report released

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) today released a report on systemic investigations into fraud enabled through phone and internet accounts. This is a media release from the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). It was originally published on 24th November, 2021. The report “Defending phone and internet accounts from fraudsters” shares the TIO’s findings on fraudsters being able to access telco…

2 November , 2021

Benefits from more competition in internet search

Measures addressing Google’s dominance in search engine services, including a choice screen that provides consumers with a selection of search engines, should be introduced in Australia, as set out in the ACCC’s third Digital Platform Services Inquiry interim report. This is a media release from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). It was originally published on 28th October,…

1 November , 2021

Telco complaints down but customers wait longer for help

New figures released today by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) show telcos received just over one million complaints in the 2020-21 financial year. The report also found that the average time taken for telcos to resolve customer complaints was 12.2 days. This is a media release from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). It was…

1 November , 2021

New report highlights need for government and industry action on telco affordability

Households struggling with the cost of connectivity would benefit from the introduction of new rules that would make it mandatory for telcos to offer a low-income product, according to the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN). The recommendation for new regulatory requirements comes as the peak body for communications consumers releases new research which examines…