Misleading Claims

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Online national retailer Riff Raff Baby Pty Ltd has paid penalties of $132,000 after the ACCC issued it with eight infringement notices for allegedly making false or misleading statements about its comforter toys being safe for sleep from birth.

Riff Raff has also provided the ACCC with a court-enforceable undertaking in which it admits that the advertisements for its sleep aid toys were likely to have breached the Australian Consumer Law.

“Based on these advertisements by Riff Raff, parents and caregivers may have thought that these products are safe for babies to sleep next to in an unsupervised sleep environment, when in fact there are serious safety risks. These types of products can cover a baby’s nose and mouth, which can pose a risk of fatal suffocation,” ACCC Deputy Chair, Catriona Lowe said.

Read More Riff Raff Penalised Over Alleged False or Misleading Infant Sleep Aid Toys Ads

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“Making false statements about a product’s environmental or sustainability qualities can mislead consumers, as well as putting the businesses making genuine claims at a competitive disadvantage.”

“It is important that environmental and sustainability claims by businesses are correct as they are a key influence on consumer choices and what people spend their money on,” Ms Carver said.

Read More ACCC Continues Focus on Greenwashing Claims

Original media release from ACCC (14/08/2023), link here. The Federal Court today ordered that Dell Australia Pty Ltd pay $10 million for making false and misleading representations on its website about discount prices for add-on computer monitors. In enforcement proceedings brought by the ACCC, Dell Australia admitted that it had misled customers about the price…

Read More Dell Australia Penalised $10 million for Misleading Representations

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Virtual Private Networks or VPNs are a method by which people can more securely use and access public internet connections, reduce some communication costs, and bypass internet censorship. The privacy and protection of personal information is an important selling point of VPNs and one that was used to sell Onavo Protect in the Google and…

Read More Meta Companies Penalised $20m for Onavo Protect VPN’s Misleading Claims

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The Federal Court has today imposed record penalties of $438m against former vocational college Phoenix Institute of Australia Pty Ltd (Phoenix) and its marketing arm Community Training Initiatives Pty Ltd (CTI) in proceedings brought by the ACCC and the Commonwealth.

Read More Record penalties of $438m ordered against Phoenix Institute and CTI for acting unconscionably and misleading students

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ASIC has been successful in its action against Cigno Pty Ltd (Cigno) and BHF Solutions Pty Ltd (BHF Solutions), with the Federal Court finding that both companies engaged in credit activities without holding an Australian credit licence. ASIC also obtained permanent injunctions against Cigno and BHF Solutions to protect consumers.

The decision follows a series of appeals during the litigation, including an unsuccessful bid by Cigno and BHF Solutions to seek special leave in the High Court in December 2022 (22-360MR).

Read More Cigno, BHF Solutions Found to Have Engaged in Unlicensed Conduct

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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…

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

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Victoria is leading a national consultation on behalf of all Australian Health Ministers on the use of the title surgeon by medical practitioners under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (National Law).  This is a duplication of contact from the Department of Health. It was received on 13th December, 2021. Health ministers are concerned that the regulatory framework…

Read More Medical practitioners’ use of the title surgeon under the National Law

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On Monday 12 April, Consumers’ Federation Australia (CFA) and the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) co-hosted the Consumer Advocacy Showcase & Award, in the final online session for the 2021 ACCC National Consumer Congress. The Showcase celebrates effective and good practice within consumer advocacy. The joint-winners were Fiona Guthrie, with Who’s Making Australians Bankrupt?; and Matthias Oldham, with Junk Insurance…

Read More CFA & ACCC Consumer Advocacy Showcase & Award Winners