Everyday Consumer Archives - Page 22 of 106 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

3 November , 2023

ACCC Urges Consumers to Shop Around for NBN Deals, Retailers on Notice

“We are concerned where we see advertising by NBN retailers that suggests households need to be on 50 Mbps or even 100 Mbps plans to stream multiple shows at once, when a less expensive plan may be sufficient. Of course, some households may have a preference for the higher speed tiers, but we want to make sure that customers have clear and accurate information to guide their decisions.”
As a result of these changes, the maximum wholesale prices for some NBN speed tiers will initially reduce, including prices for the most affordable services, while some others will increase. For instance, the wholesale prices for the 100 Mbps and 25 Mbps speed tiers will initially decrease, while the wholesale price for the 50 Mbps speed tier will increase.

27 October , 2023

AFCA Publishes 2022-2023 Annual Review, Updates AFCA Datacube

From 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, AFCA received 96,987 complaints from consumers and small businesses – 34% more than the year before, and the most ever received by AFCA.

26 October , 2023

‘Don’t get burnt by hype’ the Launch of ASIC’s Latest Consumer Awareness Campaign

ASIC has today launched a consumer campaign to raise awareness of the risk associated with investment hype to coincide with the Australian release of Dumb Money, a new film about the GameStop short squeeze episode in 2021.

25 October , 2023

Australian’s Urged to Be Alert to Rapidly Rising Employment Scams

According to the National Anti?Scams Centre (NASC) financial losses to job and employment scams have increased by over 740% in 2023.

Scammers are targeting jobseekers with lucrative offers to complete tasks, tricking unsuspecting victims into handing over their hard?earned money.

Australians have reported losses of $20 million to employment scams this year alone.

25 October , 2023

Inquiry into the capability of law enforcement to respond to cybercrime

The Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) was recently contacted (below) by and about the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement’s new inquiry into cybercrime. As per our new Strategic Plan, CFA will not be writing up a separate submission but will instead network and assist members and other consumer advocates and organisations with their submissions.…

25 October , 2023

Over 20 Advocates and Researchers Call for Urgent Privacy Reform

“We know all too well the harm that inadequate privacy protections cause. Gambling companies hound at-risk people with targeted advertising, data brokers sell our information without consent, and automated systems discriminate against marginalised people. We’ve also seen millions of consumers harmed by data breaches when businesses store too much personal information,” says CHOICE Senior Campaigns and Policy Advisor, Rafi Alam.

25 October , 2023

ACMA consults on new protections for telco consumers in financial hardship

The proposed standard will apply to all carriage service providers who deal with residential, small business and not-for-profit customers. It will enhance protections for telco customers who are (or may be) experiencing financial hardship through the provision of information and appropriate financial support to help them meet their payment obligations and remain connected to essential telco services.

The standard must be made by 15 February 2024 and commence by 29 March 2024.

We invite submissions on the draft Telecommunications (Financial Hardship) Industry Standard 2024 by 5 pm (AEDT) on Friday 24 November 2023.

24 October , 2023

ACCC: Regulatory Regime for Mobile Tower Access “no longer fit for purpose”

The report outlines consistent concerns about patchy coverage, difficulties interpreting and comparing coverage maps, as well as concerns that already congested networks will get worse as demand for data continues to grow.

19 October , 2023

CALC: Victoria Overrun with Lemon Cars as Current Dispute Process Totally Unfit for Consumers

“For years, Consumer Action has been saying we need to fix how we deal with car disputes. It shouldn’t be costing people years of their lives and thousands of dollars to get what they are owed under the law, and people shouldn’t be forced to drive or sell unsafe cars,”

19 October , 2023

Dispute Resolution Process Unfit for Purpose

In a recent report released by the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) more than half of Victorian’s who bought a car, used or new, in the past five years have experienced major or minor faults with their vehicle.

18 October , 2023

New NBN Regulations “places consumers at the heart”

“[1]t’s critical that consumer groups are resourced to genuinely engage with NBN and industry on these critical matters that impact our daily lives. Living up to this promise is key to driving greater value for consumers and NBN over the life of the SAU”.

17 October , 2023

ACCC Accepts New NBN Regulation

“The NBN is a critical piece of national infrastructure that is central to Australia’s digital economy. Every day, millions of Australians use the NBN for work, commerce, education and entertainment,” ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said.
“We are satisfied that NBN Co’s latest SAU variation proposal promotes the long-term interests of Australians, which is the primary objective of the test that we have to apply,” Ms Brakey said.