Everyday Consumer Archives - Page 33 of 106 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

10 June , 2022

New protections needed to stop online designs that hurt consumers

Consumer think tank, the Consumer Policy Research Centre, today released research that found 83% of Australians have been negatively impacted by a website or app using harmful design features, known as dark patterns. This is a media release from the Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC). It was originally published on 8th June, 2022. In its report, Duped by Design,…

16 May , 2022

Inadequate unit pricing risks higher grocery prices, says complaint to ACCC

The Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) has complained to the ACCC about the inadequate display of grocery unit pricing in some supermarkets operated by Woolworths and by Harris Farm Markets. CFA’s CEO Gerard Brody says “it is essential that the unit prices of grocery products are displayed so that they are easy for all consumers…

5 May , 2022

Grocery shoppers advised to look out for “shrinkflation”: hidden grocery price increases caused by package downsizing

The Queensland Consumers Association (QCA) is advising grocery shoppers to look out for hidden price increases caused by reductions in the amount of product in pre-packaged items. This is a media release from Queensland Consumers Association. It was originally published on 10th April, 2022. Unless the selling price is also reduced proportionally, package downsizing means that consumers pay more…

28 March , 2022

Breath alcohol electronic testing devices for personal use – draft open for public comment

Driving while under the influence of alcohol affects perception, vision, concentration, reaction time and causes drowsiness – all of which increase the chances of having an accident. Consequences of drink driving include severe penalties, trauma, and death. Breath alcohol testing devices for personal use should be able to perform in a manner that allows the user to make…

25 March , 2022

Mandatory grocery unit pricing coming to India and New Zealand

The latest edition of the Queensland Consumers Association’s (QCA) newsletter Unit Pricing Global Update reports that: India will require display of the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) per standardised unit of measure (i.e. the unit price) on pre-packaged commodities sold by retailers after 31 March 2022. Currently only the MRP has to be displayed. In New…

18 March , 2022

National Consumer Unit Price Education Campaign

A national media campaign is running from 7 March until 1 April to increase consumer awareness and understanding of grocery unit pricing and how it can help them save money. The campaign is being run by Australia’s consumer protection regulators. There was also a successful campaign in 2020. The social media material changes weekly and…

15 March , 2022

New digital platform rules crucial next step in consumer law reform

The development of new upfront rules that force dominant digital platforms to treat their users fairly is the important next step in reforming Australia’s consumer protection laws, ACCC Chair Rod Sims said today. This is a media release from the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). It was originally published on 15th March, 2022. Delivering the 2022 Ruby…

15 March , 2022

Super Consumers Australia launches consultation on retirement savings targets

The research released for consultation today is designed to help Australians answer one of the most important financial questions they face, “how much do I need to save for retirement?” “Our goal is to develop trustworthy retirement targets that give people a solid ‘rule of thumb’ on what they’ll need to save to maintain their…

14 March , 2022

Consumer Policy Agenda 2022 launched ahead of Federal Election

The Consumers’ Federation of Australia (CFA) has launched its Consumer Policy Agenda 2022. CFA is calling for new consumer policy reforms to be urgently implemented to put consumers in the economy recovery. Competition in key markets is flailing, consumer protections are falling behind best practice, and our institutional arrangements for consumer protection are not supporting…

11 March , 2022

Confusing insurance definitions for extreme weather events must be standardised

Australians who face devastating property losses following natural disasters such as the recent floods confront further hardship when trying to claim on their insurance because of confusing terms and conditions and fine print limitations in their policies. This is a media release from Financial Rights Legal Centre. It was originally published on 10th March, 2022. A new report…

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

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…