Fuel fight: What vehicle efficiency standards mean for you
Are you looking to buy a new car? The rising cost of fuel will undoubtedly be factored into the choice you make - a more efficient car means less money at the bowser, after all.
Out of sight: Keeping a lid on optometrist costs
If you wear glasses or contact lenses all the time, you know they can be costly. Given you can’t do without them, it’s a cost you just have to bear, right?.
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Driving change: Take control of car complaints
Having trouble getting the dealership to take your car troubles seriously? Is the manufacturer giving you the runaround?
It’s easy to feel like you’re a voice in the wilderness when you’re being shunted from dealer to manufacturer and back again, each blaming the other – or you – for the vehicle’s faults.
Handle My Complaint CEO Jo Ucukalo says it’s an effective tactic, as most consumers simply give up.
Food fraud: Are you eating what you paid for?
With groceries costing more than ever, at the very least, you would expect to get what you paid for.
But the food we buy isn’t always what it says on the packaging. Whether it’s cheap olive oil sold as extra virgin, beef passed off as veal, or drinks watered down, food fraud is more prevalent than you might think.
Rent increases: Do tenants have any rights?
Your landlord has just hit you with another rent rise. But this one isn’t just incremental, in keeping with inflation or the cost of living. It’s a jump of several hundred dollars a week. How are you going to afford it?
Privacy risks: Tackling facial recognition technology head on
Have you seen any signs about the use of facial recognition technology when you’ve been out shopping? CCTV is one thing, but this controversial technology raises more concerns about breaches of our privacy.
Smart money: How to avoid PayID scams
Have you heard about PayID scams? Perhaps you or a friend have fallen foul of the electronic payment system?
More than 18 million Australians have signed up to use PayID since its launch six years ago. The attraction is simple: it’s easy to use, free, and money is transferred quickly – whether you’re paying or being paid. The unique identifier (the ID part) is linked to your bank account and you only need a mobile number or email (and an ABN or CBN if you’re a business) to send and receive money.
The Australian Banking Association maintains it’s one of the most important steps customers can take to prevent scams, but the mobile-friendly service hasn’t been immune to scammers. Even the tech-savvy younger generation - least likely to be caught in other financial scams - has been caught out.
Online platforms such as Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree are popular hunting grounds for PayID scams.
Join Handle My Complaint and reap the rewards
If you’ve ever spent hours on the phone trying to sort out an issue with a product or service, or been given the run-around by a company’s complaints department, you’ll see the value in getting someone else to do the legwork for you.
Consumer law update needed to combat ‘junk insurance’
Handle My Complaint is urging the Federal Government to protect consumers from so-called ‘junk insurance’ by making the Australian Consumer Law clearer.
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers filed a class action against JB Hi-Fi in the Supreme Court of Victoria last week, claiming that extended warranties offer no benefit to consumers.