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Insider Tips

How can we be of service? Let us count the ways. We actually mean service – unlike those who have promised it before and didn’t show up when it counted most. Consider these insider tips your key to consumer affairs.

Qantas proudly sells itself as “the spirit of Australia” but if that’s the case the spirit is not happy. According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Qantas received the highest number of complaints of any airline in the 2022 financial year. Most grievances related to service issues, such as flight delays and long wait times to speak with customer service agents.

Hyundai and Kia are facing two class action lawsuits in Australia over allegations that the car manufacturers sold cars with potentially faulty engines that breached Australian consumer law. The lawsuits come after a series of recalls and safety concerns in Australia over the past few years.

On 15 February 2023, law firm Johnson Winter Slattery filed lawsuits against Hyundai and Kia, claiming that vehicles sold since 2011 were fitted with defective engines that violate Australian consumer law.

Gap Studios, a photography studio based in Newstead, Queensland, has been accused of using unethical and manipulative business practices and unfair contract terms to deceive customers into spending thousands of dollars on photos.

The studio frequently promotes "free" photography sessions on social media, encouraging people to sign up with the promise of a chance to win the free photography experience. However, those who enter the competition are in for a nasty surprise.

Ever gone to the grocery store with a list of five or six things you need and walked out with double, if not triple that? You’re far from alone.

Of course, once you’re there you might remember something else you need. Or something you usually buy is half price, so you can't resist the deal and buy a couple. And then there’s the impulse buy so many of us are guilty of.

The person sitting across from you in the restaurant is funny and interesting. Awkward get-to-know-you questions are out of the way and you’re already bonding over mutual likes and dislikes. There’s even been a few laughs. This first date is going rather well.

Then your meal arrives. You’ve barely taken a bite and notice something isn’t quite right. Perhaps the vegetables are too cold, the meat is undercooked, or something you ordered is missing.

Maybe it’s not the food that’s niggling at the back of your mind. The music might be too loud for conversation and you’re pondering whether to ask the manager to turn it down or not. Or perhaps you’ve been waiting way too long for your drinks or entrée?

It’s great to be back out and about again, isn’t it? But before you step beyond the confines of your state or national borders, it pays to do some homework.

Not only will a little planning save you a lot of money, it could also save you a few headaches at your destination. After all, holidays are supposed to be relaxing, not stressful.