Red alert: What you should know about greenwashing
As environmental awareness increases in Australia, we want to know that our purchasing choices matter. Any business proudly proclaiming its green credentials on its packaging should be able to back those claims up. In fact, it is legally required to do so.
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.
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.
Sales season: Stay out of the red this Black Friday
The emails are lobbing into your inbox with increasing regularity. You may even be getting alerts on your phone. The flashing ads are all over websites. All of them promise you amazing deals and unprecedented discounts.
There is no escaping the fact we’re hurtling toward Black Friday. And peak spending season. This mad day of discounts traditionally marks the start of Christmas shopping in the United States, falling just after Thanksgiving.
Extended warranties: Don’t pay extra for nothing
Salespeople will often try to persuade you that extended warranties are the best way to protect yourself against expensive repairs in the future. Don’t be fooled.
What many Australians don’t realise is they are protected under Australian Consumer Law and that, more often than not, the extended warranty being offered covers the same period and rights to repairs or replacement. This is why it’s often referred to as ‘junk insurance’.
Card surcharges: Are you paying too much?
Ever wondered why your cup of coffee costs an extra 15 cents at one café and not another? Or when you go to pay for petrol with Visa or Mastercard, you're told it will cost another 1.5 percent? These added costs are known as card surcharges and while they might not account for much in one or two transactions, they certainly add up.
The Albanese Government is preparing to ban debit card surcharges - the amount a business charges to cover the cost of an electronic transaction – from 1 January 2026, pending a review by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA). Treasurer Jim Chalmers said consumers should not be punished for using cards or digital payments.
Trolley folly: How to win the grocery game
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.
How loyalty programs sucker you into giving up personal information
If you’re not paying for a product, then you might be the product. Wise words to consider next time you're thinking of joining a loyalty program.
Christmas crackers: Last-minute gifts worth giving
The panic rises as the clock ticks ever closer to Christmas Day. What happened to all our good intentions with gifts for our loved ones?
Every year, we promise ourselves that next year we’ll get organised earlier and start a present cupboard. We’ll make a list of the things our loved ones like and keep an eye out for the sales and pop those precious items in the cupboard ready to be wrapped when the time comes. It makes financial sense, too, because we’re spreading our spending over the year, rather than copping it one big hit.
Great idea in theory. But, every year, we’re staring down the barrel of another last-minute rush to fill those stockings and pop something extra under the Christmas tree. Will we ever learn?
Start early and stay out of the red this Black Friday
If you’re a Black Friday veteran, you’ll know that you don’t have to wait until the designated day to snap up a bargain.
Retailers have been dropping their prices all month, and your inbox and social media have probably been inundated with offers for Black Friday steals because of your past purchases.