More often though, consumers find themselves facing the opposite problem. These days, you’re much more likely to go into a shop and find that they only accept card payments. And that can leave the people who rely on cash out in the cold.

The importance of paying with cash

Across Australia there are around 1.5 million people who still use cash almost all the time. Some of them need to use it because they live somewhere with a poor internet connection or no internet at all, others aren’t comfortable with online banking, and others use cash as a way to budget week to week.

It can also be a critical backstop when things go wrong. Cash can allow us to continue to buy essentials when a natural disaster or an outage has made digital services unavailable, and it can act as a security measure for people who are experiencing family violence, to avoid transactions being tracked or money being transferred out of their account.

New regulations on cash acceptance

This may come as a surprise, but even though cash is legal tender, consumers in Australia have never previously had the legal right to use it. So late last year, the government introduced new regulations requiring major supermarkets and petrol stations to accept cash payments, for transactions of $500 or less that are made between the hours of 7am and 9pm. The regulations commenced on 1 January this year, and on 1 July the enforcement powers came into effect. That means that as of last week, if a supermarket or petrol station refuses to allow a customer to pay with cash, they could find themselves getting a (metaphorical) knock on the door from the ACCC, and could face penalties of up to $198,000.

We have mixed feelings about where the law has landed on this issue. We campaigned for a cash acceptance mandate, and we were glad to see the government take a form of action to recognise the barriers that cash users are running into. However, we were disappointed to see them take such a narrow view of what constitutes an essential.

I’m prepared to grudgingly accept that a scoop of gelato isn’t an essential item. But many genuinely essential products and services are still not covered by the new cash acceptance mandate, including medication and medical supplies, telecommunications equipment, public transport, car parts and repairs, and even clothing and shoes.

This has created some strange quirks in the way the rules work. Supermarkets are covered but pharmacies are not, so Australians now have the legal right to use cash to buy paracetamol but not prescription medication. Petrol stations are covered but car repairers aren’t, so Australians now have the legal right to pay cash to fill their tank, but not to have a flat tyre replaced, even though both are necessary to get where they’re going. And someone going to the same place by the train or bus has no right to use cash for their ticket.

As for clothing, well I was pretty surprised to learn that the government doesn’t think that’s essential. 

Looking to the future

So where do we go from here?

First of all, where the cash acceptance mandate is now in effect, we need to see it rigorously enforced. We’ll be watching very closely to see that supermarkets and petrol stations are following the new rules, and we’ll be encouraging the ACCC to step in if any businesses aren’t. 

We’re also going to keep pushing the government and the banks over the closure of local bank branches. Since 2017, Australians have seen more than 2400 bank branches and more than 8600 bank-owned ATMs disappear. The legal right to use cash is a lot less useful if people can’t access it in the first place. 

Beyond that, we still think the mandate needs some major improvements. ����Vlog campaigns rely on the intel and experiences of readers and supporters. If you’ve tried to pay cash somewhere and been refused, send us an email at campaigns@choice.com.au and let us know.

We’re going to continue to make the case for a mandate that covers a fuller range of essentials, so that those who need to can keep using cash for the things we can’t live without.

The post You now have the legal right to use cash… but not everywhere you’d expect appeared first on ����Vlog.

Having worked at the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network (ICAN) for six years, he says the most important part of the role is keeping an open mind, especially to differences in experiences. 

“The biggest lesson is that there’s always more lessons. It is the kind of job where you continue to learn more and more, not just the work and the role that we do, but about people’s experiences, what is happening for the clients that we see,” he says. 

Speaking to ����Vlog from ICAN’s head office in Cairns, Alex says he didn’t think he would end up as a financial counsellor and fell into the role after getting sick and tired of a “dead-end job” at Centrelink during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Over the last half-decade his role has taken him all across Far North Queensland and out to the many remote communities ICAN serves and supports. Alex says there were many elements of the job that he didn’t expect. 

“In general, the amount of businesses and places that really go out of their way to unfortunately exploit people who might not have other options, it really shocked me even within Cairns, but [also] more broadly,” he says. 

“Across the whole of the service area we work in, from Townsville up through to the Torres Strait, we see so many creditors and companies that aren’t always acting in people’s best interest. That aren’t giving people a fair shake in terms of what products they’re being sold or what kind of loans and finances they might be accessing, that’s something that has really stood out to me”. 

Across the vast area of Far North Queensland, he says remote First Nations people have extremely different experiences to those living in the city or regional centres, something that took some adjusting to, even having been born and raised in Cairns himself. 

“I don’t think you can really appreciate the differences until you visit,” he says. 

“The differences in services that we take for granted. What it means to have a bank tell you you have to come into a branch to fix a problem and that means an 800km trek over rough roads.” 

“There’s a lot that is lacking in terms of services, but at the same time there is a closeness to the tight-knit communities and the familiar connection that is really special when you get to see it, when you are lucky enough to visit,” he adds. 

When asked if his job as a counsellor in remote First Nations communities is made easier by him being First Nations himself, Alex shies away from the idea, saying conversations about fishing and the region’s NRL team the Cowboys are what break down barriers in community more than anything else. 

He says he continues to find the job rewarding and is hoping to have an even bigger impact as he transitions away from frontline financial counselling work and moves more towards a workforce development role across the northern parts of Australia for ICAN. 

For Alex, it is the chance to make systemic changes that remains the most rewarding part of the job. 

“Helping people one-on-one is important and obviously rewarding, but it’s that systemic advocacy and when you can make systems change for a large number of people that really excites me,” he says. 

“The highlight of the job is when you can highlight a big problem, find the right channel to get it fixed and get that outcome,” Alex adds.

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The post Changing the system: A consumer champion at work appeared first on ����Vlog.

The volume of unsafe products coming into Australia through online marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, AliExpress, Shein and Temu is likely running into millions of items a year by now. There are no effective gatekeepers in place to stop them. It’s mostly happening in the shadows, but some of these low-grade goods have already caused grievous bodily harm.

In one especially disturbing case, an 8-year-old named Daniella Jacobs-Herd suffered burns to 13% of her body when a hoodie purchased from Temu caught fire. The item – which was in breach of mandatory Australian safety standards – wasn’t recalled until four months after this incident. How many more of these flammable hoodies were bought in the meantime is anybody’s guess.

This was far from a one-off incident. When we contacted 2040 Australians in October last year, 132 people reported buying an unsafe product from a discount online marketplace in the previous two years. Of the 480 dangerous incidents that were linked to these products, 359 involved physical and emotional harm, including hospitalisation.

The unsafe goods are pouring in from overseas platforms despite many of them breaching mandatory Australian safety standards. Australia’s lack of an overarching law banning the sale of unsafe products isn’t helping. Many product categories in Australia have no mandatory safety standards to begin with.

The risks often only come to light when someone gets injured, and if the product is then recalled, the recall is usually voluntary.

The likelihood of ongoing consumer harm is why ����Vlog has made online product safety the subject of our second designated (or “super”) complaint to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

In July 2024, ����Vlog was named by the federal government as one of three organisations with the authority to lodge such a complaint. The ACCC has to respond to designated complaints within 90 days.

“����Vlog research has identified a significant volume of unsafe, potentially banned and prohibited products available on online stores and marketplaces, and it’s likely that we’ve only scratched the surface of what could be out there,” says ����Vlog senior policy and campaigns adviser Bea Sherwood.

“How many people have to be harmed by these products before we see stronger action taken to prevent unsafe, potentially banned and illegal products from being sold in the first place?”

Test failures in our accredited labs

Over the last two years, ����Vlog has conducted several tests of products purchased from discount online marketplaces:

• In December 2025, ����Vlog purchased 22 toys for children aged 3 and under from Amazon, eBay, Temu and AliExpress. Six had serious safety failures that could result in children choking on small and unsecured parts.
• In November 2025, we purchased 24 toys from the online marketplaces Shein, AliExpress, eBay and Amazon and tested them against the button and coin battery mandatory standards. 17 failed to meet the standards and posed serious safety risks.
• In September 2025, we purchased 14 children’s cots from online platforms including eBay and Baby Bunting Marketplace. Five had serious safety failures.
• In May 2024, we purchased and tested 15 coin and button battery-operated products from Temu. Every toy failed at least one requirement of the mandatory button battery safety standard.

Potentially banned products still widely available

Online platforms selling products that fail safety standards is only part of the problem.

Our research shows that products that may have been banned outright in Australia – such as novelty lighters, novelty cigarettes, sky lanterns and tongue studs – can still be found on Amazon, AliExpress, eBay and Shein. Many such products appear to be designed to appeal to small children.

Our research has also found potentially prohibited products for sale on online marketplaces such as AliExpress, Amazon and eBay, in particular flick and butterfly knives, which are illegal in all states and territories in Australia. (The devices allow users to brandish a knife blade with a flick of the wrist.)

We’ve also detected a disturbing trend known as “safety washing”, where online marketplaces advertise dangerous products as safe, such as sky lanterns marketed as “safer to use” and “flame resistant”. Sky lanterns are banned under the Australian Consumer Law due to safety risks that are all too obvious.

A global issue

These spot checks indicate a systemic issue in Australia that’s been further substantiated by testing overseas.

Last year, consumer organisations in Germany, France, Denmark and Belgium tested 162 products purchased on Shein and Temu across three categories: toys and products for children under three, USB chargers, and necklaces.

Well over half of the products bought on Temu (65%) failed to comply with EU safety standards, while the failure rate for Shein was 73%. The worst safety failures were in the children’s toys category, where all 27 products purchased on Shein and 26 out of the 27 bought on Temu failed.

(The testing was done by International Consumer Research and Testing, a London-based global consortium of consumer organisations, of which ����Vlog is a member.)

ICRT project manager Sílvia Gomes da Silva tells ����Vlog that recent EU Safety Gate annual reports show that alerts have reached record highs, with toys, electrical products and items containing hazardous chemicals among the top categories. A disproportionate share of the alerts are linked to products originating outside the EU.

“We have strong evidence that unsafe goods including those sold online can and do cause real injuries and health risks, and that alerts are rising,” Gomes da Silva says.

Stine Müller of the Danish Consumer Council was involved in the ICRT testing of children’s products purchased on Shein. He points to a critical regulatory loophole, one that also exists in Australia.

The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) requires online marketplaces to remove goods from their platforms that don’t comply with EU standards, including goods from third-party suppliers. But there’s no law that says they have to prevent these products from being put up for sale in the first place.

“From our perspective, this is the key problem that needs to be addressed as it poses an unacceptable risk to European consumers,” Müller says.

Mishmash of regulation

Australians are buying more and more products through these online marketplaces every year. In fact, the growth rate has been exponential.

A 2025 Roy Morgan study found that 8.8 million people in Australia made at least one purchase from Amazon in the 12 months to September 2025, an increase of 900,000 over the previous 12 months.

The same study showed that 4.7 million people bought something from Temu, also a 900,000 year-on-year increase. And 2.6 million purchased at least once from Shein, representing a 600,000 year-on-year increase. Roy Morgan estimated that Temu and Shein had a combined increase of almost $1.3 billion in annual sales from Australia alone.

There is a high likelihood that many of these products pose safety risks, yet responsibility for product safety in Australia is spread across manufacturers, sellers and distributors. When harm occurs, it’s unclear who should be held accountable, and few businesses ever are. 

The millions of dodgy goods from online marketplaces are entering the Australian market virtually unchecked, and there is no all-encompassing law that says they must be safe. In our designated complaint, we’re calling on the federal government and the ACCC to tighten the regulatory regime over these fast-growing overseas businesses before more people get hurt.

“Enough is enough, unsafe products are being sold at scale to often unknowing consumers,” says Sherwood. “It’s time for the government to step in and introduce a general safety provision that stops these products from being sold in the first place.”

The post Stopping the rising flood of dangerous goods from Shein, Temu, AliExpress and more appeared first on ����Vlog.

Chocolate may be the most commonly spruiked item at Easter, but you can expect businesses to sell all manner of goods to attempt to cash in on this seasonal holiday.

This month has already seen retailers including Aldi, Big W and Kmart pushing Easter-themed plush toys, pyjamas, baskets and costumes, alongside everyone’s favourite chocolate eggs.

Easter is also a time when more than a few of us are snapping up showbags stuffed with novelty knick knacks and buying various travel and entertainment products to see us through the holiday period.

With retailers rushing to roll out all this stock, there’s a lot that can go wrong and Easter favourites haven’t been immune from previous safety scandals.

With research showing Australians tending to think we’re more protected from dangerous products than we really are, we’ve got tips on how to stay safe this Easter.

Easter items not always safe

Previous years have seen several Easter products called out for posing a risk to consumers.

Bunny-themed hoodies coming without required fire hazard warnings, light-up baskets with unsecured button batteries and chocolates and hot cross buns contaminated with undeclared allergens and even glass are some of the cases that have emerged since the beginning of last year.

Other holiday staples including beach tents, outdoor chairs and child car seat accessories have also been recalled from shelves in recent years.

In a sign of 2026 being no different, the first few months of this year have already seen several light-up novelty toys labelled risky for not meeting button battery safety standards.

Easter is also a time when parts of New South Wales and Queensland host local agricultural shows, and the Royal Easter Show is held in Sydney. 

Showbags are a must-have for many at these events, but these have been found to contain unsafe toys in the past.

Australians overestimating product protections

All this comes in the midst of many Australians believing we’re better protected from dangerous merchandise than we really are.

Previous ����Vlog surveys have found that most of us believe businesses are legally required to make sure the products they sell are safe before making them available to consumers.

This isn’t the case – currently, only some products have to be checked by suppliers to ensure they meet national mandatory safety standards before they’re sold in Australia.

Other products, including toys deemed to pose a significant suffocation risk or items made with harmful materials, are banned from our shelves altogether.

How to avoid dangerous products at Easter

It’s worth knowing that while Australia may not require safety testing for all products before they’re sold, there are established processes in place for withdrawing a product from sale if it turns out to be dangerous.

The ACCC’s arm regularly manages recalls of such items and (FSANZ) issues alerts for similarly dubious foodstuffs.

And protections are improving – previous work by ����Vlog has helped result in new safety measures, such as those for button batteries, being added to Australia’s raft of mandatory standards.

Authorities also often scrutinise products more closely at Easter events.

For example, state consumer affairs agencies regularly conduct inspections of showbags, removing items and warning vendors when non-compliant products are found.

Sydney’s Easter Show – one of Australia’s largest agricultural shows – is a regular target of sweeps by NSW Fair Trading, with every showbag on offer being inspected to ensure none contain any unpleasant surprises.

Still, it’s useful to get familiar with ways you can stay safe while buying and using products at this time of year:

1. Stay across the latest product recalls and safety warnings for food, toys and other items from and . Following these organisations on social media or signing up to their emails is an easy way to keep an eye on updates.
2. If an item contains button batteries, make sure they’re properly secured and not easy for young hands to remove. These small batteries can be deadly to children if swallowed and we’ve seen products missing important features designed to prevent kids accessing them.
3. Avoid buying children’s toys, baby safety items and electronics from cheap overseas websites. We’ve seen many of these items fail Australian safety standards.
4. Learn how to spot a fake review. These can be used to spruik dodgy products.
5. to ensure you don’t end up with any items deemed to pose serious risk of injury, illness or death.
6. Keep up to date with ����Vlog reviews and our regular rundowns of products to avoid to stay informed of any unsafe items.

����Vlog calling for new safety requirements

For years, ����Vlog has been calling for a “general safety provision” covering all products sold in Australia.

This would make it illegal for retailers to sell unsafe items and place obligations on businesses to ensure that all products are safe before they’re sold.

The post How to avoid dangerous Easter products these holidays appeared first on ����Vlog.

This means that they tend to take a reactive approach to product safety problems, rather than being proactive and trying to prevent safety issues before they arise.

We’re calling on the government to implement a new law that says if you’re a business selling a product in Australia, it must be safe.

At ����Vlog, we believe the onus for staying safe shouldn’t just be on the consumer. But as it stands, we can’t trust that all the products we buy are safe.

is celebrated each year on 15 March, and the theme for 2026 is “Safe Products, Confident Consumers”.

Unfortunately we can’t be confident consumers when we don’t know which products are safe and which aren’t, so while we wait for government action on safe products, here are 10 ways to avoid buying a product that could put you or a family member at risk.

On this page:

• 1. Buy local
• 2. Keep your standards high
• 3. Check for recalls
• 4. Don’t believe the hype
• 6. Be careful buying second-hand children’s products
•  7. Read and follow manufacturer instructions
• 8. Reconsider being an early adopter
• 9. Check the brand
• 10. Report unsafe products

1. Buy local

The Australian Consumer Law (ACL) applies to any business that sells goods in Australia, which means that even if you buy something from an overseas seller you’re covered if something goes wrong, right?

Technically, yes. But the reality is that contacting a business if they’re not based in Australia can be hard or even impossible.

And even if you seek help from Australian authorities, it’s difficult for them to intervene when a company is based overseas.

Using a credit card or PayPal can give you some buyer protections if something’s defective or even counterfeit.

2. Keep your standards high

There are two types of safety standards that apply to certain products sold in Australia:

• Mandatory standards are developed by the ACCC and companies face penalties for selling products that don’t meet these standards.
• Voluntary standards are just that: voluntary. Companies legally don’t need to comply with them, but they’re considered best practice. Non-government bodies such as Standards Australia develop these standards. 

There are , including cots, infant car restraints and prams.

Our experts sit on several committees for Standards Australia, contributing towards the improvement of safety standards to protect consumers, so they’re well versed in all things product safety.

When we test products with mandatory standards in our labs we make sure they comply with any mandatory standards that might apply. We also often do additional tests beyond the mandatory standard when we think it doesn’t cover all the safety issues.

Despite manufacturers claiming that their products are compliant, we do sometimes find that they fail mandatory standards. Some of the issues we have found recently include:

• The baby cots with serious safety failures
• Over half of the portable cots tested by ����Vlog fail safety standards
• Toy safety failures from Temu, AliExpress, eBay and Amazon
• The prams that failed our safety tests

And because there are so many product categories that don’t have mandatory safety standards, there are plenty of products sold in Australia that aren’t required to include safety features or even information.

Check our reviews before you buy to make sure products are safe to use.

3. Check for recalls

Another way to make sure you’re not buying something unsafe is to keep an eye on product recalls.

We suggest you always check before you buy so you can see if a product has been recalled or banned for safety reasons.

Unfortunately, even this system isn’t a surefire way to protect consumers against unsafe products.

We think the product recall process needs improving, which is why we’re campaigning for new safety laws.

4. Don’t believe the hype

You shouldn’t believe everything you read, and that’s especially true of online product reviews.

There are a lot of dodgy dealings behind the scenes: flat-out fake reviews, incentivised reviews, shoppers coerced to change or delete negative reviews, and companies publishing only positive reviews.

It’s illegal for businesses to create fake or misleading reviews, or to arrange for other people to, but it still happens.

Here’s how to spot a fake online review so you don’t get caught out.

5. Check ����Vlog reviews

You may not be able to believe other online reviews, but you can trust ����Vlog reviews. We exist only to fight for fair, safe and just markets, not to make a profit for owners or shareholders.

We don’t accept advertising from manufacturers, so our testing is independent: you can rely on us for robust, impartial advice and recommendations. 

����Vlog has built its reputation on rigorous, scientific testing so you can buy with confidence.

6. Be cautious buying second-hand for kids

Kids are expensive, from birth all the way through childhood – there’ll always be something you need to buy.

Shopping second-hand is a great way to save money and keep things out of landfill, but there are some children’s products that are best bought new, including cots, mattresses and child car seats. 

Recalled and dangerous kids’ products can end up on online marketplaces, as sellers may not be aware of the dangers. Before you buy something secondhand, check to see if it’s been recalled at .

 7. Read and follow manufacturer instructions

Even a “safe” product can turn deadly if you don’t follow the instructions about how to use and maintain it. 

When it comes to children’s products in particular, it’s important to heed assembly and usage instructions. 

So before you toss away the operating manual, familiarise yourself with any dos, don’ts and manufacturer recommendations.

8. Reconsider being an early adopter

Buying the newest product on the very day it’s released comes with a rush of endorphins, but those feelings of elation can quickly turn to disappointment (or worse) if it turns out to be unsafe.

New products that are untried and untested in the real world can come with problems.

You could be better off waiting to buy it to make sure it lives up to expectations.

9. Check the brand

Buying unbranded products or ones with unfamiliar names, particularly on online marketplaces, might seem like a way to save a few dollars. But it could end up being a costly decision if they’re unsafe. 

Be on the lookout for fakes and counterfeits that may trick you into thinking you’re buying the real thing – and, as always, check our reviews and product recall information to make sure a product is legit.

10. Report unsafe products

It’s important to keep the community safe, too.

If the unfortunate happens and something you’ve bought turns out to be unsafe, make sure other people aren’t put at risk by

The post 10 ways to protect yourself from buying unsafe products appeared first on ����Vlog.

But if you’re not exactly sure just what those consumer rights are, it can be hard to get what you’re entitled to.

is celebrated each year on 15 March, and the theme for 2026 is ‘Safe Products, Confident Consumers’.

To help you be a confident consumer, here are nine things you need to know to successfully exercise your rights.

1. You don’t always get to choose between a repair, replacement or refund

When a product or service fails to meet a consumer guarantee, the seller has to remedy the situation. 

You may be entitled to a repair, replacement, refund or compensation – but which solutions are available to you depends on how serious the problem is. 

Major problem

If there’s a major issue with the product or service, you have the right to ask for your choice of a repair, replacement or refund. If you want a refund, the seller can’t make you accept a credit note, exchange or replacement. 

You can also choose to keep the product but be compensated for the drop in value caused by the issue.

Minor problem

If the issue can be fixed within a reasonable time, it’s classed as a minor problem. The business must fix the problem or repair the product for free.

With minor problems, you can ask for your preferred remedy, but ultimately it’s up to the retailer to decide whether to offer a repair, refund or replacement. 

2. Two or more minor problems can equal a major problem

In December 2020, the ACL was amended to say that if a product has two or more minor problems that would stop someone buying it if they knew about them beforehand, it’s considered a major problem.

(These problems don’t need to relate to the same consumer guarantee.)

This important clarification gives weight to your right to ask for your choice of repair, refund or replacement if you’ve experienced two or more minor issues with your purchase. 

3. You don’t need an extended warranty

Businesses may try to convince you to buy an extended warranty, but in most cases they’re unnecessary. 

Under the ACL, retailers must offer you a refund, repair or replacement on any item that has a major problem.

These rights remain in place for a reasonable amount of time following a purchase, even if the warranty has expired.

In some cases, extended warranties may provide additional rights beyond what’s granted by consumer law.

But before you sign up, ask yourself these five questions about taking out an extended warranty.

4. Items bought before 2011 aren’t necessarily covered

The consumer guarantees that ensure your rights under the ACL only apply to products or services bought on or after 1 January 2011. 

But you may still have rights under the previous Trade Practices Act. Products or services bought before 1 January 2011 must meet that were valid at the time.

If they don’t, you may be entitled to a remedy from the seller. 

5. You don’t have to sign away your rights to get a refund

Over the years, ����Vlog has heard many cases of companies asking people to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) in order to get a refund, repair or replacement.

If you sign an NDA, you’re waiving your right to tell anyone about the problem and what the business did to fix it, and to publicly criticise the company.

But you don’t have to sign an NDA as a condition for accessing your consumer rights.

There may be a valid reason to sign an NDA when settling a dispute with a seller, but a company must not make misleading claims that your rights under the ACL are contingent on you signing one. 

6. ‘No refund’ signs are unlawful

Many of us have seen signs saying “no refund” or “no refund or exchange on sale items” in stores.

These are actually unlawful as they imply that you can’t get a refund under any circumstances, when in fact the ACL says you are entitled to a remedy for a faulty product. 

However, signs that state “No refunds will be given if you have simply changed your mind” are acceptable.

7. I’ve changed my mind; what are my rights?

Consumer guarantees don’t apply if you’ve changed your mind, found it cheaper elsewhere, realised you don’t actually like it or have no use for it.

Businesses are only obligated to refund or replace the item if it’s faulty. 

However many retailers will issue refunds as a sign of goodwill, so it’s always worth checking a store’s policy before buying something and to find out whether you need the original packaging and receipt for a change of mind refund or exchange.

8. You may be entitled to recover postage or transportation costs for returns

If you think there’s a problem with a product and it can easily be returned via post or courier, keep your receipts, as you can ask to be reimbursed for the cost.

If the product is large, heavy or difficult to move, it’s the seller’s responsibility to both organise and pay for the shipping.

However, if the product is found to not have a problem, you may need to cover the costs of both the return and the inspection.

9. You don’t have to take no for an answer

If a business is ignoring its obligations under the ACL and you’re hitting a dead end, you can escalate your complaint by and contacting your state fair trading agency.

The post 9 things everyone should know about their consumer rights appeared first on ����Vlog.

It may seem counterintuitive, perhaps even nonsensical, but Australia’s Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) currently has no power to help consumers with complaints about the world’s tech giants, such as Google, Meta, Apple, Microsoft and Hubbl.

And yet 1537 people have come to the TIO since 2023 with complaints about these omnipresent digital platforms, and complaints to the TIO have been rising year on year.

They are the same sort of complaints the TIO receives about the telcos it oversees, such as Telstra and Optus. They’re mainly about fees and charges, service breakdowns, and accounts being blocked. Meanwhile, the TIO makes clear on its website that it only handles complaints about internet and phone services. ����Vlog has also heard from many people who’ve been ill-served by a digital platform.

For Ombudsman Cynthia Gebert, it’s a case of regulation falling behind the modern day realities of the digital world.

“It’s heartbreaking telling people that, unlike issues with telco providers, we don’t have the power to help resolve their digital platform disputes – no one does,” Gebert says.

“When things go wrong online, the cost is profound: people and small businesses are losing time and money. People are struggling to solve their complaints directly, coming up against unhelpful chatbots and automated emails – so they turn to us.”

TIO wants to become the Communications Ombudsman

According to the final report of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Digital Platform Services Inquiry published earlier this year, nearly three out of four Australians think it should be easier to lodge a complaint about a digital platform, and over eight out of ten of us think we need an independent body in Australia to handle such complaints.

Gebert wholeheartedly agrees, which is why the TIO is calling on the federal government to change its name to the Communications Ombudsman and to add digital platforms to its remit.

“When someone loses access to their telco service, we work with the consumer and the company to resolve the issue. But when someone is accidentally locked out of their social media or cloud storage account, and the platform is not responding, there’s nowhere for them to go,” Gebert says.

The TIO breaks down digital services complaints it receives into two categories, transactional and social disputes. Most of them (78%) fall into the former and involve fees and charges, account access, and privacy breaches. But social disputes can involve thornier issues such as offensive or illegal material, misinformation and harassment. The TIO has to tell these people that it can’t help, and that no other independent body in Australia can either.

“Using services provided by big digital platforms has become unavoidable in modern life, but what happens when something goes wrong? Consumers need a well-resourced external dispute resolution body to resolve consumer complaints and identify systemic issues,” says ����Vlog director of campaigns and communications Andy Kelly.

“Appropriate internal dispute resolution processes should also be established and digital platforms should take a proactive approach to identifying complaints, rather than making consumers jump through hoops just to get a response.”

In a recent report on the issue, the TIO cites a number of chilling cases in which people’s lives have been upended due to an issue with their digital services provider, ranging from businesses not being able to continue functioning to accounts accidentally being deleted along with all the purchased digital goods.

Complaints to the digital platforms themselves are mostly exercises in frustration that rarely lead to an acceptable resolution. 

“We are calling for the Australian Government to expand the TIO to become the Communications Ombudsman. To support government reforms such as the under 16s social media ban and digital duty of care. It’s more important than ever that people have appeal rights when digital platforms get things wrong,” Gebert says.

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This year has been one of the busiest ever for ����Vlog. Thanks to your support we’ve secured significant victories for consumers. Here are five of them:

1. Sunscreen scandal exposed

No list of 2025 wins would be complete without mentioning the significant changes brought on by our testing of sunscreen SPF claims in June.

Over 20 products were recalled or paused from sale and the therapeutic goods regulator launched an investigation into the industry after we discovered 16 popular sunscreens weren’t giving the level of protection they claimed to provide.

All the products we tested claimed to come with SPF 50 or 50+ protection, but we found some provided the equivalent of only SPF four.

While one of the brands involved noisily disputed our findings, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which had approved the sunscreens for sale in Australia, launched an investigation.

In the course of its probe, the TGA raised concerns with the base formulation used by one of the sunscreens we’d found to be lacking, advising consumers to stop using 20 other products using this same formula.

Soon, multiple sunscreen brands were pulling their products off shelves, including the company which had initially rejected our results.

As well as helping consumers get the sun protection they need, our investigation resulted in the regulator taking a closer look at the labs sunscreen brands were using to back up their SPF claims.

The TGA has now alerted manufacturers to particular labs it thinks might be unreliable, hopefully ensuring more trustworthy sunscreens on our shelves in the future.

2. Banks, telcos and social media forced to fight scams

From SPFs that don’t deliver, to one that hopefully will.

In coming years, you should be receiving fewer scam texts and seeing fewer dodgy ads on social media, thanks to a new Scams Prevention Framework pushed for by ����Vlog.

In February, Federal Parliament passed legislation establishing this framework.

It sets new obligations for banks, telcos and social media platforms to prevent, detect, disrupt and report scams, or risk fines of up to $50 million.

The laws came after ����Vlog investigations highlighted scams ads rampant on social media, scammers able to impersonate trusted brands via SMS and the difficulty scam victims face in getting support.

Campaigning by ����Vlog and other consumer advocates helped shape the framework, which is designed to shift more of the burden of combating scams from individual consumers to big businesses.

Acknowledging the few avenues available for victims to seek compensation, the framework also establishes an external dispute resolution scheme. This will be designed to compensate Australians who have lost money when a business fails to meet its obligations to stop scammers using its systems.

The federal government is currently consulting stakeholders on the details of the plan.

3. Fairer grocery prices for all

This year also saw the federal government take steps to rein in grocery prices following another series of ����Vlog investigations.

In February, the Prime Minister cited our report highlighting the high cost of essentials in remote parts of the country when announcing the government would cap the price of 30 grocery items in certain First Nations communities.

Our investigation four months prior revealed residents of remote parts of Western Australia and the Northern Territory were paying more than double for essential items compared to shoppers in capital cities.

Meanwhile, other changes are set to benefit all grocery shoppers, irrespective of where they live.

In March, the federal government announced it agreed with the 20 changes recommended by the ACCC to make the supermarket sector fairer for shoppers and the businesses supplying goods to retailers.

These include requirements for supermarkets to display clearer pricing information, verifiable discounts and notifications when package sizes change.

Over backing these changes after we called out the major supermarkets for a range of tactics they were implementing that made it harder for shoppers to get value for money.

These included raising prices when they had promised not to, running confusing ‘specials’ promotions and shrinking the size of some homebrand items while keeping prices the same (something independent food manufacturers are also guilty of).

The federal government recently finished consulting on how it can tweak regulations to implement the changes we and the ACCC are calling for, paving the way for smoother shopping in the future.

4. Fewer confusing energy plans

Last year, ����Vlog became one of the first advocates empowered to make designated complaints to the ACCC.

This means we can raise concerns that the regulator must consider and publicly respond to within 90 days, something they’re not usually required to do. 

We quickly set about making the most of this new opportunity and in May this year made our first designated complaint, calling out the confusing and potentially misleading information energy retailers were putting on bills.

One particularly egregious practice being adopted by retailers was offering multiple plans with the same name, but different prices. This caused confusion for consumers who received bills which included a section indicating whether or not they could get a better deal by switching to another of their retailer’s plans.

When these better-off messages indicated a plan with the same name as the one the consumer was already on, many customers believed they were already on the best deal.

By not prompting consumers to switch, we estimated this same-name tactic was causing Australians to miss out on savings worth $65 million per year.

Soon afterwards, energy regulators stepped in to force retailers to more clearly distinguish between their different plans. 

In several states and territories, retailers now have to alert customers receiving same-name better-off messages that there may in fact be a cheaper version of the plan they’re on that they can switch to.

5. Dangerous products removed from online marketplaces

Recent months have seen some of the world’s biggest online marketplaces pull products from sale following our testing.

In November, we revealed that multiple battery-powered toys and novelty items sold on Shein, AliExpress, Amazon and eBay didn’t comply with Australian safety standards.

These products contained button batteries, whose small size make them easy for children to swallow, which can prove fatal.

In 2020, ����Vlog advocacy helped make Australia the first country in the world to require manufacturers to include warnings with these batteries and make it harder for children to remove them from products containing them.

The items bought from Shein, AliExpress, Amazon and eBay weren’t following these rules and were therefore potentially dangerous.

While most of these companies removed the uncompliant items from sale when we shared the results of our tests, AliExpress rejected our findings, so the fight to protect Australians from hazardous products continues.

Fighting for fairness reform and fewer dangerous products in 2026

“These incredible wins wouldn’t be possible without the support of thousands of ����Vlog members and supporters,” says our director of campaigns and communications, Andy Kelly. 

“Thank you to everyone who took action this year, whether it was signing a petition, sharing dodgy supermarket specials or making a donation to help fund ����Vlog’s mission to win fair, safe and just markets for all.”

“In 2026, we’ll continue to work together to win new reforms to ban unfair business practices like subscription traps, and penalise companies that unfairly refuse to give you a refund when you’re entitled to one.”

“We’ll also ramp up our efforts to win stronger product safety laws to finally make it illegal for businesses to sell unsafe products.”

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The days of being mistreated by businesses nearly every time we transact online may finally be coming to an end. In October last year, the federal government vowed to ban unfair business practices (also known as unfair trading) in the digital realm and beyond.

These include what have become everyday annoyances in the consumer marketplace, such as:

• finding it impossible to unsubscribe from something 
• having new charges thrown in right before you’re prompted to pay (drip pricing) 
• being pressured to hurry up and commit to a purchase 
• not being able to contact a business you’ve paid money to no matter how hard you try 
• having a free trial turn into a paid one without your consent.

Astonishingly, none of the above tactics or others like them are illegal, but we and our consumer allies across Australia have long believed that they should be.

Even more troubling are the limits of the Australian Consumer Law, which, among other things, gives consumers the choice of a refund, replacement or repair if a product has a major fault. But if a retailer chooses to ignore these rights, they currently face no penalty.

‘Hotel California situation’

Earlier this month, Assistant Minister Andrew Leigh – whose portfolio includes productivity, competition, charities and Treasury – gave a press conference at Parliament House in which he committed to moving forward with the unfair trading ban.

“Specifically, we’re going to be getting rid of two practices that have been a scourge for Aussie consumers: subscription traps and drip pricing,” Leigh said, adding that subscription traps “are a problem for three out of four Australians who have subscriptions”.

He cited examples of consumers subscribing to something online but being forced to try to call the business to unsubscribe. Or services that allow you to subscribe immediately but make you wait a month to unsubscribe. The Consumer Policy Research Centre (CPRC) has estimated that subscription traps are costing Australians $46 million a year, and ����Vlog has heard from plenty of consumers who have been caught in one.

“A simple rule for businesses is that if you can’t cancel a subscription through the same process that you started the subscription, then perhaps there’s a subscription trap going on,” Leigh said, likening subscription traps to a “Hotel California situation”, referring to the Eagles song which famously intones “you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave”.

Surcharges that double the price

Leigh also pointed to cases of drip pricing where a concert ticket that was advertised for $89 ended up costing $129 by the end of the transaction, and a low-cost internet plan that included a $79.99 fee sneakily added in during the sign-up process.

“It’s a matter of firms being honest with consumers. If there are unavoidable charges, they need to be advertised upfront. You can’t pretend that you’re offering a low price and then charge consumers a high price,” Leigh said.

Under the proposed reforms, businesses will be required to notify customers before a free trial ends, remove unreasonable barriers to cancellation, and show all transaction fees upfront.

As for making violations of the ACL a punishable offence, Leigh said “businesses that don’t comply will face tough civil penalties, and regulators will have expanded powers to enforce the laws. Manufacturers will be required to indemnify suppliers for the cost of providing remedies, so small businesses aren’t left out of pocket for doing the right thing.”

“A general prohibition on unfair trading will finally empower regulators to stop harmful conduct, and enforceable consumer guarantees will make it easier for people to get basic remedies without navigating complex, drawn-out complaints processes,” says CPRC CEO Erin Turner.

“Australians are being harmed every day by business models designed to manipulate. These reforms will shift the balance back towards fairness. This is the biggest uplift to the ACL in more than a decade.”

Consumer Action Law Centre CEO Stephanie Tonkin says: “We hear from people every day who are trapped in dodgy deals and unfair sales models, struggling to enforce their rights. Once implemented and enforced, we are certain the reforms will drive better business behaviour that helps all consumers and especially people experiencing vulnerability.”

A timeline for the introduction of these overdue measures has yet to be announced.

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On this page:

• Best and worst brick-and-mortar stores
• Best and worst online stores

When you’re in the market for a new washing machine or TV, do you like the ease that comes with buying online from the comfort of your own home? Or do you prefer the experience of shopping instore and sizing up the products first-hand before you commit?

With the rising cost of living, good value for money is a major selling point. But which stores have the widest range of products? And which ones can you count on for good customer service?

We asked more than 3500 ����Vlog supporters about their experiences buying appliances in the previous 12 months, and whether they were satisfied with the stores they visited, in person or online. 

For physical stores, we asked participants to rate the range of products and brands, value for money, customer service, delivery, after-sales service, deals and discounts offered and also store appearance.

For online stores, we asked much the same, but added ease of using the website, payment options, the returns process and level of product details. We included results for stores that had over 50 responses.

Best and worst brick-and-mortar stores

Best instore shop for overall satisfaction: E&S Trading

E&S Trading took out our coveted top spot for instore shopping, with many people praising its after-sales service, range of products and brands available, and delivery service. E&S Trading’s after-sales service was the retailer’s stand-out criteria.

A downside is that E&S Trading is not nationally available, with showrooms primarily in Victoria, and just one in the ACT.

Retravision, Winnings Appliances and Betta also scored well overall. Retravision’s value for money and customer service ranked high, though its range of products and brands didn’t rate quite as well as E&S Trading and Winnings.

Worst instore shop for overall satisfaction: Big W, Kmart and Myer

Department stores Big W, Kmart and Myer consistently rated lower than other stores in almost all categories in our survey. Big W had low scores for its range of products and brands and value for money, and many of our survey respondents said it was difficult to find customer service instore. Myer shoppers were not impressed with the value for money. Kmart respondents rated the range of products, customer service and layout of the store lower.

Pressure to buy extended warranties

We received more than a few comments around extended warranties and how salespeople push them, particularly at Harvey Norman. We’ve researched terms and conditions on extended warranties and in many circumstances found they were useless, so take a look at the T&Cs before you commit to anything. 

Our free consumer rights guides are helpful resources for learning more about extended warranties, along with what to do when you have problems with a product or service.

If you feel you’ve been unduly pressured into accepting an extended warranty, you can lodge a complaint with the ACCC.

Best and worst online stores

Despite growth in the last few years, online shopping is yet to eclipse shopping instore as our preferred way to buy, with over 60% of us still making the trek to physical shops to buy our new appliances and electronic goods. 

But for those who do prefer the online shopping experience, our survey uncovered some strong feelings about which stores deserve your business.

Best online shop for overall satisfaction: Appliances Online

Appliances Online topped every online category in our survey. We’ve had plenty of good feedback for Appliances Online anecdotally in recent years, and for a relatively young company (it was founded in 2005) to have gained so much ground over the past decade is an impressive thing. Though it no doubt helps that its parent company, Winning Group, has been an appliances fixture in Australia for over a century.

Worst online shop for overall satisfaction: Kogan

At the other end of the spectrum, Kogan scored 27 percentage points lower than Appliances Online. While there were a few comments around a good experience, mostly the feedback was negative.

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