Tabla de contenidos para October 2024 en CHOICE

Alright fine. I’ll admit it. I don’t have the healthiest relationship with food. At literally any point in my life cycle you can get a solid read on my mental state, purely by observing what I’m shoving in my gob. If I’m glugging down four litres of water a day and politely eating overnight oats for breakfast, things in my world are likely good. If I’m sinking three or four cans of Coke Zero a day and smashing halal snack packs for lunch, things are almost certainly suboptimal. You can get a solid read on my mental state, purely by observing what I’m shoving in my gob What came first? The stress or the snack pack? It’s difficult to say but, either way, when I become more soft drink than…

Fast becoming a household name in kitchen appliances, Ninja has now added a range of kitchenware to its offerings, and its latest release is ceramic cookware. TheNinja Extended Life Premium Ceramic 6 Piece Cookware set comes with 20cm, 24cm and 28cm frypans, and 1.4L, 2.3L and 5.6L saucepans with lids. We’ve put the 24cm frypan to the test to see if it’s a better option than other traditional non-stick pans we’ve tested. The Ninja Extended Life Premium Ceramic Cookware claims to provide five years of non-stick performance thanks to its CeramicLock coating, and comes with a five-year warranty to back the claim. The cookware requires little to no oil or fat during cooking, is suitable for all cooktops and is oven-safe up to 285°C. It has an aluminium core with…

The federal government will establish a new facility to combat text message scams, after legislation to establish an SMS sender ID registry passed Parliament. The registry is designed to make it harder for scammers to impersonate trusted brands and institutions by protecting the names and numbers they use to send text messages. Federal Communications Minister Michelle Rowland says the registry will be an “important tool in the fight against highly organised criminals” and will help consumers trust communications from legitimate organisations. SMS remains the most common way scammers have contacted Australians so far this year. Scammers can alter the sender IDs of their messages to make it seem like they’re coming from established organisations, such as banks and government services. These messages can then appear in the same thread as…

When a carpark business offers a service called ‘Secure-a-Spot’, customers can be forgiven for thinking it means they’ll get a guaranteed parking spot. But Secure Parking apparently didn’t mean that literally. In August, the Federal Court slapped the business with $10.95 million in penalties for making false or misleading claims in a case brought by the ACCC. The company came clean during the case and admitted that when car parks reached capacity, customers with a Secure-a-Spot booking could arrive to find the space they had booked already had a car in it, which is never fun. More than 10 million Secure-a-Spot bookings were made during the five-year period that the service was advertised, meaning lots of motorists had this experience. “Secure Parking did not provide customers with the service it…

Q I purchased the Swissvoice C50s about a year ago after seeing it was recommended by CHOICE as a phone for seniors. The battery has recently failed, but when I returned to the retailer to buy a replacement I was informed that they had no knowledge of how to buy a replacement battery. A CHOICE mobile phone expert Denis Gallagher: Firstly, if the battery has failed after only a year or so, you may want to ask the retailer for a replacement by invoking your rights under Australian Consumer Law. You would reasonably expect the battery in a new phone to last a couple of years at least, even if there is a reduction in the battery life. If you decide you do want to buy a replacement battery, it is…

Community choice.community CHOICE can now fast-track consumer issues. How should we use this super power? @rabbittt: Telstra’s lack of customer focus, poor customer complaint resolution process and inability to maintain consistency of advice as issues remain unresolved. @mark_m: Consumers who have been transitioned to smart meters are not being treated on the same terms as those who have not. Arguably with a significant number paying more than if they had remained on the old meters and tariffs. @Michael2050: A few years ago, CHOICE was successful in its campaign to encourage legislation to force merchants to keep card surcharges at or below the percentage level they were charged by banks. According to my observation, most merchants have complied. But a significant number of small merchants have continued to charge a flat…

If you live near one of the 15 Costco Warehouse locations in Australia you may already be familiar with these super-sized supermarkets. To shop there you must be a member, which will set you back $65 a year. In return you can access their famed deals on everything from coffins to coffee. Costco is famous for selling in bulk, so if you’re after a bucket of Nutella the size of your head or 600m of cling film it could be your kind of place. It’s also well known for its discount fuel, tyre centre and hearing and optical services. While Costco is often perceived as being a lot cheaper than regular supermarkets, we’ve found that’s not always the case. We recently spot-checked 44 items against similar products at Coles and…

An appliance that performs more than one function is great if it works. In our increasingly smaller homes, saving space (and potentially money) by combining two or more products seems like a no-brainer – and we’ve seen some great examples of multifunction appliances that are genuinely good buys. An air purifier that doubles as a fan, a mop that doubles as a vacuum and an oven that’s also an air fryer can all be great ways to combine the functions of two or more appliances into one standalone product. Our testers often encounter products that try to do too much and end up falling short On the other hand, our experience has shown us that sometimes a great idea fails when it comes to execution. Our CHOICE testers too often…

It’s up to you if you want to take out comprehensive or third-party car insurance, but you must have compulsory third-party (CTP) insurance to register your car in Australia. It covers you against paying compensation to people injured in an accident that you caused. HOW TO CHECK IF MY CAR IS INSURED? To check if your comprehensive or third-party car insurance is up to date, speak to your insurer directly. If you buy a used car, the previous owner would have had CTP insurance, and this stays with the car. You will take it out in your name and can choose a new CTP provider when it is up for renewal. You can check the registration details and CTP insurance on your state or territory website: • ACT – accesscanberra.act.gov.au…

The popularity of air fryers continues to soar far further than even our own CHOICE experts ever predicted, and this much-hyped appliance is now commonplace in many Aussie kitchens. Manufacturers have certainly taken note too, with more and more brands releasing new iterations of the ‘it’ appliance. New models include loads of features, bigger drawers and options for all budgets and cooking needs, from the most basic through to the high-flying fryers with all the bells and whistles. Our kitchen experts recently put a range of newly released air fryers through a series of tests in our kitchen labs to sort out the top performers from the duds, and discovered a few interesting things along the way. 1. Bigger baskets and twin models The very first air fryers were mostly…

A freestanding oven is an oven and cooktop combined into one standalone unit. What makes them stand out from more conventional wall ovens is their capacity – the internal space of the larger models is their biggest selling point. The ability to simultaneously roast two large turkeys, a tray of vegies and even a dessert at Christmastime would be the deciding factor for many keen cooks. What to consider While the size of the larger freestanding ovens may be appealing to some home cooks, it can also be a drawback. The shelves and baking trays are significantly wider than those of a standard oven and can be difficult to handle – particularly when loaded with hot food. Being so wide, they’re also difficult to clean in a domestic sink. You’ll…

They’re pretty popular nowadays, but are soda makers like the SodaStream just another unnecessary addition to your collection of kitchen appliances, or a worthwhile investment? We weigh up the pros and cons to help you decide. Soda maker pros SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS Using soda makers to make your own sparkling water usually works out cheaper than buying bottled soda water (especially if you tend to buy the pricey imported stuff). Based on a cylinder refill price of $20, we calculated the price per litre of sparkling water made with maximum carbonation for each of the 12 models we tested. The price per litre ranged from 38c to 76c, and would be cheaper still if you used a lower carbonation setting. If you compare that with the price of the cheapest soda…

There are two ways knives are made. STAMPED KNIVES Blades are machine-stamped from a piece of steel and then ground, polished and honed. Stamped knives are often lighter than forged knives, which can be more suitable for some people. FORGED KNIVES Blades are made from a single piece of steel that’s been heated, moulded, hardened, tempered and then ground into a cutting edge. They often have a better feel and balance, and the heavier blade is good for cutting tougher foods. Forged knives are often more expensive than stamped and also often said to be better, but our tests found this isn’t necessarily so. Base your decision on how the knife feels for you.…

Accuracy: Our journalists use sources from trusted institutions with a reputation for careful and unbiased research. Our verifiers and subject matter experts check articles and reviews before publication, to make sure facts and quotes are accurate and data has been interpreted correctly. Corrections: If we’ve made an error in CHOICE magazine, we include the correction in the next available issue (usually in the Checkout section of the magazine). If you think we’ve got something wrong, please visit choice.com.au/contactus. Reviews and testing: Our testers put products through their paces in our own NATA-accredited laboratories. We use test methods based on Australian standards and develop our own to match the way consumers use a product in their homes. We buy most products we test, maintaining our independence from manufacturers and so we…

TPG has become the latest phone and internet service provider to promise it won’t sign agreements with Google that make it the exclusive default search engine on TPG-supplied devices. The court-enforceable undertaking to the ACCC comes after Telstra and Optus made similar promises to the competition regulator in July. “We are pleased that all three mobile network operators in Australia have responded to the ACCC’s competition concerns,” says Commissioner Liza Carver. “This undertaking is another important step towards providing Australian consumers with more choice about the digital platforms and services they use, and to encourage more competition in these markets.” The ACCC found that TPG had made exclusive agreements with Google to pre-install Google’s search service as the default on Android devices it provided to consumers. The competition watchdog previously…

In April 2023, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) released a report on what the big four banks were doing to protect customers from scams, and what they did after customers were scammed. The answer in both cases was nothing much. The big banks (ANZ, CBA, NAB and Westpac) as a whole had put a stop to a mere 13% of scam payments over the review period, and had provided reimbursement to customers for the money stolen by scammers in a paltry 2–5% of cases. A recently released ASIC report focusing on 15 smaller banks delivered much the same troubling news. In 96% of the cases where a scam occurred, customers suffered the losses. And, as with the big four, reimbursements were few and far between. Almost all the…

Consumers overwhelmingly believe that privacy laws need to be changed to protect people from data misuse and unfair treatment, according to new national research commissioned by CHOICE. More than three-quarters of people surveyed agreed that businesses should only use their personal data fairly. Additionally, 83% of consumers believe that small businesses should be required to follow the same rules as big businesses when it comes to using personal data, and 88% of people agree the privacy regulator should be able to fine businesses that misuse personal data. This research comes on the heels of another major data breach, as it was recently revealed the personal and health records of almost 13 million Australians were exposed in a breach of MediSecure, a former prescription delivery service provider. Without comprehensive reform of…

The Federal Court has found Bit Trade, the operator of the Kraken crypto exchange, failed to comply with design and distribution obligations when offering its trading product in Australia. From October 2021, the “margin extension” product was available to Australian customers without a target market determination that’s required by law. A target market determination is a legal document which describes the type of customers a product is appropriate for and restricts the distribution of the product to meet those markets. Each time the product was made available by Bit Trade without this document, it breached the Corporation Act. “This is a significant outcome for ASIC involving a major global crypto firm. We initiated proceedings to send a message to the crypto industry that we will continue to scrutinise products to…

A key question people ask when preparing for life A after work is how much income they can expect in retirement. Many super funds provide a retirement calculator on their website to help people answer this question, but a deep dive by Super Consumers Australia found serious problems with these tools. More than three quarters (77%) of the calculators we surveyed recommend default retirement incomes that are either too high, meaning your super may run out long before your lifespan, or too low, meaning you may still have a substantial balance remaining at age 100. Another issue with these calculators is that they don’t provide useful guidance for people who rent or who are still paying a mortgage in retirement and will have higher housing costs. Most of the calculators…

Member Phillip wrote to us after M he was misled by a Google ad for “Apple noise-cancelling airpods (3rd Generation)”. He’d clicked on the link and purchased the product, but soon after realised that the airpods were not noise-cancelling, as the ad had suggested. Phillip sent us a screenshot of the Google ad, which described the product as “noise-cancelling”. As soon as he realised the airpods didn’t match the description on the ad, Phillip called Qantas Marketplace to request a refund. Qantas Marketplace said it couldn’t give a refund as it would not be reimbursed by Apple. Phillip then contacted Apple, who said it was a Qantas Marketplace issue. As Phillip had already tried resolving the issue with both the retailer and the manufacturer with no success, we suggested he…

Do you feel like you’re in an unloving, unsatisfying relationship with your supermarket? You spend hours of valuable time with them and all they do is take all your money and underwhelm you with their promises. Sure, they treat you nicely occasionally so you’ll stay, offering a special treat here and there, but their ulterior motives are undeniable. If you’re seeing red flags everywhere, it might be time to split. It’s not you, it’s them. Four times a year, we ask Australian consumers about their shopping habits via our CHOICE Consumer Pulse survey. And what they’re telling us is clear: they’re falling out of love with supermarkets, and fast. Nearly 40% of people recently told us they don’t trust supermarkets to provide the best services and products to meet their…

As Australians continue to struggle with increased grocery costs, there’s never been a better time to rethink our shopping habits. Our March 2024 Consumer Pulse survey found once again that the cost of food and groceries was a concern for people, with 87% reporting they were worried. This level of concern has remained consistently high since March 2022. With so many of us looking at ways to pay less at the checkout, we investigated whether you can save by choosing frozen and tinned alternatives to fresh fruit and veg. The nutrients in frozen foods are preserved because fruits and vegetables are typically frozen shortly after harvest Is frozen as good as fresh? It’s a common misconception that frozen fruit and vegies are less nutritious than fresh. In fact, frozen produce…

While it might be tempting to change superannuation funds to get a retirement bonus (or a bigger bonus), it’s worth remembering the fundamentals of super: the main things you should look for in a fund are strong returns, competitive fees and insurance that suits your needs. Also, you have to be a member of the fund for a set period before you get a bonus. Similarly, keep in mind that some funds may take back the bonus if you don’t follow their rules; for example, if you spend down a percentage of your super or close your account. Another thing to note is that the bonus counts towards your Transfer Balance Cap, which is the upper limit on how much you can have in your retirement phase account. The cap…

We review almost 60 car insurance policies and score them based on their policy features (how much they cover compared to other products) and how competitive their pricing is (based on thousands of online quotes). We combine these to produce the CHOICE Expert Rating, a score out of 100 that reflects their level of cover and value for money. We also survey customers to ask them about their overall experience with the insurer. This is the satisfaction score, which represents the percentage of people who rated their experience as above average or excellent. ‘Na’ means there was no result for that insurer. Since results aren’t available for all insurers, this score isn’t included in the CHOICE Expert Rating. Where we have enough data, we also rate insurers in each state…

Whether you’re upgrading an ageing microwave or buying one for the first time, here’s everything you need to know to choose the right model for you. Sizing up a new microwave Many kitchens now have a dedicated space for a microwave, so you’ll need to measure that gap and look for something that fits while still allowing space for air circulation. Most microwaves are around 50cm wide, 30cm high and 40cm deep. They’ll need about 10cm space around the sides for ventilation, and 20cm at the top to allow for proper ventilation. Some microwaves with a grill or convection function require hardwiring by an electrician Built-in microwaves and trim kits BUILT-IN MICROWAVES Having all your appliances integrated on one wall seems to be a trend for complete kitchen renovations and…

How well a kitchen knife cuts is very important, but it also needs to feel good in your hand. Your main kitchen knife will be a chef’s knife or a cook’s knife. It should have a comfortable, decent-sized non-slip grip handle; good balance; and a nice curve on the blade. Maggie Beer, author of Maggie’s Harvest and star of the ABC TV show The Cook and the Chef, says feel and balance are what she looks for in a knife. “It has to feel good as soon as you put it in your hand. If a knife feels right you can get to the stage where it truly becomes an extension of your arm rather than just a kitchen tool,” says Beer. Here, we explain the different types of knives,…

Shop Ethical rates the environmental and social impact of companies (not products) using independent sources. Where available, we publish Shop Ethical ratings in CHOICE magazine for the brands whose products we test. This rating is not included in our own scoring. If a brand doesn’t appear in our Shop Ethical tables, it means there’s no rating for that company. Shop Ethical regularly reviews its ratings, but those that appear in CHOICE are correct at the time we went to press. For more, visit ethical.org.au.…

Telco consumer advocates and the federal government have welcomed the decision from Telstra and Optus to delay the shutdown of their 3G networks. The companies were originally planning to turn off their services in late August, but have postponed the shutdown until 28 October. In addition to devices that only use 3G, the shutdown will also affect 4G-enabled mobile phones that revert to the older technology when the user dials triple zero. Carol Bennett, CEO of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, says this makes the shutdown “a matter of life and death”, and says the extension “gives us a final opportunity to reduce these risks and ensure Australians are ready for a post-3G communications landscape”. Telstra and Optus are the only remaining providers of 3G coverage in Australia. The…

Major telco outages such as M the November 2023 Optus meltdown have far-reaching consequences, affecting everything from banking to emergency services. And it’s often at these times that the communication skills of the affected telecoms fall short. Earlier this year the federal government directed the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to come up with enforceable industry standards to improve how companies communicate with customers, particularly when their services stop working. The Telecommunications (Customer Communications for Outages Industry Standards) Direction 2024 requires the ACMA to make new rules to ensure telcos keep customers informed and updated through website updates, email alerts to customers, social media updates and radio and television news bulletins, rather than providing little more than unhelpful silence. “The Optus outage shone a light on systems and processes…

In a case against tech giant Meta, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has alleged that more than half of the cryptocurrency-related ads it reviewed on Facebook were scams or violated the company’s policies. The ACCC has also alleged that since at least January 2018, “Meta has been aware that a significant proportion of cryptocurrency advertisements on the Facebook platform have used misleading or deceptive promotional practices”. Some of these ads also falsely used public figures, such as David Koch and Celeste Barber, to promote the scams. It’s clear that digital platforms, like Meta’s Facebook, need to do more to protect consumers and stop scam ads from reaching users. But if they were going to do it without the government forcing them to, they would have done it already.…

Energy retailer AGL and three of its subsidiaries breached energy retail rules by failing to notify and refund customers it overcharged through the Centrepay deductions program, according to a Federal Court finding. Centrepay is an automatic deduction program for welfare recipients, who can arrange for bills to come straight out of their welfare payments. The case, brought by the Australian Energy Regulator, found that almost 500 customers were overcharged from 2016 to 2021. The rules were breached over 16,000 individual times. AER Chair Clare Savage says the regulator will continue to investigate and take enforcement action when consumer harms occur. “We expect retailers to have the policies, systems, and procedures in place to give consumers their money back if they have been overcharged and to provide the protections they’re entitled…

Victoria’s consumer affairs agency has issued a rare urgent public warning about light-up shoe charms and accessories containing button batteries. Consumer Affairs Victoria Acting Director David Joyner says the items, designed to clip onto laces or into holes in shoes, are being sold at various pop-up stores in shopping centres across the state. “Our officers have recently visited Chirnside Park, Northland and Melbourne Central shopping centres, seizing 80 of these products. We’re undertaking further inspections across Victoria,” he says. Button batteries pose a serious health risk to children who may ingest them. They can burn through the oesophagus in just two hours, causing internal injuries, severe bleeding and death. Joyner says the light-up shoe charms “don’t have their batteries adequately secured, making them easily accessible, or lack the required warning…

I can’t be the I only one who’s noticed that while things we really need (housing, food, energy) are getting more expensive, the things we don’t need at all are getting cheaper. Case in point: I could buy a completely new summer wardrobe from Kmart, Shein or Temu for less than my weekly grocery shop. But when you can buy a brand-new toy, home decoration or piece of clothing and have it shipped to your house from China for less than five bucks, it’s hard to ignore the feeling that someone, somewhere is paying the real price. I don’t have the solution to unethical global supply chains, but I have started to make some changes in my own lifestyle to bring back a connection with, and appreciation for, the products…

Aussies love cheese. In 2023, we each ate an average of 15kg of cheese, and cheddar is our favourite type. And with time being a hot commodity for many of us, pre-packaged cheese slices are a good time-saving option. But not all cheese slice products are created equal. We wanted to help you choose the best tasting, easiest-melting and healthiest one before you hand over your hard-earned cash. CHOICE looked at 16 different supermarket cheddar cheese slices (not the processed kind) and analysed them according to taste, smell, appearance, texture, meltability and nutrition, to help you choose the next lunchbox hit or cheese toastie hero. The best sliced cheeses Our test revealed four top performers that come recommended by our expert taste testers. Third and fourth place were taken out…

If you believe you’ve been subject to unlawful discrimination by a business, you can complain to your state or territory anti-discrimination body or the Australian Human Rights Commission. The body that receives your complaint will assess its legitimacy and may ask you to provide details or proof of the interaction between you and the company. Aimee Cooper from the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission says these bodies will then facilitate dispute resolution between you and the business. These resolutions may entail apologies or acknowledgements, changes in policies or practices, further staff training or financial compensation. In Victoria, over the last two financial years, 65% of complaints that attempted conciliation were settled during that process. If conciliation fails, cases can be heard at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal…

There’s no doubt that swapping your daily cafe coffee for a homemade brew can save you money in the long run. But if you can’t be trusted to operate machinery before you’ve had your morning brew, a manual espresso machine might not really appeal. Similarly, if you’re used to cafe-quality coffees, a pod machine likely won’t cut it either. Enter the automatic machine. It combines the appealing aspects of both types of machines: coffee at the press of a button, but made with freshly ground beans of your choice. Your cup goes under the spout, you press the button to grind the coffee beans to make the espresso, and then you make your desired beverage depending on the strength and volume you want. Some models also automatically froth milk for…

Fridges are one of the most important appliances in our home, if not the most important. They run 24/7 and we rely on them to keep our food fresh, our drinks chilled and, perhaps most importantly, our ice-cream perfectly scoopable from the freezer. Whether you need a new-look fridge for a kitchen reno, or an upgrade on your old Kelvinator that’s given up the ghost, it’s important to buy a fridge that suits your needs and budget. An ice-maker can take up valuable space in your freezer or fridge compartment Choosing the wrong size or type, or one that costs a bomb in electricity to run, will fill you with fridge regret later down the road. CHOICE experts spend hours in our appliance labs putting the latest fridges of all…

Once you’ve got a knife that works for you, it’s important to take good care of it. CHOPPING SURFACE Always use a chopping board that’s softer than the knife, such as wood or plastic, to help avoid blunting or getting nicks in the blade. SHARPENING Knives need to be sharpened from time to time to keep their cutting edge fine. While stone sharpening is the best method, you can also use a honing steel or pull-through sharpener. But eventually the knives will need to be professionally sharpened. CLEANING Don’t leave food to dry on the blade, as some foods contain acid that can permanently stain it. Some manufacturers claim their products are ‘dishwasher-safe’, but they still recommend washing your knives by hand. And some dishwasher detergents are simply too harsh,…

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