Tabla de contenidos para February 2025 en CHOICE

Welcome to 2025. New year, new me, am I right? Actually, if history serves, I’m probably not right. New Year’s resolutions and new beginnings almost always devolve into “same old story” within months (or sometimes even weeks). I should know: when it comes to New Year’s resolutions and self-improvement, I’m as big a sucker as anyone. When it comes to New Year’s resolutions and self-improvement, I’m as big a sucker as anyone I’m always writing lists, packed full of silly little goals. I’m also a huge spreadsheet fan, adding a menagerie of daily tasks and boxes to tick. “Drink 3 litres of water”, “hit 10,000 steps”, “do some yoga”, “meditate”, that sort of thing. Sometimes it sticks, but usually it falls by the wayside after a month or so. I…

A CHOICE investigation in 2022 found that A Bunnings, Kmart and The Good Guys were capturing biometric information on customers through facial recognition technology in stores, largely without customers’ knowledge or consent. Our findings caught the attention of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), which launched an investigation. The Good Guys immediately paused its trial of the technology following our report. Just over a month later, in July 2022, both Bunnings and Kmart announced they would halt their use of facial recognition technology. But the OAIC investigation went forward. In November last year, OAIC announced the results regarding Bunnings, saying the company had breached Australia’s Privacy Act. Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind said the facial recognition cameras that were in use in 63 Bunnings stores in Victoria and New…

In August last year, we reported that four out of five I of the 280 scam victims we surveyed received no warning from their bank before transferring money to a scammer. About half of these scam victims told us that when they did receive some form of support from their bank, it didn’t come close to helping them get their money back. Cases of banks being held to account when they’ve inadvertently enabled a scam are rare, but it does happen. In December last year the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) took HSBC Bank to court for knowing that scam transactions were likely taking place and doing very little about it. “We allege that from at least January 2023, HSBC Australia was aware of the risks of unauthorised transactions…

The corporate regulator ASIC has won legal proceedings in the Federal Court against Bit Trade, which operates the Kraken cryptocurrency exchange, for illegally issuing credit to more than 1100 Australian customers. The court ruled that the crypto platform’s “margin extension” product acted as a credit product, which Kraken did not have the correct target market determination to offer. As a result, the company breached its design and distribution obligations each time it offered the product – which amounts to thousands of times. The court ordered Bit Trade to pay $8 million along with ASIC’s costs for the proceedings. “Target market determinations are fundamental in ensuring that investors are not inappropriately marketed products that could harm them,” ASIC chair Joe Longo says. “Bit Trade issued its margin extension product to over…

They borrowed our brains – without asking – to train their bots. This has to be the crime of the century. That said, I acknowledge that resistance is futile. Big Tech pulled one over on us, and artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay. It just seems fair that we should get some royalties or kickbacks or something for training the machines to destroy us – or maybe just take our jobs. As we went about our business, they were listening in – heck, looking in – on our every utterance, our every move. They learned from our collective style of writing, of speaking, of being, and spat it all back out to us in the form of services we probably don’t need. And we gave it away for free!…

Credit cold shoulder I have been a client of Citibank, using their credit facility, since September 2001 – almost a quarter of a century. I have been very happy with the service up until recently. In June 2022, NAB purchased the credit card section of Citibank. My yearly credit fee increased three-fold, from $99 a year to $299. At the same time, my ‘interest-free period’ was reduced from around four weeks to two. I always pay within the interest-free period and I’ve made profitable use of the ‘bells and whistles’ that have accompanied the Citibank credit card; notably the rewards points (we use our credit card extensively and collect between $300 and $400 worth of rewards per year) and the complimentary international travel insurance (though I have never needed to…

● Shop around – premiums for listed young drivers and young drivers driving their own car can vary widely. ● Choose a car insurance policy recommended by CHOICE – it’ll be cheaper and have better features (see CHOICE Oct 24). ● Buy your car insurance online to make use of online discounts. ● Don’t buy a high-performance car as it’ll be more expensive to insure. ● Pay your full annual premium if you can – some insurers charge you more if you pay monthly. ● Don’t modify your car. ● Sometimes you can get discounted premiums if you install an anti-theft device such as an alarm or immobiliser. ● Some insurers, like AAMI, will give you a discount if you do their skilled driver training course. ● Increase your excess…

If you’re shopping around to insure a pet older than eight years, you’ll find yourself restricted to just a handful of comprehensive policies or seniors’ products and accident-only policies. The reason given by insurers is that this keeps premiums under control and encourages pet owners to get insured when their animal is young and healthy (so your premiums can subsidise older pets’ healthcare needs). This restricts the customer’s ability to switch (while the insurer can change the policy with each annual renewal). Conceivably, the policy you sign your kitten up to might look very different to the one covering your old moggy 15 years later.…

Retirement village residents are often in for a rude shock when it comes time to leave the village. Most have handed over a huge lump to secure a unit, and village operators all have their own rules for how much residents will get back. The amount will likely be reduced by numerous exit costs, which is bad enough. But even worse is that it can take a very long time to get what’s left over. The WA government recently announced it’s moving forward on reforms that would require village operators to return exit entitlements to former residents within 12 months. That this is considered a big improvement shows you how bad the situation had become. Some WA residents had waited for two or three years to receive what they were…

Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a set of premium and pricey wireless earbuds that deliver great sound quality with a big dose of tech wizardry. You can learn to use these buds in such a way that your phone rarely has to leave the pocket or bag. Default sound quality is excellent; there’s great warmth, crispness, impact, and detail, with most musical genres represented well. But they’re best suited to users of Google Pixel or other Android-based smartphones. iOS users won’t get the most out of the features on offer. You can enable the Google Assistant and ask your earbuds a lot of the usual stuff you’d ask your phone The tiny buds fit comfortably and at only 62 grams can be worn for long periods without any discomfort.…

When you choose a super fund, performance and fees might be high priorities. But what about customer service? There are currently no mandatory standards for how funds interact with members and process claims. The fund Cbus made headlines recently when it was hit with court action by ASIC over massive death benefit and insurance claims-handling delays. But to pursue this case, the regulator has had to invoke a very broad legal duty, because of the lack of clear relevant laws. Super Consumers Australia is calling on the government to mandate standards for super funds – not just around claims handling, but all aspects of member services. First Nations and culturally and linguistically diverse communities are especially impacted by poor practices that don’t account for cultural differences. And if timely claims…

Q When I use my microwave while casting something to my TV via Google Chromecast, the stream cuts out almost every time. There aren’t any walls between my microwave and my TV (open plan kitchen and living room). The microwave is very old – do I need a new one or is this normal? A CHOICE small appliances expert Kim Gilmour: We’ve had that question a few times over the years, and it does tend to affect older microwaves. Mostlikely, your microwave is using the same 2.4GHz frequency band as the Chromecast. Try connecting the Chromecast to your router’s 5GHz frequency band, to see if it helps. If you have a first-generation Chromecast it may not support 5GHz, in which case you might need to get a new microwave (or…

Community choice.community What is your preferred appliance store? @gary2: In South Australia, I’ve had good service and competitive prices from JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys, but when it comes to whitegoods and household appliances, Spartan Electrical lead the pack. @SueW: Appliances Online (owned by Winning) every time. They aren’t always cheapest (in which case one waits for a price drop), but they have great service. I like that I can get free shipping, next-day delivery, free removal of old appliances… all of which incur a separate cost with many retailers. @PhilT: For travellers to Victoria where there is an E&S, you almost owe it to yourselves to visit one. The one on Chifley Dr (Preston) is awesome and with impeccable sales service. @Windyhill: In the Winning Appliances store they…

There’s a lot that goes into picking the right laptop for your kid’s needs, but the main things to think about are: Laptop vs tablet: A traditional laptop, also known as a clamshell, is a better option than a tablet with detachable keyboard. Performance is generally better for the price and they’re easier to use. Apple Mac vs Windows: Almost all the main software your child will be using is available for Mac and Windows. Apple products tend to be more expensive, however. Weight: Schools recommend a maximum weight of 2kg, but there are lots of appropriate laptops that are 1.5kg or less. Thinner, lighter laptops tend to cost more. Screen size: Most laptop screens are 13–15 inches, which is suitable for schoolwork. You can get 10-and 11-inch screens but…

The Dualit NewGen toasters use analog controls, meaning they use an old-fashioned timer dial. When toasting is complete, you’ll need to manually raise the toast out of the carriage using a lever (although this does help keep it warm). The toasters’ simplicity is a big drawcard in that it makes them easy to repair, but it can also be a drawback. The manual design means that you’ll have to be more involved in the toasting process, and our testers also noted some parts were “significantly difficult to clean”. “Getting good results with a manual toaster like this requires a lot of trial and error – and probably plenty of under or overcooked toast,” says CHOICE appliance expert Kim Gilmour. “You can get better results but you’ll need to persevere. It’s…

When it comes time to buy a new barbecue, consider the size of your entertaining area, as well as how many people you’re likely to most often be barbecuing for. There are three size categories, but a few barbecues have functions and features that can cross over between the categories. TRAVEL BBQ Small, lightweight and mobile, travel barbecues are designed to be easily transported to a campsite, beach or park. They’re just big enough for home use too, though your guests may need to be patient as they can only cook for a couple of people at a time. They typically only have one burner or charcoal compartment. Many can accommodate a small propane gas bottle, and may have travel-friendly features such as locking lids, collapsible trolleys and wheels. They’re…

Criminals who infiltrated social media platforms stole $95 million from Australians in 2023, up 249% since 2020. And 76% of those 2023 losses happened because victims clicked on a scam ad on a Meta-owned platform, such as Facebook or Instagram. Things got better in 2024, but are still far from good enough. Between January and September 2024, Australians had reported losses of $35 million from social media scams. A recent announcement raises hopes that scammers will find it harder to target victims, at least when it comes to financial services scams. Meta says it will introduce an advertiser verification system in Australia to take effect this month. Advertisers targeting Australians with financial services offers will have to take several steps to demonstrate that they’re not scammers, including providing their Australian…

Online florist Meg’s Flowers has been slapped with a $1 million penalty by the Federal Court for making misleading representations in a case brought by the ACCC. The company admitted that it breached Australian Consumer Law by advertising itself as a local florist in towns and suburbs on 156 different websites and in 7462 Google advertisements. “By making misleading claims about the location of the florists, Meg’s Flowers denied some consumers the opportunity to make an informed decision to support a local business, and likely denied truly local businesses the opportunity to make a sale to those consumers,” ACCC Commissioner Liza Carver says. The florist must now establish a compliance program, publish a corrective notice on its website, and contribute to the ACCC’s costs. It’s not the first time a…

On Parliament’s last sitting day of 2024, the government finally passed laws that will regulate buy now, pay later (BNPL) as a credit product. BNPL was designed to fall within a technical loophole in our national credit laws. CHOICE and other consumer groups have been calling for this loophole to be closed for more than five years. In that time, BNPL services have become more popular, but there have been consistent signs that many users were in financial hardship and being left worse off by BNPL. The new laws for BNPL will come into effect in June 2025, and will require providers to: ● retain a credit licence and provide data to ASIC about their lending practices ● retain membership to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority and allow customers to…

In late 2024, the ACCC commenced proceedings in the Federal Court against online travel booking site Webjet for allegedly making false and misleading representations about flight prices and bookings. The ACCC alleged Webjet advertised “flights from $X” when the price quoted didn’t include compulsory servicing fees and other fees unavoidably added on to the booking. It is alleged the misleading advertising occurred at various points between November 2018 and November 2023. They say the fees were not disclosed on social media posts by the company and were hidden in the fine print of emails and on the Webjet site. “We know how much Australian consumers value air travel to stay connected for work, leisure or to visit family. During this time of cost pressures, many consumers are carefully considering travel…

Cambridge Analytica Remember the Cambridge Analytica scandal back in 2018? The personal information of around 50 million Facebook users was disclosed to the This is Your Digital Life app on the platform, and then the data was allegedly used, among other things, to affect the outcome of the US election. Well, it seems the wheels of digital justice turn slowly, but in December last year, the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner announced that it had agreed to a $50 million payment program from Facebook owner Meta to settle legal proceedings in Australia. The money will go to affected Facebook users in Australia. The settlement “represents the largest ever payment dedicated to addressing concerns about the privacy of individuals in Australia,” says Information Commissioner Elizabeth Tydd. Meta is expected to…

INSTORE PRESSURE We received more than a few comments around extended warranties and how salespeople push them, particularly at Harvey Norman. In recent years at CHOICE, we’ve researched terms and conditions on extended warranties and in many circumstances found they were useless, offering no more than the rights you already have for free under the Australian Consumer Law. Take a look at the T&Cs before you commit to anything. If you feel you’ve been unduly pressured into accepting an extended warranty, you can lodge a complaint with the ACCC. ONLINE SHADINESS We were disappointed to see how many extended warranties are being sold online using pre-selected check boxes – a deceptive web design, sometimes also called a dark pattern. The ACCC has picked up on this sort of behaviour, flagging…

What size do you really need? Don’t buy the bigger set if you don’t really need it – a four-slice toaster for a two-person household might just be overkill. Some brands will offer a two-slice and a four-slice toaster in the same range, so you can choose whichever one works best for your situation. What’s most important to you? If you’re a coffee or tea nerd, then buying a kettle with special features should be high on your list of priorities – but perhaps a toaster is less important to you. If you’re just using your kettle to make basic cups of tea throughout the day, but you have a family of six to feed every morning for breakfast, then a good toaster is probably more useful. How important is…