NewsBite

Consumer rights

Advertisement
A strange glitch has hit the Qantas app this morning.

Australia too small to penalise airlines with fines, says minister

The transport minister said new rules will be effective without penalising airlines for cancellations and disruptions within their control.

  • Chris Zappone

Latest

Rosanna townhouse resident Sarah Brooks has copped “late fees” from strata management company BCSG despite them being ruled unlawful.

Unlawful strata fees are banned. Managers are charging them anyway

The “administration fees” tacked onto your levy notice are unlawful, according to VCAT. Strata management firms are still charging them, but owners want their money back.

  • Rachael Dexter
People in hazmat suits at Black Mountain School with some schools in Canberra closed due to potential asbestos contamination.

Schools shut as asbestos recall spreads to Kmart, Target

Schools in the ACT and one in Queensland have been closed over fears of children being exposed to asbestos-laden coloured sand products.

  • Elias Visontay and Jessica Yun
Sydney football fan Alexi will travel to next year’s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico – even if he doesn’t have any match tickets when he boards his flight.

$US100,000 tickets: Fans willing to roll the dice on World Cup access

Socceroos fans are finding themselves in an expensive, time-consuming race for tickets, as FIFA’s resale platform comes under increasing criticism.

  • Elias Visontay
Microsoft.

Microsoft refund offer backfires

The apology and refund offer come a week after the consumer watchdog launched legal action against the tech giant.

  • Elias Visontay
The surge of cheap products purchased online has prompted urgent warnings about safety risks.

Safety warning: Don’t let your Temu, Shein purchases burn you

Our online shopping habit is putting us at risk of injury – but new research shows that most Australians don’t care.

  • Jessica Yun
Advertisement
The SmartGate system has caused airport queues in Sydney and Melbourne.

‘Major weakness’: No relief from SmartGate pain in aviation consumer rights

Industry stakeholders have made submissions on the government’s proposed Aviation Consumer Protection scheme, which they say is lacking.

  • Chris Zappone
There are renewed calls for manufacturers to be forced to plaster expected lifespan labels on their appliances. 

‘We want to know how long it’ll last’: Should appliances have lifespan labels?

Consumer advocates want manufacturers to stick labels – similar to the energy-efficiency star system – onto appliances advertising their expected lifespan.

  • Elias Visontay
Subscription traps are costing Australians hundreds of millions of dollars a year in fees for services they no longer want.

Click to cancel: How hard should it be to end a subscription?

Jumping through hoops to unsubscribe from streaming platforms, software and even gyms could be a thing of the past, with new laws on the horizon.

  • Elias Visontay
Cash usage is declining.

Why we’re holding on to billions in cash but not using it

The Reserve Bank predicts cash will disappear in a decade. But the most common use of banknotes in Australia is hoarding.

  • Madeleine Heffernan

Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/consumer-rights-hpf