At the ACCC National Consumer Congress in Sydney today, the consumer watchdog reaffirmed its commitment to taking on suppliers and retailers by detailing some of its biggest victories.
“As part of our role we have worked to help empower consumers and small businesses by combining enforcement with education and awareness activities,” said chairman Rod Sims.
“In the past year or so, we have been working to uphold the integrity of online reviews as well as looking into conduct which may limit competition in the online retail environment.”
“The ACCC has taken action in the area of group buying and we have been active in looking at in-app purchases and attempting to curb online dating scams.
“A couple of years ago, we took on Apple over its iPad 4G claims, and there was further action in relation to 3DTV promotions and the advertising of broadband plans.”
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Under Sims, the ACCC has been on a warpath against several industries, include retail and commercial consumer electronics companies.
There has been recent high profile action against Harvey Norman and Mitsubishi Electric, as well as the record $3 million fine leveled at HP for providing misleading warranty information.
“We have 13 cases where the Federal Court has awarded penalties of $1 million or more, and these cases have been well noticed by the Australian business community,” Sims said.
The ACCC says suppliers and retailers should ensure they are providing correct warranty and returns information, not partaking in drip pricing, cartels or price maintenance and not publishing fraudulent online product reviews.