Coles, Cabcharge, Samsung, Jetset, Ticketek and Ticketmaster are some of the brands slammed by consumer group Choice for being “sneaky” and “unscrupulous” at the annual Shonky awards.
Those on the receiving end of Choice's Shonky awards have earned their place among the pantheon for practices deemed by the consumer group to be “dodgy”.
Coles earned a Shonky award for its Mould Remover product which, along with Exit Mould, failed to actually kill ingrained mould despite its claims to the contrary.
Also in the spotlight are Ticketmaster and Ticketek for charging “over-the-top and inescapable fees” which sometimes included a $9.50 handling fee and extra fees for an email ticket ($5.20), ticket pick-up ($7.60), SMS ticket ($5.60), registered post ($11.10) and credit card surcharge.
Similarly, Cabcharge's 10% surcharge for the use of any card payment in taxis was in the firing line. Choice derided Cabcharge for labelling the surcharge as a “fee on financial service” but pointed out the roll out of new legislation next year which requires operators to reflect the true cost of providing a card service may land the company in hot water with regulators. Credit card surcharges typically range between 1% and 3%.
Samsung's SW70SP top loader washing machine was slammed for its wasteful water use despite its four star water rating while Jetset Travelworld Group, which also includes Best Flights and Harvey World Travel, was judged to be unethical in its 'chargeback' policies.
Other recipients of the Shonky awards were Nature's Way, Toblerone and Liquipel.
Choice spokesperson Ingrid Just said: “The Shonky awards serve as a reminder that businesses cannot provide misleading, less than truthful or dangerous products to consumers. The dishonour of potentially receiving an infamous Shonky encourages businesses to provide the fairest and best quality products and services into the market.
“We hope the Shonkys encourage consumers to look critically at the goods and services they use, question poor service, hidden costs, and the fine print beneath those claims that seem too good to be true.”
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