I was under the impression that product recalls were a rare thing. Turns out this isn’t the case — all you have to do is peruse the ACCC Recalls Australia iPhone app, launched recently by everyone’s favourite consumer watchdog, to see there’s quite a number of recalls in the wild. More »
Bought a Bravia TV between July 1, 2007, and December 31, 2008? You might want to check whether it’s still safe to use; Sony’s issued a safety recall on models sold in Australia in that time period due to fire risk. More »
Windows 8′s secure boot feature might be good news for big enterprises that want to lock down their data. But If you’re keen on Linux or other alternative operating systems — not so good. But will the ACCC step in and disable secure boot? More »
The ACCC is concerned that by being connected to the NBN in a similar fashion, ISPs may get sneaky on speeds (who’d have thunk it?). So the commission says it will take action against providers breaking its key principle: “Headline claims must represent attainable speeds”. More »
Dear Lifehacker, In the light of the new consumer laws introduced earlier this year, I’m wondering if we should question whether we should be paying to extend the limited warranty of one year on new Apple computers? Apple likes to promote the extended three-year AppleCare warranty as a logical extension of the 12 months “limited warranty” that it already offers, but I’m wondering if that falls within the law. More »
A new study by the ACCC has confirmed what many able-bodied pedestrians have long suspected: Mobility scooters are dangerous! More »
We were so excited yesterday by the discovery that it’s Australian Bacon Week that we forgot to notice that it’s also National Consumer Fraud Week. The ACCC has released some stats to coincide with Fraud Week which shows that consumers are starting to wise up to the scammers. More »
Just yesterday, we mentioned that new consumer laws meant that items sold on a contract should be covered by a warranty for the life of that contract. Proving the point, the ACCC has negotiated a court-enforceable undertaking with Optus that means phones sold on a 24-month deal will be under warranty for that entire period — even for iPhone owners. More »
When someone wants to take legal action against a company promoting any product involving teen pop snot Justin Bieber, we are so there. And if that company has also potentially besmirched the good name of Space Invaders, we’ll bring our own thermos to court. Incredibly, this train of events has actually begun to transpire. More »
