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"Misleading": IOC condemns "abuse" hurled at Olympic boxer

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has released a statement to condemn the "abuse" and "discrimination" that has targeted Algerian boxer Imane Khelif after her controversial match in Paris. The match, which was abandoned after just 46 seconds when her Italian opponent Angela Carini tapped out, caused quite the stir when Carini said she had "never been hit that hard in my life". Following the controversial match, Khelif's history came to light with many pointing out how she was permitted to fight at the Olympics despite being disqualified from the women’s boxing world championships last year for failing gender eligibility tests. Khelif, who was born female and has always identified as such, has been hit with a wave of transphobic abuse from high profile figures including J.K Rowling and Elon Musk after the revelations came to light. The 25-year-old athlete, who has been boxing since she was a child and has always competed in women’s categories, was tested by the International Boxing Association (IBA) with IBA president Umar Kremlev saying DNA tests had “proved they had XY chromosomes and were thus excluded”. For males, XY is the combination of chromosomes while XX is the combination in females. As Khelif has always identified as female, there are a number of medical conditions that can cause a woman to also have XY chromosomes. The IOC has since spoken out in defence of Khelif, denouncing the “abuse” levelled at the Khelif as “discrimination”, while confirming she had followed the eligibility criteria to compete at the Games. “Every person has the right to practise sport without discrimination,” the <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/news/joint-paris-2024-boxing-unit-ioc-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> released on Friday said. “We have seen in reports misleading information about two female athletes competing at the Olympic Games Paris 2024." The second athlete in question is referring to fellow boxer, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu-ting, who underwent the same testing from the IBA and returned the same XY chromosome results as Khelif. “The two athletes have been competing in international boxing competitions for many years in the women’s category, including the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, International Boxing Association (IBA) World Championships and IBA-sanctioned tournaments." “The IOC is saddened by the abuse that the two athletes are currently receiving.” The statement went on to call out the IBA's DNA testing, reading, "The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years." "Such an approach is contrary to good governance." Image credits: Facebook/YAHYA ARHAB/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Editorial

Legal

"It's just not fair": Driver slams council for misleading parking fine

A furious motorist has taken aim at a Sydney council's parking solution that resulted in an "outrageous" and "unjustified" fine. Ben drives to the Campbelltown train station in South West Sydney every day for his workday commute, and has recently been forced to find alternative parking plans due to a major disruption. A multi-deck carpark is being built near the station to accommodate the influx of traffic, but while the site is under construction, a makeshift parking lot has been set up. While the new car park will add 500 parking bays when completed, residents have claimed the council has drastically reduced the number of spaces in the meantime. Ben told <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/sydney-parking-rules-drivers-outrage-over-tiny-detail-in-parking-fine/4cfe4d45-c311-4587-b68a-fc1d017675fc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">9news.com.au</a> parking had become "a nightmare" since the temporary lot opened, leaving many motorists with no option but to park along the fence line. It's this act that saw Ben receive a $129 parking fine in the mail. He was outraged when he was issued a fine on February 9th for "not stand vehicle in a marked parking space" when he had no other parking option. "They've advertised that the temporary car park is the same amount of spaces lost during the construction, which is severely incorrect," he said. "I can only assume they are fining loads of drivers as that space along the fence line is always full of cars parked the same as mine was." Along with the fine itself, ticket inspectors supplied Ben a photo of a wordy and confusing sign located near the entrance to the lot, which only added to his frustration with the local council. He said while there were no marked bays along the fence line, signage was not clear enough to indicate to drivers they weren't allowed to park there. "I mean it's just not fair. It's a temporary gravel parking lot," he said. "They've created this mess and now they are targeting innocent commuters fighting to just leave their car somewhere to catch public transport into work." A spokesperson for Campbelltown City Council told Nine News they understood the construction of the new car park would "create some disruption". "A temporary 113-space parking lot has been opened adjacent to the existing parking lot in order to offset some of the parking loss," they said. The council was "actively monitoring and reviewing the current parking and signage arrangements as well as community feedback, to identify any further improvements that could be made and inform any additional community notification required". "While this review takes place, vehicles will only be fined where a safety risk to both other vehicles and/or pedestrians is identified," the spokesperson said. Image credits: Nine News

Legal

Ten slams “misleading” Masterchef rumours

Channel 10 have put an end to rumours surrounding the next season of Masterchef Australia, in the wake of false reports circling that they were on the hunt for a new judge. In the wake of chef Jock Zonfrillo’s passing, rumours have circulated that the network was looking for a replacement. And according to a report from the Daily Mail, they even had a few frontrunners in mind. The publication claimed that no well-known chef was off the cards, and that while it was a “sombre” affair, an insider had informed them that conversations had begun, despite their ongoing grieving process. Their insider reportedly stated that the final decision would come down to on-screen chemistry, not existing popularity, as “that really earned Jock the position originally”. They suggested that Zonfrillo had been “a dark horse”, but that his chemistry with fellow judges Melissa Leong and Andy Allen had been what won everyone over, and that “the new host will need that more than anything”. The Daily Mail went on to list their reported shortlist of contenders for the position, from the likes of former Masterchef stars Dan Churchill and Hayden Quinn, author Danielle Alvarez, Hugh Allen, Josh Niland, Joel Bickford, Alessandro Pavoni, and Jordan Toft. Their most notable, however, was Poh Ling Yeow, who had made a return to the series a few nights prior. However, as Channel 10 have informed news.com.au, none of this is true. “Casting for the next season of Masterchef Australia has not commenced,” a spokesperson for the network declared. “To suggest otherwise is completely false and misleading.” Zonfrillo, as well as Leong and Allen, had only joined the cast of Masterchef in 2019. Their line-up marked a significant change for the series, with former longtime judges Matt Preston, George Calombaris, and Gary Mehigan exiting the hit cooking competition after nearly a decade at the helm. And although they hadn’t possessed the same public profile as the former batch, Zonfrillo and his fellow judges had proven a major success with viewers, with the show powering on in the ratings realm. The 2023 season - Zonfrillo’s last - had welcomed strong viewership for the network as well, and while many may continue to speculate about the following season, Channel 10 remain firm that pre-production will not get underway until much later in 2023. Images: Masterchef Australia / Ten

FatBlaster slammed and banned for misleading advertising

A popular weight loss pill will be banned from being sold after Australian regulators deemed there was no medical evidence the pill leads to weight-loss, as advertised. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) removed FatBlaster Max – Australia’s leading weight loss supplement – from shelves across the country on Monday including at Coles, Woolworths, and Priceline after its creators registered the medicine without any weight loss properties. “The TGA considers that the name ‘FatBlaster’, as used on the label for FatBlaster Max and on a website where Cat Media Pty Ltd advertised that medicine, would be understood by consumers to represent that the medicine causes loss of body fat and therefore weight loss,” they said. “When the medicine was listed on [the register], however, Cat Media Pty Ltd had not included weight loss or body fat loss in the list of indications for the medicine. Thus, the TGA is unable to ensure that the medicine is effective for this advertised purpose.” Consumers were recommended by the FatBlaster Max creators to take one tablet every three hours, with each pill containing the same amount of caffeine as a cup of instant coffee. University of Queensland researcher and Accredited Practising Dietician, Dr Veronique Chachay, told NCA NewsWire “it’s about time” the “misleading” product was banned from sale. “Having this being taken off the shelf is only a little drop in a big ocean of issues, but still, it’s a step.” “People need to understand that weight loss doesn‘t happen this way. There’s no magic pill.” A FatBlaster representative told NCA NewsWire they are “disappointed” by the TGA’s decision to cancel the product. Image: FatBlaster

Body

“Terrify a nation”: Magazine under fire for misleading post

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post-body-container"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> Facebook users were left infuriated after WHO magazine posted a "tribute" to Home and Away star Ray Meagher on his birthday, implying that he died. The social media post wrote “The whole cast and crew love you very much”: Tributes are flowing for Home And Away’s most iconic star, Ray Meagher", which was meant to celebrate Meagher's 77th birthday on Sunday but had users thinking he died. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842242/screenshot-2021-07-06-085133.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/910b65958df444f1a8211bc61d4991d6" /> Users were furious. “Change the description of your post. I thought he had passed away. Misleading,” one wrote. “Omg I thought he died. Wow. Just terrify a nation,” said another. “Stone the flaming crows. Strewth I thought he had passed. You lot are a bunch of flaming galahs making people think that,” another joked, referencing some of Alf’s iconic lines. Fans were right to be worried as Meagher has undergone heart surgery after a shock triple bypass. “For me, it’s the same old message: people have got to get checked,” he said in support of a Heart Foundation fundraiser last year. “Blokes feel like they’re hypochondriacs or wusses or something if they’ve got a bit of a twinge and tend to ignore it. Not all blokes, but a lot do and I think men are worse than women in ignoring those things. Like it’s a dreadful sign of weakness … I don’t know what the rationale is, but they don’t listen to the body and you’ve got to,” he said, firmly. “If you’re getting a bit of a niggle, then go and see your GP and he’ll send you to the right people. You might be alive instead of dead, and I think that’s a better option,” he said. </div> </div> </div> </div>

Caring

13 money-saving tips that can be misleading

Differentiating bad advice from good People love giving advice, especially when it comes to saving money. However, that doesn’t mean you should believe in every piece of advice you hear. After all, following the wrong money-saving tips can actually cost you in the long run. To help you differentiate bad advice from the good, we made a list of 13 money-saving tips that actually don’t pay. Getting suckered into buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deals When it’s genuine, it is hard to resist. Whether it’s BOGO free or BOGO half price, you have to stop and ask yourself: would I really have bought this much of this item at this price anyway? If you’re shopping for jam and see BOGO free on jam, that’s probably a great time to stock up. But if you’re looking for a new pair of runners and see BOGO half off, stop and think. You went out looking to spend $60 on runners. Now you’re spending about $100. Did you even want two pairs? Will you wear them both? Do you even like the second pair? Building an emergency fund but not contributing to super It’s essential these days to have an emergency fund. Financial experts say you need six months to one year’s worth of expenses. But experts also agree that you need to look after your financial future. If you’re squirreling money away into an emergency fund or savings account but not putting money into a super fund or another long-term plan, you’re not preparing for something you know is coming: old age. And with compound interest being what it is, every day you put it off is dollars wasted. When it comes to saving, the simpler, the better. And what could be simpler than ‘The $5 Savings Plan,’ i.e. stashing every $5 note that comes your way? It’s a surprisingly effective way to put some money aside. A Boston Globe writer who stuck with the plan saved $12,000 in three years. Always choosing the cheapest price tag I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – buy cheap, buy twice. If you buy a screwdriver set for $1 at a dollar shop or get your shoes for a few bucks at a flea market stall, chances are you’ll be buying them again real soon. Cheaply made, poor-quality items may save you a few bucks in the short term, but you’ll only have to pay more later to replace them. And if you replace them with more cheap junk, you’ll be repeating the cycle. The only time this is not true is when you’re buying generic brands in the supermarket – you’re often getting the same product that’s in the brand-name packaging. Taking store credit card offers for discounts but paying the minimum That 30 per cent off is a good deal, if you actually pay off the balance in full right away. Sadly, many people find it way too easy to pay the much smaller minimum payment. Before long, you’re paying the minimum every month and adding more to the store card, and you’re suddenly a credit card revolver who is paying hefty interest charges. Not putting money in the parking meter for quick outings You may be a world-class speedy shopper or errand runner, but everyone’s luck runs out sometime. Chances are you’ll eventually get a ticket, which can run you anywhere from $45 to well over $200 in some cities, depending on where you live. Buying food in bulk and throwing half of it away When you see a whole bunch of bananas on sale for less than half the regular price, you grab them. Then you watch them turn black because you bought too many. While buying in bulk is good for lots of things, be careful when buying perishables. It’s not a bargain if you throw them away. Avoiding regular visits to the dentist It’s something I did as a student when money was tight. Well, after skipping regular cleanings and check-ups for a few years, I needed a bunch of costly fillings. Now I have a dental plan that covers check-ups, but even if you don’t, get to the dentist. It’s a lot better to pay for a visit now than to pay for major work later. Putting off investing until you're 'rich' It might be hard to think about investing when you’re not making a lot of money. After all, shouldn’t you wait until you’re well-established in your career to start thinking about that? Well, not really. Even if you just started out in your career, it’s never too early to start an investment account. According to Listen Money Matters, a Betterment (fixed-term) account is a good option for people who are just starting their portfolio. Avoiding all debt You probably know that an unpaid credit card balance or high-interest loan can significantly hurt your credit score. However, that doesn’t mean all kinds of debt will. According to Fidelity, certain kinds of debt with low-interest rates (like mortgages) can actually help you achieve your personal goals without harming your credit score in the process. While you should still try and make sure you pay your credit balance in time every month, there’s no harm in keeping an open mind when looking at loan options. Trying to buy a house as soon as possible Most of us regard owning a property as a sure sign of being established. However, rushing into buying a home can actually do more harm than good. Ending up with a mortgage that you’re struggling to pay off, or receiving a great job offer in a different city when you’ve already bought a house can actually harm your finances. After all, there is no harm in renting an apartment until you’re absolutely sure about your future plans. Depending on credit cards instead of an emergency fund One of the biggest financial mistakes you can make is to depend on a credit card during an emergency. Yes, you can put an unforeseen expense, such as an emergency bill, on a credit card and pay it later. However, thanks to interest, you’ll end up paying back a lot more than you spend. Your best bet in preparing for a real financial emergency would be building up an emergency fund, preferably consisting of three to six months’ worth of living expenses. Not sticking to a budget When you’re making enough money to cover your expenses, budgeting can seem unnecessary. However, without a budget, it’s easy to lose track of how much money you’re spending. To avoid spending yourself into debt without realising make a monthly budget and stick to it. Avoiding credit cards There’s no denying that credit card debt is harmful to your finances. However, that doesn’t mean you should avoid getting a credit card. As long as you pay your balance in full each month, making purchases with your credit card can be worthwhile. Written by Paul Michael. This article first appeared in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.readersdigest.com.au/culture/13-money-saving-tips-that-can-be-misleading" target="_blank">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA93V">here’s our best subscription offer.</a>

Retirement Income

Scott Morrison's "misleading figures" a "new low"

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been accused of giving extremely misleading figures about the number of Australians stranded overseas. On September 18th, Morrison promised that all 26,800 Australians would be brought home for Christmas, but the department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed that only 14,000 have returned to Aussie shores. Morrison claimed in his press conference yesterday that he brought 35,000 Australians home instead of saying that his government missed the target. "So we are well on the track to deal with the scale of demand that we had at that time," he said. "In fact we have exceeded it, in many respects, with the number of people that have come back." Deputy Labor Leader Kristina Keneally slammed the "misrepresentation" as a "new low". "I think it's important that everyone understands how misleading Scott Morrison was today in his press conference when he spoke about Australians stranded overseas. We need a plan to bring these stranded Aussies home," she wrote on Twitter. In a statement overnight, she said that his figure of 35,000 Aussies being brought home includes people who never registered with DFAT. She said highflyers making overseas trips like Tony Abbott would be included in the figures presented by Mr Morrison as being "stranded" Aussies. "It's hard to comprehend just how low Scott Morrison will go to mislead Australians about his failure to deliver on his promises, but he has set a new low," she said. </div> </div> </div>

News

Trivago fined by Australian Federal Court for misleading customers on pricing

Australia’s Federal Court has found travel comparison site Trivago guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct over prices advertised and commission rates. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) brought the charges against the travel comparison site for suggesting that its first-placed prices on properties were the best. However, hotels were instead to have been ranked based on how much commission each paid Trivago. The company, which is owned by US-based Expedia and Booking.com, was found to have not suggested the best prices, which were filtered out of its list. In some cases, the company was found to have compared prices of standard and luxury rooms. The Australian Federal Court will schedule a hearing in coming months to determine the penalties, according to <a href="https://www.news.com.au/travel/trivago-fined-for-misleading-customers-on-pricing/news-story/30074634a8f3b90ddee445468a7216ce">news.com.au</a>. The Australian reports that Trivago has changed some of its tactics following the ACCC’s probe. The ACCC has alleged that Trivago advertisements from December 2013 presented the site as an impartial and objective price comparison service that helped to identify the cheapest prices for hotel rooms, but prioritised advertisers who were willing to pay the highest cost per click to the company. “Based on Trivago’s highlighted price display on its website, we allege that consumers may have formed the incorrect impression that Trivago’s highlighted deals were the best price they could get at a particular hotel when that was not the case,” ACCC chair Rod Sims said in August. “We allege that because of the design of Trivago’s website and representations made, consumers were denied a genuine choice about choosing a hotel deal by making choices based on this misleading impression created by the Trivago website.”

Domestic Travel

The “worst of the worst” products that are “ripping off and misleading” Aussie shoppers

Consumer group Choice has called out some of the “worst-of-the-worst” products being sold to Aussies in their 14th annual Shonky Awards. Choice CEO Alan Kirkland said in a statement the award aims to highlight the items Australian consumers should avoid as they are “ripping off” and misleading” shoppers. “Choice’s job is to stand up against companies doing the wrong thing. The Shonkys draw upon our unique testing, reviews and advocacy to help you identify the worst-of-the-worst,” Mr Kirkland said. “In a time of fake reviews, cash for comment, salespeople and lobbyists everywhere, it’s more important than ever for independent voices to tell the truth. “Following the banking royal commission, it’s no surprise that financial services businesses are such a feature of this year’s Shonkys.” 2019 Shonky Winners Kogan The online retailer has earnt themselves a shonky award this year for their “poor” customer service. Topping the NSW Fair Trading complaint register, the retailer has clocked over 300 complaints from January to July in 2019. Mr Kirkland says Kogan should “stop beating around the bush when its products are defective”. “Kogan must simplify the process for refunds, repairs and replacements to meet community expectations and the law”. He also mentioned the company must improve its customer service, and their refunds and returns policy. Medicare Medicare has been called out by Choice for their “basic” cover health insurance actually costing more than the cheapest “bronze” cover in NSW, the ACT, Northern Territory, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania. Mr Kirkland said: “2019 is the first year that private health insurance has topped the list of financial worries in Choice’s regular national surveys, and it’s easy to see why. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsZlUPMlzNV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BsZlUPMlzNV/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Artyguy (@aussieartyguy)</a> on Jan 8, 2019 at 8:04pm PST </div> </blockquote> “A new system that was meant to make things simpler has turned into a mess. Medibank’s ‘basic’ junk cover costs more than many higher-cover bronze policies. Medibank deserves a Shonky for failing at the basics — simple and affordable health insurance.” IKEA The Swedish furniture retailer has taken a spot on the 2019 Shonky Awards list for their Nedkyld fridge after it's score came in at just 35 per cent for food and freshness, and further failing an energy test. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B077R4PnK5z/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B077R4PnK5z/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Arjun Singh Jain (@arjunsinghjain)</a> on Aug 9, 2019 at 1:21am PDT </div> </blockquote> The Ikea Nedkyld is one of the worst fridges we’ve ever tested,” Mr Kirkland said. “Not only is it terrible at keeping your food cold, when Choice tested the Nedkyld’s energy use against its star rating, it failed the test. “It’s hard to understand how this fridge is still on sale in Ikea stores, especially with a misleading energy label.” AMP superannuation Choice has given AMP superannuation a Shonky award for their being over one million “zombie” super accounts eating away at the retirements of Aussies. Based on APRA data: “AMP received some of the strongest criticism from the banking royal commission — and it was deserved. If your superannuation is with AMP, chances are you’ve had your retirement leeched off of to fund its executives’ lifestyles,” Mr Kirkland said. “Choice has partnered with the new consumer group — Super Consumers Australia — and found that AMP holds the largest number of zombie accounts of any other super fund — accounts that sit there being wasted away by fees and insurance. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BacX4Bkjp1X/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BacX4Bkjp1X/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by AMP Australia (@amp_au)</a> on Oct 19, 2017 at 1:39pm PDT </div> </blockquote> “For AMP, it’s money for doing nothing. Managing people’s retirement funds isn’t your average business — there’s a higher moral standard to meet when it comes to people’s security and comfort in older age, and AMP have failed this standard.” An AMP spokeswoman told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/choice-shames-products-in-2019-shonkys-awards/news-story/a8c1bd878dd75cedee4a417a501fd412" target="_blank">news.com.au </a>it “can be difficult to draw accurate comparisons and conclusions in relation to inactive accounts due to the varied characteristics of products within trusts and across superannuation providers.” “For example: a large proportion of the AMP accounts classified in APRA’s data as inactive receive a capital guarantee. It is often in members’ best interests to maintain these accounts given the future benefit they will provide. “AMP supports legislative measures that identify and aim to reduce duplicate or inactive accounts.” Freedom Foods XO Crunch The XO Crunch cereal received a Shonky after having 22.2 per cent sugar in their product that they claimed was “a fun and nutritious way to start your kids’ day”. “Freedom Foods proudly displays four health stars on this bag of sugar. Choice says it should be one-and-a-half if health star ratings accurately reflected the amount of added sugar in a product — something that industry groups have lobbied to prevent,” Mr Kirkland said. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/6Lnvb-MNK0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/6Lnvb-MNK0/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Freedom Foods (@freedomfoods)</a> on Aug 9, 2015 at 4:46pm PDT </div> </blockquote> “This Shonky shows why the food industry needs to be kicked out of (the) room when it comes to health star ratings. The food industry has gamed the health star system to make a big bag of sugar look like a healthy choice for your kids — and that’s a disgrace.”

Home & Garden

5 misleading foods that claim to be healthy

Food gives us the nutrients we need to survive, and we know a balanced diet <a href="https://www.who.int/behealthy/healthy-diet">contributes to good health</a>. Beyond this, many people seek out different foods as “medicines”, hoping eating certain things might prevent or treat particular conditions. It’s true many foods contain “<a href="https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/bioactive-compound">bioactive compounds</a>” – chemicals that act in the body in ways that might promote good health. These are being studied in the prevention of cancer, heart disease and other conditions. But the idea of food as medicine, although attractive, is easily oversold <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4404/How-cloves-garlic-guard-cancer.html">in the headlines</a>. Stories tend to be based on studies done in the lab, testing concentrated extracts from foods. The effect seen in real people eating the actual food is going to be different to the effects in a petri dish. If you do the maths, you’ll find you actually need to eat enormous amounts of particular foods to get an active dose of the desired element. In some cases, this might endanger your health, rather than protecting it. These four foods (and one drink) show the common healing claims around the foods we eat don’t always stack up. 1. Cinnamon Cinnamon, which contains a compound called cinnamaldehyde, is claimed to <a href="https://www.ibtimes.sg/cinnamon-your-best-companion-fight-obesity-study-suggests-side-effects-20788">aid weight loss and regulate appetite</a>. There is evidence cinnamaldehyde <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24019277">can reduce cholesterol in people with diabetes</a>. But this is based on studies of the chemical in large doses – not eating the spice itself. These studies give people between 1 and 6 grams of cinnamaldehyde per day. Cinnamon is about <a href="http://www.orientjchem.org/vol30no1/extraction-of-essential-oil-from-cinnamon-cinnamomum-zeylanicum/">8% cinnamaldehyde</a> by weight – so you’d have to eat at least 13 grams of cinnamon, or about half a supermarket jar, per day. Much more than you’d add to your morning porridge. 2. Red wine The headlines on the health benefits of red wine are usually because of a chemical in grape skins called resveratrol. Resveratrol is a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/79/5/727/4690182">polyphenol</a>, a family of chemicals with <a href="https://theconversation.com/health-check-the-untrue-story-of-antioxidants-vs-free-radicals-15920">antioxidant</a> properties. It’s been <a href="https://theconversation.com/resveratrol-in-a-red-wine-sauce-fountain-of-youth-or-snake-oil-12743">claimed resveratrol</a> protects our cells from damage and reduces the risk of a range of conditions such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease. There is some limited evidence that resveratrol has benefits in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4942868/">animal models</a>, although studies done in humans <a href="https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/71/12/822/1833632">have not shown a similar effect</a>. It varies by wine, but red wine contains about 3 micrograms (about 3 millionths of a gram) of resveratrol <a href="https://www.ajevonline.org/content/43/1/49">per bottle</a>. The studies that have shown a benefit from resveratrol use at least 0.1 grams per day (that’s 100,000 micrograms). To get that much resveratrol, you’d have to drink roughly 200 bottles of wine a day. We can probably all agree that’s not very healthy. 3. Blueberries Blueberries, like red wine, are a <a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf034150f">source of resveratrol,</a> but at a few micrograms per berry you’d have to eat more than 10,000 berries a day to get the active dose. Blueberries also contain compounds called anthocyanins, which <a href="https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/2/1/1/4591636">may improve some markers of heart disease</a>. But to get an active dose there you’re looking at 150-300 blueberries per day. More reasonable, but still quite a lot of fruit – and expensive. 4. Chocolate The news that dark <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/1114811/high-blood-pressure-diet-foods-dark-chocolate-lower-reading">chocolate lowers blood pressure</a> is always well-received. Theobromine, a chemical in chocolate has been shown to lower blood pressure in doses of about <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20823377">1 gram of the active compound</a>, but not at lower doses. Depending on the chocolate, you could be eating 100g of dark chocolate before you reached this dose. Chocolate is a discretionary food, or “junk food”. The <a href="http://www.nutritionaustralia.org/national/resource/australian-dietary-guidelines-standard-serves">recommended serve for discretionary foods</a> is no more than 600 kilojoules per day, or 25g of chocolate. Eating 100g of chocolate would be equivalent to more than 2,000kJ. Excess kilojoule consumption leads to weight gain and being overweight increases risk of heart disease and stroke. So these risks would likely negate the benefits of eating chocolate to lower your blood pressure. 5. Turmeric Turmeric is a favourite. It’s good in curries, and recently we’ve seen hype around the tumeric latte. Stories pop up regularly about its healing power, normally based on <a href="https://theconversation.com/science-or-snake-oil-can-turmeric-really-shrink-tumours-reduce-pain-and-kill-bacteria-76010">curcumin</a>. Curcumin refers to a group of compounds, called curcuminoids, that might have some health benefits, like reducing inflammation. Inflammation helps us to fight infections and respond to injuries, but too much inflammation is a problem in diseases like <a href="https://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/types/inflammatory-arthritis/">arthritis</a>, and might be linked to other conditions like <a href="https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.CIR.0000129535.04194.38">heart disease or stroke.</a> Human trials on curcumin have <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261561413002501">been inconclusive</a>, but most use curcumin supplementation in very large doses of 1 to 12 grams per day. Turmeric is about 3% curcumin, so for each gram of tumeric you eat you only get 0.03g of curcumin. This means you’d have to eat more than 30g of tumeric to get the minimum active dose of tumeric. Importantly, curcumin in turmeric is <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3918523/">not very bioavailable</a>. This means we only absorb about 25% of what we eat, so you might actually have to eat well over 100g of turmeric, every day, to get a reasonable dose of curcumin. That’s a lot of curry. What to eat then? We all want food to heal us but focusing on single foods and eating mounds of them is not the answer. Instead, a balanced and diverse diet can provide foods each with a range of different nutrients and bioactive compounds. Don’t get distracted by quick fixes; focus instead on enjoying a variety of foods. Written by Emma Beckett and Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/these-5-foods-are-claimed-to-improve-our-health-but-the-amount-wed-need-to-consume-to-benefit-is-a-lot-116730">The Conversation.</a>

Body

WARNING: Misleading ALDI Easter egg label leaves Aussie woman hospitalised

A Melbourne woman was rushed to hospital on Easter Sunday after eating what she believed was “dairy free” chocolate from ALDI. Kaley, surname withheld, said she mistakenly purchased Easter chocolates labelled as “Dairy Dine”, which she and her mother misread as “Dairy Free”. The nursing student, who has a serious milk and nut allergy, told <a href="https://7news.com.au/news/health/chocolate-lovers-hospitalised-after-aldis-dangerous-wording-on-easter-products-c-72070?fbclid=IwAR3zCPZNwjtb1JNOlu38gW-PjqcoNj0qL6RWcZn-r5rqqCcHMIpJJ7t6Log">7 News</a> that she went into anaphylactic shock seconds after eating a bite of the supermarket’s Easter bunny. She spent the night in the intensive care unit as doctors treated her swelling throat with adrenaline. “I’m still very unwell but I’m past my anaphylactic reaction and I’m very lucky that I did get through it,” she said. “It’s one of my worst reactions.” Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia has called for the manufacturers of the chocolate to “improve labelling to make it clearer for consumers with food allergies”. The advocacy group’s CEO Maria Said told 7 News the “Dairy Fine” label should be replaced. “We’re not just talking about a rash here, we're talking about life or death,” she said. “If they do keep the ‘Dairy Fine’ brand, it’s got to be in a clear, bold font legible on foil and cellophane. “Thankfully [Kaley] survived, but we’ve had many, many people make the same complaint. They [ALDI] don’t want to wait for a fatality to finally make a change.” <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAnaphylaxisAustralia%2Fphotos%2Fa.719731554749242%2F2245420798846969%2F%3Ftype%3D3&width=500" width="500" height="707" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe> An ALDI spokesperson said they could not comment on the matter as it had not been reported to them. Kaley said she plans to bring the issue to the supermarket’s attention. “I’ll definitely be taking it further. Their packaging is very misleading and not clear,” she said. A representative for A&AA also advised shoppers to check all ingredient lists and warning statements. “This issue also highlights the need to read the ingredient list and allergen statements everytime a product is purchased.” <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTeddyMedic%2Fposts%2F1872892102769397&width=500" width="500" height="614" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe> Have you or someone you know been caught out by ALDI's "Dairy Fine" chocolate labels? Let us know in the comments below.

Caring

Popular travel company misleading consumers by falsely claiming to offer “best prices”

Hotel comparison site Trivago has been accused of misleading customers by falsely claiming to offer the “best price” when the website is instead favouring businesses who pay the most. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has taken the company to Federal Court, saying that the travel website has been prioritising advertisers who are paying the highest per click. ACCC chairman Rod Sims told the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/">ABC</a> that Trivago’s advertising claims to offer the best priced-hotels on its site, which he says is “deliberately designed” to be misleading. Mr Sims said Trivago gave “the impression they're there to help consumers when in fact they're there to help suppliers who pay them the most money”. “We looked at Trivago algorithm and formed the view that it was misleading in terms of the way it presented options to consumers,” he said. The ACCC started an investigation into the company after they received complaints from hotel operators who said their prices were cheaper, yet they were not being prioritised on the website. Mr Sims said Trivago’s prices were often misleading because they compared the cost of a ‘luxury’ room with a ‘basic’ room. “By not making genuine room price comparisons, consumers would likely have paid more than they otherwise would have for the same hotel. Further, hotels may have lost potential business as a result of this alleged conduct,” he said. Speaking with the <a href="http://www.smh.com.au">Sydney Morning Herald</a>, Mr Sims said Trivago was focused on servicing the needs of suppliers, rather than those of consumers. “We would allege it's all to do with Trivago making their site look more attractive to the suppliers. Not the consumers, the suppliers,” Mr Sims said. “(The hotels were) looking at the fact that they figured they had the best price, but they could see that advertiser payments had the dominant role in the search.” Trivago’s ads an on TV from 2013 until April this year and claimed that the website had the “best price” for hotel rooms. A spokesman for Trivago said the company would be “vigorously” defending the allegations and was “disappointed by the action the ACCC had chosen to take”. “We agree with the ACCC's earlier public statement that 'comparator websites can assist consumers to make more informed purchasing decisions when comparing what are often quite complex products, and can promote healthy competition by assisting small or new service providers to compete more effectively,” he said. “Our priority is to enable Australian travellers to find their ideal hotel.” Do you use Trivago? Let us know in the comments below.

Travel Tips

Popular travel company misleading consumers by falsely claiming to offer “best prices”

Travel Tips

Popular travel company misleading consumers by falsely claiming to offer “best prices”

Travel Tips

Jenny Craig fined $37,800 for misleading ads

Jenny Craig has been fined AU$37,800 in Australia for misleading consumers in television advertisements featuring Mel B. The former Spice Girl singer featured in a series of ads for Jenny Craig as an ambassador to the program. The adverts, which ran from December 2017 to February 2018, promoted the line that people could lose up to 10kg of weight for a $10 program fee. But the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued three infringement notices, noting that the weight loss firm failed to disclose customers also had to purchase food at an additional cost. ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court said they were “concerned” the ads may have misled consumers into thinking they could lose 10kg for just $10. “In reality customers would have had to spend far more than that,” she said. The ad also featured someone employed by the business, not an independent reviewer. “Businesses need to be transparent about any relationships with people providing a testimonial,” Ms Court said. “Consumers must be informed when a testimonial is given by someone who is employed by the business, and is not an independent reviewer.” Mel B is promoted as a success story on Jenny Craig, after she lost 16kg in five months. “After various attempts at different fad diets Mel B joined Jenny Craig,” the ad promotes. “In the five months that she was on the Jenny Craig Program she successfully lost 16kgs and reached her goal weight.”

Legal

How Telstra made $62 million by misleading 100,000 customers

Telstra has misled 100,000 customers by overcharging them $62 million in digital content without their consent and knowledge. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will take Telstra to Federal Court over claims it made false representation with its "Premium Direct Billing" service. Premium Direct Billing allowed customers to automatically add paid services such as apps, sports streams and games to their phone bill instead of paying instantly. However, Telstra has admitted between 2015 and 2016 the third-party billing service signed up thousands of customers to ringtone subscriptions or games without their knowledge and which they were not aware they had signed up to pay for. ACCC chairman Rod Sims said: "Telstra has admitted that it misled customers by charging them for digital content, such as games and ringtones, which they unknowingly purchased. "Many Telstra customers paid for content they did not want, did not use, and had difficulty unsubscribing from." Mr Sims said the service s saw Telstra gain a 'substantial revenue' of $62 million from 2.7 million customer mobile phones. "Telstra knew that the Premium Direct Billing service it operated led to large numbers of its customers being billed for purchases made without their knowledge or consent," Mr Sims said. "Despite this, Telstra continued to bill customers, making substantial revenue from the service at the expense of customers. "When customers contacted Telstra to complain many were directed to third parties, even though Telstra knew that they had difficulty getting a refund from third party suppliers, or cancelling their subscription. Customers were often left frustrated and out of pocket as a result of Telstra’s conduct." Telstra has refunded $5 million to affected customers and will contact other customers as they are identified. They have stopped their premium direct billing service with Telstra admitting they “did not get that right”. If you’re worried you have been overcharged, get in touch with Telstra.

Technology

5 of the world's most misleading airports

Think you know where you’re landing? Think again… 1. London Oxford Airport, UK Welcome to London! Or welcome to a regional airport in the Thames Valley almost 100 kilometres away from London itself. London Oxford Airport isn’t even that close to the town of Oxford and it will take you almost half an hour to drive there. 2. Frankfurt-Hahn Airport, Germany This international airport is just 10 kilometres from the city. The problem is, that city is Kirchberg, not Frankfurt. It’s around 125 kilometres to Frankfurt am Main, the fifth largest city in Germany and the place you probably thought you were landing. Get ready for a 90-minute car ride. 3. Paris Vatry Airport, France Parisian in name only, Paris Vatry Airport is a whopping 160 kilometres from the centre of the French capital. It will take you more than two hours to drive between the two, so be wary when booking one of the budget airlines that flies into this airport. 4. Munich West Airport, Germany With a name like Munich West, you could be forgiven for assuming this airport is just on the opposite side of the city. Not so. Munich West (or Memmingen as it is better known) is actually 110 kilometres from the city of Munich and it will take you over an hour to get there. On the plus side, the town of Memmingen is very pretty and you will be driving through the Bavarian countryside. 5. Oslo Torp Airport, Norway If you want to visit the Norwegian capital, don't land at Oslo Torp. The airport is around 120 kilometres to the south of Oslo itself and the drive will take you around 90 minutes. If you’re taking public transport, expect a much longer journey as you’ll be spending two and a half hours on connecting buses. Have you ever flown into these airports?

International Travel

Voltaren taken to court after misleading arthritis sufferers

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has taken the makers of Voltaren to court over misleading claims regarding arthritis pain relief. A year after slugging Nurofen with a $6 million fine for misleading customers, the ACCC has taken aim at Voltaren for essentially the same issue, alleging the drugmakers misled customers in the marketing of the Voltaren Emulgel and Osteo Gel pain relief products. Osteo Gel is marketed as being specifically formulated to treat osteoarthritis conditions and is $3 more expensive than Emulgel, but contains the exact same ingredients. The head of the ACCC Rod Sims said he was “disappointed” the consumer watchdog had to take action, particularly after last year’s incident with Nurofen. “We’re so disappointed that having taken the Nurofen case, with all of the publicity around it, that we find this sort of behaviour still continuing,” Mr Sims said. The ACCC boss added this case raises concerns that the pharmaceutical companies were trying to exploit older, vulnerable consumers. “We’re always concerned with conduct that affects consumers who could be seen as slightly more vulnerable,” he said. “What was happening here is that they were saying you’ve got a product that is specifically formulated for treating osteoarthritis, particularly in the knees and fingers, and indeed saying that also it’s more effective than Emulgel. “Our concerns were not only that consumers were paying more for Osteo Gel, but they could actually buy both products and have them in their medical cabinet, thinking they treat different things.” A spokesperson for GSK, the parent company that manufactures Voltaren brand products, responded to the ACCC’s allegations in a statement: “We are disappointed the ACCC has decided to commence proceedings against us. “We have been cooperating with them and proactively trying to understand their concerns related to our products, however to date they have not provided clarity about the basis for their concern.” What are your thoughts? Do you think there are problems with the way these pain relief products are marketed?

Caring

Nurofen settles for $3.5 million after misleading consumers over pain relief

The manufacturers of pain relief drug Nurofen will pay $3.5 million compensation to consumers after a class action against their “misleading” Specific Pain Range packaging. The company said in a statement it had made an offer to settle. “Nurofen has offered to settle the Specific Pain Range class action in Australia to ensure that consumers who may have been misled are appropriately and swiftly compensated,” a spokeswoman said. “It was never our intention to mislead, but we recognise that we could have done more to assist our consumers in navigating the Nurofen Specific Pain Range in Australia.” “We have taken the Nurofen Specific Pain Range cases seriously, and have taken steps to ensure that future marketing campaigns are sensitive to the risk of misinterpretation and confusion, while providing consumers with an informed choice.” Law firm Bannister Law, which brought the class action, said Nurofen maker Reckitt Benckiser Australia had agreed to a settlement of $3.5 million. The money will go into a fund to be administered by an independent third party, and distributed eligible group members. “We anticipate Settlement Notices will soon be published in newspapers in every Australian state, calling for consumers who purchased the Nurofen Specific Pain Range products between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2015 to come forward and register their claim for compensation from the settlement fund,” the law firm said in a statement. The original class action was brought against Reckitt Benckiser for misleading and deceiving customers by claiming the “Specific Pain Range” was specially formulated to treat separate ailments. “However, each product contained the same active ingredient and could not specifically treat one pain as opposed to another,” the claim said. Bannister Law’s founder and Principal Charles Bannister said the advertising “exploited” customers who were “duped” into paying more for basic products. “None of these costly tablets actually targeted these specific pain symptoms. Australians have a right to feel duped by the deceptive marketing and selling of these expensive pain tablets which were sold at a premium price,” he said.

Legal

Jetstar hit with $545,000 fine for misleading booking fees

Budget airline Jetstar has been hit with a $545,000 fine from the Federal Court for misleading booking and transaction fees on its website. Jetstar was caught out using the same “drip pricing” issue that saw Virgin Australia fined $200,000 last year. The full booking and transaction fees are not fully disclosed until the very end. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission launched action against the airlines in 2014 for “engaging in misleading and deceptive conduct and making false or misleading representations about the price of particular advertised airfares”. The Federal Court delivered its decision in late 2015, finding found Jetstar had misrepresented fares on its website in 2013, and mobile site in 2014. Other allegations brought by the ACCC were dismissed. In his ruling against Jetstar, Federal Court Judge Lindsay Foster penalised Jetstar $295,000 for the website conduct and a penalty of $250,000 for the mobile site conduct. “I regard the website conduct as more serious than the mobile site conduct, essentially because the website is used by consumers far more often than the mobile site in order to make bookings with Jetstar,” said Justice Foster. “These penalties are fixed at the lower end of the scale when regard is had to the maximum penalty that may be imposed in each case.” A spokeswoman for Jetstar said they accepted the court’s decision. “We want our booking process to be clear for our customers,” said the spokeswoman. “That’s why we made changes to our web and mobile sites to make the options available and fees that apply even clearer. These changes, made in 2014 were previously found to be satisfactory by the Federal Court.” Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/2017/02/how-to-find-the-best-home-loan-for-you/">How to find the best home loan for you</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/2017/03/car-industry-about-to-be-revolutionised/">Car industry about to be revolutionised</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.com.au/finance/money-banking/2017/02/extend-the-life-of-your-car/">4 ways to extend the life of your car</a>

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WARNING: Misleading ALDI Easter egg label leaves Aussie woman hospitalised

Popular travel company misleading consumers by falsely claiming to offer “best prices”

Popular travel company misleading consumers by falsely claiming to offer “best prices”

Popular travel company misleading consumers by falsely claiming to offer “best prices”

Jenny Craig fined $37,800 for misleading ads

How Telstra made $62 million by misleading 100,000 customers

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