Australia is in a $7 billion spending season. There's a warning before you buy

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Australians often spend close to $7 billion in the pre-Christmas shopping events, which fall on 27 and 30 November this year. The watchdog says fine-print disclaimers for…

As shoppers look to score Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals this month, Australia's consumer watchdog is keeping a close eye on potentially misleading conduct through the sales period.

Australians often spend close to $7 billion in the pre-Christmas shopping events, which fall on 27 and 30 November this year.

The watchdog says fine-print disclaimers for 'sitewide' or 'storewide' claims are not sufficient to qualify them, and when they're inaccurate, countdown timers can create a false sense of urgency.

It's the ACCC's third sweep of its kind, following similar investigations in 2024 and 2025 that led to penalties for companies that made false and misleading representations about their sales.

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However, the ACCC says this is the first time the sweep will examine companies' practices across multiple channels, including websites, emails and social media.

It will also assess promotional practices over time and look for any improvements in compliance with consumer law in the past three years.

The ACCC has also encouraged consumers to focus on the final price of a product rather than promotional claims, check for any exclusions or conditions, and compare prices between retailers.

"Consumers should be able to trust that the advertised savings and discount prices are genuine, but we know some businesses use tactics to mislead consumers into thinking they are getting a bargain even when they are not," ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said.

Début de l'article, extrait de SBS News. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.