52
Australia desk
The monthly price hid a twelve-month lock-in.
Australia’s Federal Court found eHarmony misled consumers about subscription prices, duration, cancellation and renewals that could cost far more than the first term.
6 min read
Topic file
Australia
Local case files on prices, platforms and consumer rights in the Australian market.
Australian consumer technology cases frequently turn on clear pricing, unfair contract terms, privacy and whether a cancellation screen matches the legal commitment created behind it.
This file follows ACCC court actions, OAIC privacy findings and product changes that affect Australian customers, with direct links to regulator records wherever available.
An Australian complaint needs two separate routes
For your own purchase, start with the business: identify the transaction, describe the problem and state the outcome you want. Keep the receipt, the original offer and its response together. The ACCC explains this process, but does not resolve individual complaints.
Reporting the same experience to a regulator can help document a wider pattern. Do not treat a report as a promise of a refund or assume that a court outcome covers your particular plan. Check the affected customer group and dates in the original decision.
For a privacy concern, distinguish what the service collected from what it inferred or disclosed. The Data trail guide helps organise those questions before you request an explanation or access to your records.
50
Australia desk
The person wearing the camera is not the only user.
Australia’s Privacy Commissioner says smart glasses and other surveillance wearables raise hard questions about notice, consent and what happens when bystander data reaches a technology company.
7 min read
25
Australia desk
Australia has finally put the dark pattern on the priority list.
The ACCC’s 2026–27 enforcement priorities explicitly call out subscription traps and other dark patterns in digital markets. Naming the tactic is the beginning, not the remedy.
5 min read
33
Australia desk
$2 is not a subscription disclosure.
Australia’s Federal Court ordered JustAnswer to pay $10 million and provide refunds after consumers were signed up to monthly fees they had not expected from a $2 question-and-answer offer.
5 min read
36
Australia desk
The ad-free stream became another monthly upgrade.
Australia’s consumer regulator alleges Amazon relied on unfair Prime contract terms to add advertising to Prime Video, then asked subscribers to pay extra to keep the service ad-free. The claims have not been decided by a court.
6 min read
56
Australia desk
A health page can disclose more than the form.
Australia’s Privacy Commissioner found that tracking pixels on Medmate and Monash IVF websites collected sensitive information for social-media advertising without the required consent.
7 min read
19
Australia desk
NBN raised the wholesale price. Your provider will explain the bill.
From July 2026, nbn wholesale prices rose by up to $2.34 a month on popular residential speed tiers, leaving retailers to decide how much reaches customers.
5 min read
65
Australia desk
A better network is not a promise until the customer can measure it.
The ACCC’s proposed NBN regulatory settings put service quality and consumer protections beside infrastructure spending. The draft is not a final rule, but it makes the missing part of a broadband upgrade visible: what the household should actually receive.
6 min read
18
Australia desk
Telstra raised the mobile bill again. The network stayed the same shape.
Most Telstra postpaid plans rose by $4 a month from May 2026, with prepaid plans rising by around $5 as the company pointed to network investment and support costs.
5 min read
29
Australia desk
The menu was a subscription screen in disguise.
Australia’s consumer regulator alleges HelloFresh and Youfoodz charged tens of thousands of customers after an online cancellation—or before customers understood they had subscribed at all.
8 min read
17
Australia desk
Microsoft told 2.7 million Australians: take Copilot or leave.
The ACCC alleges Microsoft concealed a cheaper Classic option when it told Microsoft 365 subscribers that Copilot and a higher renewal price were the only way to continue.
8 min read