What the ACCC does
- We
- We investigate repeated and ongoing consumer problems.
- We
What the ACCC can't do
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We don’t provide legal advice.
- We don’t resolve individual disputes between consumers and businesses.
Claims
A business must be able to prove any claim they advertise. Claims should be true, accurate and based on reasonable grounds.
When buying goods, consumers may be influenced by claims about where a product was grown, produced or made. Claims must be true, accurate and based on reasonable grounds.
Consumers purchasing organic products should be able to trust the claims made. Misleading, false or deceptive organic claims are against the law.
Where special rules apply
Businesses sometimes offer cash back promotions, prizes or gifts. These offers are usually time limited and special conditions usually need to be met.
There are some things to look out for before signing up to a customer loyalty scheme.
Gift cards and discount vouchers are an alternative to cash to buy products or services from participating businesses. Gift cards and vouchers must meet some specific requirements.
Online promotional techniques
It’s against the law for a business to create fake or misleading reviews or to arrange for others to do so. There are certain signs that can indicate a review is fake.
Australian Consumer Law applies to social media advertising in the same way as other types of advertising. Businesses must not make false or misleading claims when promoting themselves.
ACCC action on advertising and claims
The Federal Court has today ordered Booktopia Pty Ltd (Booktopia) pay $6 million in penalties for making false or misleading representations on its website, and in dealings with consumers, about consumer guarantee rights.
The ACCC will be investigating a number of businesses for potential ‘greenwashing’, following an internet sweep which found more than half of the businesses reviewed made concerning claims about their environmental or sustainability practices.
The Full Federal Court has upheld the ACCC’s penalty appeal in a case against workplace relations advisor Employsure Pty Ltd and ordered Employsure to pay a penalty of $3 million for making false and misleading representations in its online ads that it was, or was affiliated with, a government agency.