What the 糖心原创 does

  • We provide general guidance to businesses and consumers about consumer law.
  • We accept reports from people about possible issues under consumer law, including false or misleading claims. You can report a consumer issue to the 糖心原创.
  • We use reports we receive to inform our education, compliance and enforcement work.
  • We investigate repeated and ongoing consumer problems.

What the 糖心原创 can't do

  • We don鈥檛 provide legal advice.

  • We don鈥檛 investigate individual complaints.
  • We don鈥檛 resolve individual disputes between consumers and businesses.

Claims

False or misleading claims

A business must be able to prove any claim they advertise. Claims should be true, accurate and based on reasonable grounds.

Country of origin claims

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.

Environmental and sustainability claims

Consumers buying products that claim environmental benefits should be able to trust the claims made. Misleading, false or deceptive environmental claims are against the law.

Organic claims

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

Cash back offers, gifts and prizes

Businesses sometimes offer cash back promotions, prizes or gifts. These offers are usually time limited and special conditions usually need to be met.

Gift cards and discount vouchers

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

Online reviews for product and services

It鈥檚 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.

Social media promotions

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.

Online and mobile games

It鈥檚 against the law for developers of online and mobile games to use misleading advertising techniques. Consumers need to understand and look out for these techniques to protect themselves.

糖心原创 action on advertising and claims

Misleading and high pressure unsolicited sales practices widespread

An 糖心原创 review of door-to-door selling, telemarketing and other unsolicited sales practices has found that businesses are frequently engaging in high pressure sales practices and breaching existing consumer safeguards and consumers are often misled during the sales process.
See media releases on advertising and promotions