CHOICE lemons go to water-wasting Samsung washing machine, troublesome Toblerone and Jetset Travelworld Group's crappy contract
A water-wasting Samsung washing machine, the ridiculous serving sizes of Toblerone chocolate bars and the outrageous surcharges peddled by Ticketek and Ticketmaster have been awarded Shonkys at CHOICE’s seventh annual event for dodgy goods and services, held in Sydney today.
Other winners include Exit Mould and Coles Ultra Mould Remover which leave mould roots entrenched in grout to sprout another day; the Jetset Travelworld Group for the sneaky terms and conditions in their contracts; and Nature’s Way Kids Smart Natural Medicine range, which carry unsubstantiated claims.
The Shonky awards shine a spotlight on products and services that are sneaky, slippery, unscrupulous and sometimes unsafe. While Shonky award winners may not be breaking laws or breaching regulations, CHOICE believes that consumers deserve better products and services, and the 2012 lemons are ripe for the Shonky picking.
“The Shonky awards serve as a reminder that businesses cannot provide misleading, less than truthful or dangerous products to consumers. The dishonour of potentially receiving an infamous Shonky encourages businesses to provide the fairest and best quality products and services into the market,” said CHOICE spokesperson, Ingrid Just.
Other Shonky award winners include Liquipel, a $99 product that promises, but fails, to provide additional water protection for mobile phones and tablet computers, and Cabcharge for their excessive 10% credit card fee.
“We hope the Shonkys encourage consumers to look critically at the goods and services they use, question poor service, hidden costs, and the fine print beneath those claims that seem too good to be true,” said Ms Just.
CHOICE wants to hear from consumers – which is the Shonkiest of the 2012 CHOICE Shonky winners?
Access the full report on the 2012 Shonky Winners.