ACCC Actions

October 7, 2015

Fake Testimonials Lead to a $30k Fine

Have you ever wondered if all the testimonials on the internet about businesses are genuine? Recently, an Australian company has been caught out posting potentially false and misleading online testimonials in breach of the Australian Consumer Laws, and fined by the ACCC in the amount of $30,600. In this case, Citymove Pty Ltd (Citymove) were […]

January 3, 2015

Warning for Accountants Setting Up Company and Business Names

We’ve noticed that in the recent past there seems to have been an increase in the number of accountants who have been struck with issues created by their assistance in the setup of business name and companies, where those names have subsequently had issues with potential infringement allegations, or have simply been difficult names to [...]

November 13, 2014

Strategies for Avoiding Problem Debtors

Cash flow is one of the most essential elements to every businesses’ survival. The failure of innovative and great products and services is in many cases not due to marketing failure, but rather poor cash flow management. Many businesses have debtors outside their trading terms that have been placed in the ‘too hard’ basket. Sometimes […]

July 7, 2014

Recent ACCC Blitz on Cartel Conduct

There have been a couple of big proceedings commenced by the ACCC recently in the Federal Court with cartel conduct under the spotlight, serving as a stark reminder that the ACCC takes cartel conduct extremely seriously. We have found that many people are still unaware that interactions with competitors can cause a very high risk [...]

May 11, 2014

ACCC Sues Coles for Unconscionable Conduct with Suppliers

The ACCC's decision to sue supermarket giant Coles over the way it deals with its suppliers has provided the first big test of the unconscionable conduct provisions of the ACL and how those provisions relate to the relationship between suppliers and customers. If you are involved in dealing with suppliers, or if you are a [...]

April 7, 2014

ACCC Unconscionable Conduct Appeal

The ACCC is likely to be emboldened by a new court decision against Lux Distributors. In a significant decision with implications for both businesses and consumers, the court has found in favour of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in its case against Lux Distributors Pty Ltd. The ACCC alleged that Lux, a seller [...]