Displaying items by tag: Mick Keogh

The competition watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), has raised concerns about the property conveyancing sector which is in a transitional period as it moves to electronic conveyancing and digitalisation, outlining “significant preliminary competition concerns” with Dye & Durham’s (D&D) proposed acquisition of Link Administration Holdings (ASX:LNK) in a statement of issues published today.

Six subsidiaries of media firm Nine Entertainment have paid penalties totalling $159,840 after the competition regulator the ACCC issued them with 12 infringement notices for allegedly charging subscribers and advertisers excessive payment surcharges.

Payment redirection scams were the most financially damaging scams for Australian businesses in 2020 according to the competition watchdog, the ACCC’s latest targeting scams report.

Modern tractors, harvesters and other agricultural machinery use complex computerised systems that involve embedded software and specific tools and parts, and the competition regulator the ACCC says purchasers of the machinery would benefit from more independent competition in servicing and repair markets.

Small business inquiries to the ACCC increased 60% in 2020 compared to the previous year, in part due to businesses seeking information about their obligations to consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report from the ACCC.

Fuji Xerox Australia has been taken to court by the competition regulator, the ACCC, over allegations of unfair contract terms for small businesses.

COVID-19 related issues affecting small businesses saw the number of enquiries to the ACCC in the first half of this year increase by 42%, compared to the previous six months, according to the competition watchdog’s small business in focus report.

Business email compromise scams cost Australian businesses $132 million in losses in 2019, causing the highest losses across all scam types for the year.

1300 Australia is amending its current and future contracts to refund part of the termination fees paid by small business customers after the competition watchdog ACCC raised concerns that some of the contracts were unfair.

Australia’s competition regulator the ACCC says unfair contract terms are a big focus as it takes action and moves to ensure small businesses are not at a disadvantage because of one-sided ‘take it or leave it’ contracts.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has asked NBN users who experience slow speeds to check with their providers if they are eligible for a refund in line with agreements that the watchdog negotiated with providers over the last 15 months.