28 Nov WEBJET’S WOES; WHEN GRANNY CALLS…
WEBJET’S WOES
As we race towards the end of the year, Australia’s consumer and corporate watchdogs have been busy in recent weeks lodging legal proceedings against a swathe of companies including the major supermarkets, NAB, super fund Cbus and Harvey Norman accusing them of misleading conduct or failing their customers.
The latest corporate to land in legal hot water is discount travel website Webjet, which the ACCC says misled consumers about flight prices by failing to disclose hidden fees ranging from $34.90 to $54.90. Webjet is also accused of asking customers for additional payments of $770 on average well after bookings were made.
The ACCC says the Federal Court case is a reminder to all businesses whether they are online retailers or bricks-and-mortar stores, that they need to display their prices clearly, including any hidden fees and charges.
WHEN GRANNY CALLS…
British phone company O2 has generated a nifty way to combat phone scammers by wasting their time on the phone, The New York Times reports.
Upon answering a call from a scammer, Daisy Harris – an artificial intelligence (AI)-generated granny – seems like an easy target, chatting about the difficulties of the internet, tea and biscuits, and Fluffy – her cat.
Voiced by a colleague’s actual grandmother who came in to record hours of dialogue, Daisy is a white knight particularly for elderly people, as a British study revealed 40 percent of people over 75 reported getting scam calls at least monthly, if not daily.
Perhaps Australia needs its own Daisy Harris, particularly as Black Friday shoppers are warned to be extra wary of scammers.
THE INACCURACY OF INFLUENCERS
Social media influencers are under scrutiny this week amid urgent calls by the United Nation’s culture body, Unesco, for them to check facts before broadcasting to followers, according to The Guardian.
A recent report by the educational, scientific and cultural body revealed 6 out of 10 creators do not check the accuracy of material before posting, and 4 out of 10 creators noted the ‘popularity’ of a source – such as likes and comments – to determine its credibility.
As a result, Unesco has teamed up with the Knight Center for Journalism to provide an online course for influencers with modules on fact-checking and how to accurately create content.
In the meantime, when consuming your news, make sure to ask yourself; where did the information come from? Is this a trusted source? Is this misinformation?
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