Consumer NZ - Latest News [Page 2]
Best quick brew for your buck? Consumer NZ finds price doesn’t always equate to quality when it comes to instant coffee
Friday, 27 October 2023, 6:09 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer staff have blind-taste tested nine instant coffee brands and found that higher price doesn't necessarily mean better taste – with a supermarket budget brand providing New Zealanders with the best at-home instant brew for their buck. ... More >>
Telco Providers Fail To Improve Their Billing Apps For The Second Year In A Row
Thursday, 26 October 2023, 6:03 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ has reviewed the usefulness of mobile billing information for the second year in a row and is disappointed by the lack of progress made by New Zealand’s three Pay Monthly mobile providers. The Commerce Commission engaged Consumer to undertake ... More >>
Consumer NZ Finds Supermarket Loyalty Card 'Specials' Fail To Offer Genuinely Good Deals
Friday, 6 October 2023, 6:46 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ has found many items marked with supermarket loyalty card discounts could be bought for a lower price at stores not using loyalty schemes. The watchdog analysed* the price of 48 products that had a Onecard or Clubcard discount, ... More >>
Consumer Ranks Salt And Vinegar Chips From Best To Worst
Friday, 29 September 2023, 6:20 am | Consumer NZ
In a tangy taste-off, Consumer NZ staff blind-sampled nine varieties of salt and vinegar chips commonly available from Foodstuffs and Woolworths stores. Tied at first place were Snacka Changi Vinegar and Salt, and Kettle Chip Company Sea Salt and Vinegar ... More >>
New Zealand Bank Customers Missing Out On Basic Banking Protections
Thursday, 21 September 2023, 6:24 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ wants banks to fast-track name and number matching to reduce the increasing number of New Zealanders being scammed through bank transactions. Name and number matching, also known as confirmation of payee (CoP), is a service that can be provided ... More >>
Consumer NZ Makes Noise About The Hearing Aid Industry
Wednesday, 20 September 2023, 6:33 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ is concerned that some clinics’ commission-based sales may have led to unsatisfactory care for some New Zealanders. The watchdog is calling for improvements to the hearing aid industry. With one in six New Zealanders suffering from some form ... More >>
Consumer NZ Reveals How Long Your Appliances Should Last
Friday, 8 September 2023, 6:15 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ has revealed the expected lifespan of many household items, and the results may take many New Zealanders by surprise. "Dishwashers, fridges and freezers should last about a decade. An oven should see you through about 15 years ... More >>
Profits Surge For New Zealand’s Gentailers
Thursday, 31 August 2023, 7:40 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ is expressing concern after the big four generation and retail power companies (gentailers) announced their largest ever single-year rise in earnings. This comes at a time when many New Zealand households can't afford to heat their ... More >>
Half Of New Zealanders Are Deeply Anxious About Savings, Or Have Nothing Tucked Away
Thursday, 24 August 2023, 6:00 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ's latest Sentiment Tracker has found 65% of New Zealanders save less than 5% of their income or nothing at all, raising concerns about saving levels. “Half the population is either anxious about their level of savings, or have none ... More >>
Consumer NZ Lodges Complaint With Commerce Commission About Potential Breaches Of The Fair Trading Act At Supermarkets
Thursday, 3 August 2023, 7:08 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ has lodged a complaint with the Commerce Commission, asking it to investigate Woolworths and Foodstuffs stores for potential breaches of the Fair Trading Act. As part of its campaign to “end dodgy specials” at the supermarket, Consumer ... More >>
Savvy Powerswitch Users Save Over $5 Million On Their Power Bills
Tuesday, 1 August 2023, 6:52 am | Consumer NZ
Over the past year, New Zealanders who switched power provider using Powerswitch collectively saved over $5 million. “That’s $5 million that will stay in the pockets of people paying for power, rather than bolstering the profits of electricity ... More >>
Banks Need To Do Better In NZ's Financial Cybercrime Avalanche
Tuesday, 25 July 2023, 6:00 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ is urging banks to raise their game and provide better protection to New Zealanders who fall victim to scams. “In New Zealand at least $200 million is lost to scams each year. “We know there is widespread underreporting, so that ... More >>
Want to buy a phone that lasts? Consumer NZ introduces new repairability score
Thursday, 13 July 2023, 7:07 am | Consumer NZ
New Zealanders now have the power to choose a phone they can use for longer with Consumer NZ adding repairability to its smartphone scoring . “Our data has shown us that a repairable phone doesn’t have to be an expensive phone,” said Dr Paul ... More >>
Consumer NZ Calls On Sky To Help Its Flood-impacted Customers
Wednesday, 12 July 2023, 6:41 am | Consumer NZ
Some people who lost all their possessions in Cyclone Gabrielle were told by Sky to stump up $260 to cover the cost of their lost Sky Box. Alternatively, flood victims could avoid the charges by digging their boxes out of their silt-filled properties ... More >>
Consumer NZ Welcomes Grocery Commissioner Appointment
Tuesday, 11 July 2023, 6:31 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ welcomes the appointment of Pierre van Heerden as New Zealand’s first Grocery Commissioner. “This is an important step in the lengthy process required to introduce fairness, improved transparency and, ultimately, improved competition ... More >>
AI-powered Advertising Targeting Shoppers In New Zealand Malls
Tuesday, 4 July 2023, 6:01 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ is concerned by the lack of disclosure around the use of AI-powered digital billboards in New Zealand's shopping malls. The digital billboards, named SmartScreens, are currently being used in Westfield shopping centres in Auckland ... More >>
Budget Buys That Beat Premium Brands
Friday, 30 June 2023, 7:42 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ’s expert testers have revealed, yet again, that top price doesn’t always mean top performance. As the cost-of-living crisis rolls on, the watchdog shares its insights into three reasonably priced products that gave expensive versions ... More >>
Last Chance To Dob In A Dodgy Deal: Consumer NZ’s Final Call For Examples Of Misleading Supermarket Pricing
Monday, 26 June 2023, 7:06 am | Consumer NZ
In the last three weeks, Consumer NZ has received 118 examples of misleading pricing at supermarkets across Aotearoa. It’s the final week for New Zealanders to share their photos and receipts as evidence of dodgy supermarket deals. The watchdog is ... More >>
Prepay Customers Paying Much More For Power
Thursday, 22 June 2023, 7:05 am | Consumer NZ
New research from Consumer NZ has found most prepay customers could be paying about 15% more for power. Prepay customers tend to be New Zealand’s most vulnerable electricity consumers, often unable to sign up for monthly electricity plans because of poor ... More >>
Grounded By Greenwashing: Green Claims On Air NZ Compostable Cups
Friday, 2 June 2023, 7:14 am | Consumer NZ
Consumer NZ is concerned our national carrier could be taking us for a ride, in more ways than one. “We think the messaging on Air New Zealand’s in-flight cups is another example of greenwashing," said Rebecca Styles, investigative team ... More >>