CONSUMER advocacy group CHOICE has named its 2025 Shonky Award winners, calling out some of Australia’s biggest brands for “misleading, unsafe and downright unfair” practices.
Topping the list is the Commonwealth Bank, accused of “making bank off the back of Australia’s poorest”.
Earlier this year, the bank was caught by ASIC charging 2.2 million low-income customers $270 million in fees they should never have paid.
While other major banks agreed to refund affected customers in bulk, CHOICE says CommBank initially refused and later agreed only to assess refunds “case by case”.
“CommBank has taken bad bank behaviour to a whole new level,” said CHOICE chief executive Ashley de Silva.
Choice said it was far from the bank’s first appearance on the Shonky list, citing previous wins for its Dollarmites program and poor financial planning practices.
Online retail giant Temu was another standout “winner”, criticised as an “unsafe haven for dodgy sales tactics and fast fashion”.
CHOICE testing found all 15 battery-operated products it purchased from the site failed at least one Australian safety standard.
The platform also came under fire after an eight-year-old Queensland girl suffered burns when a Temu hoodie caught fire. The item was recalled four months later, Crikey said.
“Temu’s insufficient concern for product safety means it more than deserves its Shonky Award this year,” de Silva said.
The Handy Heater Turbo 800 was labelled a “plug-in heater that doesn’t plug in, or heat”.
CHOICE found the device came with a non-compliant adaptor, lacked thermal protection, and posed fire risks due to exposed wiring and poor materials. “On top of that, it barely produced any heat,” Mr de Silva said.
Energy retailers were collectively recognised for “pricing tactics designed to confuse”, with some offering cheaper plans under the same name as existing ones.
CHOICE estimates customers could have saved $65 million a year had retailers been more transparent. “At a time when households are struggling with bills, this kind of behaviour is incredibly shonky,” de Silva said. Health insurer HCF rounded out the list, accused of a “price rise in disguise” by closing existing policies and relaunching nearly identical ones at higher prices. “Rorting the system like this makes HCF the perfect Shonky candidate,” de Silva said.
