The top five most complained about businesses in NSW have been revealed, with several having previously been called out by a consumer advocacy group for their bad practices.
NSW Fair Trading is responsible for compiling the list, with the government department adding a business to its Complaints Register if it receives 10 or more complaints against a company in a month.
The five most complained about businesses in 2023 so far have been shared with CHOICE, who said three out of the five had previously received a Shonky Award, an annual list of substandard products and services compiled by the consumer advocacy group.
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With 416 complaints made to NSW Fair Trading, Samsung has emerged as the most complained about business in the state so far this year.
According to CHOICE, the complaints made about Samsung range from the quality of its products to issues with refunds and warranty claims.
The South Korean company was awarded a Shonky by CHOICE in 2017 for one of its combination washer and dryers which retailed for over $3000, with the consumer advocacy group labelling it a “lemon”.
Water filtration company Tru Water came in second place, receiving 321 complaints, despite NSW Fair Trading issuing a public warning against the company in August 2022.
NSW Fair Trading investigations and enforcement executive director Valerie Griswold urged consumers not to deal with SPG Consultants Pty Ltd, who trade as Tru Water, due to a high volume of complaints.
“Since April 2020, Fair Trading has received 355 complaints and 164 inquiries concerning the website, the company, and the business names,” she said.
“Consumers complain about delayed and partial delivery of orders, products substituted without customer consent, and misrepresentation of goods advertised on the website.”
Aussie ticketing company Ticketek took out third place on the list with 281 complaints, while defunct company Injectable Institute Australia was ranked fourth.
Despite going into liquidation in March 2023, NSW Fair Trading still received 168 complaints about the cosmetic business.
Rounding out the top five was Qantas, who CHOICE awarded a Shonky to last year regarding issues with customers using flight credits or getting refunds.
The 160 Qantas complaints to Fair Trading in 2023 also related to refund requests as well as cancellations.
While the complaints are from NSW residents only, CHOICE said the “reach of these businesses is not confined to NSW”.
Fair Trading commissioner Natasha Mann said releasing the complaints data “empowers everyone to create a fairer marketplace”.
“Many of these complaints could be avoided if businesses resolved disputes more efficiently with their customers when things go wrong,” she said.
Samsung Australia said it was aware of the Complaints Register, and that “the resolution of consumers’ grievances” is a priority.
“While we have recently had a month-on-month decrease in cases, we are committed to continually improving our customers’ experiences,” a spokesperson said.
“At Samsung, innovation and people are the core of what we do, and we apologise to customers for any inconvenience. We also thank each customer for their patience while we work through fulfilling their inquiries.”
Tru Water, Ticketek, and Qantas were also contacted for comment.
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