Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb has revealed the watchdog will seek 'significant penalties' against Coles and Woolworths after the supermarket chains were sued over allegations of misleading consumers over pricing.
ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb has warned the consumer watchdog is seeking major punishments for Australia's biggest supermarkets as a"deterrent" after it filed a lawsuit claiming two chains had misled consumers over pricing.
However, rather then lowering the price back to its original level, both supermarkets allegedly reduced the cost to buyers by only a fraction of the short term rise. "We engaged in a very in depth investigation, using our compulsory price gathering and data gathering powers and it resulted in the proceedings that we've taken today," she explained.
Ms Cass-Gottlieb explained the watchdog had first learned of the allegedly misleading price changes"a few years ago", and had subsequently gathered"hundreds of reports" from consumers about their experience at the major chains. Picture: Aaron Francis/The Australian That stands in contrast to calls from Nationals and Greens politicians, who have accused major supermarkets of price gouging by inflating prices higher then the rise in inflation to boost profits.
Cost Of Living Misleading Pricing Price Gouging Supermarkets Australian Competition And Consumer Commission Coles Nationals ACCC Woolworths Greens Federal Court
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