By Karim Hammam
Australian consumer advocacy group Choice has announced the winners of its 2026 Shonky awards, highlighting products and services it deems the worst for consumers. The awards, now in their 21st year, were revealed on Tuesday and target companies including Virgin Australia, Ticketmaster, Ticketek, Hisense, Petcover, Quest, and Sony.
Virgin Australia Flight Credits
Virgin Australia received a Shonky for imposing strict deadlines on flight credits issued for cancellations between 2020 and 2022 during COVID-19 travel restrictions. Customers had to book by June 30, 2026, and travel by May 27, 2027, resulting in $75 million of unused credits returning to Virgin's revenue. Virgin said over 93% of credits were redeemed and the fly-by date was extended after regular communication.
Ticketmaster and Ticketek Dynamic Pricing
Ticketmaster and Ticketek were cited for using dynamic pricing and "in demand" seats to inflate live event prices amid the cost-of-living crisis. Choice said John Farnham tribute concert tickets reached $1,650 on Ticketek, while NRL matches on Ticketmaster had "in demand" seats priced $50 higher than regular seats just one row apart. Ticketmaster denied using surge pricing, stating prices are set by event organizers. The Albanese government promised to restrict dynamic pricing in 2024 but did not include prohibitions in new unfair trading laws effective 2027.
Hisense Washer-Dryer Energy Claims
Hisense was awarded a Shonky for advertising a washer-dryer as "super energy efficient." Choice found the energy rating only applies when using a 13.5-hour eco dry cycle and a 728-minute wash cycle, totaling more than 25 hours for a combined wash and dry. Hisense said its rating complies with Australian government standards. Choice CEO Monique Perry described the practice as "gaming a broken system" where manufacturers select the most favorable test program.
Petcover Insurance and Quest Protein Chips
Petcover's "economy" policy was criticized for resetting annually, classifying all prior pet conditions as pre-existing and excluding them from coverage. Quest received an award for selling protein chips at an 886% markup compared to similar non-protein chips; its nacho cheese protein chips cost over $20 per 100g versus $2.06 for Doritos, despite higher protein content.
Sony Digital Licensing
Sony was recognized for revealing customers do not own purchased movies and games but only hold a revocable license. Choice noted that in June, Sony ended a licensing agreement with Studio Canal in the UK and Europe, removing 500 movies from customers' digital libraries without refunds.
