US EditionAustralian Telco Giant Optus Slapped with US$66 Million Fine over 'Appalling' Conduct
Optus exploited over 400 vulnerable Australians, including Indigenous people, selling unwanted products and causing severe financial harm, the Federal Court ruled in a $100 million penalty.
- Optus has been fined $100 million for selling products to more than 400 vulnerable customers, including those with mental disabilities, as confirmed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission .
- The Federal Court described Optus' conduct as 'appalling' and 'predatory', leading to significant financial and emotional distress for those affected.
- Justice Patrick O'Sullivan noted that Optus pressured customers to buy products they could not afford or did not need from 2019 to 2023.
- Optus has committed to improving its sales practices and will donate $1 million for digital literacy initiatives for First Nations people.
53 Articles
53 Articles
Optus Fined $100 Million for Exploiting Vulnerable Customers
Optus has been hit with a record $100 million penalty after the Federal Court found the telco engaged in “predatory” and “appalling” sales practices that targeted hundreds of vulnerable Australians over a four-year period. The judgment comes as the company reels from its second Triple Zero outage in recent years, and subsequent revelations that four people may have died during that blackout. “The conduct varied in form but consistently reflected…
A $100 million fine for ‘appalling’ predatory sales practices caps a horror week for Optus
A Federal Court judge on Wednesday ordered Optus to pay a A$100 million fine for its “appalling” high-pressure sales tactics over several years up to 2023. More than 400 people were pressured or misled into buying phones or contracts they didn’t want, couldn’t afford – or in some cases couldn’t even use. The court’s decision approves an agreement reached between Optus and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in June, under w…
Australian telco giant Optus slapped with US$66 million fine over 'appalling' conduct
SYDNEY: Embattled Australian telco giant Optus was hit with a US$66 million fine on Wednesday (Sep 24) over "appalling" sales conduct as the firm grapples with fallout from a network outage linked to several deaths.A federal court ruled the company - one of Australia's top telecoms providers - should be punis
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