Consumer advocacy group CHOICE announces its 2026 Shonky awards, spotlighting what it describes as Australia’s worst products and services. The “dishonour roll” includes criticism of concert ticket pricing and practices, airline flight credits, and a slow washer-dryer cycle that CHOICE says runs for about 25 hours.
Several outlets emphasize “fleecing” allegations involving Ticketmaster and Ticketek, while others list a broader set of companies recognised by CHOICE. Coverage also highlights Virgin Australia’s role in the unused flight credits issue and includes Sony among the entities named.
Across the different headlines, the reporting largely converges on the same set of award targets and the general types of complaints—consumer costs and friction, especially around tickets, as well as service performance problems—though outlets vary in which examples they foreground.
