We're finally bringing you our most requested ever flavour - peanut butter @TIMTAM is now available @Coles #timtam pic.twitter.com/iqI4ENDjNw
— Campbell Arnott's (@CampbellArnotts) July 21, 2014
The bank behind one of Australia’s largest financial planning scandals, the company selling swimwear that turns see-through when wet, and a “peanut butter”-branded Tim Tam lacking any trace of peanuts were among the companies and products named and shamed at this year’s Shonky awards.
The dubious accolade, given each year by consumer rights organisation Choice, showcases the “poorest products, shoddiest services, and most ridiculous terms and conditions” on the market.
The Commonwealth Bank got a special mention from the group for its response to revelations that some financial planners had engaged in “calculated deceit” that fleeced thousands of investors of their life savings.
A spokesman for Choice, Tom Godfrey, slammed the bank for running a “slick PR campaign” apologising to customers, while “behind the scenes they were lobbying to remove financial advice protections that would prevent essentially the exact things they were apologising for,” he said.
Kmart was criticised for selling swimwear that came with the fine-print warning, “may be transparent when wet”.
Arnott’s also copped a serve for its new line of peanut butter-flavoured Tim Tams, the golden-brown insides of which were actually a mix of paprika extract and caramel food colouring, rather than actual peanuts.
The new line also contained two fewer Tim Tams per pack than the regular variety, but cost the same price. “They really cut to the heart of what the Shonkys are about,” Godfrey said. “It’s not necessarily about companies breaking the law, it’s about poor value.”
Internet giant Amazon won a prize for claiming its Kindle Paperwhite had an eight-week battery life, clarifying only in the small print that this was based on 30 minutes of use a day.
Godfrey said 2014 had seen a record number of reports to the consumer lobby, with 1,041 Shonky nominations. “Clearly the ones that received the most outrage were the big brands that broke people’s trust,” he said.
Speciality children’s formula S-26 Gold Toddler, Thermomix Australia, and Bankwest also rated low in Choice’s poll.
Coles rated an honourable mention for advertising as “baked today” bread that in some cases had been partially baked in Ireland, frozen and then sold in supermarkets months later.
A spokeswoman for Arnott’s said the company’s peanut butter Tim Tams were produced in a bakery line that “does not handle any products made with nuts”.
“We did not want to introduce this serious allergen due to the risk of contamination to other Tim Tam products. We believe this means our products can be enjoyed by more Australians,” she said.
“It is not our intention to deceive our customers. We prominently state ‘flavour’ on the front of the pack below the product description. The ingredients are also clearly stated on the back.”
She said the company’s “intricate Tim Tam flavours” cost the same as the regular variety, despite containing fewer biscuits, because they “are more costly for Arnott’s to bake due to the ingredients”.
Commonwealth Bank said: “The Commonwealth Bank is committed to doing the right thing for our customers.
“The open advice review program is part of that commitment and will ensure any customer who has concerns regarding financial planning advice received between September 2003 and July 2012 has access to a fair and consistent review of that advice,” it said.
