Australia’s competition regulator has threatened to pursue technology vendors making false claims to support charging higher prices for goods in Australia than overseas.
In an interview with The Australian Financial Review, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission boss Rod Sims urged consumers and businesses to complain to the regulator if they believed foreign companies were being unreasonable in what they charge in Australia.
The ACCC will investigate any claims it finds suspicious, he said.
“If we can find one where we think the representation made looks to be significantly divorced from reality – and we think it’s one of general use – then we’ll certainly take action”
If somebody mentioned all these labour costs and variables but the price difference was only 30 per cent, I’d say it’s possible, whereas if the price difference is 300 per cent, then it’s a different matter.”
A federal parliamentary committee is looking into whether Australia should introduce regulation or change legislation to force down local pricing for technology products, which consumer group Choice says in some cases can exceed equivalent US pricing by as much as 50 percent.
