As part of the Australian Consumer Law review, changes have come into effect to make pricing clearer when shopping online.
As of 26 October 2019, businesses now need to include all charges in the headline price of goods and services, including charges for pre-selected options.
Previously, a business could advertise one price and then add additional charges throughout the buying process.
This led consumers into buying and paying for more than they expected if they did not get a chance to opt-out of the extras.
Businesses now need to advertise the full price of their item, inclusive of any additional extras. Consumers can then choose to deselect optional extras from their purchase.