Qantas is the biggest brand to pick up a Shonky Award this year over its controversial flight credits scheme, months of lost luggage, long call wait times and cancelled flights.
The annual awards — which are handed out by consumer advocacy group Choice — name and shame brands that, it says, have failed to give Australian consumers a fair deal.
Steggles, VetPay, Bloomex and Zega Digital cookware are the other brands to earn the unenviable title of Shonky Award-winner this year.
Choice chief executive Alan Kirkland said Qantas appeared to have gone deliberately out of its way to earn the award.
"Qantas might call itself the Spirit of Australia, but we think Spirit of Disappointment is more appropriate. It is well and truly deserving of receiving a Shonky Award this year,” Mr Kirkland said.
“People are still paying premium prices to fly Qantas, but it’s clear from the complaints we’ve heard, they’re not getting a premium service.”
It's the latest reputational blow to the airline, and comes after months of its customers taking to social media to complain about poor customer service, including leaving passengers stranded, flight delays and lost luggage.
In August, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce apologised to customers and offered a series of benefits for members of its Frequent Flyers club as a way of making amends.
Qantas' flight credits scheme is currently being investigated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Consumer advocates said the carrier made it difficult and confusing for their customers to use flight credits for cancelled travel, inlcuding forcing people to spend extra money and putting limits on available flights.
It's the third time Qantas has received the unenviable title of Shonky Awards winner.
A spokeswoman for Qantas said the Choice awards were out of date because the airline's performance had improved after several months of poor performance.
“Our customers have redeemed more than $1 billion in COVID-related flight credits," she said.
"The conditions for these are the same, or better, than they were pre-COVID and we’re actively encouraging our customers to use them.
“No one is disputing the fact we had issues earlier this year, and we apologised for that, but it’s disappointing that Choice failed to acknowledge the impact that COVID and border closures have had on the entire aviation industry.”
Claims of dodgy loans, pots, dead flowers and fake healthy nuggets
The other Shonky Awards winners for 2022 went to VetPay, Steggles, Zega Digital cookware and online florist Bloomex.
"We were particularly taken by the complaints we received about online florist delivery service Bloomex," Mr Kirkland said.
"Because, when you look closely, they're advertising Google search terms to deliver same day to country towns all across Australia, undercutting local country, florists," he said.
"Yet, when we tried to get people from those places to order flowers, in many cases, they took the money but couldn't deliver.
"In other cases, they turned up late. In other cases, they were wilting or decomposed."
VetPay is a fast loan financial product that markets itself as affordable to pet owners who need to pay a vet bill.
Choice found the company actually charges customers a high interest rate of 18.4 per cent, plus $2.50 on every repayment and a $49 annual account keeping fee.
Poultry processor Steggles earned a Shonky for marketing their product as boosted with vegetables when they only contain small amounts.
Choice found the nuggets contained 11 grams of potato and three grams of cauliflower per 100-gram serve, which is less than a fifth of one standard vegetable serve.
The consumer advocacy group describes Zega Digital cookware as a "self-cooking" smart pot that doesn't actually cook.
When Choice tested the Zega Digital pot using one of the brand's chicken recipes, the meat was only partially cooked.
A spokesman for Zega said the company stood by its product.
"In fact, we have received countless numbers of positive reviews from customers who absolutely love their Zega, and have received numerous positive media reviews," the spokesman said.
"Unfortunately, the Choice reviewer in question declined our offer to talk through her issues over the phone. In our experience, the vast majority of teething issues can be resolved with a simple phone call."
Tougher consumer laws needed
Mr Kirkland said this has been the advocacy group's 17th Shonky Awards.
"We'd like to have a day where we don't have to hold those awards, but we're not there yet," he said.
"We keep finding businesses that deserve them.
"I mean, these are the awards that no CEO wants to tell their board they have received."
Mr Kirkland said the awards called out the business practices that go to the heart of the Australian sense of fairness.
"We need stronger consumer laws in this country. And, in particular, what we need is a ban on unfair trading practices," he said.
"If we have strong laws that say you need to treat customers fairly, we'll see less of these practices and there'll be [fewer] Shonky Awards in the future."
VetPay, Bloomex and Steggles have been contacted for comment.
