Date Time
Nine Entertainment pays penalties for alleged excessive payment surcharges
Six subsidiaries of Nine Entertainment Co (Nine) have paid penalties totalling $159,840 after the ACCC issued them with 12 infringement notices for allegedly charging subscribers and advertisers excessive payment surcharges.
Nine will also provide approximately $450,000 in consumer redress to eligible advertising, home delivery and digital subscription customers.
The ACCC was concerned that from December 2018, after Nine merged with Fairfax Media, most consumer and advertiser transactions processed by Nine in which a payment surcharge was applied involved an excessive payment surcharge.
Nine applied payment surcharges to digital and home delivery subscription services as well as radio, publishing, TV and digital advertising.
Nine to pay over $600,000 following excessive surcharges
July 2, 2021 10:55
Subsidiaries of Nine Entertainment Co have paid $159,840 in penalties in response to infringement notices issued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for allegedly charging subscribers and advertisers excessive payment surcharges.
The ACCC revealed that six subsidiaries of Nine were issued with notices for alleged offenses dating back to December 2018 when Nine merged with Fairfax Media.
At that time, Nine applied payment surcharges to digital and home delivery subscription services as well as radio, publishing, TV and digital advertising. Nine has since undertaken steps to rectify the matter with customers and advertisers, including removing surcharges for Visa Debit and Mastercard Debit cards for all subscription payments.
BACKGROUND:
HODGETTS V NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA PTY LTD &
ORS
Hodgetts
v Nine Network Australia Pty Ltd & Ors
( Hodgetts ) is a Supreme Court of Queensland case
which gives further guidance on the strict limitation periods for
bringing a defamation claim.
In
Hodgetts the plaintiff sought damages amounting to
$2,475,000,000 from the first, second and third defendants. In June
2015, the first defendant, Nine Network Australia, broadcasted an
episode of A Current Affair with a segment titled Kyle the Con . The second and third defendants, Ms
Cuthbert and Mr Field, were interviewed in the Kyle and
Con segment.
The plaintiff, Mr Hodgetts, at the time the segment aired was