CHOICE names Virgin, Ticketmaster among 2026 Shonky winners

Consumer group CHOICE has named the 2026 recipients of its ‘Shonky Awards’.

Each year, CHOICE chooses companies and products that have misled customers or failed to live up to expectations.

This year, Virgin Australia, Hisense, Ticketmaster, Ticketek and Quest Protein Chips have all made the list.

Quest chips:

• $6.50 for a 32g packet, 886% more than Doritos per 100g.
• The packet also says they’re not suitable for children under 15 or pregnant women.

Hisense:

• The 8i Washer Dryer has an eight-star energy rating for drying, but only on the Eco setting.
• That setting takes 13.5 hours to dry a full load.

Virgin Australia got a Shonky for how it’s handled refunds.

When flights were cancelled during COVID, Virgin Australia gave customers credits to use later.

Customers were first told to book by June 2026 or lose them.

After pressure, Virgin pushed the deadline to May 2027.

CHOICE said: “Customers need refunds, not forced travel.”

Ticketmaster and Ticketek share a Shonky for their ‘dynamic’ pricing systems.

Both have allowed ticket prices to rise with demand.

For example, fans buying tickets for an NRL game on Ticketmaster this year saw seats in the same section vary in price by $50.

Sony’s terms say games and movies you buy are “licensed to you, not sold”.

In June, the company told customers 500 movies would no longer be available to buy, rent and watch, including ones that users had previously purchased.

Petcover:

Customers with “Economy” pet insurance are sold a new policy after 12 months instead of a renewal.

Any condition from the previous year is then treated as pre-existing.

CHOICE says this means “you’re covered until you have something that needs cover”.