In short:
Consumer group Choice has handed out the 2026 Shonky Awards to the worst products and services of the year.
asserted
Choice → hand → year
Ticketek and Ticketmaster were named for "fleecing fans with tricky ticket tactics" while Virgin claimed its first Shonky for pocketing $75 million worth of expired flight credits.
Protein chips, a pet insurer, Sony, and a washer-dryer that takes 25 hours also made this year's list.
asserted
that → name → list
Two ticketing companies, an airline, and a washer-dryer that takes 25 hours are among the recipients of the one award no business wants.
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business → take → award
Consumer group Choice has released the winners of its 21st annual Shonky Awards, handed to the worst products and services of 2026.
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Choice → release → 2026
Ticketek and Ticketmaster have won their second Shonky, this time for "fleecing fans with tricky ticket tactics", called out for using dynamic pricing and "in demand" tickets.
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Ticketek → win → demand
Tickets sold by Ticketek this year for a John Farnham Tribute concert had prices up to $1,650.
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Tickets → sell → 1,650
NRL fans purchasing through Ticketmaster were asked to pay $50 more for "in demand" seats just one row or bay apart from regular seats.
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fans → purchase → seats
A Ticketek spokesperson said variable pricing was used on less than 7 per cent of the John Farnham Tribute and this did not apply to the $1,650 tickets.
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this → say → tickets
"Where it is used, fans are notified about potential price changes before they enter the on-sale," they said.
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they → use → sale
Changes to Australian Consumer Law from July 2027 ban dynamic pricing under certain circumstances where it unreasonably manipulates customers or distorts their decision-making.
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it → ban → making
Choice editorial director Mark Serrels said there was heightened awareness around ticket prices.
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Serrels → say → prices
"I think it was really exacerbated by these big events like the Oasis reunion," he said.
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he → think → reunion
A Ticketmaster spokesperson said it did not use surge pricing and "for in-demand tickets" and that "event organisers set the prices of sought-after seats closer to market value and may review these over the sales period."
Expired flight credits pocketed
This year, Choice gave Qantas a break and awarded Virgin Australia its first Shonky, for pocketing $75 million worth of expired flight credits.
The airline cancelled several flights between April 2020 and July 2022, at the height of the COVID pandemic, holding about $93 million in unused flight credits as of February this year.
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airline → say → February
Customers were forced to book trips by June 30 this year, with a deadline to fly by May 27, 2027.
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Customers → force → May
"At best, these [credits] should be around until I want to use them … and at worst, you should just give me my money back,"Mr Serrels said.
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Serrels → want → money
Virgin notes in its 2025/26 annual report that $75 million worth of expired COVID-19 credits "impacted" its underlying net profit of $404 million.
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worth → note → million
A Virgin Australia spokesperson said more than 93 per cent of COVID credits were redeemed.
"We regularly communicated the expiry date and later extended the fly-by date to 27 May 2027, giving guests almost another year to travel," they said.
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they → say → year
25 hours of laundry, protein tax
Hisense earned its first Shonky for releasing an 8-star energy-rated "super energy efficient" washer-dryer.
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Hisense → earn → dryer
That rating is tied to the machine's eco settings that take 12 hours to wash and 13 hours to dry — 25 hours for a load of laundry.
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that → tie → laundry
Mr Serrels said the energy rating system was due for an overhaul, with almost all white goods manufacturers exploiting it.
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manufacturers → say → it
"These [ratings] aren't really that accurate to your everyday use,"he said.
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ratings → say → use,"he
Also claiming a Shonky are Quest Nacho Cheese Protein Chips priced at more than $20 per 100g — 886 per cent more than a pack of Doritos without the protein label
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claiming → claim → label
Mr Serrels said this was a difficult decision with an influx of added-protein goods hitting store shelves, noting some of these goods were ultra-processed with very little additional protein and a much higher ticket price.
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some → say → protein
While the entire pet insurance industry has won a Shonky, with insurers not covering pre-existing conditions the main issue, this year Petcover has earned its own for taking things further.
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Petcover → win → things
One of its policies requires customers to enter a new policy every 12 months, which classifies all conditions the pet has previously experienced as pre-existing, therefore excluding them from the cover.
And its definition of pre-existing conditions is broad, including any condition with the same clinical signs as another injury or illness.
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definition → require → injury
Rounding out the 2026 list is Sony for announcing that all new PlayStation games would be digital only from January 2028, under a model where customers did not actually own the games but instead licence them from the storefront.
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customers → round → storefront
"Sony, at any time, can remove these games from the store.
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Sony → remove → store
In some cases, they can close the store entirely,"Mr Serrels said.
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Serrels → close → store
Sony said earlier this year the move was a natural direction for the company as, "The general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs."
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preference → say → discs
This year Sony removed more than 500 StudioCanal movies and TV show titles from users' libraries after a licensing deal expired.
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deal → remove → libraries
Mr Serrels added the move would remove price competition, stop game sharing, and negatively affect the second-hand market as well as game preservation.
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move → add → market
"This might be a canary in the coal mine situation with all video games; we'll start to see them all moving fully digital."
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them → start → games
The Aporia
