2026 Choice Shonky Awards: Ticketmaster, Virgin Australia, and Sony Called Out

CHOICE disclosed on November 4, 2026, that a 25-hour laundry cycle, an airline keeping $75m in unused travel vouchers, and $1,650 concert admissions all secured spots on the Shonky awards dishonour roll compiled by the consumer watchdog Choice.

Ticketing Giants and Expired Airline Credits Lead 2026 Dishonours

The Shonkys, which are now celebrating their 21st year, highlight the country’s worst services and goods as determined by Choice. Ticketmaster and Ticketek received the top gong for their use of dynamic pricing and in-demand tickets during a cost-of-living crisis. Choice CEO Ashley Perry stated that Ticketek and Ticketmaster were caught fleecing fans and sending ticket prices soaring. Concertgoers logging on to Ticketek looking to secure tickets earlier this year found themselves facing variable prices, where ultimate tickets cost $1,650. Similarly, NRL supporters buying tickets to some matches through Ticketmaster reported in-demand seats selling for $50 more than regular seats despite being only one row and one bay apart.

A spokesperson for Ticketmaster stated that the company did not use surge pricing or algorithms that automatically increase prices in response to demand. Meanwhile, Virgin Australia copped a Shonky gong for imposing strict deadlines on customers to use credits issued for cancelled flights between 21 April 2020 and 31 July 2022 amid Covid-19 travel restrictions. Customers had to book their trips by 30 June this year and use the credits for flights taking off before 27 May 2027. This resulted in $75m of credits going unused and returning straight to Virgin’s bottom line.

Defending the measure, a representative for Virgin Australia pointed out that travellers successfully claimed over 93% of the Covid-era vouchers, backed by robust reservation numbers over the preceding four years. The airline communicated the expiry date and later extended the fly-by date to 27 May 2027 to give guests extra time to travel. Perry maintained that Choice would love to see consumers get the $75m back or receive unlimited time to use those flight credits.

Sony Removes Digital Movies Without Refunds as Hisense Faces Criticism

Sony earned a Shonky for its digital ownership policies, with 500 movies paid for and stored in customers’ digital libraries being removed without any kind of refund. Choice said Sony was asking consumers to pay to play, but not own. Sony has been contacted for comment.

Hisense joined the dishonour roll over its 8i Washer Dryer Combo, which achieves an 8-star energy rating for drying on a program that takes 13.5 hours to run. Perry pointed out that running both energy-efficient cycles together pushes total laundry time past 25 hours. A Hisense spokesperson responded that the energy rating displayed on the product is determined in accordance with the Australian government’s regulated Energy Rating Scheme and applicable Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards requirements.

Costly Snack Foods

Quest Protein Chips drew criticism for charging nearly 900% more than regular snack foods. Perry stated that these chips are 886 per cent more expensive than a similar, non-protein version of chips from a different brand, costing more than $20 per 100g. By contrast, a pack of Nacho Cheese Flavour Doritos costs just $2.06 per 100g.