- Optus has agreed to pay a $100 million penalty (pending court approval) for unconscionable sales practices targeting vulnerable Australians.
- Between 2019 and 2023, more than 400 customers across 16 stores were sold products they didn’t want, couldn’t afford, or couldn’t use, including First Nations people, individuals with disabilities, unemployed individuals, and those with limited English proficiency.
- The ACCC described the conduct as “appalling exploitation,” citing cases such as a First Nations consumer pressured into multiple costly phone contracts despite no Optus coverage.
- Optus apologised, admitting failures to act sooner; the court will decide on compensation, staff pay orders, and corrective notices.
Image Credit – More than 400 Optus customers were sold phones they did not want, need, or couldn’t afford or use. (ABC News: Daniel Irvine)
SYDNEY — Optus will pay a $100 million penalty, pending court approval, after admitting to unconscionable conduct in selling telecommunications goods and services to hundreds of vulnerable Australians.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the company sold products that many consumers did not want, could not afford, or could not use, and in some cases pursued them for debts arising from these sales (ACCC, 18 June 2025).
The misconduct reportedly affected more than 400 customers across 16 Optus stores nationwide between August 2019 and July 2023.
The victims included First Nations Australians from regional and remote areas, people living with disabilities, unemployed individuals, and those with limited English proficiency (ABC News, 18 June 2025).
In one case cited by the ACCC and reported by ABC News, a First Nations consumer was approached outside an Optus store and pressured into signing multiple phone contracts for high-end devices, costing at least $3,808 over 24 months, despite having no Optus coverage at their home address.
A debt collector later pursued the individual.
Optus CEO Stephen Rue apologised to affected customers, stating, “I would like to sincerely apologise to all customers affected by the misconduct in some of our stores. We failed these customers and should have acted more swiftly when the misconduct was first reported,” according to ABC News.
The ACCC called the company’s conduct “appalling exploitation of hundreds of Australians” and noted the vulnerabilities of those targeted. ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb commented to News.com.au, “This penalty reflects the seriousness of the conduct and the significant impact on consumers who were taken advantage of by Optus.”
The Federal Court is expected to approve the penalty and issue orders regarding compensation and pay for sales staff. Optus will publish a corrective notice and cover the ACCC’s legal costs.