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(Beeping)
ANNOUNCER: Attention, shoppers, tonight on the Checkout,
Craig confronts those annoying door-to-door sellers.
The new ways of turning your useless stuff into cash.
And exactly how far down down are Coles prices?
Was $6, now $1! That's half price...?
# Theme music
But, first, Kirsten Drysdale to health foods!
Goji berries, chia seeds, acai -
they're all touted as 'superfoods'
and they all come with the same steaming side dish -
a hearty helping of ***.
The pattern goes like this -
someone discovers an ancient food
that some exotic tribe has been eating for thousands of years
and raves about all the nutrients it contains,
using THAT as evidence of its miraculous weight loss,
slash anti-ageing, slash cancer-fighting potential.
The media goes nuts...
There's a new superfood in town.
Claiming to be a powerful superfood.
An ancient food, now a superfruit!
Oprah talks about it on her show, supermodels swear by it,
and suddenly, we're all sprinkling it on our cereal
and whizzing it into our smoothies.
By the time anyone's had a chance
to take a closer look at the science behind a superfood,
it's too late to set the record straight,
because a new fad's taken its place.
So we thought it was time to dissect a few case studies.
First up, the goji berry.
Commonly found dried, in powders and juices,
the Tibetan goji berry is said to improve your vision,
heart health, sleep quality, libido and *** function.
It's also said to treat cancer, stop ageing, fight fatigue,
treat depression, extend life and - seriously - promote cheerfulness.
One Australian supplier even says not to be surprised
if you burst into song or infuse those who surround you
with your infectious laughter after eating them.
But that's not the reaction we found.
OK. It's weird.
Not too flavoursome. Tastes like nothing.
You don't want to sing? Probably not.
Don't want to burst into infectious laughter? No.
It all started with the 2003 book
Goji: The Himalayan Health Secret, by Dr Earl Mindell,
the man considered 'the world's leading nutritionist',
by no-one but him.
Who is the world's leading nutritionist?
I have no idea. Don't know.
What if I show his picture? No.
It's Dr Earl Mindell! Never heard of him.
Never seen that man before in my life.
Dr Earl Mindell. Oh, right! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
You know Dr Earl Mindell? No.
Maybe that's because Dr Mindell isn't much of a doctor.
His PhD is actually from Pacific Western
the unaccredited sham university in Hawaii
which was closed down in 2006.
Nonetheless, goji berries got the Oprah seal of approval a year later,
and off they went.
By the way, Tibetan goji berries aren't just from Tibet.
They can be found in many parts of Asia and south-eastern Europe.
However, the science behind goji berries is far less abundant.
In 2010, the University of Basel in Switzerland - a real university -
reviewed all the available research on the effect of goji berries
on human health, finding a 'lack of reliable data'
and 'no scientific evidence
to sustain the claims made for Goji juice'.
Incidentally, one of the studies they reviewed was this one,
titled, A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, clinical study
of the general effects
of a standardized Lycium barbarum (Goji) Juice'.
Sounds Science-y! There are two views of this study.
The University of Basel found it highly questionable.
But it did get the big thumbs up from its funders, FreeLife International -
a sell-from-home Goji Juice 'pyramid scheme'
fronted by none other than... Hello, I'm Dr Earl Mindell.
Look, goji berries are high in antioxidants,
but so are most berries.
And if you are goji mad,
at least buy them from a traditional Chinese herb shop,
where they're sold as wolfberries for half the price.
Next up, chia.
Found in smoothies and baked into bread and sprinkled on salads,
the chia seed is said to support heart health,
stabilize blood sugar, boost your energy, mood,
sleep quality and brain function, has anti-inflammatory properties,
clears skin, fights cancer and depression,
and will 'cleanse and sooth your colon'.
That must be why Jennifer Hawkins eats chia seeds
on her cereal every day.
And she definitely looks like a woman with a soothed colon.
Chia seeds first shot to fame with the 2009 book Born To Run
about Aztec super-athletes,
and within three years, it was on Oprah's superfoods list,
primarily because of a 2008 study
that found eating chia seeds 'slashed hunger by up to 63%'.
Impressive results!
Until you realize the study was sponsored by Salba Inc,
the company that sells the seeds being tested.
So you can trust Oprah's study or you can trust this one,
funded by a non-profit organisation
and titled Chia seed does not promote weight loss
or alter disease risk factors in overweight adults,
which found what it said in the title.
Oh, come on. Choose this one!
Look, chia seeds do pack a lot of nutrients
into a small amount of space - especially omega-3s,
and you might think that's worth around $40 a kilo.
But if you're already eating well,
you probably don't need those extra nutrients.
Next up, acai.
Available in pulp, juice, powder or even in ***,
acai berries are said to... well, all the usual stuff.
Although... that's a new one.
Acai berries were discovered in the Amazon by these guys in 1999.
At Sambazon, we're all about Amazon superfoods
that deliver next-level nutrition.
And next level beards!
But the real next level you want to get to is Oprah.
After it was the No.1 superfood on her show in 2005,
it only took two years for acai product sales
to rocket up to $13.5 million per year
while acai science remained at a steady level of virtually none.
RioLife and Bioglan are happy to point out
acai's many health benefits via their supermodel buddies.
But when we asked them to point us to the science behind those claims,
well, Bioglan flat out ignored our calls.
Rude!
RioLife sent us a list of 39 acai studies, which is impressive,
unless you read them.
Of those 39 studies, three were just articles not studies,
17 didn't test the health benefits,
they just analysed the nutritional make-up
and three of those looked at how good acai was as a dye.
12 were done in petri dishes or on rats, mice or female flies.
Five were market research papers
on things like how best to sell acai juice to West Europeans
and a grand total of two were actual studies
on the health benefits in human beings.
So let's look at those two human studies.
The first one found that 12 people had more antioxidants in their blood
just two hours after drinking acai
as part of a mixed fruit and berry juice full of antioxidants.
Convinced? No. No. No. No.
The other human study measured higher levels of antioxidants
in 11 people after they ate acai pulp
and found the same effect after they ate applesauce.
Interestingly, when Choice tested 'superjuices',
they found there were more antioxidants
in a bog standard apple.
Can we just stop for a minute? Sure!
Can anyone here explain to me what antioxidants are?
They seem to be the primary source of superpowers for all this stuff.
No-one? Fine.
Antioxidants is a general description for the thousands of substances
that can stop free radicals -
these nasty little buggers that damage human cells.
In the 1990s, scientists started testing whether antioxidants could
therefore limit disease and improve health
which led to an explosion of hype
before any of those results came in.
Unfortunately, the reality has turned out to be somewhat disappointing.
The problem is that antioxidants behave differently
when they're in test tubes
to how they do when they're in the human body.
Evidence of their benefits is very limited and specific
so if you're one of the few people at risk
of age-related macular degeneration or if you have skin cancer
and low levels of selenium, they might do you some good.
Whoo-hoo!
As for everyone else...
Eating lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains
can help prevent a variety of chronic diseases
but it's very unlikely that eating high doses of antioxidants
can do the same thing.
In fact, some studies suggest that high doses
of antioxidants supplements may actually increase cancer risk.
And if that's not good enough for you:
And that research involved:
(Gasping)
So, what does this all mean?
Well, there's nothing bad about these foods.
They're perfectly good foods... just like these ones!
But there's no such thing as a superfood. Just super marketing.
If you take away the fake doctors, the Amazonian hippies and Oprah,
all you're left with is paying extra for...
It's not too flavoursome.
..and that's a bit hard to swallow.
There's recently been a win in the battle against...
(Knocking) ..in the battle against door knockers.
I don't want whatever it is you're selling!
I'm just dropping your kid off.
Oh, thank you so much. Sorry!
A breakthrough in the battle against door knockers
with both Energy Australia and AGL
announcing they will stop using door-to-door salespeople.
# Ding *** the Wicked Witch is dead! #
Don't get too excited, Munchkins.
Energy company door knocking is not over yet.
In fact, energy companies are responsible
for 93% of all door knocking complaints.
But here's one way you can deal with them.
(Barking) AAH!
But if you don't have a dog,
put one of these 'do not knock' stickers at your front door.
Last year, the Federal Court
found that those stickers have to be obeyed!
And they fined two companies $1 million each for ignoring them!
(Spits) (Dog yelps)
We presume the checkout version has equal legal value.
However, if you don't want to go that far,
here's another tip for dealing with salespeople who come to your door.
(Knocking) Oh, God...
What? Oh, we're just in the neighbourhood
doing an audit of local electricity suppliers.
Sure you are.
A lot of things they say are misleading at best,
so ask if you can record them.
You can come in as long as I can record every word you say
so it becomes part of any contract that I sign.
Ooh. Is that the time?
If they're not willing to be recorded,
you probably shouldn't trust them,
and if they are, keep the recording
in case the contract doesn't turn out to be as they suggested it would be.
That way, you can get out of it.
(Knocking) Oi!
If you do let a door knocker inside your house...
..you should compare what they're offering
to your current and other providers.
Maybe do it while they're there.
I can give you a price comparison if you'd like.
Come on!
Just because you let them in the door
doesn't mean you have to sign up on the day.
I want to think about this. Can you come back tomorrow?
Oh, we're only in the area today. Oh, what a shame.
You... You can't do that.
If you do sign up on the day, remember there's a ten-day
cooling off period in which you can cancel the contract.
So that way, you can still shop around even after you've signed it.
Sucker!
Sucker.
I'm Rod Sims, Chairman of the ACCC,
the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
If I could say one thing, as a consumer,
you've got more rights than you might think.
If something you buy doesn't work or do what you asked for,
you're entitled to have it repaired, replaced or to get a refund.
They're your rights, they're automatic guarantees
for everything you buy and you don't have to pay extra for them
and they exist regardless of what
the business you're dealing with says.
So if you're unhappy,
don't be railroaded out of getting your concerns addressed.
Actually, if I could really only say one thing,
it's to download the ACCC shopper app onto your smartphone.
Hey! Hey, that's enough, ACCC dude!
We can't run adds here on the ABC!
Unless it's for ABC books, DVDs, CDs or miscellaneous merchandise
or BBC stuff or commercial products and events
that the ABC's licensed its logo to in return for a cut of the profits.
We can't be promoting a free app that...
..easily explains your consumer rights.
Oi! It's called 'If I could say ONE thing'.
Say two things and we'd be hauled up before the ACCC!
Rod's right, though, it is worth downloading the ACCC shopper app
so that you've got an accurate,
reliable summary of your rights when you shop.
It's also got handy sections for recording your purchases
and even taking photos of receipts
so you don't lose them until you lose your phone.
For the more parochial pedant,
the Tasmanian and Western Australian governments
have got very similar apps too.
Very similar... (Gasping)
# OMINOUS CHORDS (Screaming)
Scam.
And here at the Checkout, we strongly encourage you to misuse those apps
so that you can enter our new viewer-driven signs segment
Signs of the Times.
Some signs are illegal.
Others should be.
And some signs are just amusing.
If you spot one, then take a photo of it
and send it to us here at the Checkout - like Patrick Norris did.
Patrick noticed that whoever's marking prices 'down down'
at Coles in New Farm isn't crash-hot at maths.
Thanks, Patrick.
Here's our tribute to the statisticians at Coles New Farm.
# Down down, arithmetic's down
# Down down, arithmetic's down #
Birds Eyes Sweet Potato was 3.99, NOW $2!
That's 30% off!
I think...
# Down down, arithmetic's down #
Yoplait Vanilla yoghurt was 5.70, now $4!
That's 20%, plus a few more per cent off!
# Down down, arithmetic's down #
And Simply Basics Tea Towel 3-pack was $6, now $1.
That's... half price?
Basic arithmetic is... Never annoying!
Tonight on the Checkout,
we ask what's the best drill to buy for your house.
And I ask why buy a power drill at all?
You never know when you're going to need a drill.
Actually, what you need is the hole not the drill.
In fact, the average power drill
is used for less than 12 minutes in its entire lifetime.
That's less than the average Russell Crowe CD.
That was, uh... a gift.
Can I get back to my drill report?
We were going to talk about a whole new category of businesses
where you may not need to buy a drill.
That means I don't have to do my report. Go right ahead.
Thanks. It's called collaborative consumption.
Sorry, who actually are you?
I'm Rachel Botsman. I wrote a book on this.
Whatever!
There's this big shift underway in consumer societies.
People are moving from owning products
to accessing them when they need them.
Take music, for example.
We used to have to have piles of CDs cluttering up our homes
but now with services like Spotify and Pandora,
we can access to an almost unlimited amount for little or no cost.
So no need for this.
(Laughs nervously) Yeah. That was also a gift.
The same goes for things like books and TV programs and films.
We want to be able to watch our favourite programs when we want to
but do you really want piles of DVDs cluttering up our homes?
Hey! Hey! I need that.
Services that give us access to stuff
rather than needing to own it, saves money, space and resources.
It's not just digital products, it's big stuff like cars!
Oh. The garage is that way.
Car share companies like GoGet, Flexicar and GreenShareCar are...
Taking all the parking spots!
Well, that's one way to look at it
but the fact is, that each care share
takes 13 vehicles off the road.
That means more parking spots.
What's more, the average car sharer saves more than $5,000 per year.
So replacing the car you own...
Actually, it's that one.
..for access to one when you need it, can make a lot of sense.
Especially for second cars.
Ah, yeah... That was a gift.
Car sharing also means that you can choose different cars
based on what you need them for.
So instead of having to drive that every day, imagine...
..you could choose a Prius, a station wagon or even a mini-van!
At the moment, car share companies only really cover inner-city areas,
so whether it's a practical option depends on where you live.
But as these businesses get bigger,
they'll be able to offer more convenience and choice.
In London, for example, more than 4.5 million residents
are within a ten-minute walking distance from a Zipcar -
the world's largest car sharing service.
Car sharing's also happening between members of the public, peer to peer.
Take Jeff here.
My car, Betsy, was sitting in the garage for 24 hours a day.
I realised I could make some money out of her.
I started with one and now I've got four.
Good on ya, mate. But what's this guy doing in my driveway?
Renting your car out can help cover your repayments.
In some ways, collaborative consumption may seem
like good old-fashioned renting
but technology makes it faster, easier and gives you more choice.
Australia's got businesses that give you short-term access
to clothes and accessories, and it's good-quality stuff.
For example, you can get a Rachel Gilbert evening dress
worth more than $1,500 for only $350.
You can also hire textbooks, kids toys and maternity wear,
and also... No, no, don't go in there!
And on sites like rentoid and OpenShed,
you can rent anything!
Take this Nintendo Wii - you could rent it for someone for the weekend
and make $45!
In America, there are even businesses
that give you access to artworks without having to buy them.
Stop! That one. Really?
Hmm. We're going to need a drill to fix that.
Good thing I own one! 20 bucks from Kmart - I'll just go get it.
You can rent one on rentoid for $15.
He's got a point, though.
Renting might be cheaper, but you've also got to factor in things
like the time, the cost and the effort of getting it.
Aha!
At the same time, renting means
you're not locked into a device from years ago.
You can hire the right tools when you need them
and you don't have the hassle of losing all the important bits,
which also means you don't need this.
Yeah, look, that is great, but could you put that back, please?
Mmm, maybe.
(Clock ticks)
Oh. But what if these touchy-feely businesses give you crap service?
Can you really trust them? It's funny you should ask that.
Just like any other business, collaborative consumption services
are covered by Australian consumer law.
Ha, that was a gift.
So even if the service you get is faulty,
you've got exactly the same consumer rights.
And the businesses that work peer to peer
are based on a system of reputation.
If you rent a car from a total stranger,
you can easily see how others have rated him.
Average?!
It usually works both ways.
So Jeff can easily see what other people think
of the person who wants to rent out his car.
With a little bit of research,
it's not too hard to weed out the bad apples.
Mmm. Oh.
Yeah, that was just one thing. I mean, that's not accurate.
Not only can everyone check everyone else's reputation,
but with car share companies, if you happen to have an accident,
you're covered by the business's insurance
so it shouldn't affect the driver or the renter's insurance premiums.
Can I go now?
Collaborate consumption may not be for everyone -
some people get into the idea more than others.
But if you're interested in saving or even making money,
it's now possible to own less whilst accessing more.
But let's face it, there's plenty of stuff that we don't actually need.
You can now make money by giving other people access to your stuff,
rather than just throwing it away.
Although, for some things, that's still best.
Yeah, thanks for sharing.
Hey, uh, just one ticket to the 7.30 session, thanks.
Sorry, we don't do single tickets. It's only memberships.
Memberships? But I only want to see one movie.
Yeah, we know, but it's $48 a fortnight
and there's a joining fee of $200, which I'll waive for you,
and $100 admin fee, which I'll also waive for you,
which just leaves the $150 waiving fee.
But don't worry, 'cause that gets you one free session with Steve here,
who'll help you through your first movie!
I've seen a movie before.
Yeah, but you haven't seen a movie with Steve!
Yeah, look, I don't know.
Just sign here and here
and we'll roll it over until you remember to cancel it, hey?
Welcome aboard! She's all yours, Steve.
Yeah, hi. Look, I'd like to cancel my membership.
No, you know, I just never come in...
No, look, Steve's lovely, it's just...
No! I haven't forgotten my goals!
Well, I'll be in for another session soon, then, I guess.
Well, it's F.U. Tube time again,
when you get to air your consumer grievances
by simply showing us what the inside of your house looks like.
First up we have Nigel whose...
..son's birthday was coming up
and I decided to go shopping online at *** Smith Electronics.
Nigel bought an eBook reader and a Bluetooth dongle,
but only the dongle arrived
and *** Smith Electronics haven't got back to him for over two weeks.
So Nigel's message was...
I've got a few things I'd like to say
to Mr Smith at *** Smith Electronics.
Where's my present, ***?
Where's the e-book reader, ***?
What's holding you up, ***?
I don't want your dongle, ***.
Thanks, Nigel, we passed that on.
And here's his official response.
I sold *** Smith Electronics in 1982, Nigel.
This *** Smith reckons
the other *** Smith should send you a refund, Nigel.
And I'll send your son
a can of magnificent sliced beetroot, too, Nigel.
Happy birthday, Mark Wilson! Fantastic!
This one looks like a slam dunk for Nigel.
The *** Smith Electronics' returns policy
is actually one of the better ones we've seen.
Unlike the Mazda or Apple websites,
it explains your consumer law rights in an upfront and clear way.
If *** Smith ever does get back to you, Nigel,
you should be OK.
But if you've been dicked around like that,
Section 62 of the Consumer Law gives consumers a guarantee
that services like delivery will occur 'within a reasonable time'.
Now an update about Anne Yang musical F.U. to Startrack Express.
Unlike the service they gave Anne,
Startrack's response to last week's program WAS express.
They've apologised and given her...
# That money back guarantee. #
Which is music to our ears. Although as Anne points out...
It only took five phone calls, two months, one video,
one media segment and one application to NSW Fair Trading.
That didn't sound like Anne. She's more like this.
# It only took five phone calls Two months, one parody video
# One media segment and one application to NSW Fair Trading. #
And now to a regular complaint we receive - disappearing flights.
Hi, my name is Ronan and I'm flying from Hobart
to Canberra tomorrow as an unaccompanied minor.
Oh, yeah, and my bag's packed. (Squeak!)
Ronan's problem is that *** cancelled
direct flights between Canberra and Hobart.
And because he is an unaccompanied minor,
he can't take any non-direct flights.
So now he's stuck in Canberra.
I'm just a minor with a major problem.
Ronan's situation is unique,
but rescheduling or cancelling is a common problem.
Belinda told us about a similar situation
involving an airline that we really were hoping
wouldn't feature on F.U. Tube again.
But then Jetstar changed the time of those flights.
They said no to the refund and no to a free transfer to a different flight
because, they told Belinda...
Hang on! Not part of the contract?
It's interesting that Jetstar say that
because when you turn up late to a flight with Jetstar:
Hang on - didn't you just say flight times don't matter? Shut-up.
When you go to a website to book a flight,
I'm sure you'd agree that you aren't just buying the right
to go on a plane someday,
you're booking a flight at a particular time
for a particular purpose.
We're not saying that airlines shouldn't ever be able
to change their flight times.
Of course they will, but if they do, they should accept
that that will break consumer law guarantees for some customers.
Exactly. Ah, traitor!
Which brings us back to poor Ronan, now stuck in Canberra.
They gave us two options,
we could either get a full refund or have a shortened holiday.
So, Ronan, you're lucky they offered you a refund.
Although, arguably, you got the stiffer penalty
of being trapped in Canberra.
But all airlines should realise
that some customers may accept flight changes -
but for others, a refund is the only fair and legal response.
As for Ronan, we've contacted *** and they've agreed
because they changed the flight,
that they'll get a staff member to travel with him
and make sure he gets home safely,
which is probably a lot better than the idea we had -
to find somebody in Canberra who can accompany him home,
somebody with a lot of time on their hands.
Even Ronan didn't like it.
Um, I'd rather just walk home.
Closed Captions by CSI