Court finds Meriton misled customers with TripAdvisor reviews … RMIT and Apple to teach coding … Optus suggests customers overcharged on NBN speeds

The Federal Court has found serviced apartments operator Meriton engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct by taking actions that prevented guests who may have left unfavourable TripAdvisor reviews from receiving links to the website.

The consumer watchdog brought court action against the company in November 2016 with claims it had a deliberate practice of not emailing customers links to review forms if it was suspected a negative review would be published.

At the time, Meriton said it had been communicating with the ACCC since allegations were raised in 2015, and defended itself against the claims.

However, the court has decided the company had engaged in practices that were likely to mislead the public.

A penalties hearing is yet to be set. SmartCompany contacted Meriton for comment.

RMIT and Apple team up to code

RMIT University will be the first university to teach Apple’s Swift curriculum for app development.

Fairfax reports the university will teach the course, which has been designed by Apple engineers, allowing students to learn how to create programs for Apple’s iOS system.

An online-only program will be taught from November, with an on-campus version starting in February.

RMIT says its decision to become the first university to offer the course is part of a commitment to secure tech jobs for all students.

Optus latest telco to speak out on speeds

Optus has followed up Telstra’s pledge to compensate customers for slower-than-advertised broadband speeds with its own admission that some of its customers have been overcharged.

The ABC reports a spokesperson for the telco says it has been working with the ACCC and will offer compensation to customers with slower speeds than expected.

“Optus is considering a range of measures for customers depending on their individual circumstances,” the spokesperson said.

The news comes just weeks after questions were raised over the long-term viability of national broadband network services for business customers.

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