Shop said no twice? Here’s what can change its mind

19 October 2026

Tom Kaldor

Numbers Story Cheat code (A)just for fun Wins club

Power in numbers

What people did on Ajust this week

745

people took action

346

case plans we prepared

$86,273

at stake in those plans

4250

Biggest win

Jenna’s $2,275 refunded and the $1,975 balance cancelled, after she says she was pressured into buying at the viewing for a photoshoot she’d won.

Spike alert

Agoda
Cancelled and failed bookings not refunded, about half of them from travellers outside Australia.
Three times its usual share: 2.9% vs 0.9%
KFC
Missing items, wrong orders and food quality complaints at nine stores across the country.
More than double its usual share: 3.2% vs 1.4%

Under control

Banks and finance
Six complaints, from locked accounts to a stuck loan application.
Less than half its usual share: 1.7% vs 3.9%

Story of the week

Refused twice. Then Fair Trading stepped in

Jane ordered 13 metres of fabric from Spotlight. It arrived in two pieces. Spotlight said no to a refund, pointing to its terms: orders over 5 metres may come in more than one length. In Jane’s words, that’s “not good business, poor customer service and absolutely not what I ever expected.”

Ajust pushed back on her behalf. Spotlight held firm: “Having reviewed your concerns, our position remains unchanged.”

So with Ajust's help, Jane took it to Queensland Fair Trading. A week later, Spotlight offered a full refund on an in-store return, and paid it. “The best $9 I have spent,” she wrote afterwards.

She wasn’t the only one this week. Langton’s cancelled Expedia hotel booking had gone unrefunded until Ajust lodged a complaint with NSW Fair Trading. Expedia’s reply referred to that complaint, and the $211.64 refund has now been processed.

A complaint to your state’s fair trading office is free, and it reaches a different desk from the customer service queue that said no.

What you can do:

Get the refusal in writing. It’s the starting point for any complaint.
Lodge with your state’s fair trading or consumer protection office. It’s free and online.
Keep the order, the photos and every reply together, so the complaint tells the whole story.

Consumer cheat code

Leaving the gym? Get the fee in writing

Ajust has prepared 76 gym-related cases in the past three months: about six cancellations a week since mid-September, up from three in August. Here’s what we’re seeing: exit fees on minimum terms, notice periods that add a billing cycle, and members bounced between club and head office.

The move:

Cancel in writing, to the club and head office.
Ask for any fee in writing, with how it was worked out.
If it doesn’t match your contract, dispute it.
Check your next statement, and ask for any later charge back.

“Please cancel my membership from today. If you say a fee applies, please confirm the amount in writing and how you calculated it.”

To the club and head office, by email

The payoff: new rules from 1 July 2027 will make cancelling simpler. Until then, a written dispute is the lever, and Ajust pulls it for gym members every week.

(A)just for fun

A clean sweep, every three weeks

Kamran has walked Centennial Park’s Grand Drive loop almost every day for at least 10 years and has “never consciously noticed that sweeping has been performed.” He asked Ajust to take it to the Parklands.

The answer: it’s swept every three weeks, autumn and winter included. Fortnightly was a step too far, but his concern was heard and he now has a contact in the senior team.

Wins club

People who won this week

Madelyn’s $438.20 back for rugs from Ruggy that never arrived.
Natasha’s $537 from Aunt Betty, on top of the seat fee, after the seat she booked was never confirmed.
Francesca’s faulty Loewe bag swapped by courier to Perth, after Loewe first wanted her to bring it to a store in Sydney or Melbourne.
Kim’s $139 refund from Strapped for a kids’ smart watch that never worked properly.
Paula’s daughter’s Kogan TV and desk finally delivered, plus a $50 credit, after Kogan went six days without a word.
As one Google reviewer put it: “Great service and got the outcome i was looking for”.

Make next week's Wins Club

Tell Ajust what happened. We do the chasing – emails, calls, escalations – until it's resolved.

Take action