Dear Lifehacker, We have paid a non-refundable deposit for some accommodation for 10 people for a weekend away in July. But now we need room for 18, which they can't accommodate, but they want to keep our deposit. Is this fair? Is this legal?

Most of us breeze past the terms and conditions that come with free Wi-Fi networks and just hit "yes" so we can get online. When you sign into a shopping centre's Wi-Fi, though, you might be agreeing to allow them to track you.

With the increased convergence of physical shopfronts and online stores, Australian retailers managed to boost sales significantly over the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend. Here are the figures.

It can be a pain to deal with customer service, but it's probably more painful for them to deal with unruly customers all day long. If you work in customer service, tell us how people can get better, more efficient service from you.

Few things rile the Aussie consumer regulator as much as unsubstantiated claims that a product is "Australian made" when it isn't. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has just fined a manufacturer $20,400 for making fake origin and nutrition claims about a house brand juice it produced for a supermarket chain.

Got an older iMac or iPhone? Pretty soon, Apple will stop offering you repair options.

Hi Lifehacker, If you purchase a product from a manufacturer who no longer is in business and another company has taken over that product who is responsible for the warranty?

Hey Lifehacker, I recently bought a GoPro 4 from an online retailer (BecexTech). It never arrived and I have been stuck in a seemingly endless loop of emails with BecexTech customer support blaming Australia Post and refusing to refund the purchase. Australia Post tell me they never received the item in the first place, BecexTech tell me Australia Post have lost it. Someone is obviously wrong (or lying). How can I force BecexTech to refund my purchase?

Country of origin labelling is a hot topic in Australia right now, but the consumer regulator isn't entirely without teeth in this area. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has fined one manufacturer $10,200 for selling 'Aussie Beer' in a green and gold box that was actually made in China.

Hey Lifehacker, I recently picked up some new gear, including a Thrustmaster Warthog HOTAS joystick system (yes!). At the checkout, when I said I wanted to pay with my credit card, I was told there would be a 3 per surcharge on credit card payments. Is this legal?

Hey Lifehacker, I have a question about new car warranties. We have a Holden Captiva 5 series 2 2012 model. Recently the engine has failed. The problem is that due to my partner's work hours over the last two years and a recent spell of unemployment, he only had it serviced once.

Hi Lifehacker, I recently bought a discounted bikini online and I want to exchange it for a smaller size, but the company's policy states that sale items cannot be exchanged or refunded. I didn't think simply swapping it over for a different size would be such a big deal, and just want to know my rights before I reply to them as I'm so frustrated!

Think that by signing a fixed-price contract for electricity or gas you'll know what the rate is for the life of the contract? Think again. The market regulator has confirmed that power companies have the right to change the rates charged on a fixed-price contract whenever they like -- even before the deal begins. What a ridiculous joke.

Hey Lifehacker, Recently I had a long-running warranty dispute with an electronics manufacturer. They "repaired" the item in question a few times but I was still having issues. In arranging a replacement, I had to sign and agree to not discuss the terms of the warranty with anyone but a lawyer. The provider claimed "neither party is responsible, but we are replacing the product to avoid ongoing dispute" in the paperwork.

Hey Lifehacker, I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 Active with a cracked screen and its earphone jack recently broke. I've been told that because the screen is broken the warranty is void and they refuse to repair the earphone jack. Is the warranty really void?

Annual figures for complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) show that the number of complaints were down, but almost 140,000 of us still had problems bad enough to make involving the TIO necessary. Which providers received the most complaints?

The good news? Overall complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) have fallen over the past year. The bad news? Too many people are still being shafted for excess data charges.

Dear Lifehacker, I have recently booked a holiday abroad through a large travel agency. When the confirmation was sent through we have seen that we have to pay the hotel a surcharge for facilities and another surcharge for house cleaning services. Both of these amounts will have tax on top and are to be paid locally to the hotel. When we booked the travel through the Australian travel agency we were not informed of these costs and were not made aware of these extras. Is it legal for extras to be included in this way, or does it break rules about pricing?

The ACCC's recent decision to take Valve to court highlighted that we have well-defined consumer rights in Australia which big businesses ignore at their peril. It's worth knowing what those rights are -- but it's also helpful to know what you can't do. Here's a refresher on some of the most common misconceptions.