Were You Misled by Woolworths 'Prices Dropped' Promotions?

The class action was filed in the Federal Court of Australia (Victorian Registry) on 13 November 2024. A Statement of Claim, Amended Defence, and Reply to Defence have all been filed. A two-week joint liability trial is scheduled to commence on 20 April 2026.

The ACCC commenced separate penalty proceedings against Woolworths in September 2024, focusing on imposing penalties for breaching Australian Consumer Law. This class action, brought by Gerard Malouf and Partners, focuses on securing financial compensation for consumers who were affected by the misleading pricing.

Yes. The Federal Court approved opt-out notice was sent to potential group members in October 2025. The deadline to opt out was 4:00 pm AEDT on 21 November 2025. If you missed the deadline, contact WoolworthsClassAction@gmp.net.au to discuss the impact.

Helpful evidence includes: (1) Woolworths Everyday Rewards program data showing purchase history, dates, prices, and discounts applied; (2) Receipts for products purchased during the relevant period that show 'Prices Dropped' pricing.

The lead applicant is Robbie Leigh Whittome. The proceedings are formally known as 'Robbie Leigh Whittome v Woolworths Group Ltd' (VID1246/2024).

The class action covers 276 commonly purchased products at Woolworths that were subject to temporary price increases followed by 'Prices Dropped' promotions at the same or higher prices between September 2021 and May 2023.

In October 2022, Woolworths Group disclosed that its MyDeal subsidiary had experienced a data breach affecting customer information. The incident involved unauthorised access to MyDeal's customer relationship management system.

Public reports and Woolworths-related statements said approximately 2.2 million MyDeal customers were affected by the breach.

Woolworths stated that MyDeal systems were separate from Woolworths Group systems. The public reporting concerned MyDeal customer data, not Woolworths supermarket, Everyday Rewards or grocery account systems.

The exposed information reportedly included customer names, email addresses, phone numbers and delivery addresses. For some customers, dates of birth were also affected.

Public reports stated that MyDeal did not store payment details and that payment information was not compromised in the breach.

Public reporting stated that customer account passwords were not compromised in the MyDeal breach.

Public reporting stated that MyDeal did not store driver licence or passport details, and that those identity document details were not compromised in the breach.

For some affected customers, dates of birth were reportedly exposed. Public reporting linked this to customers who had to verify their age when purchasing alcohol.

Yes. Public reports stated that for approximately 1.2 million affected customers, only email addresses were exposed.

Yes. The OAIC confirmed it had been notified by Woolworths Group and was aware of the MyDeal data breach.

A standalone filed class action concerning the MyDeal breach has not been publicly verified. Page copy should avoid saying a class action has been filed unless there is a confirmed court proceeding or law firm announcement.

Affected customers may have privacy complaint rights depending on their circumstances. In Australia, privacy complaints are generally made to the organisation first and then to the OAIC if the issue is not resolved.

Potential compensation would depend on the legal pathway, regulator findings and individual evidence of harm. Relevant impacts may include scam attempts, distress, identity misuse, financial loss, time spent responding to the breach or loss of control over personal information.

Affected customers should be alert for scam emails, calls or texts, avoid clicking suspicious links, monitor accounts, update passwords where reused, enable multi-factor authentication and keep evidence of any suspicious activity.

Yes. Names, email addresses, phone numbers and delivery addresses can be used for phishing, fake delivery notices, refund scams, impersonation calls or other social engineering attempts.

Customers should watch for fake parcel delivery messages, fake Woolworths or MyDeal refund offers, account verification messages, loyalty points scams, payment failure notices and calls asking for passwords or one-time codes.

Customers should keep MyDeal or Woolworths breach notices, scam emails or texts, screenshots, call logs, bank records, reports to Scamwatch, reports to IDCARE, credit checks and notes of any financial loss, distress or time spent dealing with the breach.

Even though public reporting said passwords were not compromised, customers should change passwords if they reused the same password across MyDeal and other accounts. Multi-factor authentication should be enabled where available.

Public reporting stated payment details were not compromised. Customers usually do not need to cancel cards solely because of the MyDeal breach, but should contact their bank immediately if they see suspicious transactions or shared card details with a scammer.

A cautious description is: 'The Woolworths Group-owned MyDeal marketplace experienced a data breach in October 2022 affecting approximately 2.2 million customers. Woolworths said MyDeal systems were separate from Woolworths Group systems, and public reports stated payment details, passwords, passport and driver licence details were not compromised.'

The Woolworths Prices Dropped class action has been brought by Gerard Malouf & Partners on behalf of affected shoppers.

Yes. Gerard Malouf & Partners says the Woolworths pricing class action was filed in the Federal Court of Australia.

The class action alleges that Woolworths temporarily increased prices on certain products before placing them on Prices Dropped promotions, creating the impression of a genuine discount when the promoted price may not have been a true discount.

Public class action materials refer to purchases of affected Woolworths products between September 2021 and May 2023. The precise period and eligibility should be checked against the official court notice.

The class action materials refer to a list of affected products in the statement of claim. Customers should check the official product schedule or court documents to confirm whether particular items are included.

People who purchased one or more affected products from Woolworths during the relevant period may potentially be group members. Eligibility depends on the court-approved group definition and the specific products purchased.

Receipts may help prove purchases, but other evidence may also be useful, such as Woolworths Everyday Rewards history, online order history, bank statements, credit card statements, email receipts or screenshots.

Public materials indicate the claim concerns affected products purchased from Woolworths, including in-store or online purchases. Customers should check the official notice for the final group definition.

The ACCC alleged that Woolworths made misleading discount representations through Prices Dropped promotions after temporarily increasing prices on certain products. Woolworths has denied wrongdoing.

No. Woolworths has denied wrongdoing and is defending the relevant proceedings.

Potential compensation would depend on the outcome of the class action, any settlement, court orders, the number of eligible group members and each person's purchases of affected products.

Any individual payment amount is not yet confirmed. It may depend on the number of eligible customers, the value and number of affected products purchased, legal costs, administration costs and any settlement or judgment.

Affected shoppers should keep receipts, online order history, Everyday Rewards records, bank or card statements, emails and screenshots showing purchases of potentially affected Woolworths products during the relevant period.

You may still have other evidence, including digital receipts, Woolworths account history, Everyday Rewards purchase records, bank statements, credit card statements or email confirmations.

No. The Prices Dropped class action is a consumer pricing matter. Woolworths underpayment proceedings concern alleged underpayment of workers and are separate employment-related matters.

No. Any Woolworths shareholder class action concerns investor claims and alleged disclosure issues. The Prices Dropped class action concerns consumer purchases and alleged misleading supermarket discount promotions.

Class action group members are usually given an opportunity to opt out by a court-approved deadline. Customers should check the official Federal Court notice or law firm updates for opt-out dates and instructions.

A cautious description is: 'The Woolworths Prices Dropped class action alleges that Woolworths misled consumers by promoting certain products as discounted after temporary price increases. Woolworths denies wrongdoing and the matter remains subject to the court process.'

A class action (also called a representative proceeding in Australia) is a lawsuit brought by one or more people on behalf of a larger group who have suffered a common harm.

In Australia, class actions are governed by Part IVA of the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976. One or more lead applicants commence proceedings on behalf of all group members. A key feature is that group members are automatically included unless they opt out — they do not need to take any active steps to join.

Not necessarily. If you are an eligible group member, you may be automatically included. You may however need to register your interest so the law firm can contact you about important updates, deadlines and any settlement distribution. Check the eligibility criteria and register with ClaimFinder to stay informed.

Opting out means formally removing yourself from the class action so that you are not bound by any settlement or judgment. Group members might opt out if they wish to pursue their own individual claim, or if they disagree with how the case is being run. If an opt-out deadline has passed, you are generally bound by the outcome.

Australian class actions can take anywhere from two to seven years or more from commencement to resolution. Many settle before trial, but cases that proceed to judgment can take considerably longer. The complexity of the legal issues, the volume of group members, and the defendants' litigation strategy all influence the timeline.

A litigation funder is a third party that finances the legal costs of a class action in exchange for a percentage of any settlement or judgment proceeds. Funders allow cases to proceed where group members could not otherwise afford the legal costs. Not all class actions use litigation funding — some are run on a no-win no-fee basis by the law firm.