Why this policy exists
Buying guides are long-lived. Products get superseded, prices move, retailers change warranty terms, and sometimes we simply get something wrong in the first place. A good site doesn't pretend those things don't happen — it has a defined way to fix them and to tell readers when a fix changed the substance of a guide.
What counts as a correction
We treat the following as corrections (not "editing"):
- A factual error — a wrong specification, wrong release date, wrong warranty length, wrong retailer, mis-stated feature.
- A claim we can no longer substantiate against a reliable source.
- A product that has become unavailable in Australia, superseded or discontinued after the guide was published.
- A pricing or availability statement that has become materially misleading.
- Language that implies hands-on testing when none occurred — that's a breach of our editorial standards and gets corrected immediately.
What doesn't count
Typo fixes, grammar edits, reflowing for readability, style adjustments and adding genuinely new content are treated as updates, not corrections, and don't require a public note unless they change the meaning of the article.
How we handle a correction
- Report received. A correction is flagged by a reader via the contact page, by our own refresh cycle, or by a retailer/manufacturer notice.
- Verification. An editor re-checks the claim against the manufacturer's documentation, current retailer listings and any relevant third-party test source.
- Decision. If the report is correct, we amend the article. If it isn't, we reply to the reporter with what we found.
- Publication. The guide is updated and, where the change is material, an on-page note is added (see below).
- Log. The change is recorded against the article's editorial history with the date, category (spec / availability / pricing / language / other) and a one-line description.
Material vs immaterial corrections
A material correction is one that could change a reader's decision — for example removing a product that has been recalled, correcting a mis-stated energy rating, or reversing a claim about warranty coverage in Australia. Material corrections get a visible dated note near the top or bottom of the affected article, so readers who shared or bookmarked the earlier version can see what changed.
Immaterial corrections — a small specification adjustment, an updated price point that doesn't affect the recommendation — are handled by editing the article and bumping the "last fact-checked" date.
What we won't do
- Quietly rewrite a substantive recommendation without telling readers why.
- Remove a correction note to make the article "look cleaner".
- Accept a correction that's really a brand asking us to soften legitimate criticism. Where a brand disputes a factual claim, we re-verify against the sources; where they dispute an opinion, we explain our reasoning and keep it.
Recalls and safety issues
If a product in a guide is recalled by the ACCC or carries a safety alert, we update the guide the same business day where possible, and we mark the product entry with a link to the recall notice. Safety corrections are always material.
How to report an issue
Use the contact page and include the guide URL, the exact sentence or field you think is wrong, and a link to the source that supports your report. We reply to every correction report and — where the correction is published — thank the reporter by name if they'd like to be named.