WhistleOut Australia : How we work

Identifying commercial results

Any product listed that includes a 'Go to Site' link is a commercial partner. In addition, links accompanied by text such as ‘See Deal’, ‘Buy Now’, ‘View Plan’, ‘See on Amazon’ or other such retailers, will usually be links to commercial partners.

Privacy and personal information

We don’t collect any personal details unless you offer them to use (signing up for a newsletter, for example), and we won’t contact you unless you ask us to. You can read more about this in our privacy policy.

Product sorting in the search results

Users have control over how products in our search result are sorted. By default, search results are usually sorted by lowest price. Users then have a range of options to view the results.

• Avg. monthly cost (Internet) - For comparison purposes, calculates the monthly cost of plans (including limited-time deals and discounts) over a sample period of 12 months.
• Highest speed (Internet) - based on provider-reported typical evening speeds which are the download speeds during peak times (7pm and 11pm).
• Most data (Internet & Mobile) - sorts plans by data, it is particularly useful if you have filtered results to a price range and you want to see which plans have the highest data allowance.
• 24 month cost (Mobile) - For comparison purposes, calculates the cost of plans over two years, to account for upfront costs and short-term discounts.
• Minimum total cost “MTC” (Mobile) - Telcos are required by law to show MTC on all products in conjunction with the price. It is the minimum you will pay the Telco and is a way to compare the cost of plans.
• Most popular (Internet & Mobile) - this is user generated popularity based on page views and clicks (purchasing intent) of each service provider or product on WhistleOut in the last seven days. The popularity sort does not reflect real world market share.
• Max saving (Mobile) - Calculates the $ value of any discounts and offers over the life of the plan.

Product sorting in our content

WhistleOut is a search engine that uses a proprietary algorithm to create a list of results based on the data inputs. This might be entering an address, selecting a phone, data, speed or price requirements and many more. Based on the inputs we generate a set of results from our database containing key information designed to help users compare. The ranking of products in the WhistleOut results table is performed using the following criteria, subject to the limitations on the information we provide as set out below:

• the number of features requested by the consumer that the product contains;
• the quantity of a particular feature offered by the product, e.g. we treat 20GB of download usage as being better than 10GB of download usage; and
• the relative price of the product.

The highest ranked product in a WhistleOut results list at any given time will be the product which generally provides the most usage and features for the consumer for the lowest price (with the exception of "Featured Results").

Where two products have the same monthly price, the higher ranking product will be the product with the lowest overall Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) when all fees and incentives over the life of the contract for the product that you specify when using the service have been accounted for.

Where two products have the same TCO, the product with the most of each feature will be ranked higher.

Providers that we don’t compare

We can't cover all products in the market as the product maintenance burden is too large, but we always endeavour to include at least the top ten service providers and usually many more. We maintain pricing combinations (deals, promotions, products, fees) for the thousands of products in our database. We're also aware that showing too many products can be a little confronting for some users, and might make browsing the results seem like a daunting task for them. We endeavour to make the results as accurate and comprehensive as we can, while making them easy to follow. To aid this process we include filter options and navigation tabs with each set of query results so users can best hone in on the results most suitable to them.

Guidelines for comparison sites

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has set guidelines for Comparison Sites and WhistleOut strives to adhere to those guidelines. The ACCC has three key principles for comparison sites to adhere to:

Principle 1: Facilitate honest, like-for-like comparisons
Principle 2: Be transparent about commercial relationships
Principle 3: Clearly disclose who and what is being compared

The ACCC also says it is reasonable for consumers to expect that comparison websites provide access to information that is representative of the range of offers available in a certain sector. Consumers are also likely to seek comparison websites that cover a greater proportion of the market. As such, if operators do not appropriately inform consumers who or what is being compared, any purchasing decisions may be based on a distorted view of the market. Failure to make accurate or adequate disclosure about the nature or extent of the comparison service, including market coverage, may involve misleading or deceptive conduct, including by omission, and the making of false or misleading representations.

If you believe we are falling short in any of these areas, please contact us.

Testing of the products listed on the website

We collect information about plans as disclosed by the service providers, and maintain the prices and features. We don't test each service, and we rely on the service providers for factually correct pricing.

We do test devices such as smartphones, earbuds, smartwatches, modems and tablets, for the purposes of review. Devices we review are typically loaned to us by the manufacturer, however our reviews are conducted impartially and without financial incentive. Follow the links to read our mobile phone device and accessory reviews, internet device reviews and tablet reviews.

WhistleOut partners

WhistleOut works with partners to provide WhistleOut's comparison services, either as a co-branded service (where you clearly see WhisteOut's brand in the header of the website) or as a white label where WhistleOut's branding will be at the base of the page. Many partners use WhistleOut widgets in articles on their own websites which gives them a way to share plan and price information with their readers. If you click on a "Go to Site" link or a sponsored placement on a partner site or a co-branded or white label site that transfers you to a supplier's website, we share the fee that we get paid with them. Our partners include:

• Pedestrian Group Pty Ltd (pedestriantv.com)
• Foundry an IDG Communications Company (sites include pcworld.com.au, techadvisor.com, macworld.com)
• CHOICE
• Future Plc (sites include techradar.com, tomsguide.com/au, mozo.com.au, getprice.com.au)
• Seven Operations Group (7news.com.au)
• Nine Digital
• One Big Switch Pty Ltd
• Gadget Guy (gadgetguy.com.au)
• Your Life Choices (yourlifechoices.com.au)

To find out more about how you can work with us please visit our Partner Program page.