A record number of complaints about travel have been made to the Commerce Commission in the wake of Covid-19.
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Nearly 10,000 complaints were made in the year ending in June, up more than 10 percent from last year.
Commission chairperson Anna Rawlings said the complaints described difficulty obtaining travel refunds, offers of credit rather than refunds for cancellations due to Covid-19, and new terms being inserted into contracts.
"Travel-related complaints include those about airlines, booking agents, motor vehicle rentals and accommodation," Rawlings said.
"Not all of the travel complaints we received related to Covid-19, but the travel sector was strongly affected by the pandemic and that has caused a large increase in travel-related complaints."
A fifth of all the complaints were related to the pandemic.
Some complaints were about claims products could protect consumers from the virus, while others were over delays in delivery of goods purchased online during lockdown, she said.
If it had not been for the pandemic, telecommunications service providers would have again been the most complained-about industry.
There were 761 complaints about telecommunications, up more than 4 percent from last year.
"We welcome information from consumers and businesses about conduct that they consider might breach competition or consumer laws," Rawlings said.
"We do not investigate every complaint we receive, but every complaint helps us to understand what conduct is of greatest concern to consumers and businesses, and to identify where to focus our activity and resources to have the greatest impact."