Further to my post down below about Flight Centre and their $399 deal to Bali I did contact the ACCC complaining that I felt FC were "bait advertising" in that they offered 200 seats at this price knowing full well it would near meet demand (doesn't even equal 1 seat per FC outlet) and the fact that they continued to advertise it some 3 days after all seats were gone. This is part of their reply received today
"....Section 56 prohibits corporations from engaging in the practice of ‘bait advertising'. That is, businesses are prohibited from advertising products at a particular price, if there are reasonable grounds for believing they will not be able to offer those goods at that price for a period that is, and in quantities that are, reasonable having regard to the nature of the advertisement.. What is reasonable will depend on the particular circumstances, including the market in which the goods are sold and the nature of the advertisement. The conduct that you describe may be at risk of breaching this provision of the TPA. For this reason I have lodged details of your complaint in our national database.
Generally the information obtained from individual complainants is used to establish a pattern of behaviour by a particular trader or in a particular industry. The ACCC's consumer protection focus is generally on national issues and those localised issues that have wider public interest implications. The ACCC would generally pursue this type of complaint only where there is significant detriment, generally evidenced either by the number of complaints it receives and/or the magnitude of any loss suffered by consumers. At this stage the ACCC is not in a position to confirm what, if any, action may be taken on this matter. However, in the meantime this information will be used in the context of our ongoing monitoring"
SO if I would suggest that if the same happens again with FC we all complain loud and clear to the ACCC. FC are already in the pooh with the ACCC and are currently publishing corrective notices.