I sent in an ACCC complaint. The text of it was:
"Aldi are advertising a "Solar Telescope". As a member of the amateur astronomy community and an experienced solar observer, I feel this item should not be advertised as a solar viewing instrument. With this price point of under $100 it could easily end up as a Christmas present in the hands of a child and if used incorrectly could result in severe eye damage including blindness. An obvious example is if 2 children were using the scope and one removed the filter while the other is looking at the sun, the result could be tragic.
I have contacted Aldi and their response was " Instructions for use and warnings are included with the product and the packaging or the telescope shows that the solar filter has been tested and approved." which in my view is entirely inadequate when selling a product targeted at this price bracket. The advertisement is on line here
https://www.aldi.com.au/en/special-b...16-12-05_10-09
I believe this will go on sale on Saturday so urgent action is required."
Malcolm