A third of online retailers mislead consumers during sales

Brussels, March 26 – Around 30 percent of European online retailers are misleading their customers during Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday sales, Brussels announced on Thursday, based on findings by consumer authorities.

Inspections carried out by consumer protection authorities in 23 European Union (EU) member states, Iceland and Norway during the sales last November found that the discounts and promotions offered were actually less advantageous than the sellers claimed.

The European Commission (EC) reported that 30 percent of the online retailers inspected were offering discounts in violation of European legislation, according to which the reference price must be the lowest price in the previous 30 days.

Almost 20 percent used pressure techniques such as countdown timers or claims that stocks would run out quickly, although more than half of these claims were misleading. Another 10 percent used so-called "drip pricing", i.e. additional charges added at a later stage of the purchase.

"A good offer is no excuse for breaking the rules. Consumers expect fair treatment whether they buy online or in a brick-and-mortar store," said European Commissioner for Digital Henna Virkkunen in connection with the findings presented.

According to the Commission, national consumer authorities can take further action against the companies concerned.

WT.24