Beware of fake "discounts" ahead of Black Friday, holiday season, says Dutch regulator
With Black Friday and the holiday season fast approaching, the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets (ACM) warned consumers to be careful of fake discounts. The watchdog also reminded entrepreneurs of the rules and urged them to adhere.
“With Black Friday and the holidays approaching, many people are looking for gifts. Entrepreneurs are responding to this with offers,” ACM director Edwin van Houten said. “To ensure that these offers are real offers, we once again point out to entrepreneurs the rules that apply to this: a discount is only a discount if it is a real discount.”
Many entrepreneurs use “from-to” or “was-now” offers to emphasize how big the discount is because they know consumers respond to this. The ACM reminded entrepreneurs that they are only allowed to do this if they actually charged “from” or “was” price for the product within 30 days of the discount. The lower, discounted price may only be set off against the lowest price that the entrepreneur charged in the 30 days before the discount.
The ACM advised consumers to compare the price with the same product on other online shops. And if there is something you plan on buying on Black Friday, check the price now so you can see how much cheaper it really is.
