One in three websites displayed incorrect discounts during Black Friday

Boots, DID Electrical, and Brown Thomas Arnotts successfully prosecuted by Ireland's CCPC as consumer watchdogs across Europe swoop on 300 online retailers

Watchdogs checked 314 online traders selling a range of goods such as cosmetics, fashion, furniture, and electrical goods, and found that 30% referenced discounts incorrectly during such sales.

Consumer protection watchdogs across Europe, including Ireland, found one in three traders incorrectly display discounts online during Black Friday and Cyber Monday late last year.

Ireland’s watchdog, the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), participated in the sweep of over 300 online retailers targeting misleading discounts since the introduction of new sales pricing rules. 

The CCPC has brought successful prosecutions against a number of retailers including Boots, DID Electrical, and Brown Thomas Arnotts.

Sweeps are coordinated by the European Commission and carried out simultaneously by national enforcement authorities. 

The objective of this sweep was to assess whether discounts and pricing practices during major sales events, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, were compliant with EU consumer law.

They checked 314 online traders selling a range of goods such as cosmetics, fashion, furniture and electrical goods, and found that 30% referenced discounts incorrectly during such sales. 

Under the Price Indications Directive, when a business announces a discount, the price of reference must be the lowest price applied in the past 30 days. 

The CCPC said of the traders screened:

• 36% attempted to add optional items to consumers’ baskets. Of those, four in ten did so without clearly requesting consent; 
• 34% displayed price comparisons. 6 in 10 of those did not clearly explain what the reference for their price comparison was; 
• 18% used pressure-selling techniques, such as claiming a product is running out or using countdown timers. The authorities identified that more than half of these cases were misleading. A pressure-selling technique can be considered misleading, for example, when its claim of scarcity is fake; 
• 10% used “drip pricing”, where extra fees are added late in the purchasing process, such as shipping or service fees.

CCPC member Helen Martin said: "Consumers have a legal right to clear pricing information, and businesses must not mislead consumers into thinking they’re getting a better deal than they really are. 

"Businesses should know that we are monitoring and have successfully taken traders to court for fake discounts. Transparency in pricing allows consumers to shop with confidence and ensures a level playing field for businesses.”