EU check reveals misleading sales practices online

The European Commission and consumer protection authorities have discovered that some online discounts during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales were misleading, thanks to the latest sweep. 

Sweeps are screenings that are coordinated by the Commission and carried out simultaneously by national enforcement authorities. Authorities from 23 EU countries, as well as Iceland and Norway, participated in this sweep. The objective was to assess whether discounts and pricing practices during major sales events comply with EU consumer law. 

Main findings

• out of 314 online traders checked, 30% referenced discounts incorrectly. Discounts must be based on the lowest price applied in the past 30 days.
• 36% of traders attempted to add optional items to consumers' baskets. Of those, 40% did so without clearly requesting consent.
• 34% of traders displayed price comparisons, but 60% of them did not clearly explain where the reference prices came from.
• 18% used pressure-selling techniques, such as claiming a product is running out or using countdown timers. More than half of these cases were misleading, for example, when the claim of scarcity was fake.
• 10% used ‘drip pricing’, where extra fees are added late in the purchasing process, such as shipping or service fees.

Adding items without the consumer's consent, displaying prices in a misleading way, falsely claiming a product is running out, or hiding extra fees until the end of the process are illegal practices under EU consumer law. Following the sweep, national consumer authorities may take action against the businesses concerned.

The Consumer Protection Cooperation Network enforces EU consumer protection laws. They work together under the coordination of the European Commission to address infringements of consumer law in the Single Market. Traders must comply with the Price Indication Directive on price reductions and the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive on pricing practices. 

Consumers who have problems with a trader have different options to get redress – from getting help from an alternative dispute resolution service or contacting the European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) to taking formal legal action.

For more information

Press release

Previous sweeps

Your Europe – Consumer rights