Black Friday Warning – Is That Deal Genuine and a Good One?

Is you inbox under siege with supposed Black Friday deals? Ours certainly is and most of them are completely eye-roll worthy.

We were interested to read comment by law firm DHM Stallard, who revealed some of the ways retailers trick customers into buying something that isn’t as good an offer as it appears.

“There are numerous tactics that unscrupulous retailers use to bend the rules and confuse people into thinking the price they are paying is good value,” Joanna Potbury, Associate at DMH Stallard, said:

“Whether they are in breach of consumer law or not, some of the promotions are nothing short of sharp practice.

“If traders want consumers to trust them they need to ensure their offers and prices are understood every time. They must comply with the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 and the Cap Code or could find themselves being investigated by Trading Standards and/or the Advertising Standards Authority.“

Tricks to Look Out For:

Promoting a higher ‘was’ price when the item has been available for longer at a lower price

Increasing the price of a single item just before setting a multi-buy price that in fact offers no value at all

Making a seasonal offer when the item was onl-y ever available at a higher price out of season

Marketing larger packs as ‘great value’ but the unit price is actually higher than buying a smaller amount