World · East Asia & Pacific · 4 hrs ago
ACCC warns shoppers about misleading Black Friday discounts
Australian retailers have begun Black Friday sales ahead of Christmas, and the ACCC is warning shoppers about misleading deals.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has expanded its annual checks from retailer websites to include social media posts and marketing emails.
It is watching for claims such as “storewide” discounts that exclude products and sale timers that reset or continue past the advertised end date.
Shoppers are also urged to be wary of pressure tactics such as false low-stock claims, which can make an offer seem more urgent than it is.
Over the past two years, six retailers have paid $217,800 in fines for misleading Black Friday advertising, including Michael Hill and MyHouse.
The watchdog says retailers risk enforcement action if they misrepresent the size, scope or duration of a sale.
The ACCC is warning Australian shoppers to watch for misleading discounts during the Black Friday sales season.
The regulator has expanded its review of Black Friday advertising to cover social media posts and marketing emails as well as retailer websites.
It is highlighting tactics including false sitewide discounts, bogus countdown timers and misleading scarcity messages.
Six retailers have been fined a total of $217,800 for misleading Black Friday advertising over the past two years.
- Who
- The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Australian shoppers.
- What
- The ACCC has warned shoppers about misleading Black Friday sales tactics and expanded its advertising review.
- When
- Ahead of this year’s Black Friday sales season.
- Where
- Australia.
- Why
- The ACCC says some businesses use tactics that mislead consumers into thinking they are getting a bargain.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The ACCC fined six Australian retailers a collective $217,800 for misleading advertising during Black Friday sales.
The ACCC fined Michael Hill $19,800 over a misleading “Member Event 25% off Sitewide” advertisement.
James Lane was fined $19,800 after advertising a Black Friday sale end date that it did not observe.
The ACCC expanded its annual review of Black Friday advertisements to include social media posts and marketing emails.
- Retailers fined
- Six Australian retailers
- Total penalties
- $217,800 over the past two years
- Michael Hill fine
- $19,800 last year
- James Lane fine
- $19,800
- Vuly penalties
- $39,600 for two instances involving a countdown timer
What people are saying
Consumers should be aware that a 'sale' sign doesn't always mean it's a good deal
We know some businesses use tactics to mislead consumers into thinking they are getting a bargain even when they are not
Retailers should not be relying on fine print disclaimers or exclusions to qualify the headline message of a promotion
There is an imbalance of power as there is no way for a consumer to confirm whether the urgency is real or not