COMPETITION COUNCIL CLOSED INVESTIGATION INTO SUSPECTED MISLEADING ADVERTISING BY ELECTRONIC TRADE

On June 10, the Competition Council closed an investigation related to allegedly misleading ads of electronic products promoted by Electronic Trade.

Having examined ads of the following randomly selected products: a grater, a fridge, a washing machine, a cocktail shaker, a freezer storage box and a TV, the Council‘s experts found that the displayed sale and reference prices reflected fake value of the offers and, thus, mislead consumers. In the Council’s opinion, if consumers knew the true value of the offers, they would likely search for better price deals somewhere else.

The Council has repeatedly indicated that advertising must comply with the principles of comprehension, fairness and be properly presented to the audience. Whilst, comparative advertisements must have a reasonable ground and comply with actual prices on the market.

The Council is strongly involved into competition advocacy, including advertising issues. The authority regularly organises seminars to associations, in 2013 presented the Guidelines on Assessment of Misleading and Unlawful Comparative Advertising (the Guidelines). Together with the Guidelines the Council’s experts prepared a brief wherein the most important criteria for advertising assessment permitted and prohibited claims and other relevant information is presented in a concise and precise manner.