The Office of Fair Trading is consulting over proposals for the way pricing information is presented to UK consumers. The OFT says that the proposals are not new rules but a suggested starting point for the OFT to use when deciding whether there has been a breach of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations. Its proposals include the following:
- All compulsory charges including taxes must be in the headline offer price.
- If there is a range of alternatives for a compulsory element (such as a delivery), the cheapest method undertaken by at least 50% of the consumers should be included within the headline price. For example, if only 25% went with free delivery, then the delivery charges should be included in the price.
- Time-limited offers should be clear as to the start and end dates.
- Reference pricing should be by reference to previous prices rather than a discount to recommended retail price.
- If there is a limited volume of special priced goods, the promoter should not merely say 'Hurry while stocks last' but should give an indication of the availability of the quantity of goods.
- Websites should be careful to ensure that their links and adverts of pricing are up-to-date.
For more information, click here: http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/markets-work/current/advertising-prices/. If anyone wants to comment, they should get in touch with the OFT in good time before its final report, which is expected in December.
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