ACCC targets ‘misleading’ Black Friday, Cyber Monday advertising

Harry Booth

28 minutes ago

The country’s consumer watchdog is intensifying its crackdown on promotional and advertising activity that could mislead consumers in the run-up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will launch a “sweep” across multiple retail sectors during the sales period, targeting claims of site-or store-wide sales, time-limited offers, pressure-inducing promotional tactics and price comparisons with misleading reference prices.

“Consumers continue to look for the best prices and may delay major purchases until Black Friday and Cyber Monday in anticipation of good value and legitimate discounts,” said ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe.

“Consumers should be able to trust that the advertised savings and discount prices are genuine, but we know some businesses use tactics to mislead consumers into thinking they are getting a bargain even when they are not.”

Retailers have also been urged to keep their promotion and advertising claims in line with Australian Consumer Law.

“Retailers risk ACCC enforcement action if they misrepresent the size, scope or duration of their sales. Retailers should not be relying on fine print disclaimers or exclusions to qualify the headline message of a promotion,” Lowe added.

The ACCC is also advising consumers to focus only on the end price of the product.

“Consumers should be aware that a ‘sale’ sign doesn’t always mean it’s a good deal,” Lowe said.