Black Friday 2022 – Fake promotions are still popular – News

Black Friday 2022 will be the first under the sign of the European Omnibus Directive. From now on, in every price reduction, the merchant must take as the original price the lowest price that he himself applied in the previous 30 days. This measure is supposed to limit the number of false promotions seen last Black Friday. Except that in practice, the situation is far from a complete cleanup.

Admittedly, according to the first statements of the Observatory of consumption of UFC-Que Choisir, traders seem to generally respect the new law. Even if they do not clearly indicate it, most consider the lowest price that they themselves applied in the month before the price drop. However, this does not allow the buyer to be sure that he is getting a good deal. The proof in 4 examples (1).

If Darty surprisingly states to take as reference price applied “within 15 days before surgery”, he did sell this speaker for €369.99 for a whole month, as required by law. The 32% reduction shown is therefore very real. Except that before this time, Darty already sold this speaker for 238 €, which is lower than the promotional price, and at the moment, you can find this same speaker in other merchants for the same price of 249.99 . €, without specific deductions.

Officially, the Pulsat site also respects the law. In fact, although it is not clearly defined, the reference price is the lowest price at which the merchant sold this dryer in the month before the promotion. Except that again, this original price does not match the value of the product. As proof, this dryer was sold for less than €500 on several sites last summer.

In Boulanger, too, the new law was respected. The merchant actually sold this product for €299.99 in the last month, more precisely since he started marketing it on October 27. However, at €199.99, the customer is not getting a good deal because this same speaker has been sold that for €150 at Cdiscount, €129 at Fnac and even €119, 1 year ago, at this same Baker. . A few days ago, it was also available on Amazon at the same price as the Boulanger (€199), without a particular discount.

Here’s one of the few offers that don’t seem to respect the new law! It may be stamped Black Friday, the reduction is clearly calculated from a “cooperative recommended price”, which is prohibited. However, in practice, it does not change much because last month, E. Leclerc sold this helmet for 129 €. But 1 year ago, this same helmet was offered for 80 € on Amazon and on Fnac. In other words, at 59.90 €, it is certainly a bargain, but not as good as the merchant suggests.

Conclusion

These examples show how difficult it is to get an idea of ​​the normal price of an item. They also make it possible to realize that even with this new law, a big cut isn’t necessarily synonymous with a good deal. Therefore, it is better to continue to be wary of promotions and always take the time to compare before buying.

Comparing prices is confusing

As if that wasn’t enough, merchants invented a new concept: the “price comparison”. This is “manufacturer’s recommended price”of a “median price” yes “average observed price” which, according to them, will be given as an indication, for the sole purpose of helping the consumer to make his choice. As long as it is not used to calculate the amount of a deduction, it is not subject to the new law. The problem is that merchants often show these “comparison prices” exactly like “reference prices”, which are crossed out and sometimes accompanied by a percentage discount. If this practice is legal under the law and authorized by the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF), above all it is a good way for merchants to continue to manipulate as they see fit. their prices are crossed out.

(1) Promotions recorded on November 21, 2022