Consumer watchdog prosecutes retailers for price breaches

The consumer watchdog has begun legal proceedings against a number of retailers around the country for alleged breaches of sales pricing laws.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) said the retailers include those in the electrical, cosmetics, furniture, and clothing and footwear sectors.

The alleged breaches were identified during sweeps done by the CCPC during the 2023-2024 winter sales season.

This included the January sales and Black Friday.

"The CCPC carried out a large number of sales pricing inspections over the Black Friday and winter sales periods last year, looking at both online and instore pricing," said Brian McHugh, chairperson of the CCPC.

"Our inspectors saw many excellent examples of accurate sales pricing and sales communications, however, we also identified retailers where there was significant and widespread breaches of the law."

"Those traders are now being prosecuted by the CCPC, with the first wave of cases due before the courts in January."

The commission said a number of other traders have been interviewed under caution, with further prosecutions expected to follow.

"Ultimately, misleading sale discounts harm consumers and harm competition," Mr McHugh said.

"Businesses need to able to compete for consumers openly and honestly on price."

The news emerged as the Black Friday weekend gets under way, with retailers seeking to woo shoppers in search of bargains.

The commission said it will have its own customer protection officers out inspecting discounts on offer to Irish consumers to ensure they are genuine.

"This Black Friday, the CCPC is calling on both consumers and business owners to report any suspected fake discounts or misleading pricing to the CCPC," Mr McHugh said.

In November of 2022, new regulations on sale pricing were introduced here to increase transparency and ensure discounts are real.

The regulations require retailers to show discounts compared to the prior price, which is the lowest price the product was on sale for in the previous 30 days.

Shoppers are also being warned to take care when buying online over the upcoming busy shopping period.

Recent research by the national registry of the .ie domain name found one in four adults have been a victim of online fraud with two thirds saying they incurred financial loss as a result.

Less than half ranked security among the top three priorities they look for when shopping on a website or eCommerce channel.