Filenews 18 May 2025 - by Eleftheria Paizanou
A number of consumers have fallen victim to misleading practices in the market, who have tried to take advantage of the low prices of products on offer, but in the course of time it has been found that they have no financial benefit.
Many consumers, seeing the advertisements for offers, rushed to supermarkets and other businesses to take advantage.
Along the way, however, after the intervention of officials of the Consumer Protection Service of the Ministry of Commerce, misleading practices in offers and discounts were found in various supermarkets.
Among other things, during the raids carried out by the Consumer Protection Service, products were found on the shelves of some supermarkets that bore signs indicating the existence of a discount or bearing a sign using the word "free" or another equivalent, indicating that some part of the packaging is offered to the consumer free of charge, but the claims on the products were not verified.
2+1 but consumers paid for it
In detail, the Consumer Service found the following:
- A product that was on offer 2 plus 1, i.e. the consumer paid for two products to get one for free, in the course of time it was found that he paid a price and did not acquire the advertised as a gift.
- A product was advertised to be sold for €1 cheaper, while the consumer benefited less than €1 and/or the previous price was not listed, causing confusion to the consumer. For example, the indicated price of the product is €3.00, this has the effect of confusing the consumer that he will pay €2 at the checkout when in fact he was charged €3.
- A package of 5 pieces was advertised as economical while the price for the purchase of five units separately in the same quantity was only €0.02 difference.
- Violations of the 30-day rule were identified, while traders have been informed since December 2023 about the rule and the need to implement it.
Under the thirty-day rule, products were advertised with a price reduction, but their original price was not the lowest price in the last 30 days.
In addition, the provisions of the Law on discount prices and unfair commercial practices were violated, as this practice advertises aprice higher than the actual price as an initial price or price. In other words, the previous price was not indicated, causing confusion to the consumer.
All of these, according to the Consumer Protection Agency, are unfair commercial practices, as they included incorrect information or untrue.
Bells in supermarkets
According to the Director of the Consumer Protection Service, Konstantinos Karagiorgis, such practices create the background for misleading the consumer, both in relation to the price and the way it is calculated, as well as the existence of a special advantageous price.
The Service, despite the time credit it gave to businesses to comply with the various legislations and despite the training seminars it organized, has recently begun to impose financial fines.
According to the decisions of the Service, which were posted on its website, the following financial penalties were imposed:
>>A fine of €80 thousand to Sklavenitis Cyprus Ltd, for violation of the law on unfair commercial practices.
>>A fine of €50 thousand in the Metro Foods trading LTD.
>>Supermarket Fine €40 thousand. to the company Chr. H'' Christofi (Athienitis) LTD.
Among other things, officials of the Service found that the merchants had products for sale that bore signs that they were offered at a discount, or other similar indication, or bore a label in which the word "free" or another similar indication is used, indicating that part of the packaging is offered to the consumer free of charge but included incorrect or even untrue information.
The overall presentation, according to the decision of the Agency, deceives or is likely to deceive the average consumer, in relation to its price and calculation.
In addition, it was found that the trader was putting products up for sale at a discount price, failing to comply with his obligation to indicate on them, in addition to the current selling price, the percentage of the reduction and the selling price at which the products were previously sold.
They ignored warnings and seminars
The actions of the Service began months ago, in an attempt to bring order to the market. During the inspections, it was found that products were available which, inter alia, carried the false information that an offer was accompanied by a 'free product' or that a combined offer was somehow economically advantageous for the consumer, when this did not correspond to reality.
These products were marked with a permanent indication of price reduction, without indicating the initial and final sale price on the shelf and/or with a permanent indication "Gift and/or with a permanent indication of "Economical packaging" or other similar.
As stated by the Director of the Service, these commercial practices, apart from not complying with the provisions of the law and violating consumer rights, also resulted in unequal competition between Cypriot businesses.
The Service proceeded to lectures in which businesses from the wholesale and retail trade participated, during which the "Guide to the Correct Use of Offers and Discounts" was presented, with the aim of helping traders to correctly apply the law.
At the same time, he called on all parties involved to take measures and corrective actions to solve the problem identified and after inviting everyone to send their positions through their organized groups and gave them time to comply.
It proceeded to a public consultation with the stakeholders about the driver, which it also posted on its website. After the time credit provided by the Director of the Service, he gave instructions to give more time to the traders in order to exhaust the stock of the problematic markings.
Last November, it proceeded to pan-Cypriot inspections in large supermarkets, finding many violations of the legislation, which lead to consumer misleading
The Service informed traders that it would carry out new audits at the beginning of 2025, while to date it has proceeded to 38 lectures to businesses, with the aim of helping the business world implement the legislation.
Last March, the Agency continued its audits and found a number of unfair commercial practices.
As Konstantinos Karagiorgis states, the Service has made a great effort in order to correct some practices in the market, so that they are fully legal and there is no possibility of misleading consumers.
Concluding, he assured that controls will continue for the proper functioning of the market and the protection of consumers.
