“Prime Deal Days”: Amazon is said to have not adhered to legally required discount information. That’s why the mail order company received a warning.
Consumer advocates are taking action against the US mail order company Amazon. The reason: The group did not adhere to the European price information regulation during its “Prime Deal Days”, reports the Baden-Württemberg consumer advice center. The company has now been warned for this.
“Amazon promoted various products on the occasion of the so-called ‘Amazon Prime Deal Days’ […] with discounts,” write the consumer advocates. Because these were based, among other things, on the manufacturer’s recommended retail price (RRP), the company misled its customers about the value of the offers.
Because: When it comes to price reductions and percentages, companies are obliged to refer to the lowest total price of the last 30 days, it goes on to say. “With this advertising, Amazon is pretending that its offers are particularly attractive, which does not exist,” says Oliver Buttler, head of the telecommunications, internet and consumer law department at the Baden-Württemberg consumer advice center. Amazon is ignoring the requirements of the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
As an example, the consumer advocates cite a WLAN repeater that was reduced during Amazon’s “Prime Deal Days”. The mail order company quoted the manufacturer’s RRP as 259 euros. After a 19 percent reduction, the company wanted 209.99 euros for the device. Amazon did not provide the lowest total price of the last 30 days.
In September, the ECJ upheld a lawsuit brought by the Baden-Württemberg consumer advice center against Aldi Süd. The discounter had advertised in brochures with deleted prices that did not refer to the cheapest price of the last 30 days, but to the higher price last requested.
In doing so, Aldi faked a “serious price reduction,” said consumer advocate Cornelia Tausch at the time. “In fact, the deleted price was probably only increased shortly beforehand in order to then be able to advertise an attractive price reduction,” she continued.