A used MacBook Air computer at 401 euros, against 1,099 euros new. A Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone at 280 euros against 689 euros… For the consumer who strolls on Back Market, the first French site for the sale of refurbished electronic products, it’s tempting. But for the UFC-What to choose, it’s annoying and above all disloyal. “When you buy a used car, does the seller remind you of its new price? No, because the two products are not comparable. However, this is what Back Market does”explains Raphaël Bartlomé, head of the legal department of UFC-Que Choisir, for whom “ it’s time to say stop ».
After several months of dialogue and despite some improvements, the consumer association has decided to take legal action to put an end to these promotions, which are not promotions. A complaint was to be filed Wednesday, June 15 against the site, before the Paris court, for misleading commercial practices.
Back Market’s price comparisons are not the only ones in the association’s sights. UFC-Que Choisir also criticizes the market place for its service costs of 4.99 euros per purchase, which do not appear in the sale price initially displayed, but only when the consumer validates his basket.
“Back Market has appreciated the exchanges with UFC-Que Choisir over the past few months and has taken their comments into account. But the current accusations do not correspond to reality”reacts Marine Libaud, spokesperson for the website, for whom Back Market “don’t do any secretiveness”. She recalls, for example, that a frequently asked questions section on the site explains the usefulness of service fees. But, for Mr. Bartlomé, these service fees are “a kind of additional margin”Back Market already charges a 10% commission on sales made by sellers who use its marketplace.
“It feels like stepping back in time”
“In 2022, for a company the size and value of Back Market, it should be easy to display, from the outset, the final price of the product. It feels like we’ve gone back years, when we condemned the hidden costs of air tickets or tour operators”, regrets the head of the legal department of the UFC-Que Choisir. VZBV, a German consumer association, is taking the same action across the Rhine against the practices of the German Back Market site, without however having crossed the legal barrier.
You have 23.89% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.