Court Upholds Leroy Merlin Fine

The fine of more than PLN 2.5 million imposed on Leroy Merlin by UOKiK has been upheld by the Court of Competition and Consumer Protection.

In October 2012, UOKiK fined the company for abusing consumer rights by:

• requiring customers to sign a statement waiving any potential objections against its handling of complaints
• issuing customers whose complaints were upheld with coupons valid for only one month, when consumer claims are valid for one year under Poland's statute of limitations

The court stated that such practices were misleading for consumers, and that the fine imposed on Leroy Merlin was the lowest possible in such circumstances.

This article was written for Law-Now, CMS Cameron McKenna's free online information service. To register for Law-Now, please go to www.law-now.com/law-now/mondaq