CMA Launches Major Consumer-protection Drive Focused On Online Pricing Practices

Since April, the CMA has been carrying out a sector-wide review of pricing transparency, examining how more than 400 businesses across 19 industries present prices, promotions and fees to consumers. Building on this work, the regulator has now opened investigations into a series of practices it views as presenting the greatest risk to consumers. These include:

• Hidden or late-added charges, appear only late in the purchase process, rather than being included in the initial price shown;
• Promotions presented as time-limited, including countdown clocks or "last chance" offers that may not reflect genuine deadlines;
• Pre-selected extras or services, which can result in consumers buying optional services without realising; and