ISLAMABAD – The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has issued notices to 20 brands for misleading advertisement of “up to a percentage discounts” during the “End of Season Sales”.
Per the press release issued by the CCP on Saturday, the Market Intelligence Unit/Office of Fair Trade of the CCP conducted a random survey in the twin cities and identified various brands offering discounts “Up to Some Percentage” on their products.
The survey revealed that maximum (upper limit) discount was being offered on a small collection of least attractive articles and the most popular and frequently purchased items were available with minimal or no discount.
Consequently, a clear gap was observed between the advertised discounts and the real offers, compelling the customers to ask multiple questions to determine the actual discounts available on their chosen items.
Some of the brands were, however, offering flat discounts or concessions (discounts up to some upper limit) with adequate disclosures/disclaimers i.e. on the entire/limited or specified stock which is highly appreciated by the CCP.
The Commission advises various consumer brands offering discounts to preclude distributing any misleading information and ensure clear and adequate disclosures regarding actual and discounted prices with the details of the stock on offer with flat or differential discounts.
Undertakings, Brands and outlets violating this directive may face enforcement action by the CCP under Section 10 of the Competition Act, 2010. Similarly, consumers are also advised to exercise vigilance while availing of discounts and sales offers to avoid falling victim to deceptive marketing practices.
