Watch out for pitfalls on Black Friday | consumer

Secretary of State for Consumer Protection Eva de Bleecker (Open Vld) is calling on consumers to be vigilant. It seems that not all amazing cuts are just on the bone.

Sometimes the discounts are wrong: prices are first raised sharply and then artificially lowered to make it look like a big deal. It seems that “this phenomenon continues to reappear here and there, even though it is expressly prohibited”.

Last year, the Economic Inspectorate conducted a targeted investigation into Black Friday deals. It found that 17 of the 31 sites examined were not operating according to the rules. The violations occurred mainly in misleading practices regarding pricing, method of calculation and the existence of a specific price advantage.

De Bleeker himself gives advice: “Don’t buy too impulsively and check if a discount has been offered over the original price. Offering a huge discount on a product that has just been priced up is simply consumer fraud and it’s more common than you might think.”

If you smell a problem, you can report it via meldpunt.belgie.be. This allows the government to control malicious players in a targeted manner. The Economic Inspection Authority also monitors prices as much as possible.

De Bleeker notes that stricter rules on indicating price cuts should come into effect by May 28, 2022. Merchants must then offer the lowest price they have applied in the at least 30-day period before the price cut.

It also continues to monitor cybercriminals. They’ve become more active during this period, says Safeonweb.be, the government’s platform for warnings about cybersecurity. “Every year we see a lot of phishing emails around this time and during the holiday season in general.”

Cybercriminals are trying to pressure you to act quickly so that you do not take the time to expose the fake messages. Then be very careful,” is the advice. Anyone who notices a suspicious message can forward it to [email protected]. The links can then be blocked.