‘All that glitters is not gold’: What to look out for in Cyber ​​Monday deals

Black Friday is already a thing of the past, and the Cyber ​​Monday it’s here, Monday 28th November, with online-only shopping deals, but “all that glitters is not gold”…

In order to better inform and prepare consumers but also to make the best possible use of the opportunities offered by the market in the context of Cyber ​​Monday, the Independent Authority “Consumer Advocate” and the European Consumer Center of Greece give some advice to consumers.

During sales periods such as Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday, specific products have great deals for well-informed consumers who know how to spot them, but it is not a general rule that across the board the price reductions are greater compared to other discount periods of the year.

Excessive or unusually large price reductions may in some cases to conceal fraudulent practices, such as for example the misleading sale of counterfeit products, which have flooded the market. Also, the practices of deceiving consumers, primarily during online shopping, by shrewd traders or by persons falsely representing traders (usually through social network channels) are a daily phenomenon, which, however, shows a particular intensification during discount periods , as then the transactions are more numerous. Therefore, consumers, in addition to good prices, should also look for other guarantees that they are indeed going to make a profitable and safe transaction from legal and valid online stores, such as:

• That complete identification information is posted on the store’s website: Company name, headquarters, postal and electronic (email) address, VAT number, contact telephone numbers (which should be landline and not mobile), GEMI registration number (which consumers are encouraged to confirm by themselves, referring to the link: www.businessregistry.gr/publicity/index).
• That a variety of alternative payment methods are provided, including the use of electronic means, and not just cash on delivery or bank account deposit. Bank deposit in particular, if it appears as an exclusive payment method and if, at the same time, the merchant is required to discount the entire amount of the purchase, should be of particular concern to consumers and make them extremely hesitant.
• That the possibility of out-of-court dispute resolution is provided, as well as, in a prominent place on the trader’s website, the link to the relevant Electronic Platform of the European Commission, which consumers should check in advance that it is active and that it points to the correct hyperlink .
• That a large number of spelling and grammatical errors are not found in important texts of the merchant’s website (eg in the product descriptions, in the terms of use or in the personal data policy), which are an indication of sloppiness, but also of fraudulent intentions and should, therefore, to prevent consumers from carrying out a transaction, which may subsequently turn out to be harmful. Finally, it is pointed out that during discount periods, consumer rights (withdrawal from distance or off-store contracts, free repair or replacement of defective or non-matching products with the order, etc.) apply in full, without unilateral or arbitrary exclusions on the part of traders.

For any problem they face with a supplier in relation to their rights, consumers can turn for free assistance on a case-by-case basis to the Consumer Ombudsman (if the dispute is with a trader within Greece) and the European Consumer Center of Greece (if the dispute is cross-border, with a trader who based within the European Union, in the United Kingdom, Iceland and Norway).

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