Investigations are underway into eight companies due to concerns regarding their online pricing practices, with an additional 100 businesses expected to receive warnings. The firms under scrutiny include StubHub, Viagogo, AA Driving School, BSM Driving School, Gold’s Gym, Wayfair, Appliances Direct, and Marks Electrical.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is focusing its investigations on the presentation of fees online, potential misleading time-limited offers, and the automatic inclusion of optional charges for customers. Specifically, StubHub and Viagogo are being probed for additional charges related to ticket purchases, while AA Driving School and BSM Driving School are being examined for how they display fees on their websites.
Gold’s Gym is being investigated for the presentation of a one-off joining fee during the annual membership signup process. Wayfair is under scrutiny for time-limited sales, Marks Electrical for default opt-ins, and Appliances Direct for their use of time-limited sales and default opt-ins.
The CMA has initiated these investigations based on suspicions of consumer law violations but emphasized that no final decisions have been reached. These cases mark the initial enforcement actions using the CMA’s new consumer protection powers, with the watchdog also notifying 100 businesses about concerns regarding additional fees and sales tactics.
CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell stressed the importance of ensuring transparency in online shopping to protect consumers from deceptive pricing and coercive sales practices. The CMA aims to hold businesses accountable for fair dealings with consumers and will take swift action against any breaches of consumer law.
A spokesperson from AA Driving School affirmed compliance with transparency rules regarding booking fees and willingness to enhance customer notifications. Viagogo stated their cooperation with the CMA’s investigation. The Mirror has reached out to Gold’s Gym, Wayfair, Marks Electrical, and Appliances Direct for comments, noting the affiliations of BSM Driving School with the AA and Viagogo with StubHub.