Customers do not understand promotions in Lidl and Biedronka. The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection took action
The Lidl and Biedronka chains provided unclear information about the discounts granted, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) announced on Monday. The Office checked how discount stores provide information about granted discounts on the screens of self-service cash registers, traditional cash registers and on receipts. It turned out to be a big mess and customers didn't understand the rules. “It shouldn't be so complicated. It's not right. If there is a promotion, I want to see the promotional price on the bill, and not play the role of an enthusiast mathematician detective at the checkout” – this is what one of the clients wrote to the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.
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UOKiK: promotions must be clear and understandable
According to the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, instead of discounts, customers received “puzzles” from Lidl and Biedronka to solve. “The analysis showed that customers of both chains may have had trouble understanding what promotion they were charged before paying for their purchases.. In the case of Biedronka, information about discounts was provided collectively on the checkout screen, and not for each scanned product to which the promotion applies. In turn, Lidl indicated several price opportunities under the same slogan, and the information about discounts was ambiguous. Such actions effectively made it difficult to distinguish the source of a specific discount and its amount,” we read in a statement from the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.
The way stores displayed discounts on checkout screens and receipts made it impossible to determine whether all prices had been calculated correctly. As a result, they could not verify the type of discount, its amount or product prices with the information provided on store shelves, in leaflets or in the mobile application.
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“Promotions must be clear and understandable, without piling up conditions and exclusions. Clear and unambiguous information about prices is crucial,” emphasized Tomasz Chróstny, president of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, quoted in the release.
The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection's inspection brought results. The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) informed that both chains have submitted new solutions to the president of the office that are intended to ensure the readability of charged promotions. As a result, Jeronimo Martins Polska implemented a new way of visualizing prices of scanned purchases. Lidl has also introduced changes in the way granted discounts are presented on checkout screens.
