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The ÉkszerTV television program advertises jewelry that can be ordered over the phone at a significant discount, up to 80-90 percent. An investigation by the Hungarian Competition Authority, which has just been completed, revealed that the jewelery selling practice of the broadcast was unfair to consumers in several respects.
The program operator witnessed a so-called aggressive business practice when he falsely claimed that the jewelry on display was only available for a very limited time and in quantities at the advertised reasonable price, to encourage consumers to buy immediately. Furthermore, as the investigation revealed, the program compared these discounted prices with base prices that were fictitious, had never been used before and could not be considered market prices. The broadcast also misled consumers with unproven claims about certain properties of the jewelry (eg, “the Pope’s blessing”; “Princess Diana’s engagement ring”).
The competition authority imposed a fine of HUF 480 million on Emporia Style Kft., Which operates the program. The company also committed to introducing an internal procedure before the competition authority to prevent future similar infringements, against which the competition authority will continue to take measures to protect Hungarian consumers.
Cover image: LifeGem / Getty Images
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