The GVH had a lot of Hermina Bau’s housing advertising practice



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Hermina Center Ingatlanforgalmazó Kft. And Hermina BAU Hungary Ingatlanforgalmazó Kft., Which belong to the same group of companies, advertise the properties of the “Hermina Happy Land” project, still under construction, as passive floors since 2016. In the autumn of 2018, the Authority Competition Authority of Hungary launched the now closed competition monitoring procedure to investigate the advertising practices of the apartments. The investigation by the Competition Authority concluded that:

dealers misleadingly advertised floors

with photos downloaded from various image sharing sites, giving the impression that they represent the properties in question (or their construction and decoration options). It was also considered an infringement that the group of companies could not substantiate some of their specific advertising messages (eg “liability”, “overhead of HUF 3,000”).

Additionally, based on the investigation, the group of companies illegally removed unfavorable entries from their social sites without moderation rules or other guidance and allowed only likes to appear. The role of consumer feedback is becoming increasingly important: most customers read consumer opinions and experiences before making a decision. Opinion moderation is not in itself an unfair business practice if it is based on objective and accessible rules. However, unilaterally removing negative comments will reduce consumer awareness and may distort decision making in an infringing way.

The Competition Authority imposed a fine of 3.5 million HUF on the group of companies in accordance with the legal maximum. In addition to the fine, the authority ordered the correction of the infringing business practices within 30 days.

Cover image: Getty Images (illustration)



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