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Wayfair and Appliances Direct Among Firms Fined £6m for Misleading Sales Tactics

The Competition Markets Authority fined Wayfair, Appliances Direct, and Gold's Gym £6 million for misleading sales tactics. All three businesses admitted to breaking the law and received a 40% fine reduction after settling early.
Wayfair and Appliances Direct used deceptive 'Daily Deals' and '24-hour Flash Deals' with countdown timers and 'Here Today, Gone Tomorrow' messages to pressure customers into quick purchases. The CMA found products remained available at the same or lower prices after deadlines expired.
Appliances Direct automatically opted customers into paid-for 'Installation' or 'Remove & Recycle Your Old Appliance' services without consent, while Gold's Gym failed to clearly include joining fees in total prices for its four London gyms.
Customers of Appliances Direct and Gold's Gym will receive approximately £440,000 in refunds; 726 Gold's Gym customers will get up to £50 each while thousands of Appliances Direct customers receive an average of £25.
Senior Director for Consumer Protection Hayley Fletcher stated, "Businesses must treat their customers fairly and comply with the law or risk hefty fines," warning that households should not lose out to misleading tactics.

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Wayfair among firms hit with £6m fine for 'misleading' sales tactics

Online retail giant Wayfair is among three firms fined £6m by the competition watchdog for misleading sales tactics. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Wednesday it fined Wayfair £4.8m for misleading customers with false limited-time offers that did not end when they said they would. This follows an investigation in which the CMA [...]

1 day ago·London, United Kingdom

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