The misleading ‘from-for-discounts’ in stores are being curbed. Entrepreneurs are no longer allowed to temporarily increase the price of a product and then present it with a so-called large discount. The government has determined this in an elaboration of an agreement that applies to the entire EU.
In concrete terms, this means that the ‘from-price’ must be the lowest price charged for a product or service in the past thirty days. The measure will come into effect soon and will apply to online stores and physical businesses.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs speaks of a ‘persistent phenomenon’, which many consumers have had to deal with. According to Minister Adriaansens, entrepreneurs will also benefit from the measure, because they will then be less affected by unfair competition.
Meat and fish not
An exception applies to products that have been on the market for less than thirty days, as does fresh products such as fish, meat, dairy and fruit. The seller is allowed to use the ‘from-price’ that applied just before the discount. According to the ministry, the price can change quickly and it is practically impossible to keep up with those changes all the time.
Another exception is that of successive price reductions. Suppose a dress of 100 euros is first offered with a 20 percent discount and then with a 30 percent discount, then the seller may keep 100 euros at the ‘from price’ in both cases.
The supervision of the measure and its enforcement is in the hands of the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets.
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