Consumer watchdog Which? has revealed potentially misleading pricing tactics among several home furnishing retailers. Over a 10-month investigation, Which? tracked prices for more than 40,000 products across nine brands, including Argos, Blinds Direct, Blinds2Go, Dunelm, Furniture Village, Ikea, John Lewis, Very, and 247 Blinds.
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The watchdog found "examples of potentially misleading sales practices" at 247 Blinds, Blinds Direct, Furniture Village, and Very, warning these could give shoppers the impression of better deals than actually offered. The findings have been shared with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and Which? has urged retailers to change their practices to prevent 'dodgy pricing'.
Conversely, Argos, Blinds2Go, Dunelm, Ikea, and John Lewis received praise for more transparent pricing. Which? reported that across these retailers, 12% of sale products or fewer had intervening prices, and only 5% or fewer displayed 'was' prices longer than the actual sale period.
The investigation highlights ongoing concerns about transparency in online furniture sales and reinforces the need for retailers to maintain honest pricing practices to protect consumer trust.
Source: www.bigfurnituregroup.com
