THE Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) has highlighted the importance of accurate pricing information among online retailers, after its UK counterpart last week mounted action against hotel booking sites (TD Fri).
An ACCC spokesperson told TD the commission was aware of enforcement measures taken by the UK Competition and Markets Authority and was “following their actions closely”.
The commission has previously taken action locally against companies including Virgin Australia and Jetstar over online pricing details (TD 08 Mar 2017).
It also reached an agreement with Expedia and Booking.com in 2016 to amend price and availability parity clauses in contracts with Australian hotels.
The ACCC spokesperson said under Australian Consumer Law concerns could arise if companies failed to disclose important fees and charges to consumers.
Other areas of concern included promoting a rate as a special when it was not a temporary sale price, “thus creating an unwarranted sense of urgency to make an immediate purchase”.
Retailers should also ensure advertised prices are the total amount payable by consumers.
Source: traveldaily