Wowcher asked to stop use of pressure sales tactics ‘to avoid court action risk’
The Competition and Markets Authority said Wowcher’s extensive use of tactics such as countdown clocks could be putting unfair pressure on customers.
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The competition watchdog has asked Wowcher to stop using pressure selling tactics “to avoid the risk of court action”.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said Wowcher’s extensive use of countdown clocks and marketing claims such as ‘Running out!’ or ‘In high demand!’ could be putting unfair pressure on customers to make quick purchases.
It has called on the site to “agree to change the way they do business to avoid the risk of court action”.
Misleading urgency claims put pressure on shoppers to make quick decisions when spending their money
Wowcher is a large online site that offers deals on a variety of products and services, such as hotels, restaurants and experiences.
The CMA launched an investigation in March following concerns about Wowcher’s online selling practices, including whether its ‘urgency claims’ were misleading shoppers and could break consumer protection law.
The watchdog said it had found evidence that these claims risked giving the misleading impression that products would increase in price or would not be available, when this was often not the case.
We want to send an important message to Wowcher and other online businesses that time is running out on pressure selling tactics and we are calling on them to agree to change the way they do business to avoid the risk of court action
The CMA said it was also concerned about other practices used by Wowcher, including hidden charges and the use of a pre-ticked box to enrol consumers into VIP memberships on Wowcher’s site, which might lead to additional unintended purchases by consumers.
The CMA wrote to Wowcher on Thursday detailing its concerns and outlining the ways in which the company could formally address them.
It said Wowcher now had the opportunity to respond and avoid court action by signing undertakings to change its online sales practices.
CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell said: “Misleading urgency claims put pressure on shoppers to make quick decisions when spending their money.
The aim of our marketing claims is always to provide accurate and useful information to our customers when they are browsing our website. We look forward to continuing to engage with the CMA on this matter
“With soaring living costs people need the time to shop around and find the right deals.
“We want to send an important message to Wowcher and other online businesses that time is running out on pressure selling tactics and we are calling on them to agree to change the way they do business to avoid the risk of court action.”
Wowcher said: “The aim of our marketing claims is always to provide accurate and useful information to our customers when they are browsing our website.
“We look forward to continuing to engage with the CMA on this matter.”