– I brought three charges against the company Jeronimo Martins Polska – says the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection. It is about advertising messages regarding the promotional campaign “Biedronka Anti-Inflation Shield”. Discount chains face a penalty of up to 10 percent. trading. – We are surprised by the information circulating in the media, because so far we have not received any formal correspondence from the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection – Biedronka’s Press Office replied.
– We verified how the benefits resulting from the promotion were presented to customers and the rules of participation, and we came to the conclusion that the advertising messages could mislead consumers in terms of the terms of the promotion, which is related to its complex nature and, as a result, the inconvenience of using it by network customers. That is why I brought three charges against the company Jeronimo Martins Polska – says Tomasz Chróstny, President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, we quote in the release.
As announced in the statement on Monday by the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, Jeronimo Martins Polska, the owner of the Biedronka chain of stores, undertook from April 12 to the end of June to maintain a constant regular price of the 150 most frequently purchased products. The network, advertising this reduction, assured that if customers find these products at more favorable prices in other stores – Biedronka will refund the difference.
The rules of the “Anti-Inflation Biedronka Shield” promotional campaign were included in the regulations available on the Internet. – It was in vain, however, despite the network’s declaration, to look for it displayed in Biedronek stores – it was indicated. This is also the case of one of the charges – the lack of real availability of the promotion regulations in Biedronka stores.
When customers reached it, they found out that it was not enough – according to the advertising slogan – to find a cheaper product in another store. – The regulations explicitly indicated that this product should be purchased not only in the Biedronka store, but also from the competition, which was limited in the regulations to the most popular chains. In order to obtain a refund of the difference in prices, the regulatory conditions were much more demanding and even burdensome, which could make using the promotional campaign unprofitable – it was explained.
It goes, among others the fact that the purchases had to be made in the same week, had to take a photo of the compared product and keep the receipts or invoices intact. Subsequently, consumers had to submit an electronic notification within 7 days of their purchase. When it was accepted, they were given an application number and were obliged to send by traditional mail (paying the cost of the letter), also within 7 days, of the original proofs of purchase and photos. – The President of UOKIK decided that advertising slogans in this aspect could mislead consumers – explained.
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