November is the month of the year in which more complaints reach the Federal Consumer Prosecutor’s Office (Profeco), because with the great demand for physical and online sales It is very common for brands and department stores to deceive the consumer, especially with the advertising in the Good end that does not clearly state the “fine print” of a product.
In order to stand out from the competition and accumulate more sales during the “cheapest weekend in Mexico”, many brands fall into the error of lying about the acquisition of their products and services.
Advertising on the Good End, how to avoid deception?
The most common complaints after the Good End are always related to misleading advertising, with which stores try to support themselves to avoid respecting the advertised prices or conditioning a promotion; However, there are at least 5 ways to identify this unfair practice before convincing ourselves to buy a product because it is the “cheapest, most useful, great or necessary” for our homes.
For this, you have to understand the enormous difference between exaggerating the virtues of an article or service and lying about them. These are some of the methods that companies and brands can use and that affect the consumer.
- Ambiguous messages and expressions that cause confusion in customers.
- Hide important information, for example, cost overruns or riders.
- Lying about the characteristics of the product or the benefits of a service.
- Highlight the characteristics of the article, alluding to false studies or manipulated data.
- Show images of the product that do not correspond to its actual appearance.
- Offer a product or service at a specific price and aware that there is not an adequate stock.
- Point to typographical errors to sell the product at a price higher than that offered.
- Encourage the consumer to associate the product with a certain brand with which it has no relation whatsoever.
- Advertise a product with words like “free”, “gift” or “low cost”, when the consumer is going to have to pay money for it.
- Say that the product will be available only for a very short period of time to give urgency to the purchase.
A trend that deserves to be explained a little more in depth is the new phenomenon of greenwashing.
In recent years, this deceptive practice has grown larger, as many companies try to join social responsibility by offering products or projects related to caring for the environment; however, some only do it by image and do not meet the true requirements.
Greenwashing is precisely the way in which companies misuse, and knowingly, when presenting an ecological or environmentally friendly product.
In this misleading green advertising the consumer may be taking care of the planet and taking care of himself, but in reality the characteristics of the product he bought do not have the real ingredients or processes to be called sustainable.
Care announcements:
- Illicit: It violates human rights, especially when it comes to minors.
- Unfair: Denigrates, belittles or undermines the products or reputation of the competition.
- Subliminal: Presents information so subtle that it is not consciously perceived and not all of it is acceptable.
- Covert: It is camouflaged in spaces intended for other types of audiovisual content.
Brands are already warned
The head of Profeco, Ricardo Sheffield Padilla, called on small, medium and large companies established in Mexico to avoid deception during the Good End 2021, since they enlist a consumer protection operation that includes various types of fines for companies or brands that commit offenses such as misleading advertising.
During a meeting with members of the National Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Tourism Services (Concanaco-Servytur), the official recalled that this particular edition represents a hope of economic recovery due to the ravages left by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The only recommendation (to companies) is that their offers are clear and that they have the product in stock to be able to respond to the offer, or limit the number of units that are subject to it,” he said.
I thank the partners of @Concanaco the invitation to dialogue with them within the board of directors session. In particular, thanks to its president, my countryman Héctor Tejada, to whom I wish every success in this start of management. @Profeco pic.twitter.com/LsNWcmTM5E
– Ricardo Sheffield (@SheffieldGto) October 20, 2021
For the eleventh edition of the Good End, which will take place from November 10 to 16, Profeco will deploy a thousand vigilant public servants of the main points of sale in the country, who will be in charge of dealing with complaints and claims from consumers.
However, despite the fact that in many states sanitary restrictions have been relaxed, in the context of the largest sales event in Mexico, Sheffield Padilla emphasized establishments in prioritizing their electronic commerce and participating in obtaining the digital seal of the Profeco.
“Next November the first package of digital stamps will be awarded, with which it seeks to give confidence to the consumer when surfing the internet, since they will be able to distinguish between a serious provider from one that is possibly bordering on illegality or the possible commission of fraud ”, he commented.
What will happen if the stores do not comply?
Suppliers that “offer what they don’t have” on Good End 2021 may be credited with fines of up to 3.5 million pesos for misleading advertising.
Profeco revealed that the purchasing system has improved and with e-commerce strengthened during the Covid-19 pandemic, complaints have decreased; Nevertheless, they have noticed misleading advertising practices in retail stores like Walmart and Liverpool.
“Hopefully it will not be repeated in this Good End and we will be paying special attention to the sales, both electronic and on-site of these two specific providers, because they are the ones that have presented the problem the most in the past,” reported the owner of the Profeco, Ricardo Sheffield Padilla, during the start of Good End 2021.
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