Pavel Shapkin, Chairman of the National Union for the Protection of Consumer Rights, named the most frequent deception of buyers. He spoke about this in an interview with RT.
According to him, about 80 percent of all violations are related to incorrect informing of citizens about the price of goods, including silence or distortion of the characteristics of a product or service. The manipulation takes place in such a way that the buyer only at the checkout knows what the real price of the product or service is. Moreover, such situations are most often observed in the banking sector and retail.
“That is, such things that are an additional way of extortion. For some reason, these ways of deception seem widespread and obvious to everyone, no one even perceives them as a violation,” Shapkin explained. He added that such methods are often considered a marketing ploy, but they are illegal. Violation may result in a fine of up to 500 thousand rubles under article 14.7 of the Administrative Code “Consumer fraud”.
According to the chairman of the National Union for the Protection of Consumer Rights, the number of such violations is growing: unscrupulous sellers are taking advantage of the situation associated with the pandemic. “People still save, the price factor prevails when choosing a product or service,” he said.
Shapkin emphasized that the previously widespread methods of deception – violation of the terms of delivery or performance of work, services, refusal to return, body kit – receded into the background.
Earlier in Russia they wanted to return books of reviews, complaints and suggestions to stores. This idea was put forward by the Consumers Union, supported by Rospotrebnadzor. The offer came literally two weeks after the books were canceled.