Brandenburg Consumer Center gives tips for Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday

On November 23rd and 26th, 2018, online retailers will once again be launching numerous special offers as part of Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday. Every year, the bargain days mark the start of the Christmas shopping season. To avoid a rude awakening after shopping fun, consumers should not lose sight of what is important between discount advertisements and clocks counting down.

 

This year, numerous online retailers are once again taking part in Black Friday and Cyber ​​Monday. The shipping giant Amazon is even dedicating an entire Cyber ​​Monday week to this tradition that comes from the USA and is already starting the countdown to the big shopping marathon with the first deals. But only those who keep a cool head can distinguish real bargains from seemingly cheap offers. The discounts shown often show the high savings compared to the “manufacturer’s recommended retail price”. However, this does not have to match the price that the retailer quotes for the item on other days. Expiring clocks and signs of declining inventory also suggest to consumers that there is no time to think if they don't want to miss out on an offer.

Dr. Kirsti Dautzenberg, team leader for the digital world market watchdog at the Brandenburg Consumer Center, examined item prices from 16 online retailers as part of the study “Dynamic price differentiation in German online retail” and found that prices can often fluctuate even outside of promotional days. “In extreme cases, we have observed up to 32 price changes for an item in 34 days. Supposed before and after prices become less important in such cases.”

Stay vigilant and examine offers critically
Michèle Scherer, digital expert, therefore recommends: “Consumers should not be misled and take the time to compare prices despite the supposedly high discounts.
If you only notice afterwards that you have made a bad purchase, you can usually cancel the contract when shopping online within 14 days of receiving the goods.” Further information on the right of cancellation can be found here .

So that the joy of shopping is not spoiled, it is also important to pay attention to reputable providers.
“Days like Black Friday or Cyber ​​Monday can always be used by black sheep to lure consumers into a trap,” says Dautzenberg. A typical scam on the Amazon marketplace, for example, is to get customers to contact the provider directly by reporting problems in order to then arrange advance payments with them off the platform. Scherer advises: “Consumers should generally avoid paying in advance and, if possible, choose to purchase on account.” An overview of identifying features of dubious online shops can be found here .

For individual help, consumers can take advantage of the advice from the Brandenburg consumer advice center:
– personal consumer advice, make an appointment on 0331 / 98 22 999 5 (Mon to Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.) or online at www.verbraucherzentrale-brandenburg.de/termine ,
– Telephone advice on 09001 / 775 770 (Mon to Fri, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., 1 €/min on German landlines, mobile phones vary) and
– email advice at www.meine-verbraucherzentrale.de/DE-BB/emailberatung

About the Consumer Center Brandenburg eV
The Consumer Center Brandenburg eV (VZB) is the most important representation of the interests of Brandenburg consumers towards politics and business.
It offers independent consumer advice, information and education on numerous topics: market & law, travel & leisure, finance & insurance, food & nutrition, digital & telecommunications, energy, building & living. She also advises on German-Polish consumer law. In addition, the VZB warns companies that violate applicable law to the detriment of consumers and educates the public about consumer rights, rip-off scams and savings tips.
About the Digital World Market Watchdog
The Digital World Market Watchdog is an early warning system with which the Federal Association of Consumer Organizations (vzbv) and the consumer advice centers observe and analyze the digital market from the perspective of consumers. This work is based on consumer complaints, empirical studies and an online portal. The Digital World market watchdog can also be used to support supervisory and regulatory authorities such as the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) in their work. The Digital World market watchdog is made up of five focus consumer centers, each of which examines a field of action in the digital market in more detail: Bavaria - Digital Services, Brandenburg - Digital Goods Purchasing, North Rhine-Westphalia - User-generated Content, Rhineland Palatinate - Digital Goods and Schleswig Holstein - Telecommunications Services -gene. The Digital World market watchdog is financially supported by the Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection (BMJV). http://www.marktwaechter.de/digitalewelt

Inclusion in the consumer center's press distribution list at: www.verbraucherzentrale-brandenburg.de/node/14503
Inclusion in the newsletter at: www.verbraucherzentrale-brandenburg.de

Please note that the message reflects the situation at the time of publication.


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