Less than 25% of all deals analysed by the consumer protection organisation, Test Achats, during this year's Black Friday period are actually good deals, with some shops even highlighting non-existent deals.
Earlier this week, as the first ads ahead of the largest shopping event of the year started popping up, the organisation already warned customers to be wary of fake offers and deals. On Thanksgiving day, it confirmed based on findings of its platform Rate My Deal, which it uses to monitor how the prices of various products evolve, it found that less than a quarter are really good deals.
"Of the nearly 18,000 deals that we tracked, only around 4,200 meet the criteria for a good deal. That's not even a quarter," said spokesperson Laura Clays.
What is a 'good' deal?
Test Achats awards a good score to a deal when a product is of good quality and when the price is at most 1% higher than the lowest price average of the past 12 months.
The largest number of good deals were found among TVs and printers, as well as smartphones and headphones. The biggest price drops were found among robot hoovers and microwave ovens.
She added that, in some cases, shops even highlight deals that are not there at all. "When shops cross out a price and stick a new one on it, the original price should in principle be the lowest price the shop used in the 30 days prior to the discount. But not all shops adhere to this."
Credit: Belga
"We are taking stock after this Black Friday period and will pass on any infringements to the Economic Inspectorate so that it can intervene when shops do not comply with the rules around the reference price," warns Laura Clays.
"Some try to circumvent the law by working with a label, for example, a price marked 'Black Friday Deal'," Clays noted. "We are taking stock after this Black Friday period and will pass on any infringements to the Economic Inspectorate so that it can intervene when shops do not comply with the rules around the reference price."
Customers have also been asked to be wary of counterfeit goods when shopping online, especially from non-EU webshops. The main products at risk of being counterfeit are toys and games followed by perfumes and cosmetics, clothing and clothing accessories.
Besides the potential risks associated with counterfeiting, it also has a negative impact on the Belgian economy, Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem explained. "For instance, the total estimated economic value of seized counterfeits up to the end of September already exceeds €42 million."
As day comes nearer, deals increase
As the day itself approaches, the number of good offers do increase. "Black Friday itself is still the time to strike, while in second place is Cyber Monday, the following Monday."
Overall, Clays noted that consumers should refrain from buying something just for the sake of it. "Buying something you don't need, or that is of poor quality, is always a bad deal, even at 70% off," she said. "But those who want to buy a product they really need this period can find a good deal."
The consumer organisation also noted that Black Friday started early this year. Last year, the first discounts popped up some 10 days in advance, but now some started moving even earlier in advance.
"Two weeks before the actual discount day, Rate My Deal already detected remarkably low prices in quite a few product categories," Clays said.
