Consumers wise up to drip pricing, pre-ticked boxes and similar tricks

UPCOMING guidelines on price transparency will be welcomed by any consumer who has suffered the sting of unexpected add-on charges or felt duped by interminable "closing down sales". Merchants who may hitherto have profited from such practices, however, should not grumble - for they too arguably stand to gain by complying.

The Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) released a draft of the proposed guidelines on Sept 1, with public consultation open till Oct 21. The guidelines address practices such as drip pricing - which might lure consumers into beginning a transaction at a low price but eventually paying a higher sum - or creating a false sense of urgency through false or misleading claims about availability.

The issue of price transparency made headlines earlier in the year, when the CCCS took action against a restaurant for misleading representation of a discount period. As social media users were quick to point out, such "limited period only" discounts or "closing down sales" that run for years are not uncommon.