Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 19 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Evening Standard's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Wayfair and Appliances Direct among firms fined £6m for misleading sales tactics
Three major firms have been fined £6 million for misleading sales tactics, the competition watchdog said.
asserted
watchdog → fin → tactics
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) fined Wayfair £4.8 million for false time-limited offers, Appliances Direct £1.2 million and ordered it to refund customers about £432,000, and Gold’s Gym £45,000 and ordered to refund customers about £9,000.
asserted
Authority → fin → 9,000
Wayfair and Appliances Direct were fined for misleading customers with time-limited offers that did not end when they said they would, while Appliances Direct also automatically opted customers into paid-for extras.
asserted
Direct → fin → extras
Gold’s Gym was fined for not giving the total price for memberships, including the joining fee, in a clear and timely way.
asserted
Gym → fin → way
Customers of Appliances Direct and Gold’s Gym will receive about £440,000 in refunds as a result of the action.
asserted
Customers → receive → action
The CMA said both firms would contact affected customers about their refund, and customers do not need to take any action.
asserted
customers → say → action
Hayley Fletcher, senior director for consumer protection at the CMA, said: “Whether buying a new sofa, a washing machine, or joining a gym, people should see genuine, accurate prices and offers – and decide for themselves whether they want optional extras.
asserted
they → say → extras
“At a time when many households are carefully managing their budgets, people shouldn’t lose out because of misleading sales tactics.
asserted
people → manage → tactics
The CMA’s investigation found that products were advertised on Wayfair’s website through “Daily Deals” and 24-hour “Flash Deals”, alongside messages such as “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” and countdown timers, which implied customers needed to act quickly to get the best deal.
asserted
customers → find → deal
Read More
However, the CMA found that many products remained available at the same price or lower after the stated deadline, making the time-limited offer false.
asserted
offer → read → deadline
Appliances Direct customers were automatically opted into one or both of services to “Remove & Recycle Your Old Appliance” and “Installation on Delivery service”.
asserted
customers → opt → Delivery
Under consumer law, businesses must get customers’ express agreement before charging them for optional extras, and pre-ticked boxes and other forms of automatic opt-in are not allowed.
asserted
boxes → get → in
Appliances Direct also used pop-up countdown banners on some product pages which claimed that discounts of £10 to £25 were available for a limited time, but the CMA found that the same discount codes appeared repeatedly over many days.
asserted
codes → use → days
Appliances Direct must pay about £432,000 in refunds to customers affected by opt-ins, at an average amount of £25 per person.
asserted
Direct → pay → person
The CMA found that Gold’s Gym failed to include the joining fee in the total price shown to consumers for their annual and direct debit memberships, or the total price was shown in a way that was unclear and unlikely to be seen.
uncertain
that → find → way
Under consumer law, businesses must show customers the total price, including any mandatory fees, clearly and from the outset.
asserted
businesses → show → outset
The CMA has ordered Gold’s Gym to refund a total of £9,220 to the 726 affected customers.
asserted
CMA → order → customers
The amount repaid to each customer will depend on the type of membership they bought, but it will be either £50 or £10.
asserted
it → repay → membership
A Wayfair spokeswoman said: “Although we believe the fine is excessive and disproportionate, we take the CMA’s findings seriously and we chose to settle so we can continue to focus on serving our customers.”
asserted
we → say → customers
The Aporia
