- According to data collected by the Trade Inspection, nearly 23% of verified entrepreneurs do not ensure that consumers are properly informed about the prices of the services they provide.
- Irregularities in price display were detected in 26 car parks and 22 car washes – a total of 48 entrepreneurs.
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Dangerous products will disappear from the market. UOKiK will take care of that
– The basic right of the consumer is the right to information. The entrepreneur cannot make it difficult to access the price list of services. It must be visible, unambiguous, unambiguous and allow for price comparison. The consumer should be able to determine how much they will actually pay for leaving their car in the parking lot or washing it, as well as choose the most advantageous offer for themselves – says the president of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection, Tomasz Chróstny.
No price list, "from 19 to 59 PLN"
The main problem in car parks is the display of service prices in such a way that they are illegible to drivers entering. Both in car washes and car parks, we have found a lack of price lists or failure to include prices for all services. It also happens that entrepreneurs present prices in a questionable way, e.g. in the form of "from…" or "from… to…". Meanwhile, the price must be unambiguous for the consumer – they have the right to know how much certain services cost in order to be able to consciously choose those they want to use.
Failure to properly inform consumers about the prices of services provided by an entrepreneur may result in a fine of up to PLN 20,000. As a result of the inspection, more than half of the entrepreneurs who were found to have irregularities undertook voluntary corrective actions. Fines totaling approximately PLN 40,000 were imposed on 32 entrepreneurs. In 6 cases, the imposition of a fine was waived due to the minor gravity of the violations and the fact that the entrepreneurs had ceased to use the contested practices.
UOKiK for drivers
Trade Inspection inspections in car washes and parking lots are not the only activities of the Office to protect drivers – it has been testing the quality of fuels for years, and information on the results is regularly published on uokik.gov.pl.
The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection also questions unfair practices of parking lot managers, e.g. limiting the method of filing complaints or charging additional costs for unpaid parking fees – these are even several proceedings a year.
