The 2024 winter sales are now in effect, to the delight of fashion and good deal aficionados. The sacrosanct promotions of the winter season are back, for four weeks, until Tuesday February 6 inclusive. At a time when prices continue to rise and purchasing power is decreasing, this period is eagerly awaited by millions of French people. Just be careful not to fall into certain traps…
False reference prices
If you see a €130 jacket on sale for €90, make sure it wasn’t actually listed for €100. In theory, the “reference price“must have been practiced earlier in the season (in the event of an inspection, the retailer must prove it), but many stores cheat. A European directive called Omnibus now regulates this issue, which came into force on May 28, 2022. “When [les professionnels] offer a reduction on the price of a product, they must display the lowest price charged during the 30 days preceding this offer“, explains the ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty.
Logically, we should therefore be done with inflated starting prices, both in stores and on the Internet. Only that’s not the case. According to the Eden by France Vérif application (which helps thwart cyber scams), on average 47% of reductions applied during sales are still false promotions (inflated prices or fraudulent sites). It is therefore better to do some scouting in advance to be sure not to be fooled!
Rounding off on discounts
Pay attention to overly rounded numbers. For example, a piece worth €145 and sold at -25%, that makes €108.75, not €115! In order not to be fooled, it is better to do the calculations yourself and take your calculator. You can take your own machine out of your handbag, use the one integrated into your smartphone, or download a specific application; there are a plethora of them.
Sale and non-sale products mixed
Fashionistas know full well that you often have to dig around to find interesting promotions. Normally, brands must separate sale items from non-sale items, otherwise they risk being punished by the DGCCRF for “unfair trade practice“, according toarticle L. 121-1 of the consumer code. So you now know that a store must separate its items; In the meantime, we monitor the labels.
Items “neither returned nor exchanged”
If your purchase does not suit you, the brands are required to apply the same guarantees as for any other item, such as Current wife explained it to you in a dedicated article. “Thus, the announcement ‘neither returned nor exchanged’ that we sometimes find during sales periods does not exempt the merchant from exchanging or refunding the item in the event of non-apparent manufacturing defects (hidden defects).“, details the ministry economy. Be careful, however, if the item no longer suits you or is not your size but there is no hidden defect, the merchant is not legally obligated to exchange it. He may offer an exchange on a purely commercial basis. In other words, it is recommended to try on the items before checking out.
Unguaranteed products
For a defective sale item, demand an exchange, refund or after-sales service (after-sales service) thanks to the legal guarantee of conformity. And this, even if you have not taken out any insurance! Concretely, this is insurance which protects against manufacturing defects during the purchase or delivery of a product. It applies maximum two years after the purchase of a new product and one year for a used product.