Trouble ahead for the online fashion retailer Yoox. dall 'Antitrust fine da 5.250.000 of euros to the company Yoox Net-a-Porter for misleading prices and limits on the right of withdrawal. This was communicated by the Competition and Market Authority (Agcm) which decided to sanction the company for the incorrectness of some behaviors implemented in the opinion of the Authority, in the period 2019-2022, through the group's e-commerce site which sells online clothes, shoes, bags and other fashion, luxury and design goods. In addition to fine, Yoox will have to inform the Authority within 60 days "on the initiatives taken to overcome the critical elements highlighted in the sanctioning provision".
The Antitrust fines Yoox for limited withdrawal and deceptive prices
“In particular, the company - explains the Authority - unilaterally canceled the online orders already completed by consumers in the event of exceeding certain thresholds for returns, simultaneously omitting the information on the blocking of purchases. In addition, he prospected so misleading i selling prices of the products and the discounts actually applied”. In a nutshell, if you return too many items, you won't buy anymore. And the company is accused of failing to inform consumers of this "rule" both before and after.
Then there are the deceptive discounts. The Antitrust has ascertained that, before 1 February 2022, the discounted final price of some products, on the occasion of particular promotions, was the same as in the period preceding the promotion. In summary, there was no discount and therefore customers were deceived. It kept the same price (while promoting it as discounted) while raising the list price instead. After 1 February 2022, however, explains the Agcm, the reference price from which the discount was calculated was not the one applied by Yoox but the "presumed market price applied in the fashion house stores". As a result, the discount appeared to be more substantial than it actually was. During the proceeding, Yoox indicated the sale price and any discounts applied more clearly.
The provision against Yoox is the latest approved by the Directorate General for Consumer Protection under the leadership of Giovanni Calabrò. Since January 1, the Antitrust has defined a reorganization which revolutionized the internal arrangements, redesigning the structure. The Directorate General for Consumer Protection becomes a Department and is divided into two: Protection 1 (entrusted to Laura Grenga) and Protection 2 (Massimo Ferrero).
