Procon-RJ monitors website prices to avoid fraud on Black Friday

With Black Friday approaching, which will take place on the 24th, Rio de Janeiro State Procon is monitoring the prices of the most sought-after products during the date. The objective is to observe price variations, in addition to identifying possible “price makeup” in promotions. In this situation, there is an increase in the value of a certain product before the day scheduled for the promotion and, at the time of the event, there is a decrease in this value. This gives the consumer the false impression that the product actually has a discount applied.

The Procon-RJ survey began this month and will continue until the day of the promotion. Agents research values ​​on websites online. On the day of the promotion, inspection will also take place in physical stores.

“Black Friday requires special attention from the consumer. Monitoring prices will ensure safe purchases by customers. The idea is to help consumers identify which promotions are, in fact, advantageous on Black Friday and avoid fraud”, explains the president of Procon-RJ, Cássio Coelho.

In addition to monitoring, the municipality highlighted some important tips for consumers to make a good purchase, in addition to answering the main questions.

Tips:

1- Consumers must keep in mind the products they want to purchase on Black Friday and monitor their price before the event, to confirm whether the promotion indicated is real or even use tools available on comparison sites.

2- Avoid buying on impulse, analyze whether the value of the product (even in installments) fits your monthly budget.

3- Pay attention to the delivery time. Although the CDC does not determine a maximum deadline for the delivery of goods, the law establishes the right to information. The online store is obliged to inform the estimated delivery date of the product. If it is not met, the consumer can choose: demand immediate delivery of the product; accept another equivalent product; or cancel the order and receive your money back, including shipping costs.

4- The consumer may withdraw from purchases made outside the commercial establishment within seven days from the date of purchase or the date of receipt of the product. This is the Right to Repentance guaranteed by the Consumer Protection Code and, in these cases, the consumer may withdraw from the purchase for any reason and will be entitled to a refund of all amounts paid, including shipping.

5- The commercial establishment may establish different values ​​for the different payment methods, however, it cannot establish a minimum value for payment depending on the payment method. In other words, there cannot be a minimum payment for card payments, for example.

6- The company must issue an invoice whenever products are sold or services are contracted. Failure to provide an invoice is a crime against the tax system, a practice of tax evasion. If the seller refuses to issue and deliver the invoice, the consumer can report it on the official SEFAZ-RJ reporting channel.

7- There is no limit on the shipping cost. Some of the main variables that influence the freight price are the weight and price of the cargo transported, the distance between the retailer and the consumer, the route traveled, the volume of the shipment, the type of product transported (if any special care is required in the transportation), highway tolls, taxes, among other factors. Companies must inform the shipping cost prior to purchase, the CDC guarantees consumers the right to adequate and clear information.

8- The consumer who finds different prices for the same product, in a given establishment, has the right to pay the lowest price (art. 5 of Law no. 10,962/2004). Products must have prices indicated on or near their packaging to prevent consumers from confusing prices or being misled.

9- According to the CDC, the supplier is not obliged to exchange the product if it is not defective or defective. That’s why it’s important to know the establishment’s exchange policies. Some physical stores do not allow exchanges for products in perfect condition.
If the product presents a problem, contact the supplier, who must carry out the repair within 30 days. If the product is essential, this period does not apply, the consumer can immediately choose to exchange the product for a new one, receive a proportional reduction in the price, or return the amount paid, monetarily adjusted.

Main precautions before making a purchase online:

A – Research products, websites and companies’ reputations, buying from stores with good reviews.
Check whether the website is reliable and safe, whether it provides information about the company (address, company name, CNPJ, contact telephone number);

B – Evaluate the characteristics of the product, its price, payment methods, shipping cost, delivery time;

C – Find out about the company’s product exchange and privacy policy;

D – Do not make purchases from offers sent via emails and unsolicited messages (SPAM), there is a high chance of it being a scam attempt.

To find out if the website is trustworthy, the consumer can check:

The domain name (normally, the addresses of pages that copy other official ones tend to have some notable differences in writing, such as the change of letters),

The length of time the website or company has been in existence (be careful with very new websites, launched during shopping periods),

The site’s reputation on complaint portals, such as consumer.gov.br, complain here and the list of untrustworthy sites available on the official Procon-RJ website;

The HTTPS padlock in the address bar. The HTTPS protocol is an extra layer of mandatory security for websites that use features such as Login, receive payments or work with confidential information.

Attention!

It is not possible to indicate the safest payment method. It is up to the consumer to choose the payment method when completing an e-commerce purchase. Bank slip, credit card, debit card, bank transfer, such as PIX, may be some of the available options. There are scams in all payment methods, so it is important that consumers are extremely careful when making purchases on the internet. It is important to remember that the store is responsible for creating a safe purchasing environment and, therefore, must ensure that the information will be used exclusively for purchasing purposes and that this data will not be used inappropriately.

The consumer can activate Procon-RJ in person at the Municipality’s headquarters (Av. Rio Branco, nº 25, 5th floor) and at service stations. The digital channels for filing a complaint are: the website (www.procononline.rj.gov.br) and the PROCON-RJ application.
To make a complaint or ask questions, the consumer can call 151 or send an email to [email protected].