Do not unfairly profit during the Coronavirus Paddemic, watchdog warns retail
Halton Borough Council is urging people to report business practices which are exploiting the Covid-19 outbreak by unfairly increasing prices or making false claims.
We had a report of a pharmacy in Halton increasing the price of a thermometer from £3.99 to £6.99; a card shop in Halton offering hand sanitiser for sale for £10 per bottle and a seller on an online platform offering a bag of 500g pasta for £1.25 but with delivery costs of £25
The Competition and Markets Authority has put an appeal out and set up a special website https://www.coronavirus-business-complaint.service.gov.uk/
If you don’t have access to the Internet, please let us know by contacting the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.
Please have the following information ready before you call:
• the name of the shop or website
• the name of the product
• the previous price (if known) and the new selling price
• any claim that you think is false
Haton Borough Council Executive Board Member for Trading Standards, Cllr Dave Carguill, said: “If you don’t know the previous price, but you think the price has been inflated because of the pandemic, please let us know.
“I urge retailers to behave responsibly and not to make misleading claims or charge vastly inflated prices.”
If you or somebody you know has been caught out by a scam or fraud please contact one of our specialist officers, Linda or Sue on 0151 511 8785 or 0151 511 8775, who are already working with people in Halton who have lost thousands of pounds to scams.
If you need advice on anything else please contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline or 0808 223 1133