U.K., Nov. 3 -- UK Parliament issued the following news:
TikTok, Amazon and John Lewis have declined to appear before the Business, Innovation, Science and Trade Committee for a hearing on mis-selling of consumer items ahead of Black Friday.
The Committee will tomorrow hear evidence from Which? and the Chartered Trading Standards Institute about whether online prices are inflated ahead of the Black Friday discount season and other online sales tactics and their impact on consumers.
The pre-Christmas shopping rush can leave consumers exposed to shoddy or dangerous goods, misleading pricing and sales practices that range from dodgy to outright fraudulent. Online, shoppers can find it harder to authenticate products and easier to be misled by manipulated prices.
MPs will examine whether the Government and the Competition and Markets Authority have the powers and capacity to protect consumers - and whether those powers are being used effectively.
Chair quote
Rt Hon Liam Byrne, Chair of the Committee, said:
"People hunting for a bargain this Black Friday should be able to trust the price they see and the goods they buy. Too often, they are left trying to work out whether the discount is real or the product is genuine.
"TikTok, Amazon and John Lewis are major players in the way people shop. So is deeply disappointing that they have declined to come and explain to Parliament how consumers are protected.
"Their refusal to appear and clear up allegations leaves us with little option but to now deepen our investigations into whether Black Friday is becoming yet another rip off."
Further information
About Parliament: Select committees
Visiting Parliament: Watch committees
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