Traders who overcharge on hand gels and coronavirus related products could face prosecution, watchdog warns

Get live coronavirus updates here
Traders who overchange could face legal action (file photo)
REUTERS
Ellena Cruse5 March 2020

Retailers have been warned not to overcharge products which could be used to combat the spread of coronavirus.

Officials at the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said sellers must not try and “take advantage of people”, stating retailers and traders inflating prices could face prosecution.

The CMA said it would consider writing to the Government to implement pricing measures for certain products if problems arise.

In a statement, the watchdog said it wants to “ensure that traders do not exploit the current situation to take advantage of people”.

Fears of catching the virus have sparked a run on masks as well as sanitising hand gel in some shops
AFP via Getty Images

“It will consider any evidence that companies may have broken competition or consumer protection law, for example by charging excessive prices or making misleading claims about the efficacy of protective equipment,” it said.

“And it will take direct enforcement action in appropriate cases.

Customers in a London Boots store were told they could only buy limited amounts of hand gel in one go
AFP via Getty Images

“In addition, the CMA will assess whether it should advise Government to consider taking direct action to regulate prices.”

Chairman of the CMA Lord Tyrie added: “We will do whatever we can to act against rip-offs and misleading claims, using any or all of our tools; and where we can’t act, we’ll advise government on further steps they could take, if necessary.”

Chief executive Andrea Coscelli also said retailers had a responsibility to keep customers informed and not see it as an opportunity to sell more products.

Londoners wear Coronavirus masks - In pictures

1/46

He added: “We urge retailers to behave responsibly throughout the coronavirus outbreak and not to make misleading claims or charge vastly-inflated prices.

“We also remind members of the public that these obligations may apply to them too if they resell goods, for example on online marketplaces.”

It comes as several high street chains have been limiting purchases of hand sanitisers to two per customer.

Others have also pledged to keep prices low, despite reports of manufacturers increasing their prices.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in