Budapest, 28 September 2020 – The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) has found the jewellery sale practice of ÉkszerTV to be unfair and has thus imposed a fine of HUF 480 million on the producer of the programme.
The television programme called ÉkszerTV offers jewellery with significant discounts – amounting to even 80-90% – to be ordered via telephone. The recently completed investigation of the Competition Authority has found that the jewellery sale practice of the show was unfair to consumers in multiple ways.
The operator of the show engaged in so-called aggressive commercial practices when falsely claiming that the jewellery presented is only available for a very limited time in very limited quantities at the advertised, advantageous price in order to elicit an immediate purchasing decision. The investigation further revealed that these prices were discounted compared to fictive basic prices, which had never been used before and which cannot be considered as market prices. In addition, the show deceived consumers with unproven statements made in connection with certain characteristics of the jewellery (e.g. “with the blessing of the Pope”; “engagement ring of princess Diana”, etc.).
The Competition Authority imposed a fine of HUF 480 million on the producer of the show, Emporia Style Kft. Furthermore, the undertaking undertook to implement internal procedures designed to prevent similar infringements in the future, against which the Competition Authority will continue to fight in order to protect Hungarian consumers.
The official registration number of the case is: VJ/33/2018.
GVH Press Office