Being hit with a ‘booking’ fee, ‘service’ fee or even being charged to ‘print your ticket’ can be frustrating when you’re in the final stages of buying something online.
These fees can add anything from a few dollars to over $50 to a product or service. Each year, retailers are earning as much as $68 million from sneaky fees.
When sellers aren’t transparent about the true cost, shoppers can be misled and make decisions they wouldn’t otherwise have made.
Sneaky fees also make it difficult to compare prices and gives the retailer an unfair advantage over companies that are upfront about costs. All-inclusive pricing rules would ensure shoppers can easily compare the price of a product or service and get the best deal for them.
How we can fix it
Our current laws aren’t cutting it.
Australia has implemented an all-inclusive pricing law meaning businesses must prominently display the full amount a customer is required to pay. New Zealanders deserve the same and are ready for change. More than 10,000 people signed our petition calling for this issue to addressed.
We need an amendment to the Fair Trading Act requiring retailers to disclose to the total price, upfront.
Currently the Fair Trading Act prohibits misleading representations about price, but it hasn’t been effective at stopping sneaky fees. Retailers rely on small print or other disclaimers to prove they’ve provided sufficient information about additional purchase costs.
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