Black Friday will be this Friday (26) with consumers waiting for great deals. If, on the one hand, there are those who manage to take advantage of good discounts, on the other hand, there is a group that goes through bad experiences at the event.
In the first Brazilian editions, the date was even nicknamed “Black Fraud”, due to the “makeup” discounts that some retailers promoted. In addition to problems with prices, deadlines or non-compliance with delivery are also on the list of consumer complaints.
In the 2020 edition, Black Friday had 140,000 complaints, up 15.5% from the previous edition, according to the website Reclame Aqui. The agency also points out that the main problem was the product not received, with more than 22% of complaints. Then comes deceptive advertising, with 12.61% of complaints. (See the full list below.)
Procon-SP registered more than 1,200 inquiries – including consultations and complaints – about problems on the 2020 Black Friday. According to the agency, the main complaint last year was the makeup on prices, 174 of which were cases.
Makeup occurs when the company promotes a price increase a few days before the date and then reduces it, giving the false impression of a discount. The practice was also rated by consumers as “half double everything”.
The request of CNN Brasil Business, Procon-SP listed the main complaints from consumers on the 2020 Black Friday.
- Price makeup, with 174 complaints
- Orders canceled after purchase, 165
- Price change at checkout, 122
- Product or service unavailable, 121
- Lack of delivery or delay, 121
The company with the most complaints was B2W Companhia Digital (Americanas.com, Submarino, Shoptime, Soubarato and Lojas Americanas) with 89 complaints. Then appear Alpargatas, 75; Via (Casas Bahia, Pontofrio and Extra.com.br), 62; Magazine Luiza, 41; Kabum Comércio Eletrônico, 39 and Mercado Livre, 30.
Complaint Aqui records Magazine Luiza as the company with the most complaints, over 6,000, followed by Americanas and Casas Bahia, with 5,574 and 2,497, respectively. The overall solution rate by companies grew by 77.2% compared to 2019.
Main complaints in Complain Here
- Product not received: 22.24%
- Misleading advertising: 12.61%
- Product Exchange-Return: 7.1%
- Wrong product: 5.36%
- Problems in checkout: 4.93%
- Other problems added: 47.76%
In the category of products that have more problems are TVs, with 5.05%; Cell, 4.91%; Tennis, 4.89% and Refrigerator/Refrigerator, 3.56%, according to data from Reclame Aqui.
How to claim
To guide consumers with problems during Black Friday, Reclame Aqui has provided tips on how to behave in adverse situations during promotional purchases. Complaints can also be made through the institution’s website.
Procon-SP, for example, will have a monitoring and orientation shift between 6pm on Thursday (25th) and 10pm on Friday (26).
Institutions advise those who face situations like the ones listed above to look for the company itself in search of a solution or complain to a consumer protection agency.
Evidences
According to Procon and Reclame Aqui, it is important to have proof in case of problems during purchases. For example, taking pictures (or ‘printing’) of your computer screen with the store name, date and time.
This serves as proof of the irregularity at the time of the complaint. Whoever completed the order must also keep proof of payment and completed purchase to prevent possible failures by the companies.
Tips
It is recommended to make a list of the product or service you need or want and to set a spending limit, thus avoiding spending more than expected and hurting your budget.
Observing the delivery period and finding out in advance about the company’s exchange policy are attitudes that help to avoid problems.
The shipping cost is also something to watch out for – if the cost is too high, the promotional price may not be worth it.
When making purchases on websites, you must be aware if there is a change in the price initially informed (from the initial offer, through placing the product in the cart until payment).
Before any online purchase, it is important to consult the list “avoid these sites” from Procon-SP.
Reference: CNN Brasil
I am Sophia william, author of World Stock Market. I have a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and I have worked as a reporter for several news websites. I have a passion for writing and informing people about the latest news and events happening in the world. I strive to be accurate and unbiased in my reporting, and I hope to provide readers with valuable information that they can use to make informed decisions.
