CMA Fines Three Firms £6 Million Over Fake Deadlines and Hidden Fees

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) fined three businesses a combined £6 million on 14 October for misleading sales tactics, according to its own announcement. The firms are Wayfair, Appliances Direct and Gold's Gym (UK) Limited, and the three practices are all ones a small business can drift into without meaning to.

Wayfair was fined £4.8 million. The CMA says it ran "Daily Deals" and 24-hour "Flash Deals" with countdown timers, yet many products stayed on sale at the same or a lower price after the deadline. Appliances Direct was fined £1.2 million and owes about £432,000 in refunds. The CMA says its pop-up banners presented £10 to £25 discounts as limited-time offers when the same codes kept reappearing for days, and that customers were signed up to paid extras, a removal service and an installation service, without choosing them.

Gold's Gym, a franchise running four London gyms, was fined £45,000 and will refund £9,220 to 726 members. The CMA says the price shown for annual and Direct Debit memberships either left out the mandatory joining fee or showed it unclearly. All three admitted breaking the law and settled early, which earned each a 40% reduction in the fine. The CMA also says it has imposed over £12 million in fines under its new consumer protection powers in the last 18 months.

What it means for your website

The CMA's message to businesses is plain, and it is worth checking your own pages against it. It says you must show the total price, including any mandatory fees, clearly and from the outset. It says pre-ticked boxes and other forms of automatic opt-in are not allowed, so an optional extra needs the customer's express agreement. And it describes false time-limited offers as unfair in all circumstances.

For a salon, a trade or a shop, that is a short checklist. If a "ends Friday" banner stays up after Friday, take it down or do not write it. If a booking or call-out fee gets added later, put it in the price people see first. If your booking form offers an add-on, leave the box empty and let the customer tick it. Our guide on showing the full price on your website covers the first of those in more detail.

This is a regulator's announcement, not legal advice, and the CMA publishes its own guidance on getting consent for extra charges. If you are unsure about a particular offer, read that first. For the website side, our guides are free to read, or get in touch.

The full guide: Do You Have to Show the Full Price on Your Website?