The consumer watchdog has collared an online shirt seller after it cottoned on to the company allegedly misleading consumers with its advertised 'was' and 'now' sale prices.
London-based company Charles Tyrwhitt has been fined $10,800 by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission after the watchdog decided it made allegedly misleading claims about the savings on men's shirts advertised as being marked down from a "was" price of $160 to a "now" price of $69.
An investigation found nobody had ever bought the shirts at the higher price and it had not been genuinely offered for a reasonable period at that price, the ACCC said.
The watchdog said it considered the "was/now" comparison falsely represented the savings available.
ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court said comparative advertising could be a powerful marketing tool but advertised savings need to be real, truthful and accurate.
"Was/now price representations are likely to be misleading if the products have not been sold at the 'was' price for a reasonable period immediately before the sale or 'now' price is offered," she said.
