Misleading ‘sale’ ads draw govt ire

RIYADH: Commerce and Industry Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah has banned the advertising term "lowest prices" without clarification.
He said advertisements must use the term "prices start from…." as this will not give any false impression about low prices.
This decision was made after the ministry received a large number of consumer complaints on commercial ads showing the products in the highest quality and best choices with low prices, which give the impression that the prices are unrealistic. The new decision forces the display of the real price on each product and the mention of price limits in ads.
In the festive month, some dealers have put up ads on their shops announcing big sales without specifying items that are under discount. This has left consumers confused and some of them have complained to the ministry about such misleading ads.
The ministry said actual price of the item must be displayed clearly in Arabic. If there is a violation of it, the penalty could reach up to SR100,000.
Moreover, the penalty list of municipal violations, endorsed by the Cabinet two years ago, gave the ministry the power to issue a SR5,000 fine against dealers who fail to display the price tag on each item.