Warning for TV shopping channels

TELEVISION shopping channels have been told to clear up their act and stop misleading consumers over pricing.

The Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice has issued guidelines to teleshopping channels to help reduce the risk of consumers being duped through false recommended retail prices, exaggerated price cuts and deceptive comparisons with higher quality products.

The guidance comes in the wake of the £450,000 fine imposed on the now defunct Auctionworld for breaches of the Television Advertising Standards Code.

Government media watchdog Ofcom levied the fine after viewers complained of being charged for goods that never arrived and of inflated 'on-screen' guide prices. But it could not pay the fine and accountants PKF have been appointed as administrators.

The company collapsed into administration owing around £12m to thousands of angry customers.

BCAP has recommended that if a product is only available through one shopping channel a price comparison cannot be used, all prices in comparison tables must be genuine and when making comparisons with a previous price, it should be the last price the product was available to consumers.

BCAP chairman Andrew Brown said: ?Clearer pricing guides will lead to fewer disappointed customers, which is good for both the industry and consumers.‘

A spokeswoman added the body hadn‘t yet received any specific complaints from consumers but wanted to ensure teleshopping channels knew the boundaries.

BCAP has taken over the regulation of teleshopping channels from Ofcom from 1 November and is keen to stamp out any bad practice in the industry.