Wayfair fined £4.8m for fake countdown deals that NEVER actually expired
Wayfair was fined £4.8m after its countdown-timer "Flash Deals" were found to remain on sale at the same or lower price after deadlines passed.
Online furniture giant Wayfair ran 'Daily Deals' and 24-hour 'Flash Sales' with countdown timers and 'Here Today, Gone Tomorrow' warnings — but the Competition and Markets Authority found many products stayed at the same price or lower long after the deadlines passed. Wayfair, Appliances Direct and Gold's Gym were collectively fined £6m, with £440,000 in refunds ordered for duped customers who do not need to take any action to claim.
Appliances Direct was fined £1.2m and ordered to refund £432,000 after it also secretly auto-enrolled customers into paid extras.
All three firms admitted breaking the law and settled early, earning a 40% reduction on their fines from the CMA.
