Competition Committee examined 116 promotions and discounts: 65 violations identified, about 250 million soums returned to consumers

Inspection of promotions and discounts: scope and results

The Competition Committee of Uzbekistan examined 116 promotions and discounts across 58 sectors of trade and services, the agency's press service reported (as covered by Kun.uz). The inspections revealed 65 problems and shortcomings: in a number of cases, advertised discounts were applied differently in practice, promotion terms were not fully explained, and prizes promised to winners were not handed out.

Typical violations by region

The examples show typical schemes. In Andijan region, three participants of the 'Orzu uşalsin' promotion run by Water Life Mineral MCHJ did not receive prizes worth a total of 60 million soums — a case was opened against the entrepreneur and an order was issued. In Namangan, a citizen won a Cobalt car in the 'Namangan avtotexxizmat' MCHJ promotion, but because an incorrect phone number had been entered, he could not be reached and the prize was given to another person; after the committee's intervention, the car was returned to the real winner. At the Baldini store in Namangan, with an advertised 50% discount, there were no price tags on the goods, while at the Idea store in Bukhara, discounts of 20, 50 and 60% were applied not to the total price of the goods but to monthly installment payments. In Samarkand, the 'Samarqand Avtotexxizmat' MCHJ promotion offering home appliances as a gift for buying a car applied only to those who bought a Chevrolet with 100% prepayment — installment buyers and legal entities could not participate; the enterprise was issued a mandatory order. In Kashkadarya region, advertisements for installment-based smartphone promotions by Idea did not specify the number of promotional items, their minimum prices over the previous 30 days, or which item was additionally included in the '1+1' promotion.

Measures and a proposal for digital oversight

As a result of the inspections, 59 shortcomings (90.7%) were resolved through legal explanations and warning letters, cases were opened against four business entities, and about 250 million soums were recalculated in favor of consumers. In addition to the measures already taken, the committee is preparing proposals for new digital oversight mechanisms: a buyer would be able to scan a QR code next to a product and see its previous prices and the actual size of the discount; it is also proposed to record promotion terms in a special electronic system before they begin and to digitize the history of price changes. These are still proposals, not adopted rules — they are expected to make it possible to verify the authenticity of discounts and track price dynamics.