Prices For Goods And Services Must Be Appropriately Displayed For Consumers

Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 27, 2021 (SKNIS): Suppliers and service providers are mandated by law to display or disclose the prices for products or services so that consumers can make an informed decision.

Director of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Paul Queeley, appeared on the August 25 edition of Working for You and urged consumers to look for, or when necessary to inquire about associated prices to ensure that they are appropriately armed with the facts when making a purchase.

Mr. Queeley quoted from the Consumer Affairs Act which reads “A supplier shall not display goods for sale or offer to supply any service without displaying a price in relation to the goods or service unless the display is designed or intended predominantly for advertisement or is in a place in the store where it is not accessible to customers.”

“You cannot have an item for sale and not have a price affixed to it or have the price on the shelf under it,” he said. “When you go into supermarkets, many of the items …do not have a price affixed to them or on them. And when you get to the cashpoint now, you get this astronomical price sometimes.”

On occasion, persons may find that a product has one price on the shelf and is listed at a different price in the system during cash out. The price is usually higher than the price on the shelf. Mr. Queeley explained what should happen when consumers face this development.

“You would be entitled to pay whatever price was on the item or next to the item as you saw it on the shelf,” he said.
The proposed Consumer Protection Bill, 2021, has penalties that will apply to such infractions. The Bill had its first reading in the Federal Parliament on August 05, 2021.

Mr. Queeley strongly encouraged suppliers to ensure that they follow the law and list prices on every product.