NKFH: inspections focus on discount prices and customer deception

As highlighted, the focus of the year-round inspection series is on compliance with price display rules, with particular attention to the legal and clear communication of promotional prices. The authority primarily inspects stores where consumers do their daily and weekly shopping, and where violations have already been observed during previous inspections.

Government agencies inspected more than two thousand commercial units nationwide in 2025. In slightly more than a third of the inspections, violations or deficiencies were revealed, which continues to justify the regular, targeted presence of the authority in the field of trade. The inspections also involved approximately two thousand test purchases, which provided an opportunity to examine consumers’ everyday shopping situations under real conditions. The most frequently detected violations were related to the incorrect indication of the selling price and unit price, the lack of verification of scales, and the incorrect placement of the customer book. In several cases, the provision of information to consumers about the registered office of the enterprise and the location and contact details for complaint handling was objectionable.

Following the violations, the consumer protection authority imposed consumer protection fines of more than three hundred million forints. Overall, the experience of the inspections shows that recurring problems continue to be experienced. These justify the continuation and strengthening of consumer protection inspections.

The aim of the authority is to make pricing practices more transparent as a result of the inspections, reduce the risk of consumer deception and strengthen law-abiding commercial conduct. The NKFH also encourages retailers to pay special attention to price display and correct consumer information during their operations, thereby contributing to fair market competition and strengthening consumer trust – the NKFH announced.