A marketing campaign run by Finnish retailer Stockmann along with car importer Auto-Bon violated consumer protection laws, the consumer ombudsman has ruled.
The campaign, featuring the fully electric Peugeot e-2008 car, ran in the spring of 2022 as part of the department store's 'Crazy Days' sale. It attracted a significant number of buyers, but a substantial number never received their cars.
In its ruling, the consumer ombudsman said the marketing of the offer was illegal because it gave a false impression of when the promotion would begin and also failed to specify the quantity of promotional products available. In addition, the office noted, Auto-Bon's social media posts lacked any mention of the limited quantity of cars.
The authority further found that the electric cars had already been sold out via pre-orders before the promotional campaign even began. The campaign's website mentioned the campaign period but did not provide any information about the possibility of pre-ordering.
"It's crucial that consumers are provided with clear information in marketing about the pre-order process, including the exact starting date for pre-orders," consumer ombudsman Katri Väänänen said in a statement.
The campaign offered a fully electric Peugeot e-2008 model for 249 euros per month, making its total price about 30,000 euros. The promotional campaign was quickly halted following high demand.
Hundreds of customers were left waiting for their cars for over a year until Auto-Bon announced in a letter to customers that production had been discontinued.
Customers had not made advance payments for their orders but had signed a legally-binding purchase agreement.
"Consumers must receive clear information from offer marketing about when, how, and under what conditions they can obtain the offered product or other benefit. The limitations of the offer must be described particularly clearly and prominently," Väänänen noted.
Stockmann and Auto-Bon have committed to following the Consumer Ombudsman's guidelines when marketing offers in the future.
