Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

DMCCA 2024: CMA’s UK consumer protection priorities, guidance and direct enforcement powers on unfair practices, drip pricing and fake reviews (2025–26)

Published on: 22 April 2025

Published by a LexisNexis Commercial expert

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Article summary

Approach to Consumer Protection

The CMA has indicated in its Approach to Consumer Protection that, over the first 12 months of the new regime, it will:

home in on conduct causing the greatest possible harm to consumers and showing clear and obvious breaches of the new rules
continue to give priority to areas of essential expenditure, supporting people who are facing pressure on household budgets
undertake wide-ranging and ongoing engagement with businesses and produce further accessible guidance to help firms comply with the law

The CMA will concentrate on what it deems the most egregious infringements of consumer law, such as:

high-pressure sales tactics directly aimed at vulnerable consumers
supplying consumers with information that is objectively untrue
automatically unfair commercial practices, including the additional unfair practice of posting fake reviews
fees that remain hidden until very late in the purchasing journey
contract terms that are plainly one-sided and unfair, including those that impose unfair exit charges on consumers

In 2025 and 2026, the CMA will also broaden its efforts further to safeguard consumers from misleading or high-pressure online sales and pricing practices...

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