House of Representatives Minority Leader Nonoy Libanan has issued a warning to online sellers – you cannot PM or private message the prices of your products.
Amid the last-minute holiday online shopping rush, the veteran legislator reminded online sellers that the law requires product price tag for all consumers to see.
“Online retailers who do not put price tags on their products, and who only divulge their prices via private message (PM) to prospective buyers, are violating the law,” the lawmaker stressed.
Libanan, a lawyer by profession, also said that under the Consumer Act of 1992, a product cannot be sold at a price higher than what is indicated in the price tag.
“The law compels all retailers, under pain of penalties, to put price tags on their products for all consumers to see.”
“We must stress that the law compels all retailers, under pain of penalties, to put price tags on their products for all consumers to see. This applies to all retailers, regardless whether they are selling online or in physical stores,” the legislator explained.
He said Congress passed the Consumer Act, or Republic Act No. 7394, to ensure absolute pricing transparency and to safeguard the public against potential pricing abuses.
Under the law, retailers are prohibited from offering any product for sale to the public without a price tag in pesos and centavos.
Libanan noted that many online retailers, including those selling through social media platforms, continue to display their products for sale without price tags.
They merely provide photos of their products along with other details, and then wait for consumers to ask for the price of the item they are interested in buying.
When consumers openly ask for an item’s price, the retailers would then reply with: “PM sent.”
“Violators of the price tag rule can face up to six months in prison, or a fine of up to P5,000, or both, at the discretion of the court.”
Under the 30-year-old law, he said violators of the price tag rule can face up to six months in prison, or a fine of up to P5,000, or both, at the discretion of the court.
Repeat offenders can face revocation of business permit and license.
“In order to protect consumers, we would urge the Department of Trade and Industry to rigorously enforce the price tag requirement,” Libanan concluded.
