In recent years, discount campaigns announced with large percentages have become one of the most discussed topics in the consumer market. Although calls such as "70% discount", "only today", "last chance" attract buyers' attention, in many cases, claims arise that prices are artificially inflated beforehand or that the discount does not reflect the real market value. This increases concerns about fake and manipulative sales strategies.
Global experience shows that while such cases occur in several countries, serious control mechanisms are simultaneously applied against them. For example, in the USA, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires sellers to prove the “previous price” and imposes fines in cases of fake discounts. In Germany and other European Union countries, when a price reduction is announced, the lowest price applied to the product within the last 30 days must be taken as the basis.
Experts state that while fake discount campaigns create short-term sales growth, they weaken trust in the market in the long run. For this reason, transparency requirements for advertising and sales strategies are strengthened in many countries, and high fines are stipulated for violations.
Eyyub Huseynov, a food products specialist, who gave a statement to Modern.az on the topic, stated that according to Decision No. 94 of the Cabinet of Ministers, all goods must have a price document signed by the material product person:
“However, 90 percent of goods sold in Azerbaijan do not have an official document. If a buyer, knowing this, demands a document, it is highly likely that the seller will evade the demand with excuses such as "the manager is not here" or "the document is with the accountant." As long as goods are sold without documents, tax evasion and violations of consumer rights will continue.”
The specialist stated that the application of large discounts exists worldwide, and this is also observed in Azerbaijan:
“I consider false discount campaigns, such as artificial price reductions, to be an abuse of the state's business support programs. The issue is that since no official document is presented, they first write inflated figures on the goods and then offer a "fantastic discount".
This violation of the law can be observed everywhere in the world. But this does not mean that there is no real discount. It simply needs to be possible to determine if it is a genuine discount.”
Eyyub Huseynov noted that marketers have thousands of ways to trap consumers:
One of them is the discount campaigns we are talking about.
I call on buyers who discover artificial price reductions to show civic solidarity. Information should be reported to the State Antimonopoly and Market Control Agency under the President at 012-599-76-00.
I regret that this institution also cannot operate effectively. This is because there are bureaucratic obstacles to implementing the procedure. First, the Agency itself must be registered with the Ministry of Justice and carry out other related tasks to be able to inspect the selling company.”
The expert stated that the Law on Protection of Consumer Rights was adopted in 1995: “Any changes made to the law have resulted in harm to the consumer.
I raised this issue in the Ombudsman's report to the Milli Majlis on February 27, 2025. I also voiced the same opinion on March 3 of the same year, at the Human Rights Commission of the Milli Majlis, in the Ombudsman's annual report.
Currently, the aforementioned law is not capable of regulating the market and must be updated.”
In Azerbaijan, in cases of consumer rights violations, sellers and service providers bear administrative and civil liability. The matter is primarily regulated by the Law on Protection of Consumer Rights, as well as the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Civil Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
According to legislation, selling low-quality or counterfeit products, deceiving consumers (providing false information about price, weight, size, or product composition), as well as failing to use a cash register, are considered administrative offenses, and in these cases, a financial penalty is applied to the seller.
The amount of the fine varies depending on the nature of the violation and whether the subject is a natural person, an official, or a legal entity.
According to current legislation, for deceiving consumers and other serious violations, the maximum fine for natural persons is 500 manats, up to 2,000 manats for officials, and up to 6,000 manats for legal entities.
Furthermore, if a consumer suffers material or moral damage, the seller is obliged to compensate for the incurred damage. The consumer can demand the replacement of a defective product, a reduction in price, the elimination of the defect, or a refund of the paid amount.
In cases leading to severe consequences – for example, when a counterfeit product causes serious harm to health or poses a mass danger – the matter may be investigated within the scope of criminal liability.
It should be noted that the function of controlling consumer rights in the country is carried out by the State Service for Antimonopoly and Consumer Market Control.
