Fake online discounts have re-emerged during the sale period, according to a statement by Testachats on Tuesday.
The law requires discounts to be based on the “reference price,” meaning the lowest price offered by a store within the 30 days prior to the promotion. However, the consumer protection organisation reports that many online shops are using different prices to calculate advertised discounts. For example, Bol.com and Amazon sidestep the law by determining their promotions using the “highest displayed price over the last 90 days” or the “recommended retail price.”
Testachats monitors price trends through its platform “Un Bon Deal,” tracking nearly 13,500 electronic devices across 43 product categories sold in over 100 online stores. In its analysis of summer 2025 promotions, Testachats found that only 33% of these deals are genuine bargains, where the new price does not exceed the average of the lowest prices recorded over the past year, thus confirming a real price drop. For the remaining 67%, shoppers would be wiser to consider other stores or wait for another occasion, suggested Testachats.
The organisation identified televisions, smartphones, and tablets as the categories offering the most substantial discounts.
“One piece of advice: compare,” recommends Testachats spokesperson Jean-Philippe Ducart. “A discounted product isn’t necessarily a good deal. Conversely, a non-discounted item can be very appealing. In any case, be wary of terms like ‘recommended price’ or ‘catalogue price’, as they often signal that the discount is not as significant as it appears.”
