Stop 'rip off' charges Super complaint result
The government has announced plans to support the Which? campaign and ban 'rip off' card surcharges
On the 30 March 2011, Which? issued a surcharge super complaint to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) over the fees retailers charge consumers for paying by credit or debit card. We asked for upfront costs, fair charges and for retailers to absorb the cost of the fee to process a debit card payment.
On the 23 December the government agreed to ban excessive surcharges.
50,000 pledged support
On the 28 June the OFT upheld the complaint, confirming they, along with 43,000 of you who pledged your support, agree with our super complaint.
Following our super complaint, 2,400 of you emailed consumer affairs minister Edward Davey and 8,000 of you emailed financial secretary Mark Hoban, to request the government ban excessive surcharges.
The OFT agreed excessive surcharges cause consumers harm, demonstrate a lack of transparency and need to be addressed.
The OFT are introducing enforcement measures, under the Consumer Protection Regulations, to take action against companies who are not transparent about their surcharges for paying by card.
Which? is encouraging companies to offer transparent prices immediately. Companies should not wait for the OFT to present enforcement procedures before doing what is right by their customers.
No more debit card surcharges
To make headline prices truly meaningful and comparable, the OFT has called for traders to stop charging for paying by debit card.
The government accepted this recommendation and will ban debit card surcharges and limit credit card surcharges by the end of 2012.
Which? is delighted that the government met all of our requests and went beyond the OFT's recommendations.
Next steps for Which?
Which? will be working with the OFT to make sure companies take action and offer transparent pricing. We'll also be working with the UK government to ensure the legal aspects of the complaint are implemented by the end of 2012 – and keep consumers at the heart of the solution.
Join the debate
Your feedback on Which? Conversation allowed us to provide the OFT with hundreds of examples of where and how consumers face excessive surcharges.
