Some shops deceive their customers by using only euro prices in Hungary

There are multiple shops in Hungary which use only euro prices, which breaks the relevant laws. A reader of 24.hu bought earrings in the Etele mall, 11th district of Budapest, in an Australian jewellery shop, Lovisa. She found its price only in euros, but at the cashier’s desk, she realised the company calculates with a brutally high forint/euro exchange rate. Here is what you should know about such issues.

According to 24.hu, one of their readers bought earrings in the Australian-owned Lovisa jewellery shop in Budapest’s Etele mall. However, on the price tag, she found only a euro price. She calculated 400 HUF/EUR, which is realistic since shops regularly use a higher exchange rate than the official. The latter is around 372/EUR at the moment.

However, at the cashier’s desk, the shop assistant told her she must pay HUF 5,295 for the earrings even though they cost only EUR 11. That means the shop calculated a 481/EUR exchange rate, which is brutally high. The forint has never dropped that low against the EU’s national currency. The historic high was around 435/EUR last year.

Interestingly, on the invoice she received after the purchase, the price was only in forint. She asked around the shop how they calculated the HUF price but received no answer. According to the shop assistant, the HUF price tag fell off, but she saw no price tags on the ground. After checking out some other products, she realised that there were many tags without a HUF price. HERE you can check out some photos she made about the products. In some cases, there is a HUF price, while in other cases, there is not.

Marking the prices only in foreign currencies is illegal in Hungary

She wanted to talk with the manager but received no contact and could not find the company’s phone number or email address. The mall could not help her out with that either. Therefore, she reported the case to the consumer protection authority.

According to 24.hu, that is not the only shop in Budapest or Hungary which do not use HUF prices. Budapest’s consumer protection agency confirmed that, in Hungary, pricing in HUF is compulsory. The shop must indicate the sale price and the unit price in forint. That rule applies to the service fee, too. If a shop allows customers to pay in other currencies, they must mark the exchange rate visibly.

Interestingly, a shop does not need a phone number, email address or Hungarian website in Hungary. However, they have to mark their name and seat visibly. That practice makes it difficult for the customers to file a complaint.

Lovisa has not replied to 24.hu’s questions concerning the issue.

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