Just two retailers were convicted last year of misleading consumers about prices, out of more than 900 investigations, according to the annual report of the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs.
Five prosecutions were taken under the Consumer Information Act, but three were struck out, two because the defendants made payments to local charities.
During the year, the office investigated 485 reports of false or misleading prices, with the grocery and clothing sectors giving rise to the highest number of complaints. Most were solved without the need to take legal action, according to the report.
The office also carried out 50 investigations of alleged car "clocking" but 34 could not be pursued because of insufficient evidence, the expiry of the statute of limitations after 18 months or the fact that the garage had gone out of business.
One company was prosecuted successfully and its authorisation to act as a credit intermediary was later withdrawn.
Fourteen complaints were received about the watering down of spirits but analysis showed that none of the samples had been adulterated.
The telecommunications sector was a major source of consumer complaint, especially in relation to the non-delivery of service within 30 days, problems with switching providers, roaming charges, misleading prices, billing problems and problems with direct debit arrangements. Some 19 retailers were prosecuted for failing to display prices correctly, but again this was only a small fraction of the 1,500 premises inspected last year.
A survey of jewellers found that one-third of shops were not complying with price display legislation. However, many traders said that displaying the price of expensive jewellery in their windows could encourage break-ins and increase insurance costs.
The office received more than 650 complaints about package holidays and travel issues. In 17 cases this resulted in tour operators and travel agents changing their brochures or websites to provide clearer information.
This is the last annual report from the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs, which was incorporated into the new National Consumer Agency last May. The NCA, which enjoys much stronger powers to enforce consumer law than its predecessor, plans to focus on major areas of consumer grievance and the current inspection-oriented system is to be replaced by a more selective focus on enforcement.
