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OFT takes action against heating oil companies and price comparison websites
Originally posted by 5corpio
The OFT has taken action to prevent consumers being misled when searching online for heating oil supplies.
The OFT found that some websites offering to find consumers the best price for heating oil were not clear about whether they were price comparison sites or sites for ordering heating oil directly from a single supplier. The OFT has secured undertakings under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs) from WCF Fuels Limited and Boiler Juice Limited which prevent them from engaging in business practices that could be misleading.
This follows an OFT investigation which found that:
The businesses investigated have co-operated with the OFT's investigations and voluntarily made changes to their...Read more from the OFT Website----> OFT takes action against heating oil companies and price comparison websites - The Office of Fair Trading
The OFT found that some websites offering to find consumers the best price for heating oil were not clear about whether they were price comparison sites or sites for ordering heating oil directly from a single supplier. The OFT has secured undertakings under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (CPRs) from WCF Fuels Limited and Boiler Juice Limited which prevent them from engaging in business practices that could be misleading.
This follows an OFT investigation which found that:
- WCF Fuels Limited, which operates the website fuelfighter.co.uk, claimed to make price comparisons but only quoted prices for its own products and services. It also used false customer testimonials on the site.
- boilerjuice.co.uk, operated by Boiler Juice Limited, whilst a price comparison website providing price quotations from GB Oils Limited well as price quotations from other non-related heating oil distributors, was not transparent about its links to parent company DCC plc, which owns GB Oils Limited, the largest heating oil distributor in the UK.
The businesses investigated have co-operated with the OFT's investigations and voluntarily made changes to their...Read more from the OFT Website----> OFT takes action against heating oil companies and price comparison websites - The Office of Fair Trading