Furniture store Velderhof makes arrangements with ACM regarding its practices
Summary
- Velderhof, which sells recliner chairs for seniors, pressured customers into making purchase decisions quickly.
- ACM took action following media reports about these practices, which are undesirable, especially when targeting seniors.
- Velderhof will now adjust its selling methods. ACM will keep a close watch on this, for example, by tracking the reports filed by consumers.
Dutch furniture store Velderhof, which sells recliner chairs for seniors, will change its selling methods following discussions with the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM). ACM contacted Velderhof in connection with an item on its misleading commercial practices in an episode of Dutch consumer rights show Radar. For example, consumers were put under pressure with discounts to make a decision quickly. ACM received reports from consumers with similar experiences. In the meantime, Velderhof has provided its employees with additional training in selling to seniors, and checks have already been conducted as well. The website has been adjusted in such a way that only furniture with the correct retail price is presented. In the coming months, ACM will continue to monitor Velderhof’s selling methods.
Selling to vulnerable consumers must be done with extra care
Furniture store Velderhof sells their own brand of recliner chairs, particularly to seniors. They sell custom-made relaxing recliners and lift recliners. Sales are made in a brick-and-mortar store, but can also be made during home demonstrations. The recliners cost several thousands of euros. Since Velderhof targets older, vulnerable consumers, they must take that aspect into account in their selling methods. For example, it is important that consumers get plenty of time to make a decision without any pressure from the salesperson. In addition, consumers must have the right information when making their purchase decision. After all, it is a big-ticket purchase that people do not make every day.
On the website, prices were shown, whereas it turned out that, in reality, the product shown online was not always for sale at that price or in that model. In addition, discounts were offered in-store that were only valid if you decided quickly, as a result of which people felt they were put under pressure.
Various improvement measures have been taken
On consumer rights show Radar, Velderhof had already made commitments to adjusting its practices. In the discussions with ACM, concrete arrangements were made regarding those adjustments, such as making changes to the website, providing staff with additional training, conducting internal checks, and improving knowledge of consumer protection rules. Velderhof has demonstrated to ACM that it is serious about these adjustments. ACM will continue to monitor the company’s selling methods. If you have any issues with Velderhof, please file a report with ACM’s consumer information portal ACM ConsuWijzer.
ACM has various tools at its disposal for dealing with consumer problems. In this case, ACM opted for confronting the business directly, after which it adjusted its practices. In this way, ACM has prevented further harm to consumers.