The UK Competition and Markets Authority has launched probes into eight online firms and sent warning letters to about 100 others over pricing and sales practices. Using new powers, the CMA is targeting tactics such as drip pricing, misleading countdown timers and opt-in defaults. Named firms include StubHub, Viagogo, AA and BSM driving schools, Gold's Gym, Wayfair, Appliances Direct and Marks Electrical. Companies found in breach could face fines up to 10% of global turnover and be ordered to compensate affected customers.
UK Watchdog Launches Sweeping Probe into Online Retailers Over 'Drip Pricing' and Sales Tactics
The UK Competition and Markets Authority has launched probes into eight online firms and sent warning letters to about 100 others over pricing and sales practices. Using new powers, the CMA is targeting tactics such as drip pricing, misleading countdown timers and opt-in defaults. Named firms include StubHub, Viagogo, AA and BSM driving schools, Gold's Gym, Wayfair, Appliances Direct and Marks Electrical. Companies found in breach could face fines up to 10% of global turnover and be ordered to compensate affected customers.
02:31 AM, 11/19/2025Economy
The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has opened a major investigation into the online pricing and sales practices of eight e-commerce businesses and has issued warning letters to around 100 other sites. The move uses new enforcement powers that allow the regulator to address consumer protection breaches without first going to court.
Who is being investigated
The CMA has opened inquiries into StubHub, Viagogo, AA Driving School, BSM Driving School, Gold's Gym, Wayfair, Appliances Direct and Marks Electrical. None of the named companies has been found guilty of any offence; the regulator said the probes are part of a wider review of common online selling practices.
What the regulator is concerned about
The CMA is focusing on several potentially harmful tactics, including:
Drip pricing — where a low headline price is increased by mandatory or surprise fees late in the checkout process;
Misleading countdown timers — adverts implying offers are limited when they may not be; and
Pressure-selling and opt-in defaults — automatic selection of extra paid services or add-ons that increase the final price.
Specific concerns include mandatory extra fees added to ticket prices on secondary ticketing platforms, undisclosed or poorly communicated one-off membership fees for gyms, time-limited sales that may not end when promised, and defaults that opt customers into paid services without clear consent.
“At a time when people are hunting for the best deal because of cost-of-living pressures, it is vital consumers can trust that the price they see online is the price they will pay,” said CMA chief executive Sarah Cardell. “Whether you're buying concert tickets or driving lessons, joining a gym or buying furniture and appliances, you deserve a fair deal. It's our job to protect consumers from misleading prices and illegal pressure selling.”
Broader concerns and consequences
The eight firms are part of a wider review covering 14 sectors where the CMA has identified potential consumer harms or high consumer spend — including holidays, rail and coach travel, parking, luggage storage, cinemas, food delivery, parcel delivery, fashion and online vouchers. The Department for Business and Trade has identified live events tickets, cinema tickets and gym memberships as areas where problems appear most prevalent.
Businesses found to be breaching consumer protection rules could face fines of up to 10% of global turnover and may be required to compensate customers affected by unlawful practices.