Last week the Commerce Commission issued a “warning” to the bookshop chain, Borders, over a misleading voucher scheme which the retailer promoted before Christmas.
This promotion offered $20 in vouchers for every $75 spent at Borders until Christmas. In the small print, however, it was specified that the customer could redeem one $10 voucher in January and the second $10 voucher in February. The Commission received complaints from consumers saying they felt mislead, and the Commission agreed.
After another Christmas holiday experience, perhaps the Commission could turn its attention to the rental market for holiday homes.
Do you expect a road in front of your Northland cottage, when the promotional site declares “absolute beach front”, and it is clear that all the photos studiously avoid showing the road? Do you expect the advertised “Sky TV” in your Napier pad to be restricted to the sports channels only?
And then, there is the $460-a-night Waikehe property… Do you expect access to this non drive-on property, which you’ve been told is a “short 25 metre walk” to the beach, to in fact be 151 metres from the very closest carpark on the street?! And do you expect this same premier rental to require cleaning, and for the charcoal barbecue to have only one fixed wheel and no charcoal? If you are interested in this property, we suggest you contact Waiheke Unlimited which promotes itself as the only personalised specialists in self-catered holiday accommodation on Waiheke.
Yes, there is plenty that could occupy the Commerce Commission in this sector, which is crying out for an independent evaluation and assessment vehicle in order to protect our reputation as a tourism destination. When it comes to holiday home rentals, there is too frequently a gap between the blurb and the reality. And of course, prices of these homes well exceed the value of the Borders voucher.
