Less than a quarter of Black Friday discounts are really good deals

People looking for a new TV, vacuum cleaner or smartphone can make a killing during Black Friday week. Shops are offering discounts of up to 70 per cent. But many other offers are too good to be true, warns Testaankoop. Less than a quarter of the discounts offered are really good deals.

So when is something a good deal? Testaankoop uses two parameters. First of all, the product must score well in their quality tests. Secondly, the consumer organisation looks at whether the discount offered by the shop really is a discount. This is the case when the price of a product does not climb more than 1 per cent above the average lowest price during the past year.

Beware of fake discounts

Some shops mislead you with outright fake discounts, promotions that are not at all real. They do this by lying about the original reference price. For example, a shop will say that a pair of headphones originally cost 200 euros, but they are now offering them for 150 euros. In reality, the price has been reduced for some time, but by putting the Black Friday label on it, the discount seems new.

Since last year, it is officially forbidden to claim a discount is being offered against a price that the shop itself has long since stopped charging for a product. The reference price displayed by shops must be the lowest price charged for the product during the last 30 days prior to the promotion. According to the economy ministry, fake discounts were found in over half of the cases investigated during Black Friday last year.

To get around the new rules shops are being inventive. In doing so, it is important to look at the small print. For example, shops talk about discounts compared to "the most frequently advertised price" or "the recommended retail price", which is different from the reference price. Moreover, the rules only apply to Belgian shops, foreign webshops such as Bol are not covered by Belgian legislation.

Tomorrow the best bargains are on offer

Many shops may not offer what they promise, but Black Friday remains the time to buy electronics. Especially if you're looking for a new TV, printer, smartphone or headphones, it's best to buy them around this time of year. According to Testaankoop, the best deals are on offer for household goods like that. Hoovers too and microwave ovens are now a quarter cheaper on average.

Black Friday lasts longer every year. Last year, the first discounts came online about 10 days before Black Friday, now Testaankoop saw a first big jump in the number of good deals as early as Friday 10 November. The discounts will now continue to increase systematically until tomorrow. Black Friday itself remains the best day to make your purchase. People still in doubt can also make their move on Monday, on Cyber Monday next week.