12 February 2021, Budapest – The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) launched an investigation into the advertising practices of an undertaking providing dental services, which may be misleading for consumers for multiple reasons.
The GVH alleges that the promotion of the service of MindentMent Kft. qualifies as unfair due to several reasons.
It is assumed that the advertisements make false claims regarding the market leadership and uniqueness of the undertaking (e.g. ‘market leader’, ‘the lowest price in the country’, ‘a double guarantee unique in the country’). In addition, the claims regarding environmentally-friendly operation (e.g. ‘environmentally conscious surgery’) as well as the associated imagery, which appears to depict a certificate, are not well supported, and thus can be considered misleading. Furthermore, the GVH alleges that the undertaking deletes negative consumer reviews of its service on its website and Facebook page, only allowing positive feedback to be displayed. If consumers are not appropriately informed of it, this practice contradicts the principle of professional diligence; therefore, it can also constitute an infringement.
The initiation of the competition supervision proceeding does not mean that the undertaking has in fact committed the infringement. The proceeding is aimed at clarifying the facts and thereby proving the alleged infringement. The time limit for the completion of the proceeding is three months which, where justified, may be extended on two occasions by a maximum of two months each.
The official registration number of the case is: VJ/2/2021.
GVH Press Office