Over 80% of Belgian furniture and mattress retailers have violated economic legislation during inspections by the Federal Public Service (FPS) Economy.

The FPS Economy investigated businesses that sell furniture and mattresses where eight out of 10 companies that were checked had at least one violation of the economic legislation that was being checked. The main violations concerned the price indication, transparency obligations and the order form.

Between 1 April and 6 December 2024, the Economic Inspectorate of the FPS Economy investigated 155 companies in the furniture and bed sales sector in Belgium. Between 2020 and 2023, the Economic Inspectorate received reports about no fewer than 1,309 furniture stores. These mainly concerned delivery and price indication.

In order to protect consumers, the Economic Inspectorate regularly checks whether the rules and legal information obligations are being complied with. In order to help companies in the sector to correctly implement (new) legislation, the Economic Inspectorate provided guidelines tailored to the sector.

Of the 155 companies inspected in the furniture and mattress sector, 128 – or 82.6% – were in violation. A total of 537 violations were found, an average of 2.38 per company.

The investigation revealed a total of 537 violations. The main violations were about:

• Order forms: 198 infringements (36.9%): essential information on order forms was regularly missing. For example, accurate product descriptions, clear delivery times, detailed prices and the seller’s signature. In 64 cases, the delivery times were not filled in or were too vague (“as soon as possible” or “depending on the supplier”). This is nevertheless a crucial element for consumers.
• Price indication: 72 infringements in the price of goods and 44 in the price of services (delivery, installation) (21.6%): there was no price indication or the price was illegible, ambiguous, incomplete, etc. These shortcomings occurred in both simple products and more complex items, such as modular furniture.
• Transparency on websites and social networks: 79 infringements (14.7%): many of the companies checked did not include their company number or full contact details on their website or social networks.
• Discount advertisements: 53 infringements (9.9%): the reference price was not displayed correctly in a promotion or the discounts applied were misleading.
• Electronic means of payment: 50 infringements (9.3%): the obligation to offer at least one electronic means of payment was complied with everywhere. However, consumers must be able to see the available electronic means of payment both at the entrance and at the checkout. And the display of this information was a problem.

The investigation also revealed several other violations. For example, 28 businesses had not registered in the Crossroads Bank for Enterprises or had not updated their data. In addition, 13 businesses breached the legal limit of 3,000 euros for accepting cash payments.

David Clarinval, Minister of Economy, said: “The results of this check show that many traders are not sufficiently familiar with the basic rules on transparency, price indication and correct order forms. These rules are nevertheless essential to protect consumers and maintain trust. I will consult the sector to investigate how we can improve traders’ knowledge of the legislation, so that every entrepreneur knows what is expected of him or her. Together we can work on more clarity, honesty and professionalism in the sale of furniture and bedding.”

Lien Meurisse, spokeswoman for FPS Economy, commented: “For many consumers, buying furniture is a serious bite out of their budget. You expect a correct price indication and a complete and clear order form. That is pure basic protection for the consumer. The Economic Inspectorate received many reports about this sector and therefore organised a general investigation in the furniture and mattress sector, in which more than 150 companies in the furniture and mattress sector were inspected.

“The aim was initially to promote correct compliance with economic regulations. For the 537 violations, 155 warnings were issued and 19 official reports were drawn up. PV’s were only issued if there were multiple or serious violations or if the warning did not lead to an adjustment. The majority of the companies inspected were prepared to correct the violations, which had also happened during the follow-up inspection. The 19 PV’s represent only 12.3% of the companies inspected.”