All merchants and advertisers are prohibited from:

• indicating only the amount of the periodic instalments that must be made for a membership to a fitness or weight management centre without displaying its total price more prominently;
• demanding a higher price than advertised;
• advertising a reduced price when it is not;
• using an illustration that does not accurately depict the service whose price is advertised. 

Total price

An advertised price must include all the amounts you need to pay to access the services. This total amount must be displayed more prominently than the amounts that make it up. 

This price must include all initial fees, such as registration fees, file setup and case analysis fees, as well as any other related fees, if you must inevitably pay them.

What if a merchant advertises a price that does not include all the amounts you are required to pay? Demand paying the advertised price and nothing more. For example, a merchant who advertises a $30-per-month membership, without mentioning that $50 in registration fees must also be paid, can only charge $30 per month. Registration fees must be included in the advertised price.

Amounts that can be added

Certain amounts can be added to the advertised price upon payment. Those amounts are required under the provisions of a law or regulation and must be collected and remitted to a public authority. These refer to amounts such as:

• the Québec sales tax (QST);
• the goods and services tax (GST).

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