The price displayed for an appliance in an advertisement must represent the full amount you need to pay to buy it. This total price must prevail visually over the amounts that make it up, and it cannot be raised unless products or services are added at your request.

Amounts that can be added

Certain amounts can be added to the sale 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).

Prohibited practices related to the advertising of the sale price

All merchants, manufacturers and advertisers are prohibited from:

• indicating only periodic instalments that must be made to buy an appliance without displaying its total cost more prominently;
• demanding a higher price than advertised;
• advertising a reduced price when it is not;
• claiming that the price of an appliance is “the best in town” when you can, in fact, buy the same appliance at the same price or less from another merchant.
• using a photo that does not accurately depict the appliance whose price is advertised;
• using the expression "cost price" or any other expression that would lead one to believe that an appliance is sold at such a price, if it does not make reference to the actual price paid by the merchant to acquire the appliance.

If there is a problem

If the advertised price is not the one you are charged, you are entitled to demand paying the advertised price.

You are also invited to file a complaint with the Office de la protection du consommateur if you find that a merchant does not abide by pricing regulations. The Contact us page provides the ways to reach us.

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