Merchants and their advertisements are prohibited from:

• indicating only periodic amounts to be paid to purchase a treatment package without mentioning the total cost;
• charging a higher price than advertised;
• claiming that the price is reduced when it is not.

Total price

The advertised price must include all of the amounts you will have to pay to receive the treatments. The total price must always be emphasized over the individual amounts it includes.

The total price must include the initial fees such as registration fees, fees to open and analyze your file, as well as any other related fees.

Has a merchant advertised a price that does not include all of the fees you have to pay? Demand the advertised price, nothing more.

Amounts that can be added

Certain amounts can be added at the time of payment. These are amounts that must be collected and remitted to a public authority by virtue of a law or regulation. For example:

• the Québec Sales Tax (QST);
• the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Business practices that are misleading or give you false hope to get you to buy are illegal. They are prohibited regardless of the medium: poster, sign, website, advertisement, commercial, salesperson, etc.

For example, a massage clinic that advertises that you will no longer suffer from back pain after 3 treatments must fulfill that promise. The same is true for a beauty salon that claims that your hair will never grow back after 10 laser hair removal sessions.

Recourse

Has a merchant or its representative given you false or misleading information? You can contact the Office. The Contact us page lists our contact information.