The Black Friday season has once again placed commercial practices under scrutiny and one of the companies involved is FNAC, accused of “inflating prices” and carrying out “false promotions” during promotional campaigns.
The complaint was filed by the consumer protection association Citizen’s Voice and, according to Notícias ao Minuto, has already reached the Central Civil Court of Lisbon. The process is based on a concrete example that gained prominence after being revealed by CNN Portugal.
FNAC was questioned by Notícias ao Minuto about the case, but chose not to comment while the process is ongoing. The company simply responded that “taking into account that the issue is being dealt with at its own headquarters, FNAC believes it is not appropriate to comment on this matter”.
A product that became more expensive during the promotion
At the center of the controversy is a camera. According to Citizen’s Voice, “we obtained evidence that, during this Black Friday period, FNAC presented a promotion for a camera that, in fact, cost 10.99 euros more than the original price”.
The organization guarantees that the price of the product was 89 euros between September 1 and November 19, 2025. However, as part of the Black Friday FNAC 2025 campaign, the value would have been increased to 99.99 euros, simultaneously presented as a “promotional price”.
In the class action, to which CNN Portugal had access, Citizen’s Voice also states that the company has “systematically announced and publicized false discounts in its stores for a wide variety of products”.
The president of the association, Otávio Viana, reinforced in statements to the same channel that the intention is “to show that companies, in this case FNAC, do not act honestly towards consumers at these times of big discount announcements such as Black Friday, a period in which it is statistically proven that there are more consumers buying products in their stores”.
For the person responsible, “this phenomenon of inflating prices to simulate a greater discount is not exclusive to this product, there are many more”.
DECO PROteste confirms market trend
In a broader context, DECO PROteste had already warned of similar situations. According to the publication, there are “supposed discounts” on products that, less than a month ago, were cheaper. The organization analyzed several online stores and concluded that, although there are good opportunities, not all promotions comply with current legislation on prices and campaigns.
In its report, DECO PROteste recalls that “Black Friday launches the holiday shopping season with discount campaigns that start earlier and earlier”. On the 3rd and 4th of November, the association evaluated the start of the campaigns and found “several discounts that circumvent the promotions law”.
Consumers increasingly attentive
With this action moving to court, the debate about transparency in promotional campaigns gains new momentum.
According to , the case could influence future price communications, especially in a period in which consumers seek to take advantage of price reductions that do not always correspond to what they appear.
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