Tools

Genuine or fake sales? Review of regulatory frameworks in Canada and abroad and data collection study in the Canadian retail market
In a market economy marked by fierce competition, one way to attract customers is through sales. However, the hunger for profit sometimes translates into dishonest practices. Indeed, certain retailers may regularly advertise the same items as being on sale. In other word, they advertise false discounts.In light of our data collection,we have noted several business practices that appear to us as misleading.
317 pages, 2011
$14
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Unit pricing: An effective tool ?
Price continues to remains the factor with the greatest influence over consumer choice. For the past forty years, legislation has been in place in the U.S. mandating unit pricing in order to facilitate price comparison by reducing prices to a standard basic unit (e.g. $0.49/100ml).
Quebec is the only province in Canada where unit pricing is regulated by law. Everywhere else, it is voluntary. The data collected in this study report clearly confirm the usefulness of this tool for consumers and even its impact on consumer choice at the moment of purchase. We therefore recommend that a mandatory system of unit pricing be established all across Canada.
126 pages, 2010
$14
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Do I have the right number? Customer Service at Telecommunications Companies
143 pages, 2010
$14
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Credit cards: New Solutions for Better Consumer Protection
Executive summary, 11 pages, 2009
$7
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“Rent-to-own” : portrait of an industry and its clientele
Executive summary, 8 pages, 2008
$7
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Debt collection : Outmoded tactics?
Executive summary, 8 pages, 2008
$7
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Advertising that targets children: Ensuring the best protection possible
Executive summary, 6 pages, 2008
$7
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