Consum fines Media Markt with 100,000 euros for inflating previous prices

The Catalan Consumer Agency has imposed a financial penalty of 100,000 euros on Media Markt Saturn S.A.U. for inflating the “previous price” or “usual price” of its products during the Black Friday promotion, thereby misleading buyers. The decision was made public in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) no. 9757, of September 23, 2026, in an announcement from the Department of Enterprise and Work with the official reference CVE-DOGC-A-26259108-2026. The sanctioning file is SAN/28811/2025.

According to the published text, on March 2, 2026, the Agency issued the proposed resolution of the file, which imposes a penalty of 100,000 euros on the company, with NIF/CIF A82037292, and, as an accessory penalty, the publication of the resolution itself. On March 24, 2026, the sanctioned party acknowledged its responsibility and made the payment for a reduction of the penalty, in accordance with article 333.11 of Law 22/2010, of July 20, of the Consumer Code of Catalonia (DOGC no. 5677, of 7/23/2010).

The publication of the sanction complies with article 333-9 of the same Law 22/2010, which mandates the publication of sanctions imposed on consumer matters. The announcement is dated Barcelona, September 15, 2026, and is signed by the director of the Catalan Consumer Agency, Isidor García Sánchez.

The infringement: a discount that was not real

The sole charge of the file describes the conduct as the offering of goods or services, through advertising or information of any kind, attributing to them qualities, characteristics, verifications, certifications, or results that differ from those they actually have or can obtain. It also includes advertising that induces or may induce error, deception, or confusion, or that silences fundamental data that prevents knowing the true characteristics or nature of the good or service.

In this case, the company increased the “previous price” or “usual price” of the product for the purpose of creating the impression, for the consumer, that a substantial discount was being applied in the Black Friday promotion. In reality, in the previous month, the product had been offered at a price lower than the retail price announced as the “usual price.”

The consequence, according to the resolution, is that the reference to the “previous price” did not coincide with the lowest price effectively applied during the thirty days preceding the promotion.

The sanction, in figures

• Amount of the economic sanction: 100,000 euros.
• Sanctioned company: Media Markt Saturn S.A.U., NIF/CIF A82037292.
• Sanctioning file: SAN/28811/2025.
• Accessory sanction: publication of the resolution in the DOGC.
• Date of the proposed resolution: March 2, 2026.
• Acknowledgement of responsibility and payment with reduction: March 24, 2026.
• Date of signature of the publication: September 15, 2026.

A second file on the same day

The same DOGC no. 9757 publishes another sanction with practically identical characteristics, also processed by the Catalan Consumer Agency and referring to the same practice of the “previous price” during Black Friday. In this second case, the sanctioned party is The Phone House Spain, SLU, with NIF/CIF B81846206, and the amount is 80,000 euros.

The file is SAN/25456/2025 and the official reference of the announcement is CVE-DOGC-A-26259109-2026. The proposed resolution was also issued on March 2, 2026, and the company acknowledged responsibility and paid with reduction on March 24, 2026, with the publication of the sanction as an accessory measure.

The official publication of these resolutions provides consumers with a verifiable reference on how sales advertising is controlled and which practices are considered misleading in massive campaigns such as Black Friday. The applied criterion is clear: the advertised “previous price” must correspond to the lowest price effectively applied in the thirty days prior to the promotion.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC), no. 9757, September 23, 2026, Announcements — Department of Enterprise and Work, Catalan Consumer Agency (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26259108-2026).