
Elgiganten reported for deceptive loan ads
The Consumer Ombudsman has reported Elgiganten, in collaboration with Santander Consumer Bank, to the police for advertising free-of-charge loans which actually included both establishment costs and monthly fees. According to Consumer Ombudsman Torben Jensen, advertising a loan as cost-free implies no interest or loan fees should be charged, and consumers must receive clear information about the cost of borrowing to purchase a product. Three complaints were received by the Consumer Ombudsman in December 2022 about the advertisements. In response, Santander pointed out that Elgiganten placed these ads without prior review or approval from the bank. Elgiganten admitted to confusion regarding the offer only being valid in-store, acknowledging that some Facebook posts lacked this information, which they regret and plan to clarify in future campaigns.