If you shop online you含羞草研究社檙e likely familiar with the experience 含羞草研究社� you agree to buy for a certain price, but by the time you check out, the cost has ballooned with fees and surcharges.

Place a shipping order with Canada Post and you might be hit with a 含羞草研究社渇uel surcharge含羞草研究社� of almost 25 per cent. Buy movie tickets, flowers, make travel plans 含羞草研究社� all could be subject to hidden fees that are subsequently added to the originally quoted cost.

Critics call it drip pricing, a strategy that has been deemed unlawful. Consumers now have the power to fight back, with multiple class-action lawsuits filed in British Columbia targeting the practice.

Vancouver lawyer Saro Turner, who is involved in some of the drip-pricing lawsuits, says more are likely on the way.

含羞草研究社淭he average consumer is not a mathematician,含羞草研究社� he said in an interview. 含羞草研究社淐ompanies that have a significant volume of commerce have to show the price in a meaningful way, not in a deceptive and misleading way.含羞草研究社�

Turner said the path to the lawsuits was paved by June 2022 changes to the federal Competition Act, that now explicitly labels undisclosed fees and surcharges that make advertised prices 含羞草研究社渦nattainable含羞草研究社� as a 含羞草研究社渉armful business practice.含羞草研究社�

The amendments mean Canadians can now launch class actions against companies that advertise unattainable prices, then tack on mandatory fees as consumers click through to buy products or services.

Turner含羞草研究社檚 firm has drip-pricing cases pending against online florist Bloomex, travel site Omio, and Cineplex.

含羞草研究社淚 think there probably wasn含羞草研究社檛 an awareness just about how pervasive (drip pricing) was,含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淧eople are upset about it.含羞草研究社�

In another lawsuit filed in Vancouver in Federal Court, customers accuse Canada Post of violating the Competition Act含羞草研究社檚 anti-drip-pricing provision with the fuel surcharge it adds to shipping charges.

On its website, Canada Post offers three price options for regular, express or priority deliveries. For example, posting a three-kilogram package within Vancouver is listed as costing $14.11 for regular, $17.91 for express and $27.47 for priority shipping, before tax.

But no matter which option is selected, Canada Post then adds a 24.5 per cent fuel surcharge.

The before-tax prices increase to $17.57, $22.30 and $34.20.

Canada含羞草研究社檚 Competition Bureau has already taken a number of firms and industries to task over drip pricing, for example, penalizing vehicle rental companies millions in 2017 and 2018.

In November 2023, the bureau announced an $825,000 fine against ticket reseller Ticket Nation for drip pricing, finding that the company misleadingly advertised prices that were inflated up to 53 per cent by undisclosed fees.

Ticketmaster was penalized $4 million in 2019, and reseller StubHub was fined $1.3 million for similar conduct in 2020.

Last year, the Commissioner of Competition Matthew Boswell took Cineplex to the Competition Tribunal over online ticket sales that include a mandatory 含羞草研究社渙nline booking fee,含羞草研究社� though Cineplex has denied wrongdoing.

含羞草研究社淐onsumers expect to pay the advertised price. We含羞草研究社檙e taking action against Cineplex because misleading tactics like drip pricing only serve to deceive and harm consumers,含羞草研究社� Boswell said in a news release at the time.

含羞草研究社淔or years, we have urged businesses, including ticket vendors, to display the full price of their products upfront.含羞草研究社�

In the case filed against Bloomex in March, the class represented by Turner含羞草研究社檚 firm alleges the florist wrongfully adds a $1.99 surcharge to customers含羞草研究社� orders. The lawsuit says the fee is described as being 含羞草研究社渦sed to offset rising costs of product, handling, and delivery.含羞草研究社�

Advertising a lower price before adding the charge is 含羞草研究社渇alse and misleading含羞草研究社� of Bloomex, the lawsuit says.

The case was filed in Federal Court in Vancouver days after Bloomex was fined $894,000 by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission for misleading consumers with such pricing, among other things.

Another proposed class action, also filed last month in Vancouver, alleges Omio wrongfully advertises lower prices before adding a 含羞草研究社渟ervice fee含羞草研究社� to final prices.

It cites an example of a plane ticket from Vancouver to Toronto advertised initially on Omio含羞草研究社檚 website for $281, before applying the service fee that boosts the cost to $300.75.

Canada Post, Omio and Bloomex did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuits. The lead plaintiff in the Canada Post case declined to comment, and their lawyer did not respond to requests for comment.

Canada含羞草研究社檚 Competition Bureau declined an interview request.

More changes to the Competition Act are winding their way through parliament, and Turner said they will allow consumers to seek damages from companies that abuse their 含羞草研究社渕arket dominance含羞草研究社� and firms that make fake claims of environmental benefits of their products or services, known as 含羞草研究社済reenwashing.含羞草研究社�

He said public officials can含羞草研究社檛 necessarily prosecute every case due to limited resources, but the competition law changes allow private law firms and consumers to go after companies directly.

含羞草研究社淲here you含羞草研究社檙e a small consumer, you lose $1.50 or three bucks or whatever, some small amount up against a mega corporation, how do you enforce that?含羞草研究社� he said. 含羞草研究社淐lass actions come in and they incentivize lawyers 含羞草研究社� to gather together a bunch of people who have a small loss, jumble them into one group and start a lawsuit. Now, all of a sudden, the economics work.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淵ou含羞草研究社檙e the victim. You can get your buck fifty, whereas before you could not.含羞草研究社�