Thousands of customers are set to receive refunds after Marks Electrical was fined £720,000 for automatically adding paid-for services to orders without their agreement.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said almost 40,000 shoppers were signed up to extra services including “Recycle Old Appliance” and “Unwrap & Recycle Packaging” without giving explicit consent.
Affected customers will receive an average refund of around £15 each, with total repayments expected to reach approximately £600,000.
The watchdog said the retailer breached consumer protection rules by charging customers for optional extras they had not actively chosen.
Under consumer law, companies must ensure customers have a genuine choice when purchasing additional products or services and cannot rely on pre-ticked boxes or automatic opt-ins for paid extras.
The CMA investigation examined Marks Electrical’s practices from April 2025, when stronger consumer enforcement powers came into effect, the Evening Standard reported.
The retailer stopped the practice immediately after the investigation began and admitted breaking the rules, agreeing to settle early. This resulted in a 40 per cent reduction to the original penalty.
Customers affected by the issue do not need to contact the company. Marks Electrical will arrange refunds directly using the payment method originally used, with cheques issued where necessary.
Emma Cochrane, CMA executive director of consumer protection, said businesses must not automatically add charges to customers’ purchases.
“Automatically opting customers into extra charges is never okay,” she said, warning firms that regulators would continue to issue penalties and secure refunds where consumer rights are breached.
The case serves as a warning to retailers that optional extras must remain genuinely optional — particularly during major purchases where customers may not notice additional charges buried in the buying process.
Leave a Comment