Testimony in Support of S-2257
Prohibiting Deceptive Trade Practices
Senate Committee on Special Legislation and Veterans Affairs
April 3, 2024
Alan Krinsky, Director of Research & Fiscal Policy
The Economic Progress Institute supports Senator Ujifusa’s S-2257 to protect Rhode Island consumers by recognizing and prohibiting the concealment of costs as a deceptive practice.
Increasingly, Americans have noticed differences between advertised prices and the prices they must pay, in the end, for these same good or services. Perhaps most frequently encountered in the form of various fees added on to the cost of a concert ticket, such service fees or service charges are mandatory yet not always reflected in the advertised price. Too often, consumers only realize there are additional charges (the purpose of which is unclear) when they are already near the end of a purchase process and have already invested considerable time and energy, making it difficult to cancel at that stage.
We support transparency in pricing and advertising to protect Rhode Island consumers, who should not be subject to baits-and-switches in making purchases.