THE UK Office of Fair Trading has found DCC was not transparent in outlining to consumers the links between the company and a price comparison website it owns.Boilerjuice.com is a popular home heating oil price comparison website in the UK which is owned by DCC.
The Irish company is also the biggest heating oil supplier in the UK, operating through a number of brands including GB Oils, the largest heating oil distributor in the UK.
Earlier this year, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) began an inquiry into the website following consumer complaints and media reports about the independence of the website as a price comparison tool.
The OFT has secured an undertaking in lieu of court action from DCC. It found that while boilerjuice.com did provide price quotations from GB Oil and other heating oil distributors, it was not transparent about its links to DCC.
Under consumer legislation – the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations – the OFT has secured undertakings from Boilerjuice, and another price comparison website fuelfighter.co.uk, preventing both from engaging in business practices that could be misleading.
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