In Peru, can a shop charge you more at the till than the price on the shelf?
No. The displayed price is the price. Peru's Consumer Code requires the displayed price to be the total, taxes and charges included, and forbids charging any sum on top of it unless it is a separate, additional service such as delivery or installation.
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Peruvian State portal (gob.pe)
Checked 1 Oct 2026Next review 12 Mar 2027
What we read and what we did notArticles 4.1, 4.2 and 110 of Ley 29571 were read in the Third Official Edition of the Consumer Protection Code published by Minjus.
What the statute says
Peru’s Consumer Protection and Defence Code (Ley 29571) deals with this in two consecutive paragraphs.
Article 4.1 says that when a seller displays prices — on lists, signs, labels, tags or packaging — it must show «en forma destacada el precio total», and that total «debe incluir los tributos, comisiones y cargos aplicables». There is no base price plus tax. There is one number, and it is the one you see.
Article 4.2 closes the door from the other side: «Los consumidores no pueden ser obligados al pago de sumas o recargos adicionales al precio fijado, salvo que se trate de servicios distintos o adicionales». In the text we read, the statute itself gives transport and installation as examples: things that are not part of the product and whose cost was not included.
Together, the two paragraphs say one thing: the displayed price is the price.
The distinction people miss
Two situations look alike and are not:
| Situation | Lawful? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Label shows one price, till charges more | No | Art. 4.1: the displayed price must be the total |
| Displayed price excludes IGV, IGV added at the till | No | Art. 4.1: the total includes taxes |
| Undisclosed charge for “service”, “handling” or “bag” | No | Art. 4.2: not a separate service |
| Home delivery or installation fee, disclosed beforehand | Yes | Art. 4.2: a distinct, additional service |
| Expired sale price still on the shelf | Not while it is displayed | A sign is a price display |
The 4.2 exception is narrow. A “separate or additional” service is something you choose to buy on top of the product. It is not a new label for the same product.
System errors and expired offers
The most common line at the till is “the system has it at another price” or “that offer ended.” The statute does not care why the displayed price is wrong. It requires the seller to display the right one. Leaving up a sale sign that no longer applies is a price display, and that price governs while the sign is there.
This does not mean you can demand a price that is an obvious gross error (a television for one sol). That is contested ground, and we will not tell you the statute settles it in one sentence, because it does not. For ordinary discrepancies — a product marked at one price and charged at a higher one — the rule is clear.
What to do on the spot
- Photograph the displayed price.
- Ask them to honour the label price, citing article 4.1.
- If you pay anyway, keep the receipt. Paying does not validate the charge.
- Libro de reclamaciones, with the photo and receipt attached.
- No useful answer: Indecopi’s Reclama Virtual. If you want a sanction, a denuncia through the Mesa de Partes.
If you run a business
The rule is simple to comply with: what the shelf says is what the system charges, and offers come off the shelf the day they expire. A single charge above the displayed price can end in a sanctioning procedure with a fine graded under article 110, and a reclamo in the book obliges you to respond within the legal deadline.
What if the shelf price itself came from a misleading ad?
A different price at checkout can be a simple error, but if the ad itself promised something false (a sale that never existed, hidden conditions), the problem goes beyond Article 4.1. See misleading advertising in Peru: what you can claim.
How to file
- Photograph the displayed price before you reach the tillThe shelf label, the sign or the menu with the price visible. It is the only evidence you need, and it disappears the moment they correct it.
- Say it at the till, with the article«El precio exhibido es el precio total, artículo 4.1 del Código del Consumidor. No pueden cobrarme un recargo adicional, artículo 4.2.» Most supervisors honour the label price on the spot.
- If they insist, ask for the libro de reclamacionesRecord the product, the displayed price, the price charged, the time and the name of the person who served you. Attach the photo and the receipt. The business has a legal deadline to respond.
- No useful answer? Indecopi's Reclama VirtualFree, and aimed at conciliation with the seller. If you want the conduct sanctioned, the route is a denuncia through the Mesa de Partes.
- To open a sanctioning procedureFile a denuncia through Indecopi's virtual Mesa de Partes. A reclamo conciliates; a denuncia sanctions.
Want it drafted for you? Escrito listo — S/ 29 · available soon →
What most people believe — and what the law says
If the label was wrong, the price in the system is the one that counts.
The reverse. Article 4.1 requires the displayed price to be the total price. Whatever the label, sign or menu says is the price the seller fixed, and the price they can charge. A system error is the shop's problem, not yours.
Tax (IGV) is added at the till, so of course it comes out higher.
The displayed price must include «los tributos, comisiones y cargos aplicables». A shelf price without IGV and a till price with it is exactly what article 4.1 prohibits.
They can add a small charge for the bag, for service or for handling.
Article 4.2 allows extra charges only for separate or additional services, such as transport or installation. A surcharge that is not a distinct service is a payment they cannot demand.
I already paid, so there is nothing to be done.
There is. With the receipt and a photo of the displayed price you can file in the libro de reclamaciones and, if they do not answer, go to Indecopi. Paying does not validate the charge.
Frequently asked questions
What proof should I bring if I was charged more than the displayed price?
A photo of the displayed price on the shelf, label or menu, plus the receipt showing the amount charged. With both, you can file in the libro de reclamaciones citing article 4.1, with nothing more needed.
What's the difference between filing a reclamo and a denuncia with Indecopi?
A reclamo, through Reclama Virtual, is free and aims at conciliation with the seller. A denuncia, filed through the virtual Mesa de Partes, seeks to have Indecopi sanction the conduct with a fine under article 110.
Does an expired sale price still apply if the sign hasn't been taken down?
Yes, while the sign is still up. Article 4.1 does not care why the displayed price is out of date: it requires the display to be correct, so an expired sale sign still governs until it's removed.
What fine can a business face for charging more than the displayed price?
Under article 110, the sanction runs from a warning up to 450 UIT depending on gravity, with different caps for micro-enterprises (10% of gross income) and small enterprises (20%), subject to conditions.
What the fine is
| Conduct | Severity | Range | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charging more at the till than the displayed price, or adding surcharges not included in the fixed price Ley 29571, arts. 4.1, 4.2 and 110 Article 110 runs from a warning up to 450 UIT depending on gravity (minor up to 50, serious up to 150, very serious up to 450). Grading depends on the case. Micro-enterprises are capped at 10% of gross income and small enterprises at 20%, subject to conditions. | variable | up to 450 UIT up to S/ 2,475,000.00 up to $715,939 | Indecopi |
Fines are set in UIT. When the UIT moves, every fine moves with it. UIT 2026 = S/ 5,500 (Decreto Supremo N.º 301-2025-EF). Reference conversion only. The debt is owed in soles.FX rate as of2026-10-12: US$ 1 = S/ 3.457.
The exact law
Ley N.º 29571Article 4.1read
Consumer Protection and Defence Code — the displayed price must be the total price
«Cuando el proveedor exhiba precios de los productos o servicios o los consigne en sus listas de precios, rótulos, letreros, etiquetas, envases u otros, debe indicar en forma destacada el precio total de los mismos, el cual debe incluir los tributos, comisiones y cargos aplicables.»
↳Article 4.2read
Consumer Protection and Defence Code — no surcharges on top of the fixed price
«Los consumidores no pueden ser obligados al pago de sumas o recargos adicionales al precio fijado, salvo que se trate de servicios distintos o adicionales.»
↳Article 110read
Consumer Protection and Defence Code — administrative penalties
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What this page already lets you do
- Name the rule that protects you
- Copy the exact article and send it
- Follow the steps, in order
- Know how far the fine goes