A BICESTER firm which makes mobility scooters may have infringed competition law, the Office of Fair Trading has said.

The OFT alleges that Pride Mobility, based in Wedgwood Road and thought to be the biggest of its kind in the UK, may have entered into agreements which prevented some UK-wide online retailers from advertising prices below Pride’s recommended retail price for some models of mobility scooter.

The OFT alleges these ‘price fixing’ practices may have limited consumers’ ability to get value for money.

OFT director Louis Christofides said: “The internet is a vital tool for shopping around. We want people to be able to use the internet to find and compare dealers’ actual retail prices, saving them time and effort in searching for the best offer.

“This is particularly important in the mobility scooters sector, where many customers may have difficulty getting out to the shops.

“If retailers are prevented from advertising their discounts online, consumers are significantly restricted from identifying and obtaining lower prices, and it is harder for innovative and efficient retailers to win new customers.”

The company will now have the opportunity to respond to the OFT’s claims and the Government body will consider any representations they make before deciding whether competition law has been infringed. Pride Mobility declined to comment.