Pristina cars raise prices to 3 euros

Cars in the Pristina municipality have decided to increase the price for car washing for one euro. With this increase, citizens of the capital disagree. The Competition Authority has launched investigations into price hikes.

Caring companies in the Pristina municipality have decided to increase prices for car washing for one euro. While the price for washing vehicles has started at 2 euros now with prices rising has become 3 euros.

Bedri Berisha, a citizen from Pristina, considers it meaningless, as according to him, never before has anything like this happened.

Although according to him, the price of one euro is not a problem, but that this increase has been unprecedented, reports Inseder.

So far, all cars have been priced at 2 euros, depending on the service you requested, there are 3 euros behind it. It is understandable, though, that all cars have increased prices at once. It's not a price issue. When I gave him 2 euros, it's no problem he gave him three. But it had to be given warning”, Berisha said.

Owners of several autolarants in the capital have argued the increase in the price at the expense they have during the winter season.

From the price of 2 euros to 3 euros, autowashing has been set up by the subx0> Meritoni”, located in Pristina's Payton district.

For this reason, the owner of this company, Meriton Lahu, said that the decision was made after all other companies have done the same.

I've raised the price for a euro. It's not that I'm the only one who's raised the prices, they've made all the cars. I don't know how they agreed, I just heard, then I did the same, but I don't think that's a big problem. Those who come and pay 2 euros can do 3rd, that's not a problem, says Meriton Lahu.

It also says this increase has been made due to the winter season, where even more hot water is used.

I guess this growth was due to the winter season. Of course, there are more costs because hot water is used”, Lahu said.

Even the owner of the Autolaration “Valon”, located in Pristina at a large circle, had the same rationale for price hikes.

The winter usually increases prices as well. I don't know, I don't know, but winter usually increases prices from autumn when it starts getting cold. Of 1 euro, 2 euros are usually raised. Just because the cold rises prices, because most car wash cars with hot water”.

There are costs that because cars are oilable and it's not worth the work for three euros. I've had cars for myself and never changed prices. Now I've just got my dirty carpet”, he says.

The Competition Protection Law, Article 4 says all agreements between two or more independent companies are prohibited, as well as decisions made between companies associations and co-ordinated practices that are aimed at or can evidently affect the trade competition disorder on the relevant market.

The Bureau for Information of the Kosovo Competition Authority said the AKK has appointed a task force to assess whether this increase could conflict with the Law on Protection of Competition.

“Offication of self - care services is the product/bare service, which is that it's a substitute product, so service that can be easily obtained in other parts of the city at various prices. Despite that, the AKK is praising whether these behaviors of these operators can conflict with the Competition Protection Law and has appointed a working group, in the case being”, says the Kosovo Competition Authority's response.

In response, the AKK is said to have to become the definition of the relevant market meaning the product market and the geographical market, which in concrete cases is the whole municipality of Pristina.

Kosovo's “Autority of Competition is the independent institution in carrying out its mandate, committed to preventing any possible breach of competition in the entire territory of the Republic of Kosovo. In the context of this, the AKK initially makes the definition of the respective market, meaning the product market and the geographical market, which in the concrete case is the whole Pristina Community, as well as assessing the public interest of citizens”, says the AKK response.

In the end, the Kosovar Competition Authority encourages economic operators to make independent business policies, including determining product/service prices.

“The authority continued monitoring and collecting data from markets, which according to AKK procedure development, we call this phase Pre-Precimal ReviewDuring which we do the assessment if we're dealing with violations that conflict with the Competition Protection Law. The AKK encourages all economic operators to make independent business policies, including setting product/service prices”, the AKK's response concludes.