Exclusive: Online retailers tested the price at £34.99 because of concerns about consumers’ “piracy” market

Last modified on Monday, December 13, 2021 at 15.54 EST

Amazon will start selling low-cost Covid PCR test kits to travelers, a move that is expected to shake up a market that consumers call "cottage jungle".

The government-approved tests will be applied to the second and eighth day of the UK and the "test-to-release" arrival plan. Each test costs £34.99, but will also be bundled with a discount. The retailer’s international arrival service will be launched as soon as possible today and will be included in the government-approved supplier list.

Testing will be conducted in Amazon's Salford laboratory, which was established last year to test employees. It also set up a laboratory in the United States and began selling home test kits to American shoppers through its website in the summer.

Earlier this month, Amazon also began selling test kits in the UK, although they are not suitable for travelers. However, this means that the company's name has been added to the official list of Covid test providers.

Before Amazon entered the travel PCR test market, some people who traveled to the UK complained that the tests provided by small companies that have emerged to serve the market were late or sometimes did not arrive at all.

The government has been accused of failing to control the test market, which is once again crucial for Britons who wish to travel abroad this Christmas. It reintroduced mandatory PCR testing to track progress and limit the spread of Omicron variants.

The Guardian recently revealed that the site has deleted a large number of PCR test transactions due to concerns that consumers will be misled by the company's advertising tests at a price of less than 1 pound. It is understood that officials have taken action based on complaints within the industry that certain suppliers manipulate rankings by advertising ultra-low-price deals that are actually difficult to obtain.

Last week, Lord Terry, the former chairman of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), referred to the market as a "cottage jungle." He said that misleading online advertising, overpriced and unacceptably bad services, although exposed several months ago, have not been eradicated.

CMA stated that it has written to 25 PCR providers, warning them to keep their houses in order, otherwise law enforcement actions may be taken. It also began a formal investigation of two companies: Expert Medicals and Dante Labs.

This fall, the regulatory agency issued a series of recommendations to the Ministry of Health and Social Care, which manages the list of test providers. These include "significantly" raising the basic standards required for listing and a "comprehensive monitoring and enforcement plan."

However, nothing seems to have changed. Rory Boland, travel editor for consumer organization which? said that travelers are "very disappointed" in a dysfunctional market, facing exorbitant prices and unreliable suppliers. "After the CMA audited the private examination system, we have not seen any meaningful action by the government," he said.

Francis Ingham, an independent director of the Laboratory and Testing Industry Organization (LTIO), a trade association whose members have signed a code of conduct based on the recommendations of the CMA, said that the customer’s choice is a “good thing” . "We welcome Amazon's new products. Reliability and transparency are of the utmost importance, so we hope that the company can meet the standards set by LTIO members."