Consumer's Telegram April 2017

Insert of n. 29 - Editorial office: Centro Europeo Consumatori (European Consumer Centre, Bolzano - Italy)

E-Commerce Special

Shopping online

Germany is a popular online market non only among German speaking but also among Italian speaking comsumers. However, sometimes it seems as if German sellers were afraid to send their goods to Italy, which is actually not so far away. "This even happened to me quite often", reports Julia Rufinatscha, legal advisor of the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Italy. "First I was excited about the bargain offers on German sites, but after they got to know the delivery country a sobering message came: 'This article cannot be delivered to Italy', or the table tennis table of the German seller was more convenient, but the delivery fees to Italy were more than 100 euros." Such exclusions of certain Member States are called "geoblocking". This phenomenon implies not only rerouting, which means transferring the request to the national version of the country's website in which the consumer is resident, but implies also sellers refusing to offer their goods and services in a different Member State. All counsumers experiencing such cases should get in touch with the ECC.

When my online order is going on a journey...

Regina likes surfing the internet looking for a bargain. She recently has really found a lovely tea service and has ordered it quickly. No clear delivery date has been specified. As already two weeks have passed since the order, she feels a bit concerned and contacts the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Bolzano/Bozen. In most cases a sending and delivering process of an online order runs smoothly. However, how can you protect yourself from unpleasant incidents during the delivery? What can you do if an item does not arrive or gets damaged? You find more information about the issue e-commerce in a brochure.

Travel reservations online: Reasonable offers or expensive fees and pitfalls?

Comfortable, easy, cheap - this is what you fancy when you book your holiday from home. However, high handling charges and more hurdles can ruin a supposed bargain. The first pitfall for consumers already lurks when the contract is concluded: The client is namely bound by the booking when clicking on the entry "Book Now Fee-Based". On the internet only one click is enough to conclude a legally binding contract and one click too much could sometimes become quite expensive: A withdrawal free of charge within 14 days, as is common in online shopping, is not usually possible in the leisure and holiday sector. A further hurdle to take are complaints or questions because it is often very difficult to get in contact with the web portal. One should carefully compare prices and also examine prices of bookings directly from the contracting party to avoid nasty surprises. For more information visit our homepage.

ODR-platform

If you ordered an item on an internetsite of sellers with their seat in the EU and you are not satisfied with your purchase, since 15 February 2016 you may contact the ODR-platform.
You submit your complaint to an out-of-court Online Dispute Resolution body (ODR) and you will receive qualified support from ECC Italy.


If you have any questions, please contact ECC Italy-Bolzano office at telephone No 0471/980939 or Email info@euroconsumatori.org.