Consumer's Telegram July/August 2015 - Travel Special

Insert of n. 48 - Editorial office: Centro Europeo Consumatori (European Consumer Centre, Bolzano - Italy)


Every year the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Bozen/Bolzano deals with more than 400 inquiries of consumers from all over Italy and from other EC-countries such as Iceland and Norway. Most of these inquiries regard travel and holiday.

The ECC-consultants have observed that most common problems and inconveniences could have been solved in advance: Sometimes a click less or a travel insurance more would have been enough. Fortunately, consumers’ rights never go away on holiday also thanks to the European Union. Nevertheless, one needs the right information and concrete help in order to insist on the rights provided by institutions protecting consumers.

Consumers can take advantage of a free consulting service by contacting the ECC-consultants via e-mail info@euroconsumatori.org or via phone under 0471-980939. Information is also at one’s disposal on the site of the ECC under http://www.euroconsumatori.org/81913d81915.html
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ECC-NET: TRAVEL APP

The free mobile travel app as an ideal travelling companion!

With the “ECC-Net: Travel App” the network of European Consumer Centres (ECC-Net) offers consumers legal information, practical help and language assistance for 101 typical situations in one single application. The App is available in all and for all 28 countries as well as Iceland and Norway. It works in 25 European languages; it helps travellers in Europe to cope with stressful situations abroad and to enforce consumers’ rights in the language of the holiday destination. The App works completely offline so that no roaming fees will be charged and the programme can be downloaded for free. More information and the link to download you’ll find here.


ROAMING

Fees reduced and abolished

Roaming describes the possibility to access with one’s own mobile phone or another device another net, different from one’s own mobile phone provider. Roaming is important when the user is abroad. In recent years the European Commission has standardized roaming costs within the European Union: Since 2007 they have been reduced to 80 percent. A further reduction of these costs are expected on April 30th, 2016: Phone calls from abroad (but still within the EU) will be charged only 5 cents (current charge 19 cents for outgoing calls, 5 cents for incoming calls), SMS 2 cents (current charge 6 cents) and surfing in the internet maximum 5 cents per megabyte (current charge 20 cents/mb). On June 15th 2017 roaming costs are expected to be definitely abolished, while the provider can still impose restrictions. For example, one is under contract to an Italian mobile phone provider but lives permanently in another EU-country.


TRAVEL NERVES?
Please check on the internet site of the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs about travel warnings for your holiday destination: http://viaggiaresicuri.it.