Consumer's Telegram November 2023

Insert of n. 86 - Editorial office: Centro Europeo Consumatori (European Consumer Centre Italy - Bolzano office)


PACKAGE TRAVEL

War and Terror in Israel – What Happens to my Package Travel

The Italian tourism code provides for the possibility to terminate the contract free of charge in the event of unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances that occur at the place of destination or in its immediate vicinity and that significantly affect the performance of the package or the carriage of passengers to the destination. In order to establish if ex-ceptional circumstances that significantly affect the execution of the trip are present, an official notice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is certainly a strong indication (although not a fun-damental requirement). Italian travellers who have booked a trip to Israel or neighbouring countries can find all relevant information on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Farnesina): www.viaggiaresicuri.it. By consulting the section dedicated to the country to which one wishes to travel, specific safety warnings and advice - as well as situations not recom-mended - for that country can be found. For more information on the subject.


ImagineEU COMPETITION

How would you like EU legislation to change?

With the ImagineEU competition, the EU offers young people an opportunity to present their ideas - in the form of a video - on something that could be improved in their own community or country and that could become law throughout the EU. The competition is open to students in the last two years of secondary/high school education from all EU countries. Under the supervision of a teacher, groups of up to seven students can participate by submitting their video by 13 December 2023. The prize is a study trip to Brussels and the institutions of the EU from 21 to 23 March 2024. For more information.

INFLUENCER MARKETING

A new tool to avoid unfair commercial practices

Influencers on various social media platforms are an increasingly important economic phenomenon. They often advertise products and services to consumers who are their followers and they, like all economic operators in the EU, have to comply with consumer protection rules. It is precisely to influencers and content creators that the European Commission's new platform Influencer legal hub is dedicated, containing material information on EU legislation on legal commercial practices, with the aim of informing them about the rules they have to comply with.

CASE OF THE MONTH
An Austrian consumer suffering from dementia and under guardianship was contacted by a so-called cold call by an Italian company and, in the course of the telephone call, placed an order for Italian delicacies worth approximately EUR 100. Only when the daughter of the legally incapable consumer found a reminder note in her mother's purse by chance, it turned out that a neighbour had seen the parcel near the door, had informed the courier company of the consumer's condition, and had agreed with the shipping company that she would pick up the parcel at a business premises. However, the parcel was not collected and the goods deteriorated in the meantime. Despite the fact that the consumer's daughter later specified her mother's state of incapacity and thus the invalidity of the contract, the company insisted on payment of the price. And this is precisely where the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Italy came into play, after the request for help from ECC Austria. The advisor of ECC Italy also initially received negative feedback from the seller, insisting on payment of the outstanding invoice amount. Furthermore, the seller ignored the complaint that the consumer had been contacted by telephone in an unsolicited manner. It was only when ECC Italy set a final deadline for the submission of a substantiated explanation regarding the unauthorised use of personal data that the company communicated the cancellation of the invoice.