Consumer's Telegram October 2024

Insert of n. 77 - Editorial office: Centro Europeo Consumatori (European Consumer Centre Italy - Bolzano office)

TRAVEL

The National Database for Accommodation Providers Has Been Set Up

Travellers are increasingly choosing holiday apartments or similar types of accommodation for their holidays and book them via the numerous popular booking portals (which, however, only act as intermediaries), but it is not always clear whether the property booked is being rented out by a company or a private individual. Often not even the identity of the host is revealed. The so-called ‘national database for accommodation establishments and properties for short-term lets or tourist purposes’ has now been set up, making registration compulsory for Italian hosts. Hopefully the database will contribute to improve transparency and help guests to avoid possible scams and enable access to the necessary information to assert one’s rights if something goes wrong during the stay.

E-COMMERCE

Rules Meant to Protect Buyers are Insufficiently Applied

Discounts offered by online shops can now be found practically at any time of the year. The offers are advertised as super bargains, and it is not easy to find out whether this is actually the case. The Bolzano office of the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Italy together with the Verbraucherzentrale Südtirol/Centro Tutela Consumatori Utenti (VZS/CTCU) carried out a sample check on the major e-commerce websites to see if the rules on price indications were being respected. The results of this research can hardly be called satisfactory. Only 9 of the examined shops correctly indicated the lowest price applied in the last 30 days to promotional items. Read on the website of the ECC what was found.

UNFAIR COMMERCIAL PRACTICES

Wizz Air Commits to More Clarity

The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) had already started proceedings against the low-cost carrier Wizzair in 2023 with regard to potentially misleading information on the online check-in procedure and the cost of check-in at the airport. Recently the carrier presented its commitments in this regard: in fact it undertook to indicate at the time of booking, in a clear and visible manner, that free online check-in is possible within 24 hours but no later than 3 hours before departure, to clearly indicate already at the time of booking that it is also possible to purchase the service “check-in at the airport” at the price of EUR 15 but that if the time window for free online check-in is not respected, check-in at the airport will cost EUR 40. Furthermore, the carrier has committed to refunding passengers who had complained to the carrier between 2019 and 2023 because they were unable to check in online and had to pay the surcharge at the airport.

CASE OF THE MONTH
For a city trip to Rome, a consumer had chosen accommodation for himself and his family on an Irish intermediary platform and booked and paid for it several months in advance. The price included a confidence guarantee. On the day of arrival, however, he was informed that the accommodation was not available and the price the consumer had paid was refunded immediately. However, the family needed an accommodation and so the consumer contacted the customer service of the booking platform and described his problem. Although the booking platform was unable to quickly provide an alternative, it promised to reimburse the consumer up to a certain amount for the additional costs for a hotel booking. The consumer therefore found a hotel room for his family, but had to spend 400 euros more than originally planned. He submitted the hotel bill, but despite repeated requests, the promised refund did not arrive. After four months, the consumer contacted ECC Italy and asked for assistance. The case was sent to ECC Ireland, which contacted the booking platform. Two weeks later, the consumer reported that the refund had been made.