Co-ordinated enforcement action leads to greater compliance with Consumer Rights on travel websites
15 Apr 2014 03:54 PM
In a concerted action by national consumer
authorities co-ordinated by the European Commission, an astonishing 382 out of
552 websites checked in 2013 did not respect European consumer law. As a
result of vigorous enforcement action, 62% of the websites checked are now
treating consumers as they should
"One in three internet users in the European
Union book travel and accommodation on line. They deserve to know that an
on-line booking is safe and reliable. Of the 552 travel websites we checked,
62% are now in line with EU consumer legislation, thanks to the joint efforts
of Member States and the Commission. I will not rest until consumers'
rights are fully respected and will seek to use the existing structures to
achieve this." said EU Commissioner for Consumer Policy, Neven
Mimica.
Concerted screenings (also known as "sweeps")
of websites are regularly coordinated by the European Commission and carried
out by national enforcement authorities, to identify breaches of consumer law
and to subsequently ensure its enforcement. In summer 2013, national
authorities checked websites selling air travel and hotel accommodation,
including websites of both traders and intermediaries. A total 552 websites
were checked,
Following checks and verification, national authorities
found a total of 382 websites to be non-compliant with EU consumer law, while
only 31% of the websites checked complied with EU rules. National authorities
subsequently either contacted national companies which run the
non-compliant websites in order to bring them in line with EU consumer law or
for companies from other Member States asked the assistance of the competent
Member State,. To date, 173 websites have been corrected, bringing the
total number of compliant websites up to 62% of the total websites checked. 209
websites are subject to ongoing proceedings, including 52 commitments by
traders to correct their websites.
What has been checked exactly?
The
websites were checked to determine whether information on the key
characteristics of the services was easily accessible; whether the price was
indicated at an early stage and inclusive of optional supplements; whether the
websites provided email addresses to which questions and complaints could be
submitted; and to see whether the websites contained terms and conditions
available before the purchase and written in plain and easy to understand
language. The main problems found were:
-
A
lack of mandatory information on the trader's
identity, in particular their email
address, depriving consumers from an effective contact channel. 162
websites (30%) did not contain this information.
-
A
lack of clear instructions on how to complain. 157
websites (28%) did not provide this information.
-
Optional price supplements, such as
baggage fee, insurance fee, priority boarding, are not on an
“opt-in” basis. This problem occurred with 133 websites
(24%).
The total price of the
service is not indicated up-front when the main elements of the booking are
first displayed. 112 websites (20%) failed to give this
information.
What happens next?
Administrative or legal proceedings continue at national
level for the 209 websites which are still not compliant. In addition, certain
practices in the travel sector are being further reviewed so that consumers
have all the relevant information and can make informed
choices.
Background
A "sweep" is an
EU-wide screening of websites, to identify breaches of consumer law and to
subsequently ensure its enforcement. The sweep is coordinated by the European
Commission and run simultaneously by national enforcement authorities based on
the provisions of the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) regulation.
The Travel Services Sweep took place in 27 EU Member
States1, Norway and Iceland in June 2013. The
"enforcement phase" is still on-going. This was the 7th sweep
since 2007. Websites offering air travel and accommodation or both were
checked; a website offering both services was counted twice.
A
growing percentage of European citizens purchase travel services online: in
2012, 32% of European consumers with access to internet booked air tickets or a
hotel online (Eurostat data e-shopping survey 2012). Travel, tourism and
related sectors account for roughly 10% of EU GDP. European citizens made in
2011 more than 1 billion holiday trips, out of which nearly 80% in the
EU.
For
further information:
MEMO/14/292
Twitter: @MimicaEU, @EU_Consumer
http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/enforcement/sweep/online_travel_booking/
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