As of midnight tonight, i.e. as of 00:00 on 19.12.2020, a travel warning issued by the Austrian Foreign Ministry applies to practically the entire world. 10 states are exempt from this. What does this mean for a planned trip for the holidays?
Help for over one million consumers in Europe: ECC-Net celebrates 15 years of cross-border consumer protection
Those who want to find new life partners through Parship could be confronted with high costs as soon as they change their mind and only use the service for a short time. European Court of Justice declares offsetting practice invalid.
Refunds through booking platforms are particularly difficult. Those who have booked flights with intermediaries such as Opodo, Expedia & Co that were cancelled due to the pandemic are having a hard time getting their money back. Enquiries are piling up at arbitration offices and consumer protection agencies.
Insolvency of low cost airline - The airline Level Europe GmbH, active in the highly competitive market of low-cost airlines in Austria, has stopped operating with immediate effect.
Major event "Summer Splash" on Mediterranean beaches falls through. Bankruptcy of the Austrian Matura tour provider official since 28.5.2020.
05.06.2020 / Opening is partially one sided
Simplification for consumers
The European order for payment procedure simplifies the process of litigation in cross-border cases for consumers. It was established on 12.12.2008 in all EU Member States, except for Denmark.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the market for streaming services was in a solid growth process. The lockdown measures to contain COVID-19 have boosted demand even further, with leading streaming services even agreeing to reduce the video quality of streams at the request of the EU Commission to free up bandwidth for more important services. Even though the first rush of new customers to the streaming platforms has already slowed down somewhat, the increased demand in the area of video streaming has also led to an increased number of consumers who have fallen for fraudulent offers. Many consumers do not notice if they have signed up for a dubious streaming service. The rude awakening often comes a few days later when letters arrive from lawyers or debt collection agencies demanding several hundred euros for allegedly completed annual memberships. Due to the numerous requests for help from injured parties, the European Consumer Centre Austria (ECC) has now compiled information for consumers on the subject of video streaming.
12.05.2020 / Incomplete reimbursements
Misleading advertising of "flexible" tickets by the online tour operator led to a lawsuit and conviction in Vienna.
A new law abbreviated as KuKuSpoSiG settles demands for consumers that seek refunds for cancelled events in Austria
Clarity about ancillary costs of airline tickets was sued for in Italy by consumer advocates. Ryanair must clearly display ancillary costs for airline tickets, the European Court of Justice has ruled.
Corona scams on the net and in email inboxes. Crises cause confusion and usually attract scammers. Here is an overview of the current Corona-related scams
The Coronavirus paralyses public life in spring to Easter. A public event ban was issued by the Austrian Government.
Condor's insolvency was adverted after sale to Polish airline. Passengers can claim compensation again.
Consumers often fall prey to psychological stimuli that cause them to act impulsively and rashly. Read here about scams on social media and the new CPC Regulation, which improves the warning system and enforcement of consumer offences in the EU.
The Coronavirus ravages a Chinese province and the media is full of that. What does it mean for your rights of withdrawal in package tours?
Room price manipulation in Australia: On the comparison platform Trivago, Australian customers were not suggested the cheapest hotel rooms but search results with the highest profits were issued for the platform.
Interim injunction against German website operator of Vignette-sofot.at: Anti-competitive behaviour and circumvention of the right of withdrawal in distance selling transactions
Gift vouchers are popular and have certainly landed under the Christmas tree for many. In the meantime, they do not even stop at national borders within the EU. But are gift vouchers even allowed to be bought and redeemed in another EU country? When do they expire? The European Consumer Centres Network (ECC-Net) provides information.
If you bought a new car in a foreign EU Member State and want to transit it to your home country, you need a transit plate. The ECC-Net gathered all necessary information about national regulations in a new brochure.
Information for holidaymakers on the Thomas Cook bankruptcy. In this news story can read up on tangible instructions about how to best to proceed, if you have prepaid a part or the full cost of your planned trip.
07.10.2019 / Lodge claims
A dubious supplier of sexual enhancers (Horsepower) is luring customers into subscription traps. Unwanted deliveries are repeatedly sent to people who have agreed to a free trial or single delivery. Surprising bills and demands from debt collection agencies promptly follow.
30.09.2019 / Data theft with faked e-mails
The Thomas Cook concern comprises various companies in various countries. Not all of them are insolvent. We answer the most frequent questions about the current situation.
18.09.2019 / ECJ ruling on reimbursement of costs
06.09.2019 / ECJ agrees with VKI
04.09.2019 / Service by the Watchlist Internet
Opodo is an online intermediary for flights, hotels, rental cars and package travels, situated in England and Spain. We are currently receiving a lot of complaints about the company, regarding non-transparent pricing on the German website.
12.08.2019 / Info for travellers
Wrong delivery and stalling tactics, after frequent complaints we advise against ordering from the German online furniture mail order company Home24.
Dubious providers ended many a traveler´s dream of a vacation in a Spanish villa. After having paid for accommodation, the provider was suddenly no longer available.
Protection of your personal data
The hotel room is dirty or not available, instead of a "fine sandy beach" you find a rocky bay and instead of the longed-for peace and quiet you are tormented by annoying construction noise. Especially during the peak travel season, we receive an increasing number of complaints from holidaymakers whose stay did not turn out quite as expected. But what can you do if you have problems on holiday? We provide information on the options available to consumers.
15.07.2019 / ECJ: Compensation from airline
More and more airports refrain from loudspeaker announcements, to reduce noise and thereby stress for passengers. However, consumers regularly contact us as they encountered problems because of it.
05.06.2019 / Expensive consequences
Don't pay immediately! We have the most important information for you.
By clicking on „accept“, you explicitly consent to transfer data to the USA. Caution: The US does not ensure an comparable adequate level of protection like the EU. Due to surveillance laws such as FISA 702, Youtube (Google Inc) is obliged to hand over your personal data to US authorities. There is no adequacy decision of the European Commission for the transfer of data to the USA. Furthermore, Youtube (Google Inc) cannot offer appropriate safeguards for compliance with an adequate level of protection comparable to that of the EU. Hence, in the US you do not have enforceable data subject rights and effective legal remedies that are equivalent to the level of protection guaranteed within the EU.
Image:
