European consumers are increasingly exposed to misleading advertisements and promotions when using the Internet and social media are falling and more and more often in subscription traps in subscription services.
According to the Network's survey of European Consumer Centers (ECC) conducted in six European countries found that consumers in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium and Austria-which reported the highest number of problems within the subscription traps EKK- network have limited knowledge of their rights when they have to face adverse market products or traps contracts.
The result was, according to the same survey, that consumers, in the last three years were charged, on average, EUR 116 per year because they have exercised their rights. Indeed, more money spent because of misleading entry in a subscription service, male consumers than women.
With an informative video and eight tips on dealing on-line traps the European Consumer Center of Greece aims to give consumers the ability to avoid, as far as possible, offers-traps and deceptive practices subscription services. "
What are the pitfalls of signing up subscription services?
Aggressive sales practices offer free product testing or great deals appear more and more social media (social media) and on websites, sometimes in the form of pop-up ads (pop-up windows). These ads by surprise consumers and lure in some cases, to make purchases of products or services without their will.
What are the most common ways of deception
The common feature in all these cases is that the consumer is trapped, online or by telephone, repeated monthly subscription payments, usually rather high amounts to lure some free or low cost home delivery. That provision acts as 'bait'.
Knowledge and lets the solution
The registration of a consumer as a subscriber and thus the contractual commitment without the express consent and without being informed of their obligations through a promotion and, more generally, through a commercial practice are unfair and deceptive practices and commitment to leading is not strong.
It is the obligation of the supplier to prove that the consumer has given his consent to a market and is important for consumers to immediately denounce this type of trade and to assert their rights.
Eight tips to avoid online pitfalls assistance
Read carefully the terms that accompany online offers and promotions, which is free to register and the e-mails of confirmation of product availability or service. Be wary of sites where conditions are not clear and focused , but are references to other websites. Check if an obligation is provided after the expiry of the trial period or premium. Otherwise you free trial or offer to automatically switch to monthly subscription fee. Default terms or boxes (tickboxes) automatically selected, without active involvement of the consumer prohibited. Before you type the name, our address or the number of your mobile phone, we need to check up on what company you are dealing. Also, beware if we capture and if we enter into a contract. We do not give the details of our card or our bank account or other personal information, without having read carefully the conditions. Avoid the online stores that do not have in them the elements of their identity website, as required by the Consumer Code of Conduct for Electronic Commerce ( full company name, location, contact numbers, e-mail, VAT number, registration number in GEMI). It is mandatory for online stores to clearly indicate when ordering a trial package or offer before enter our data, whether this entails a contractual obligation, for example, Registration on a subscription service, multimedia service (five-digit). Not do business with online stores that do not comply with the legislation on consumer protection: required on the website of online shops to have clear information c k the key features of the product, payment and delivery, the availability and the total cost product or service, including taxes, fees, transport costsOthers Special information should be made for the right to hold harmless and unjustified withdrawal within 14 calendar days. We are seeking online comments from other consumer transaction experience with the company making the offer, much more if we are unknown. We keep a copy of the conditions of application or our registration. It is useful also to bear in mind, when the end time of the trial and free-use period to unsubscribe from the service, if you do not wish to continue to charge.
What do when we subscribe without our will
We proceed immediately to remove from the subscription service, especially for recurring billing, keeping the relevant evidence. If required, we practice writing the 14-day right of withdrawal without justification harmless, holding the relevant proof.
We submit to our bank transaction dispute request if the online store charged our card without our consent, requesting return of our money.
We are not required to pay for a product that we did not order or make any return costs.
On the subject, the Consumer Ombudsman and Deputy Director of the European Center for Greece Athena Kontogianni Consumer declares: "The online registration pitfalls in subscription services evolve over the last three years, one of the problems of e-commerce.
Consumers, because of the economic crisis, are more vulnerable to targeted offers, vouchers and free benefits, based on the consumer profile formed by the websites you visit on the Internet and the use of social media.
Only 1 in 5 Europeans consumers who transact online stores read the terms of websites before undertaking a transaction. The effort to locate an internet trap by consumers, as well as knowledge of their rights in case of misleading or aggressive commercial practices is the key to avoid unwanted charges from transactions that were not to their will. "
According to the Network's survey of European Consumer Centers (ECC) conducted in six European countries found that consumers in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Netherlands, Belgium and Austria-which reported the highest number of problems within the subscription traps EKK- network have limited knowledge of their rights when they have to face adverse market products or traps contracts.
The result was, according to the same survey, that consumers, in the last three years were charged, on average, EUR 116 per year because they have exercised their rights. Indeed, more money spent because of misleading entry in a subscription service, male consumers than women.
With an informative video and eight tips on dealing on-line traps the European Consumer Center of Greece aims to give consumers the ability to avoid, as far as possible, offers-traps and deceptive practices subscription services. "
What are the pitfalls of signing up subscription services?
Aggressive sales practices offer free product testing or great deals appear more and more social media (social media) and on websites, sometimes in the form of pop-up ads (pop-up windows). These ads by surprise consumers and lure in some cases, to make purchases of products or services without their will.
What are the most common ways of deception
- Free participation in a contest with substantial prize (eg expensive mobile phone, tablet, shopping coupon supermarkets) or an online intelligence test or a free trial of an online game or a request for a free cosmetic samples may ultimately , be expensive to the consumer, if mask register a subscription service.
- Usually, it asked consumers to give the card and / or the number of his mobile phone in order to benefit from the offer or complete participation in the contest or to receive the test result. These elements are used either for sending multimedia messages billable services, eg 5 digits, the consumer's mobile or lead to monthly subscription fee or one-off payment in the card.
- Once again the free consumer recording, eg in online gaming, electronic recreation services platform or antivirus service, accompanied by fine print, by, indeed, referral to another page that, in the end the trial period, eg one month, does not make any removed from the hitherto free service, then the registration is automatically converted to a chargeable subscription service, eg two years.
- Key areas shown these traps are buying cosmetics and dietary or health supplement preparations, the technology products and dating services.
The common feature in all these cases is that the consumer is trapped, online or by telephone, repeated monthly subscription payments, usually rather high amounts to lure some free or low cost home delivery. That provision acts as 'bait'.
Knowledge and lets the solution
The registration of a consumer as a subscriber and thus the contractual commitment without the express consent and without being informed of their obligations through a promotion and, more generally, through a commercial practice are unfair and deceptive practices and commitment to leading is not strong.
It is the obligation of the supplier to prove that the consumer has given his consent to a market and is important for consumers to immediately denounce this type of trade and to assert their rights.
Eight tips to avoid online pitfalls assistance
Read carefully the terms that accompany online offers and promotions, which is free to register and the e-mails of confirmation of product availability or service. Be wary of sites where conditions are not clear and focused , but are references to other websites. Check if an obligation is provided after the expiry of the trial period or premium. Otherwise you free trial or offer to automatically switch to monthly subscription fee. Default terms or boxes (tickboxes) automatically selected, without active involvement of the consumer prohibited. Before you type the name, our address or the number of your mobile phone, we need to check up on what company you are dealing. Also, beware if we capture and if we enter into a contract. We do not give the details of our card or our bank account or other personal information, without having read carefully the conditions. Avoid the online stores that do not have in them the elements of their identity website, as required by the Consumer Code of Conduct for Electronic Commerce ( full company name, location, contact numbers, e-mail, VAT number, registration number in GEMI). It is mandatory for online stores to clearly indicate when ordering a trial package or offer before enter our data, whether this entails a contractual obligation, for example, Registration on a subscription service, multimedia service (five-digit). Not do business with online stores that do not comply with the legislation on consumer protection: required on the website of online shops to have clear information c k the key features of the product, payment and delivery, the availability and the total cost product or service, including taxes, fees, transport costsOthers Special information should be made for the right to hold harmless and unjustified withdrawal within 14 calendar days. We are seeking online comments from other consumer transaction experience with the company making the offer, much more if we are unknown. We keep a copy of the conditions of application or our registration. It is useful also to bear in mind, when the end time of the trial and free-use period to unsubscribe from the service, if you do not wish to continue to charge.
What do when we subscribe without our will
We proceed immediately to remove from the subscription service, especially for recurring billing, keeping the relevant evidence. If required, we practice writing the 14-day right of withdrawal without justification harmless, holding the relevant proof.
We submit to our bank transaction dispute request if the online store charged our card without our consent, requesting return of our money.
We are not required to pay for a product that we did not order or make any return costs.
On the subject, the Consumer Ombudsman and Deputy Director of the European Center for Greece Athena Kontogianni Consumer declares: "The online registration pitfalls in subscription services evolve over the last three years, one of the problems of e-commerce.
Consumers, because of the economic crisis, are more vulnerable to targeted offers, vouchers and free benefits, based on the consumer profile formed by the websites you visit on the Internet and the use of social media.
Only 1 in 5 Europeans consumers who transact online stores read the terms of websites before undertaking a transaction. The effort to locate an internet trap by consumers, as well as knowledge of their rights in case of misleading or aggressive commercial practices is the key to avoid unwanted charges from transactions that were not to their will. "
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