Consumer's Telegram November 2017

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

E-COMMERCE

Warranty - what you need to know about it
A Hungarian consumer ordered a watch from an Italian internetsite. As soon as the item was delivered, first problems occured: Firstly, every day the watch was a few minutes slow, then it stopped completely. How, when and where must the consumer claim for warranty? Warranty is an inalienable right where consumers need to assert a claim with the seller. In everyday speech one usually talks about a legal guarantee. Many assume wrongly that warranty must be claimed at the producer; this is only the case when the producer appears simultaneously as the seller. The warranty period is Europe-wide at least two years. You find more information about warranty on our internetsite.

HOLIDAY AND TRAVEL

Help! The airline lost my suitcase!
For every traveller it is a nightmare when the proper suitcase gets lost during a flight or arrives seriously damaged. Unfortunately, one has to say, that complaints concerning the carriage of luggage, are the order of the day at the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Italy - office Bolzano/Bozen. In the course of the summer more than 200 inquiries and complaints about luggage entered this office. Therefore, last summer probably many travellers received their suitcases delayed, not at all or seriously damaged. Nevertheless, there are some practical tips and valuable hints one should take into account in order to minimize the risk as much as possible. You find more information as well as useful sample letters on the internetsite of the European Consumer Centre - office Bolzano/Bozen.

SHOPPING AND E-COMMERCE

Maximum limits cash payment
Do you want to buy furniture in France, settle the invoice of a Belgian craftsman or pay the rent for your holiday home in Italy? Unlike in Germany (where there is not a maximum limit for cash payments yet), many EU-countries have set a maximum amount. The maximum amount for cash payment in Italy is 2,999.99 euros. The minimal penalty for violations is 3,000 euros and this amount can increase up to 40% of the payment in cash. Our German colleagues provide more information on their homepage.


Case of the month
Financial compensation when flights are cancelled
An Italian travel group booked a flight from Munich to Lima with change in Madrid with a Spanish airline. The flight from Munich to Madrid worked according to schedule, but the connecting flight from Madrid to Lima was cancelled at short notice. The airline provided a hotel room and also the rebooking of a substitution flight - as required by law - was organized free of charge. However, at the beginning the airline was not prepared to pay the compensation of 600 euros per passenger according to the EU-passenger rights Regulation no. 261/2004 making an unacceptable excuse for extraordinary circumstances. This case of complaint was forwarded from the colleagues of the European Consumer Centre Spain to the Spanish regulatory authority AESA (Agencia Estatal de Seguridad Aérea) that confirmed that the airline had to pay compensation because the flight had not been cancelled because of extraordinary circumstances. After this intervention the affected consumers received a compensation payment of 600 euros from the airline.