Consumer's Telegram February 2022
Insert of n. 13 - Editorial office: Centro Europeo Consumatori (European Consumer Centre Italy - Bolzano office)FLIGHTS
ECJ Ruling Strengthens Passenger Rights in Case of Early Departure
The EU Air Passenger Rights Regulation provides rights in the event of denied boarding and cancellation or long delay of flights, but does not foresee anything about the consequences of an early departure. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) recently ruled that a flight is to be considered 'cancelled' if the airline brings a flight forward by more than one hour. According to the ECJ, the early departure in this case is considered significant because it can lead to serious inconvenience for passengers. Consequently, passengers may now be entitled to compensation (depending on the distance respectively 250, 400 or 600 euros) in case of a flight brought forward by more than one hour - just like in the case of a cancellation. You can find more information on your air passenger rights here.SUSTAINABILITY
The Platform that Calculates your Ecological Footprint
The EU provides an online tool to calculate your ecological footprint (Consumer Footprint Calculator). This allows you to calculate the environmental impact of your consumption pattern and to assess how changes in your lifestyle could affect your personal footprint. The assessment is carried out for five consumption areas (food, housing, mobility, household goods and appliances) and follows an approach that takes into account the full life cycle impact of the products consumed. By using the platform, you can assess the impact of your consumption to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development goals. The platform is available at the following link: eplca.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ConsumerFootprint.html.ODR Platform
A Way to Resolve Consumer Complaints
he ODR platform is celebrating its sixth birthday. It is an interactive website set up by the European Commission to resolve disputes arising from online purchases, both at national and cross-border level. To use the services offered by the ODR platform, you need to create an account, which will give you access to a personal dashboard where you can monitor the status of your complaint. To start the procedure, you simply fill in a form. You can then choose whether to send a complaint to the seller and request the intervention of an ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) body or negotiate a resolution directly with the seller. For more information click here.CASE OF THE MONTH
A consumer from the Czech Republic had subscribed to a magazine collection offered by an Italian publisher. This collection included 100 issues with the necessary elements for the construction of a model of a famous car. The collection had started in October 2018 and was supposed to end in February 2021. The price paid by the consumer was 930 euros. However, 11 issues were not delivered and the consumer could not finish building the model.
The consumer repeatedly contacted the customer service to solve the problem and finally turned to the European Consumer Centre (ECC) in the Czech Republic, which in turn forwarded the case to ECC Italy. ECC Italy contacted the publisher several times. Eventually, the missing files were delivered to the consumer, who was able to complete the collection and finish building the model of the car.