Consumer's Telegram December 2025

Insert of n. 93 - Editorial office: Centro Europeo Consumatori (European Consumer Centre Italy - Bolzano office)

TRAVEL

Fines for traffic offences abroad

Every year, the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Italy receives hundreds of information requests concerning fines for traffic offences abroad. When you receive such a notification, caution is certainly a good rule of thumb, but ignoring a possible fine by throwing it away and dismissing it as a scam is not a good idea. This also applies if the recipient has never been to the country that issued the fine. In fact, it is not uncommon that number plates are mistakenly misread or allocated to the wrong country (for example, Italian and French number plates are very similar and can be confused by the authorities). Therefore, when you receive a fine from abroad, even if you are sure you have not committed the offence in question, it is a good idea to contact the issuing authority to check what has happened.

E-COMMERCE

The European Commission against online scams

EU legislation, specifically the Digital Services Act, requires very large online platforms and search engines to protect consumers from fraud by mitigating the risks associated with the dissemination of illegal content. The European Commission has sent a request for information to Apple App Store, Booking.com, Bing, Google Play and Google Search to find out what measures they are taking to address the risks associated with financial fraud. Among the most common scams are, for example, fraudulent apps that look like banking or trading apps and fake accommodation offers.

CHARGEBACK

Bankruptcy of Fly Go – Can I still be reimbursed?

Following the opening of insolvency proceedings against the flight booking website Fly Go Voyager Srl by the competent court in Bucharest, many consumers find themselves in the unfortunate situation of having paid for flight tickets that they never received. The deadline for submitting claims for compensation to the competent court has already expired, but it is still possible to resort to the chargeback procedure. This tool, available to those who have paid by credit card or other payment methods that provide for it, allows you to request the card issuer to cancel the transaction and refund the amounts paid, and offers a greater chance of obtaining a refund in a relatively short time.

CASE OF THE MONTH
In April 2024, an Italian consumer subscribed to a yoga and fitness app from a German provider. In April 2025, she was charged €119.99 because her subscription had been automatically renewed. The consumer immediately requested a refund and cancellation of the subscription, as she had not been informed of the automatic renewal. According to the trader, the amount had been calculated correctly, as the subscription had not been cancelled before renewal. However, under Article 65-bis of the Consumer Code, traders must notify consumers of the date by which they can send formal notice of cancellation, and failure to do so allows consumers to withdraw at any time without charge until the next expiry date of the contract. The consumer sought help from the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Italy and the complaint was shared with the ECC Germany, which contacted the company and obtained a full refund for the consumer.