Consumer's Telegram November 2025

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

E-COMMERCE

“Amazon Haul” – Be aware of consumer rights, customs fees, and impulse purchases

Amazon Haul, the US giant's low-cost portal, has been available in Italy since October. With Amazon Haul, purchases are no longer made from Amazon Europe (based in Luxembourg), but in most cases from a US branch of the group, Haul Global (Amazon Export Sales LLC). Amazon has, however, provided for the possibility that third-party sellers may also offer products for sale. Purchases are therefore no longer made within the European Union, and the product itself will also be shipped from non-EU countries. Although the right of withdrawal and the legal guarantee of conformity should be guaranteed, buyers may face greater practical difficulties in asserting their rights, especially in the event of disputes or returns.
It cannot be ruled out that consumers may have to bear return costs which, for low-value items, may exceed the price of the product itself, or effectively render the legal guarantee pointless. Another aspect that should not be underestimated is the possible application of additional costs (for instance customs duties) that may be borne by the consumer.

TRAVEL

Discussion on the reform of air passenger rights underway

The European Parliament's Committee on Transport and Tourism recently voted on the negotiating guidelines for the reform of the Air Passenger Rights Regulation, seeking to preserve and possibly extend the guarantees provided for in the current Regulation, while the amendments proposed so far by the Council of Transport Ministers go in the opposite direction. In particular, the Transport Committee would like to maintain, among other things, the three-hour delay limit above which compensation can be claimed, regardless of the distance of the flight, and also proposes that a list of exceptional circumstances should be drawn up which would allow airlines, only in such cases, to be exempt from paying a compensation. Discussions between the EU institutions will continue, and it is not yet clear how and when they will agree to adopt the new Regulation. In the meantime, a European citizens' initiative on the subject is underway, entitled “Save your right, save your flight”, with the aim of protecting the rules currently in force.

ECODESIGN REGULATION

USB-C ports will become mandatory also for chargers

The new EU Ecodesign Regulation stipulates that chargers need to have an USB-C port. Until now, this requirement only applied to devices. The new Regulation aims to standardise chargers requiring most of them (including wireless chargers and charging bases), regardless of power rating, to have at least one USB-C port and greater energy efficiency. In addition, the new regulation, which will come into force at the end of 2028, introduces the new “Common Charger” logo, which will allow consumers to easily identify interoperable chargers.

CASE OF THE MONTH
A Spanish consumer ordered clothing accessories from an Italian e-commerce site, paying with a virtual credit card, but he never received the goods, nor did he ever receive a response to his complaints requesting delivery of the goods or a refund of the price paid. Even the account that the consumer had created on the company's website to place the order turned out to be non-existent. The consumer therefore sought help from the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Spain, which forwarded the case to the ECC Italy. Thanks to the intervention of the ECC Italy, the company refunded the full price paid and offered a discount voucher as an apology for the inconvenience caused.