Consumer's Telegram March 2026
Insert of n. 22 - Editorial office: Centro Europeo Consumatori (European Consumer Centre Italy - Bolzano office)Passenger rights in air transport
‘The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) has fined Vacaciones eDreams €9 million for unfair
practices relating to its “Prime” and “Prime Plus” subscriptions (ruling PS12853).
The issue?
Promotions offering large discounts (up to 50%) without clearly explaining automatic renewal
costs, and cancellations made difficult by complicated menus and pressure to continue the
service. The Authority has banned these practices and requested more transparent information.
If you have subscribed to “Prime”, check your account and contact consumer associations to
explore a possible refund.
For more information: https://www.agcm.it/media/comunicati-stampa/2026/2/PS12853
Telecommunications
The European Commission proposes to extend the “Roam Like at Home” regime to the Western
Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia),
opening negotiations for bilateral agreements.
Once implemented, you will be able to make calls, send SMS messages and use mobile data
without extra roaming charges when travelling between the EU and the Western Balkans,
paying only domestic rates – both when you travel to the Balkans and when citizens from these
countries travel in Italy.
For consumers, this means more affordable holidays, work or study trips without unexpected
bills. The EU Council will authorise the negotiations; keep an eye on developments for updated
offers! Contact us for clarification on roaming tariffs.
For more information: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_474
Tourism
Are you planning a trip to Spain but worried about overcrowding and rising prices? In 2025,
Spain set a record with 96.8 million tourists (including many Italians, up 3.2% compared to
2024) and €134.7 billion in revenue. However, the government is now curbing mass tourism: no
new hotels in the most crowded areas (Barcelona, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands),
higher eco-taxes and incentives to travel in the low season or to less touristy areas. For you,
this means more balanced packages and stable prices, but watch out for low-cost offers with
hidden extras. Choose certified tour operators, read up-to-date reviews and check EU rights on
cancellations: this way you can save money and travel better!
For more information: https://www.mintur.gob.es/en-us/gabineteprensa/notasprensa/2026/paginas/espana-recibio-6,7-
millones-de-pasajeros-aereos-internacionales-en-enero-.aspx
Social media
Parents and young people, be aware: the EU Commission accuses TikTok of violating the
Digital Services Act with addictive design features, such as infinite scrolling, autoplay and push
notifications that keep you glued to the app for hours, especially at night, with risks to mental
health, particularly for younger users. Effective protections, such as mandatory breaks or robust
parental controls, are lacking, despite the evidence. The platform risks heavy fines of up to 6%
of its turnover. You can take action: set time limits on the app, activate Family Pairing, monitor
usage and report any issues to the Data Protection Authority or the EU to protect yourself and
your family.
For more information: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/it/news/commission-preliminarily-finds-tiktoks-addictive-desi
gn-breach-digital-services-act
Case of the month
A consumer had a credit of €100 linked to her account with a Dutch booking platform. One day,
however, she noticed that this credit had been used, without her consent, to make two flight
bookings to Indonesia in the names of people unknown to her.
The consumer immediately contacted the booking platform to report the incident and request
that the credit be restored, but she never received a concrete response.
She therefore turned to the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Italy, which forwarded the
complaint to its colleagues at ECC Netherlands. Following their intervention, the €100 credit
was restored to the consumer’s wallet by the booking platform, which nevertheless
recommended that she activate two-factor authentication for both the platform account and her
email account, reset her passwords and avoid reusing the same credentials across multiple
services.