Consumer advice centers see deficiencies in the cancellation button
Since July, it must be possible to terminate contracts concluded online with a mouse click. However, consumer advocates see a considerable need for improvement on many websites.
Munich – Consumer advice centers often find defects in the cancellation button that has been mandatory on websites since July. When checking 840 known sites, they were only satisfied 273 times and rated the termination option as legal, as the Bavarian consumer advice center announced.
As a result, the consumer advice centers warned 152 companies – some of them because of several websites that were the subject of complaints. Anyone who concludes a contract on the Internet has been able to terminate it more easily since July. Since then, so-called continuing obligations that can be concluded online have had to have a cancellation button.
With it, consumers can get rid of their contracts without much searching and writing letters. Examples are mobile phone contracts, subscriptions, contracts with fitness studios or streaming services.
Button was often missing completely
During the review, which lasted from July 18 to October 14, the consumer centers and other consumer associations checked well-known websites from various industries. In 349 cases, the button was completely missing, in 65 cases it was hidden and in 38 cases it was not labeled correctly. According to their own statements, the auditors of the consumer centers also found 339 other violations. According to the regulations, the cancellation button was only installed on 273 pages.
“We regret that it has not been implemented on so many websites. There was enough time for it in advance,” said Tatjana Halm, Head of the Market and Law Department at the Bavarian Consumer Advice Center. “We hope that improvements will now be made immediately on all sides.”
The first effects can already be seen. By November 2, 86 of the companies who had been warned had submitted the required cease-and-desist declaration, according to the consumer advice center. In some cases, the courts will also have to decide.
It was also noticed “that some companies that did not receive a warning from us have improved their pages,” said Halm. The testing of websites should continue. Consumers who find defects themselves can report them online to the consumer advice centers. dpa
Reference-www.ingame.de