Latest news with #Consumentenbond
The Star
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Booking.com faces growing Dutch claim over 'price-hiking' tactics
The Dutch Consumers' Association (Consumentenbond) is targeting practices dating back to 2013, which they allege distorted competition and drove up hotel prices across multiple booking platforms. — Reuters THE HAGUE: A Dutch consumer watchdog said on July 8 that more than 200,000 people had signed up for a potential class-action suit against accusing the travel platform of inflating hotel prices and employing misleading online tactics. The Amsterdam-based firm, which compares hotel and flight prices for bargain-seeking holidaymakers, said it "fundamentally" rejected the claims, calling them "very, very strange." The Dutch Consumers' Association (Consumentenbond) is targeting practices dating back to 2013, which they allege distorted competition and drove up hotel prices across multiple booking platforms. Babs van der Staak, a Consumentenbond spokeswoman, told AFP that a preliminary estimate suggested "approximately €1bil (RM4.97bil) in damages for consumers." The complaint focuses on so-called "dark patterns" – such as fake discounts or "only one room left" alerts that pressure users into booking. The groups argue these affected not only own listings but also hiked prices across rival sites and hotel websites. "This case is fundamentally about fairness," said Van der Staak. The collective action aims to "ensure that ceases its unlawful acts and compensates the consumers for harm that has already been caused." said no formal legal papers had yet been served, but pledged to fight any legal action because "it's not who we are. It's not what we've ever done". "From day one, all we've ever tried to do is get the best prices for consumers," said the spokesperson, who asked not to be named. Van der Staak said consumer groups had invited for settlement talks and would take things "one step at a time" before deciding whether to file a formal court case. She declined to provide a timeline or jurisdiction, but said anyone residing in the Netherlands who booked a hotel online since January 2013 – including while travelling abroad – is eligible to register. Competition authorities in Germany, Spain, and Sweden have also found the platform breached fair market rules. – AFP
LeMonde
29-06-2025
- Business
- LeMonde
Dutch consumers wage war against Booking.com
Times are tough for the pioneering Dutch company in online accommodation booking. Its practices have already been condemned by European courts, as well as in Spain, Germany and Hungary. Now, faces a mass legal complaint from the Dutch consumer association Consumentenbond (CCC). Since the announcement on Thursday, June 26, The CCC's switchboard has been inundated with calls and its website has been difficult to access. The association says it will represent anyone (even if they are not Dutch) who booked rooms and accommodation through the platform since 2013 and who, according to the organization, have been duped into paying excessive rates. The organizers of the lawsuit estimate that the amounts involved could reach €1 billion. "We have done research and it shows that has been violating competition rules and consumer law," explained CCC president Bert Heikens. According to Heikens, customers who made reservations through the American company Expedia or Agoda – based in Singapore and acquired by in 2007 – are also being asked to come forward. The same applies to customers who were forced by hotels to apply overpriced rates through
Fashion United
05-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion United
25 consumer organisations file complaint against Shein over misleading practices
Twenty-five European consumer organisations have lodged a joint complaint against Chinese fast-fashion giant Shein, accusing the company of misleading consumers and promoting overconsumption through manipulative design elements on its website and mobile app. The complaint, addressed to European regulators, alleges that Shein employs so-called 'dark patterns'—techniques designed to subconsciously influence consumer behaviour. These include fake discounts, countdown timers, misleading low-stock alerts and endless scrolling features. Emotional triggers and peer pressure are also said to be used, such as fake reviews or notifications suggesting that a product is nearly sold out. 'Shein deliberately designed its site and app to be addictive, aimed at impulse purchases and overconsumption. This isn't harmless marketing, but a deliberate aggressive strategy that misleads consumers,' said Sandra Molenaar, director of Dutch consumer group Consumentenbond, in a press release. 'These practices are not only unfair, but also harmful to consumers and the environment. That is why we are taking action and increasing the pressure on Shein.' The complaint follows earlier investigations by European regulators, which in early 2025 uncovered several violations of consumer protection law at Shein. The latest action was coordinated by BEUC (the European Consumer Organisation), which submitted the complaint to the European Commission and the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) Network. Consumer organisations behind the complaint stress that Shein is not an isolated case. Other fast-fashion platforms reportedly use similar manipulative tactics, prompting calls for broader investigation across the sector. The joint action underscores growing scrutiny of online sales practices in the fast-fashion industry and intensifies pressure on authorities to take regulatory measures against digital manipulation. This article was translated to English using an AI tool. FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
German consumer body opposes EU plans to cut airline liability
Germany's vzbv consumer umbrella body on Tuesday came out against planned changes to European Union rules on compensating airline passengers for delays. If implemented, airlines would no longer have to pay around 85% of the compensation payments currently due, the vzbv said in Berlin. It cited figures from the Lennoc software company commissioned by the Dutch consumer body Consumentenbond. EU Regulation 261/2004 currently stipulates that delays exceeding three hours should be compensated to the amount of between €250 ($273) and €600, depending on distance. Brussels is currently discussing raising the time limit to at least five hours and as long as 24 hours for long-haul flights. The Airlines for Europe (A4E) airline association recently called for the rules to be changed. "Passengers must in the future be able to rely on being compensated for cancellation and delay. The looming changes in passenger rights would represent a crash landing for travellers rights," Jutta Gurkmann of the vzbv said. She called on the incoming German government to entrench current protections in law and expand them.
