Consumer General Secretariat: New fines of € 330.000 in high-tech online stores

HGeneral Directorate of Consumer Protection of the General Secretariat of Commerce & Consumer Protection of the Ministry of Development & Investment has received a number of recent complaints from consumers who have entered into distance contracts with e-shops selling high-tech products, in particular mobile phones, concerning:

• with non-delivery of the ordered mobile devices despite the payment of the price
• the inability to contact the company, which either did not respond at all or provided, in some cases, telephone numbers that did not correspond to real telephone numbers in the country.

Following an extensive investigation, the Directorate-General for Consumer Protection imposed heavy fines totaling 330.000 euro, in the following electronic companies marketing mobile phones and state-of-the-art products, as it found violations of the provisions on consumer rights in distance contracts as well as the provisions on unfair (and in particular misleading) commercial practices:

The General Secretariat for Trade & Consumer Protection is investigating similar cases and is considering imposing administrative sanctions on other online stores selling mobile phones and high-tech products, for which it has received numerous complaints and for which the consumer public will be informed in a new announcement.

For complaints about illegal and misleading practices from online mobile phone shops, consumers can call the 1520 consumer line.

Press Release