Hidden costs
Regrettably this article is only available in German as it contains information which is especially useful to consumers living in the German-speaking area. Consumers from other EU Member States won't face the described situations.
With Friday, 13.06.2014, the new Consumer Rights Directive was implemented EU-wide in order to make the protection of consumers more effective and consistent. Main changes affect regulations about withdrawal, cancellation and price transparency.
Improved protection against Internet cost traps
Even before the coronavirus pandemic, the market for streaming services was in a solid growth process. The lockdown measures to contain COVID-19 have boosted demand even further, with leading streaming services even agreeing to reduce the video quality of streams at the request of the EU Commission to free up bandwidth for more important services. Even though the first rush of new customers to the streaming platforms has already slowed down somewhat, the increased demand in the area of video streaming has also led to an increased number of consumers who have fallen for fraudulent offers. Many consumers do not notice if they have signed up for a dubious streaming service. The rude awakening often comes a few days later when letters arrive from lawyers or debt collection agencies demanding several hundred euros for allegedly completed annual memberships. Due to the numerous requests for help from injured parties, the European Consumer Centre Austria (ECC) has now compiled information for consumers on the subject of video streaming.
The pros and cons of different payment options.
By clicking on „accept“, you explicitly consent to transfer data to the USA. Caution: The US does not ensure an comparable adequate level of protection like the EU. Due to surveillance laws such as FISA 702, Youtube (Google Inc) is obliged to hand over your personal data to US authorities. There is no adequacy decision of the European Commission for the transfer of data to the USA. Furthermore, Youtube (Google Inc) cannot offer appropriate safeguards for compliance with an adequate level of protection comparable to that of the EU. Hence, in the US you do not have enforceable data subject rights and effective legal remedies that are equivalent to the level of protection guaranteed within the EU.
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