flight bookings, mobile phone contracts or insurance: millions of people use Comparison websites. The Federal cartel office has met with several cases, defects, and wants to take the portals in more detail.
The Federal cartel office in the case of Internet comparison portals encountered in many cases of defects. An investigation of the numerous Comparison websites across travel, energy, insurance, telecommunications and Finance have violations of the suspect consumer law in some respects corroborated, informed the authority in Bonn.
“The consumer can not always be relied upon to actually find the best offer on a comparison site”, said cartel office President Andreas Mundt at the presentation of the results. Consumers would often not informed of how the order of the search results and the recommendations of the comparison portals in the Individual. “There is a lack of transparency,” complained Mundt.
The cartel office had taken 36 Comparison websites under the microscope.
36 portals examined
The cartel office had taken 36 Comparison websites under the microscope. “A lot of comparison information is accurate and reliable,” said Mundt. In many cases, according to the report, but also behaviors that can lead consumers astray. So as to affect the Portal default presentation of the search results had, for example, by the providers of paid fees or commissions.
In some industries would have the comparison portals have a low coverage of the market and were part of only a selection of less than 50 percent of the market, existing offers. Numerous portals created is not a standalone comparison, but accessible only to the records or rate calculator other portals.
Betrofene portals must submit position
The affected portals can now take the results of the investigation and up to 4. February. According to an analysis by the Federal cartel office intends to publish in the coming year, a final report of its investigation of the comparison portals.
The authority wanted to clarify with the comprehensive investigation of possible breaches of consumer law. Using Online Comparison sites, more and more people to collect information and cases on this Basis, then decisions about the booking of travel, or new electricity contracts.
BGH: Comparison websites consumers need to better inform, 26.04.2017 Atlas |Germany |Frankfurt am Main
