In middle of main travel season, EU Commission is targeting US room broker Airbnb: The Internet platform violates EU law with partly unclear prices and unacceptable terms and conditions and has time for corrections by end of August, shared The Brussels authority toger with European consumer protection authorities. If answer is not rich, Commission could intervene, it said.
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“More and more consumers are booking ir holiday accommodation online, and this sector offers many new opportunities for holidaymakers,” said Justice Commissioner V?ra Jourová, who is also responsible for consumer protection. “But success cannot be an excuse not to abide by EU consumer protection rules.” Customers should be able to easily understand which services y would have to pay as much. In addition, fair rules for cancellation by owner are necessary. “I expect Airbnb to quickly present right solutions,” Jourová stressed.
Private or commercial provider?
In concrete terms, Commission and consumer protection authorities are Airbnb that total price, including service charges, is not always recognisable in case of offers. In addition, platform must clearly show wher it is a private or professional provider – because different consumer rules are valid for both categories.
In addition, it asks for various changes in general terms and conditions of provider with regard to legal actions and compensation questions.
Airbnb was founded in 2008 as a platform for accommodation providers and is based in San Francisco. The platform provides millions of private and commercial accommodation, according to its own data in 34,000 cities worldwide. This makes platform also a great competitor for hotels. Critics accuse group of being jointly responsible for soaring rental prices in popular tourist destinations such as Barcelona or Berlin.
