"In July last year, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection initiated proceedings bringing charges against the Zalando sales platform. They concerned, among others, failure to provide information on the status of sellers on the platform in the manner required by law. Customers can buy products there not only from Zalando itself, but also from the platform's partners. they were not adequately informed. They could not be sure that they were purchasing a given product from an entrepreneur and, consequently, whether they were entitled to all the rights resulting from this fact when purchasing," the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Office added that there was also no clear information on the division of responsibilities related to the implementation of the contract between the platform and the partner issuing the offer. The announcement recalled that customers may have had problems determining who to send a complaint to, who to inform about withdrawing from a purchase, or who to send the returned goods to. As a result, the office informed, the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection issued a decision obliging Zalando to introduce changes on its websites in connection with the information obligations arising from the Omnibus Directive.
"In addition to changes on the website, the company will grant all consumers who purchased products from its partners on the Zalando website in the period from January 1, 2023 to the date of fulfillment of the obligation, a voucher of PLN 40. It can be used within 6 months for purchases. products sold by Zalando (including previously discounted products), excluding products sold by partners. The company will provide information about the voucher being granted via e-mail," the announcement explains.
The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) reminded that the Omnibus Directive has been in force since January 1, 2023. Since then, the office has been monitoring how online trading platforms have adapted to the new obligations.
"After the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection's intervention, many entrepreneurs changed their activities or declared modifications. This applies to operators of platforms such as Glovo, Uber Eats, Pyszne.pl, Wolt, Bolt Food, Aliexpress, Wakacje.pl, FREE NOW, Uber, Bolt, Facebook, Morele .net, Empik, Triverna.pl, Travelist, Amazon and Allegro," we read in the announcement. "The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection brought charges against two other entities – the Booking.com platform and Travelist.pl. A binding decision has already been issued against Travelist.pl," it added. (PAP)
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